Pitches That Worked: Turning a College Reunion Into an Ambassador Feature

Pitches That Worked: Turning a College Reunion Into an Ambassador Feature

How the life story of a Nobel Prize winner scored one writer a meaty profile

6 min read • Originally published May 14, 2012 / Updated March 19, 2026

6 min read • Originally published May 14, 2012 / Updated March 19, 2026

As a freelancer, you must constantly have your eyes and ears open for good ideas. When this full-time scribe attended her college reunion, she heard a story about a famous alum who survived Nazi Germany to make history of his own. And, after some intense research and collaboration with her editor, the meaty, yet triumphant tale will appear in an upcoming issue of the Italian American-focused pub Ambassador.

What the Writer Did

Christian Feuerstein: The idea germinated at the 2011 Antioch College reunion where the keynote speaker was Mario Capecchi, class of ’61. I’ve known about Dr. Capecchi and his research for years, but his personal history is just awe-inspiring. A few months later, I was idly paging through the 2011 Writer’s Market, looking for an outlet for an entirely different essay, when my eyes lit upon the entry for The Ambassador, the magazine of the National Italian American Foundation.

I read some back issues of the magazine online, checked the masthead and sent the pitch via email in August 2011 — but it immediately bounced back! I grabbed the email address of the next editorial person on the masthead, Don Oldenburg, and sent it to him. Turns out, he was the new editor.

The Pitch

Subject: Query: Profile of Nobel Prize winning scientist Dr. Mario Capecchi

Mario Capecchi, the co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize in medicine, has a background that would have pushed other people into memoir writing or political campaigning. [1] Born in Verona in 1937, [2] Capecchi was left homeless in 1942, when his American bohemian mother was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Dachau. Family friends who were supposed to take care of Capecchi abandoned the boy instead. [3]

After living on the streets, he wound up in a hospital in Reggio Emilia, where he and other street children were given one cup of coffee and a crust of bread every day. Miraculously, his mother survived Dachau, and as soon as the Allies liberated the concentration camp, she set out to find her son. [4] They moved to a commune in Philadelphia, where Capecchi’s uncle instilled in him a love of science that led him to be mentored by legendary scientist James Watson at Harvard.

Capecchi shares the Nobel Prize for medicine for his work in gene targeting of the mouse embryo-derived stem cells, working on genetically engineered mice that have one or more genes turned off through a targeted mutation.

I propose writing a 1,500-word story on Dr. Mario Capecchi. I think a profile of Dr. Capecchi’s journey from poverty to prowess would be of great interest to members of the National Italian American foundation. [5]

I am a freelance writer currently living outside Baltimore, MD. I’ve been published in the Antiochian, Emergency Magazine, and Writer’s Digest. I am sending links to some of my online clips below, but I’m happy to provide them in print form as well. [6]

Thank you very much for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Christian Feuerstein

Clip 1
Clip 2
Clip 3
Clip 4

Why the Editor Bit

Don Oldenburg, editor at Ambassador:
I receive pitches from lots of writers I don’t know; I start out skeptical but am always willing to take a look. In her query, Christian listed three publications where she’d published before and four links to pieces she wrote for her college alumni magazine. None of that blew me away, necessarily, but I appreciated her professional approach and that she followed our requirements for a pitch: make it brief and convincing, tell me why you’re the writer to handle the story, and give me two or three clips. Typically, I’m more interested in how the writer writes the query than how the clips read.

Christian clearly knew the focus of the magazine. Ambassador is a glossy publication of the National Italian American Foundation. Our stories are typically about Italian Americans or of [topics of] interest to Italian Americans. Her proposed story was both and had something of a celebrity angle. Not a rock star, but Nobel Prize-winning scientist Mario Capecchi rose to the top of his profession from a tough early life that included years as a war-orphaned street urchin during WWII. His story is dramatic and compelling and light years away from the pitches I typically reject from people who want to write about themselves growing up Italian American. She included enough information to tell me the basics but kept her entire query to fewer than 300 words, which I appreciated.

But there was a potential deal breaker: I emailed her back and asked, “Do you have access to Capecchi for an interview?” I wanted a fresh piece, not a clip job. Turned out, Christian and Capecchi both are Antioch alums, and she met him at a recent Antioch reunion. That seemed promising. Christian probably should’ve included that in her original query. Access is important.

Due to my heavy deadlines at the time, it took several weeks to nail this down. But Christian was patient, enthusiastic and personable, and she answered all of my questions correctly, including whether she could get high-resolution photos of Capecchi for the story.

