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Topic: Should I send a clip if it was rewritten?
| Author | Message |
| mightypen | Posted – 8/1/2007 2:02:49 AM | show profile I have a clip that I'd like to send with a pitch to an editor at a big magazine. The catch is that the clip, though short (around 150 words), was almost completely rewritten by my editor. For that reason, I never thought I would ever use it as a writing sample ... and yet it coincides so perfectly with my story idea. The rewrite, which I'm perfectly happy with, did draw from my reporting, and though it was written in a snarkier tone than my original piece, it was a tone that approximated my own. From what I've read in other postings, it sounds like it's normal for editors to overhaul pieces, so perhaps it's no big whoop to use this as a clip? (My other concern is that this clip was written for target magazine's website, so I'm envisioning a scenario where Prospective Editor asks Web Editor about my qualifications, and he remembers having to rewrite my piece. Is that neurotic?) |
| JimmyG | Posted – 8/1/2007 11:25:53 AM | show profile Pretty much a 150-word clip is there just to show you've been published. Do you also have a longer clip that shows off your writing style more clearly that you can send as well? And even if you only cited the web site as a recent client in your pitch letter there's a chance that print editor might ask web editor at the coffee machine how you were to work with (there's also a chance that one might not know or ever see the other, depending on the office, or they might resent each other, so it's always a crap shoot). Some editors in this situation who are overly Hands-on might say you were easy to work with since you provided enough of a manuscript for them to tailor to their snarky style. Others who resent having to so much as add a comma might remark on how much rewriting your piece needed. Again, a crap shoot. |
