Pitches wanted (profiles, arts, culture, etc.) | ~40p+ per word
Added 2024-05-31 22:44:20 +0000 UTCCOMPANY/PUBLICATION: FT WEEKEND
Griselda Murray Brown, Commissioning Editor at FT Weekend, is looking for pitches:
If you're a writer and you have a pitch for FT Weekend magazine, here's an attempt to answer the question of what I'm looking for (a list of stuff I've commissioned; all free to read):
1) Reported features, 4,000 words. Needs: memorable characters; compelling, twisty plot. Ideally: intricate portrait of a world people don't usually see. Or in Matt Vella's official guidance: "Killer magazine stories have: narrative, disclosure, access and conflict. All four."
Two favourites I edited last year: Lou Stoppard on Norland College, the elite training school for nannies https://on.ft.com/48N762b and Francisco Garcia on The Digger, Glasgow's tiny muckraking crime mag https://on.ft.com/4923WHo
2) Profiles, 2,500-3,500 words. I'm interested in people who are shaping the culture in some way but haven't been written about loads already. Ideally an exclusive. Here's one I loved: Rosa Lyster on the artist Anne Imhof: https://www.ft.com/content/ac6e234b-3833-49e0-8afc-fe5176184235
3) Arts features. Sometimes they pair an artist and author, like novelist Alex Hyde on painter Caroline Walker https://on.ft.com/47Ry8UJ, poet Inua Ellams on painter Hurvin Anderson https://on.ft.com/42epqPl or Elizabeth Strout on photographer Judith Joy Ross. And sometimes these pieces take the form of a conversation between artists. Here's Barry Jenkins and Amy Sherald: https://www.ft.com/content/5a6b3fe0-7602-45f7-b979-172f288477a7
4) I'm also looking for distinctive essays. More voice-driven than "confessional". Subjects have included: hobbies, perfectionism, The Simpsons, psychoanalysis, and why small children love dinosaurs. Here's Patrick Freyne on ambition - or the lack of it: https://on.ft.com/3SaV7Er
CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: Reports indicate that FT Weekend pays at least 40p per word. It is recommended that you discuss the rate(s) with the editor upon the acceptance of your pitch.
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CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):
Questions/submissions: griselda.murraybrown@ft.com
Website: https://www.ft.com/magazine
TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:
Learn more about the publication: FT Weekend features the best of Financial Times Weekend journalism, from life and arts, finance, home, to money. FT Magazine is a supplement to the weekend edition of the Financial Times newspaper. More information here.
Read through a selection of recent articles/stories on its website.
Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com.
Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a few lines highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits; and (3) links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.
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