should you pitch what you already published?
Welcome to the seventh edition of Missed Pitches, the home for rejected ideas.
Max Brimelow is a journalism student at the University of California, Berkeley, and he has independently produced an animated video explaining the COVID-19 vaccines. It runs just over four minutes long and it has yet to find a news outlet to publish it.
“I worked on the piece for school but subsequently pitched it to a few places that turned it down — including Kaiser Health News, Stat News, and Politico. I would LOVE to get it placed somewhere but have slightly given up on it for the moment,” Max told me via email.
Max published the video on Vimeo and as of this writing only has 53 views.
Max’s submission to Missed Pitches and his email correspondence with me has offered the opportunity for me to bring up the issue of self-publishing while also trying to sell your work to an organization.
I know Max’s story is not unique to those of us who work in the creative field. Self-publishing is one great way to show your portfolio of work that could eventually lead to paid assignments. But Max’s video is a vivid example of the dilemma that writers and creative workers face: Should you pitch a published (or finished) piece of work or should you wait to get the green light from an organization willing to pay for your work?
Give me your answer on Twitter at @MissedPitches.
For this edition of the Missed Pitches newsletter, I want to spend some time getting to know you. I prepared a 5-question survey about my newsletter that asks how you found it and whether the concept is clear for you.
Take my 5-question survey about this newsletter.
And if you’re a freelancer who would like to have your rejected ideas featured in this newsletter, use this Google Form to submit your entry. Follow on Twitter at @MissedPitches for updates and shout-outs. Read the previous edition here.
// rungomez
Freelance Opportunities
via @kristynmartin (Dec 17): Yahoo Life is looking for journalists to write 2x articles per month on social justice & allyship starting in January to live on our BLM hub. DM me for more details if interested.
via @NYTimesWordplay (Dec 16): Submissions to our Solver Stories feature for the latter half of 2021 are now open. We're looking for fresh voices and well-told stories about how puzzle-solving or games have had an impact on your life, or how they might have changed a relationship. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/crosswords/solver-stories-submission-guidelines.html
via @notrbccrlnd (Dec 18): Pitch me for @lifeandthyme! Looking for stories that use food as a means to examine global issues, culture, connection, etc. Rates between $200 and $400 for most stories. https://lifeandthyme.com/contribute/
via @KasulisK (Dec 16): Writers: @nknewsorg and I are always looking for people to pitch me 750-word op-eds on anything North Korea, along with 1,200-word analyses. Both should have a straight-forward main idea and a recent news peg. https://www.nknews.org/about-us/pitching-guidelines-nk-news-nk-pro/
via @alexamcmahon (Dec 17): **I've got some good news** Excited to be an official member of the @wpmagazine! And now I'm open for pitches here or at alexa.mcmahon@washpost.com
Writing Jobs
Morning Brew is hiring a Retail Brew Writer - Remote
Connecticut Magazine is hiring a Features Writer - Connecticut
Pack Hacker is hiring a Staff Writer - Detroit
Elite Daily is hiring an Astrology Writer - Remote
Pittsburgh City Paper is hiring a Staff Writer - Temporarily Remote
Writing Contests
People of Color Creative Symposium (Deadline: Jan. 14, 2021)
The Nine Dots Prize (Deadline: Jan. 18, 2021)
Crosswinds Poetry Contest (Deadline: Dec. 31, 2020)