Second time was the charm for freelancer Noah Davis, whose initial query to Penthouse was rejected, but whose second query led to a story that ran last month. Davis says:

Since I know the most about sports, I decided to focus my pitch in that direction. I have a simliar tone to the rest of the magazine and know what types of stories I want to read. Those two things, along with an ‘in’ made Penthouse seem like the perfect place to try my luck. Originally, I sent Penthouse senior editor Jonathan Stern an email query on March 16, with my article pitch included as a Microstoft Word attachment. The idea came to me because my roommates and I actually put a couch and TV in a cozy corner nook, hung up some posters and Christmas lights, and always played video games there, calling it the FIFA Lounge. It was my favorite part of the apartment. I thought the idea would work in Penthouse because guys of all ages can appreciate a place where they can go hang out with their boys. I knew that if my roommates and I liked it so much, there was a good chance other guys — i.e. Penthouse readers — would, too.

Read more–and the pitch itself–here.