WHEN Monday, July 24 7-10 pm WHERE mediabistro.com 494 Broadway (Spring & Broome) New York, NY 10012 WHO Journalists looking to go full-time freelance, or journalists looking to increase their pitching success rate PRICE $65 ($50 for ) more info

Course Details

Pitches are a freelancer's calling card, resume, and currency rolled into one. They're how you get started and how you keep your career on track, because it won't matter that you know how to write the best articles in the world if you can't get an editor to give you the chance to do it.

In this seminar you'll learn to:

• Organize your ideas into succinct and irresistible proposals
• Negotiate your way around pegs and lead times
• Choose appropriate pacing, voice, and tone to match your proposed article's impact
• Showcase your credentials - with and without clips
• Expand your article's scope and word count with sidebars and boxes
• Avoid embarrassing mistakes that separate amateurs from experts
• Identify suitable editors and follow-up with them once your query has been submitted

Instructor Bio

James Sturz's Courses

James Sturz spent three years on staff at Vanity Fair. In addition to his novel Sasso, he has written for more than 70 newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, International Herald Tribune, The New Republic, The New York Observer, The Boston Globe, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Adventure, Caribbean Travel & Life, Men's Health, Entertainment Weekly, Us Weekly, Glamour, Marie Claire, Redbook, and Saveur. James has also served as a guest editor for the adventure magazine Blue and as a contributing editor for Manhattan File and Lexus magazines. His journalism has also been anthologized in the sociology textbook Human Sexuality. James has appeared on Inside Edition, Real Personal, The Book Show, and Good Day New York. Pieces he wrote are included in the anthologies Italy: The Best Travel Writing from The New York Times and Best Food Writing 2007.

Testimonials

Thanks to James, I now know the proper way to propose stories. He provided great comments on my articles and gave me the impetus to submit my ideas for publication. -- Kathleen Kent, freelance publicist

"After taking James' class I felt that I could take my writing to the next level. Since completing the class I have landed travel pieces in The New York Times, Out Traveler, Flaunt, Clear, and Genre and logoonline.com. -- Cator Sparks

"James is a great instructor. He's a smart, well-spoken guy who knows what he's talking about and can answer your questions. This was by far the best class of its kind that I've taken. " -- St. John Frizell, copy director, Bon Appetit

"I grabbed a last-minute flight from Portland, Maine, so I could attend. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. James clinched the aspects of the business that I thought I knew, and opened my eyes to all that I did not know." -- Pat Friedman

"James is fantastic. If you want to become a travel writer, consider this course your first journey." -- Ethan Todras-Whitehill

"Since James' class, I've been assigned travel stories for Plenty, Nymag.com and Experience Curacao. James' class didn't just make me a better travel writer. It made me a better writer, period." -- Jennifer van der Kwast