The Truth about Pitching Ideas

One of the most enjoyable parts of freelance writing can also be one of the most frustrating. Pitching ideas to editors is definitely work. My experience over the last few months has shattered what I used to think it was all about:

A. I could do a lot in a short period of time. Ha! You may have a different experience, but to me pitching takes way more time than I thought it would. I create maybe one or two good pitches an hour, considering all the researching, word smithing and editing I do. It’s frustrating. I like to be — or at least feel — productive. I rarely do.

B. I can do it during my down time. Yeah, right. What down time? I usually have to sprinkle my day liberally with actual work. I’ll do an hour of pitching, then a couple hours of phone interviews and writing. Just be careful. I’ve had lots of days when I blew off real work because the pitching part became so addictive.

C. I can handle rejection. Pffft. I crack myself up. I’m such a baby and felt like crying after a month of fruitless efforts. My mistake was thinking editors I don’t work with would be like the editors I do work with. The latter take my ideas pretty readily because they know me. The reality is rejection happens a lot when you’re essentially cold calling editors. I cope by seeing it as a means to an end. I need to be rejected a lot to succeed in the end.

D. My ideas rock. Oh, I am so hilarious. I’ve found that every story I pitch must have a couple of good angles, not just one, in order for it to stand out from the rest. And man, does that take a lot of effort. I suggest taking a few minutes away from the computer about every 40 minutes to rejuvenate your eyes and brain. Coffee alone doesn’t always work.

The upside of these mental calisthenics? Once an editor likes you, you don’t have to try quite so hard. When it happens to you, please tell me what that’s like …