Pitches wanted (swans, snail mail, history, cannabis, etc.) | 50 cents per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: BROCCOLI

Deadline: 31 January 2024

In the summer of 2017, I started working on a new print magazine named after a vegetable. Six years later, Broccoli is flourishing, green as ever, and here we are, pulling together our twentieth issue. Read on for details about pitching, including prompts for stories we are eager to commission.

FIRST, THE ESSENTIALS:

• Send pitch emails to editors@broccolimag.com.
• Pitches are due by 9:00 a.m. EST Wednesday, January 31, 2024.
• Issue 20 stories will be assigned by February 9, 2024.
• First drafts for Issue 20 will be due starting March 1, 2024.
• Rates:$.50/word, negotiated as a flat fee at commission.
• Issue 20 will go to print in spring and hit stands in Fall 2024. Commissioned writers will receive a free copy of the magazine where their work appears.

NEXT, SOME HELPFUL HINTS GLEANED AFTER REVIEWING EVERY SINGLE PITCH SENT TO BROCCOLI SINCE DAY 1:

• This pitch call is for writers only. Broccoli’s art call for issue 20 will go out over our social media channels in the coming weeks, so if you want to contribute art, watch that space for details.
• We do not accept poetry, fiction, or already written work.
• Do not send attachments. We will delete your email unread.
• Do not send multiple emails. If you have more than one story idea (wonderful!), put them all in a single email.
• Make sure you’ve got the goods. If you pitch an interview, know you can get access. If you pitch an artist, understand who holds the rights.
• Think evergreen. Our production cycle is too long for trend pieces.
• Don’t pitch us anything you aren’t truly passionate about writing. We aren’t in the content business.
• If you are a brand or PR agency with a client interested in being featured in the magazine, please contact hi@broccolimag.com to learn more about partnership opportunities.

We read and respond to every single pitch. We’ll get you a reply as quickly as we can, but we appreciate your patience as we take the time to review your email.

ON TO THE STORIES:

SWAN SONG: W.B. Yeats wrote of swans, “they drift on the still water / mysterious, beautiful,” and we’d like some of that mystery and beauty in our pages. Seeking an 800-word essay on the swan, combining folklore, cultural touchpoints, and insights into the lives of these captivating creatures. Fee: $400.

SNAIL MAIL: As a print-only enterprise, Broccoli has a soft spot for paper treasures and the resurgence in penpals and letter art warms the cockles of our editorial hearts. Seeking pitches for a 500-word piece on the low-fi charms and community-building power of putting something in the mail. Fee: $250.

IN PLACE: Seeking brief, immersive 400-word pieces about little-known but well-worth-visiting locales you do not see on social media. Must be a place you have actually visited; should not be a hashtag or an entry in Atlas Obscura. $200.

NEW HISTORY: Who hasn’t gotten their due? Looking for profiles of historical women or nonbinary folks who deserve wider recognition, or stories that have yet to be well told. (Previous issues have featured Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Corita Kent, Leonora Carrington, Maruja Mallo, Tina Bell, and Qiu Jin.) If you pitch a visual artist, please include who controls rights to the work—budgets and logistics are real, and we have to be able to get permissions and print-friendly files, which can be tricky for archival stories. 600 to 800 words, $300-400.

POTLUCK: Want to pitch us something else? Go for it! Broccoli is about looking at culture through a stoned lens, meaning we prioritize stories that spark wonder, curiosity, beauty, and/or a good laugh with friends. Stories don’t need to have a specific cannabis angle to fit the brief.

Happy pitching!

More questions? Click here for our full pitch guidelines or reach out to editors@broccolimag.com.

ABOUT BROCCOLI

Broccoli is a publisher of unusual delights. We create artful magazines, art books, and an array of creative products designed to spark curiosity within niche interest communities. We are an independent, women-led company known internationally for creating best-selling, collectible publications like Broccoli magazine, Catnip, Mushroom People, Snail World, and more.

CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):

• Questions/submissions: editors@broccolimag.com
• Website: https://broccolimag.com/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Broccoli explores and shapes modern stoner culture by looking at cannabis through an art, culture, and fashion lens, giving the plant a dedicated space to be discussed in a fresh, stylish, and approachable new way. In each issue, it explores everything from ambient music to screenprinting nuns to the latest CBD products with humor and style. More information here.
• Review the submission guidelines here.
• 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 paragraph 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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