Pitches wanted (character/action-driven stories) | $1,000 per piece

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: NARRATIVELY

Farahnaz Mohammed, Editor at Narratively, is looking for pitches:

I am back at it editing for Narratively! I love all the fresh voices I'm seeing. After reading pitches for a while, I find I see the same mistakes (which I also made a lot myself) or hesitation from writers asking how to go about this pitching stuff.

Here's a thread for all of you who are on the fence about pitching (hop off and pitch!), been wondering if we'll think your story is dumb (we won't), and/or haven't had the benefit of a network to teach you how to pitch (hello hi, consider me a link in your network.)

The basics: you can pitch me by email (farah@narratively.com) or via submittable. Neither is better or worse. All stories get seen. Pay is $1000 per piece on publication. Here is the link to our submittable: https://narratively.submittable.com/submit

E.g. if you want your story to be in the Deep Dives section, and it's about Dolls Who Come Alive at Night, your subject line might be: "Pitch: A Deep Dive into the Mystery of Dolls Who Come Alive At Night"

If you have a full draft written that you think is perfect for us, by all means, send it in! But otherwise, a pitch is just fine. (Just be sure to give us a robust idea/outline of your story.) If it doesn't work out, we hate rejecting your 3000-word piece as much as you do.

Include good links to your portfolio/past work. You DO NOT have to have a byline in a glossy magazine or international newspaper to pitch. You DO need a good story. A shiny resume and a boring story will not trump an unpublished writer with a great story.

Show me you read the stories on our site and know what we're looking for! This is important! When editors say it is obvious a writer hasn't looked at what a site is about before pitching, they mean it, and it isn't a good look.

As a rough guide (there's more on the submittable link!), Narratively stories are character driven and action driven. Generally, the stories that work for us have very active scenes, and are the kind of stories you'd mention to a friend later.

The follow-up process can take a while. We wish we could get back to you faster, but it takes us time because we're genuinely reading over and considering you and everyone else's work with care, as well as working with our amazing writers. Please be patient with us.

I'll wrap up this thread by saying writers and editors are on the same team and we both have the same passion: great writing, great stories, and getting people excited about them.

Even if your story isn't a Narratively story, keep writing, keep pitching. Here for advice and encouragement with an open inbox! (It sometimes takes me a while to reply...but I do get there eventually!)

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

• Questions/submissions: farah@narratively.com
• Website: https://narratively.com/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Narratively is a media platform and production company that celebrates the diversity of humanity through authentic storytelling. Its network of talented journalists and storytellers come to Narratively with the passion projects they care about most—having combed the world’s big cities and hidden corners for the characters and narratives that mainstream media aren’t finding. More information here.
• Read through a selection of recent stories on its website.
• 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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