If there’s one thing that I hate about being a freelance journalist – it’s pitching ideas. You work on polishing a punchy letter… outline what you hope is a corker of a story… click ‘send’… and then, very often, never hear back from the publication in question.
Unless you’re lucky enough to have regular clients – and believe me, they are a rare commodity in this recession-hit age when magazines are closing left, right and centre – it seems you don’t even warrant the courtesy of a response.
Sound familiar?
It hit me today that I really must be a glutton for punishment. Not content with enduring such treatment in my day job – I’m planning to put myself through the same ringer with literary agents too!
But then I thought this: pitching – whether it be in the form of a feature proposal or your manuscript – is essentially much the same thing. You’re selling yourself and your idea in both.
So I’m now telling myself that writing pitches in whatever form is invaluable experience – rather than a chore. No, I’m not convinced either…
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