Hello friends! Today we have another entry in our ongoing series of #pitchesthatsold, in which we examine a successful, well-thought-out pitch that resulted in a great clip and a paycheck.

I’m thrilled to feature Foram Mehta (who wrote for me at The Times!) with a pitch she recently sold to Slate, which you’ll see below. She had spent nearly a year pitching it around to places and finally found it a perfect home with Slate.

Some data about the process:

Rate: $600
Time elapsed between pitching Slate and publication: 1 month
Rounds of editing: 2
Additional work outside of reporting and writing (if any): None
Read the story here: Moved Fast and Broke Things

Subject line: [PITCH] The golden days of tech are over. Will 1 million+ workers like me ever bounce back?

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Hello friends! Welcome to the first in an ongoing series in which we’ll highlight successful pitches that led to published stories.

This week we’ve got two from Alyssa Wiens, a freelancer who recently sold two personal essays, one to Business Insider — I share a house with strangers; has surprising benefits, few downsides — and one to Oh Reader (print only! Imagine!).

Both of these pitches were made via submission forms, which is worth noting for two reasons: 1. Yes, those pitches do get read and really can lead to commissions! And 2. The format for those is very different from the one I recommend for most pitches, which once again proves that the best story pitch is the one that best serves the story. There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to pitch any given story. Always remember that all freelance advice is based around guidance and not rules.

Now, on to the pitches!

Business Insider

Alyssa told me that this pitch was in response to a callout from an editor looking for ideas around “interesting living situations,” and she thought hers would fit the bill. The story came in around 700 words, which netted Alyssa $230.

Here’s her pitch:

Subject: I moved in with five roommates in my 30s. My mental and physical health has never been better.

I moved into a shared house with five strangers 8 months ago so I could live in the city. I'm extroverted, so I thought it would be okay, but I didn't expect the other positive effects on my physical and mental health: less isolation, more activity, less TV, and healthy conflict resolution. I've been impacted by the healthy habits of my roommates and grown personally through the interpersonal dynamics of living in a household of six 30s+ people.

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Oh Reader

Alyssa said that Oh Reader had been on her radar of possible outlets to pitch for a while (though she couldn’t specifically recall where she found out they were looking — who among us!). This idea came from a list of story ideas she keeps and adds to “when inspiration strikes,” adding that she keeps “a running list of ideas then matches them up to potential publications.” Maintaining those story idea lists is a fantastic practice, both strategically and editorially, that we’ve covered before in this newsletter. This story ended up around 1,300 words and paid out $200.

Here’s her pitch, as sent via the submissions form:

Name: Alyssa Wiens
Website: http://alyssawiens.substack.com/

Tell us why you'd make a great writer for Oh Reader: I've fallen back in love with reading as a 30-something. I read all. the. time as a kid/teenager, and after a decade-plus-long hiatus that I blame on my smartphone addiction, I'm returning home to who I once was: a reader.

What will your article/story/poem be about? "Reading more has singlehandedly made me a better person." I want to reflect on how falling back in love with reading and making it a priority in my life over the last few years has made a bigger and better impact than other self-care or self-development activities. We all want to be "better" versions of ourselves, pursuing healthy eating, exercise, sleep, drinking water (all good things). But reading? It's made me more creative. I slow down now. I have new ideas and topics to discuss. I don't sit and scroll every second of the day. I've made friends through book club. It's a long list of benefits! This would be a personal essay on the transformational power of reading.

Have you been published anywhere else? www.alyssawiens.com/portfolio

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Do you have a pitch that recently sold? I’d love to feature it! Email me at tim@freelancingwithtim.com and let’s talk.

Have a wonderful week!

Oh, a few other things …

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Hi friends! Let’s keep it nice and simple today: Here is the exact pitch I sent to The Atlantic, which resulted in a commission.

I sold it a while back for $400 (after negotiating up from $350, always negotiate!). A few quick things to note:

• My absolute floor for journalistic freelance writing is $1/word … except when it…

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