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A thought for younger journalists

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by brandonsneed, Jan 11, 2012.

  1. BobSacamano

    BobSacamano Member

    As cruel as it sounds, your struggles are refreshing. I take kill fees and rejected pitches really personally. I get extra frustrated when the editor sits on my pitch and I'm unable to reach out to an editor elsewhere. It's agonizing for me, because I'm in love with my ideas and only pitch the stuff I've fleshed out. Can't do it without the access and the go-ahead. And I need money.
     
  2. brandonsneed

    brandonsneed Member

    Yeah, it's still tough for me. I've had to learn to sort of keep things at arm's length, as much as I love them. Also, don't be afraid to be persistent. You don't want to annoy your editors, but if it's taking awhile for them to get back to you, drop them an email just to follow up. Stuff falls through the cracks all the time. Hell, today I had to remind an editor of a pitch I sent him almost a month ago. It just totally slipped his mind.

    I think I used to think that editors were like these machines that just catalogued things in a "yes" or "no" or "I love that guy" or "I hate that guy" categories. But as it turns out, they're humans too, and they have a million things going on and get a million emails and phone calls a day. I've found that if you approach them with appropriate tact and professionalism, they're really grateful to see you get involved enough to follow up on things.
     
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