SiteWeekend Craft: Create a Wacky Pitch Calendar
Many print magazines (especially consumer magazines) work at least six months ahead, meaning in spring or summer, editors are thinking about Christmas — not beach fun. Buy a cheap wall calendar and enter in all the holidays and events — except enter them in six to nine months ahead. So on one square in June, write in “New Year’s.” In January, write in “summer fun.” In April, put in “Halloween.” Then check your wacky calendar every day to decide what kinds of ideas to pitch.
Or, even easier but not as much fun, set your calendar six to nine months ahead so when you look at it in the summer, you’re reminded of sleigh rides and eggnog instead of summer heat and lemonade. [lf]
5 Responses to “Weekend Craft: Create a Wacky Pitch Calendar”
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becky
Said this on August 12th, 2007 at 3:01am:Do you request editorial calendars for the magazines you’re targeting, so you have a better idea of th e best time to pitch a holiday-themed article?
becky (misspriss.org)
Chryselle
Said this on August 12th, 2007 at 10:45am:I do this all the time and it’s a fantastic way to ensure ongoing work. I find holidays, lists of ‘days’ (like National Improve your Home office day - you get the idea), upcoming anniversaries etc and put them on a monthly list with a note on when to pitch the idea. Because most of these events are recurring, it’s also a great way to keep you on your toes. If you’re too late this year, you know (sort of) what to expect for next year, so it’s easier to pitch the idea.
Also, if you’re getting along well with an editor, this method helps you to pitch several ideas at the same time. You no longer have to spend hours worrying ‘what-do-I-write-about?’
I use social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us to keep everything in one place and make things easier to find.
Chryselle
Lauren
Said this on August 12th, 2007 at 7:10pm:I have wanted to do this since reading about it in the Renegade Writer book, but never got around to it. Well, now is as good a time as any! Anyone wanting to go at this project in a big way (who knew that January was Wheat Bread Month?!) should check out this wikipedia page…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commemorative_days
it has its own list of dates and special months but also has some links to further your Wacky Pitch Calendar quest. A great idea Linda! I’m sure it will prove to be a very useful tool, Thanks!
LindaFormichelli
Said this on August 13th, 2007 at 5:34pm:Becky, I’m not sure the editorial calendar will help you time your pitches because they’re meant for advertisers. So they may tell advertisers the deadline for submitting an ad for X issue, but they won’t tell you the deadline for pitching certain ideas. In any case, though, getting the editorial calendar is never a bad thing because it can help you generate ideas.
Chryselle and Lauren, thanks for these resources!
becky
Said this on August 16th, 2007 at 12:28am:Linda, thanks for your response on that.