What Happened Next

Christian Feuerstein: I got the go-ahead for the story on September 15, 2011, and Don told me he would place the article in the spring 2012 issue. We had agreed on a 1,500-word piece, but Mario’s life story is pretty jam-packed. I ultimately sent Don two versions of the story: one that was a strict 1500 words and one that was a whopping 1,887 words, so he could see my edits and decide if my cuts were what he wanted.

Don Oldenburg: While I prefer writers to write the best story they can to the word length, I actually read both versions and pulled some information from the longer version into the story. The story arrived in good shape. I edited it, had a few questions and asked Christian to rework and simplify some of the science grafs. The Capecchi profile, “The Ravages of War, the Triumph of Science,” is running in the FOB of the spring Ambassador which comes out mid-March. We haven’t discussed another piece yet, but I’d be happy to work with Christian again.

Christian Feuerstein: One thing that changed from my initial pitch to the finished article was that Dr. Capecchi’s mother wasn’t at Dachau. She was definitely imprisoned by the Nazis for her anti-fascist work, but no records of her exist at that concentration camp. Where she was and what happened to her is still a mystery — she refused to ever speak about it to her son.

Key Components of the Pitch

(1) A strong opening sentence is key. By stating that Capecchi is a Nobel Prize winner with an unusual background, she adds drama to the pitch to ensure that the editor keeps reading. Back to pitch

(2) Including Capecchi’s hometown of Verona shows that Feuerstein knows Ambassador‘s audience: Italian Americans. Back to pitch

(3) With even more details of Capecchi’s family history, Feuerstein shows that she’s done ample research and isn’t just pitching the subject blindly -– or worse, expecting the editor to Google missing information. Back to pitch

(4) Rather than merely explain Capecchi’s circumstances, the writer paints a picture of it. Images of him surviving on “one cup of coffee and a crust of bread every day” and of his mother’s search to find him gives the editor a good idea of what the finished piece will look like. Back to pitch

(5) A good pitch should prove why the idea is relevant for the magazine you’re pitching. Feuerstein restates how Capecchi’s Italian roots and success story will resonate with Ambassador readers. Back to pitch

(6) It’s a good idea to include links to your clips if you’ve never worked with that editor or publication before. Feuerstein also shows that she is amenable and easy to work with by offering to send hard copies, as well. Back to pitch

Did your awesome pitch lead to an assignment? Editors, got a winning query in your inbox that other writers could learn from? Share the love and let us feature it in the next issue of Pitches That Worked.

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Pitches That Worked: Landing a Travel Story in AFAR Magazine

A precisely targeted pitch immediately piqued an editor's interest

7 min read • Originally published June 4, 2012 / Updated March 19, 2026

7 min read • Originally published June 4, 2012 / Updated March 19, 2026

Every writer should take a page from Alexis Adams’ book. Her pitch on the Greek delicacy of hortopita had everything editors dream of: extensive research on the subject, compelling storytelling, and a perfect peg to one of the publication’s departments. The result? A 500-word “Feast” article in the March/April 2012 issue of travel mag AFAR — and the possibility of a feature assignment.

What the Writer Did

Alexis Adams: I came up with the idea while gathering wild greens in the mountains above the Greek village where I live part of each year. As a freelance writer, I cover a lot of different topics, but I am especially interested in writing about the culinary traditions of my region of Greece. This idea was a natural extension of that interest.

I had sent various iterations of the pitch to three or four other publications, but many of the editors told me that, while they found the subject interesting, it was also too “niche-y” for their readership. I persisted, sensing someone would find it a good fit. When I first discovered AFAR, I was taken by its unique approach to travel and travel writing, so I immediately looked up the magazine online and found very clear submission guidelines for each department. The “Feast” section seemed a perfect match, so I sent my pitch by email to the address provided in the guidelines.

The Pitch

Subject: A story idea from Greece for Afar’s “Feast” department

Dear Derk:

Paring knife in one hand, empty plastic bag in another, I am following my friend Lakis as he climbs a narrow goat path through thorny brush to a meadow he promises will yield tasty results. [1] We are high on a mountain plateau on the eastern Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece, and we are in search of “horta,” the wild greens prized by Greeks for their health benefits and flavor. Boiled or steamed and then topped with olive oil, lemon and salt, horta apo ta vouna (horta from the mountains) is, hands-down, my favorite dish in Greece. [2] In my village of just under 300 souls, [3]where for nearly everyone the growing, the gathering and the meticulous preparation of food are not hobbies but necessary chores, foraging for horta is done with consistency, efficiency and seriousness. And this day is no exception. Lakis has gathered horta in these mountains for most of his 55 years; thus, he knows the territory. I watch as he scrambles over a rock wall and do my best to keep up with him.

Long a staple in the traditional Greek diet, horta grows all over Greece. In this region, the season for gathering horta stretches from the rainy winter months until early spring, just before the greens blossom. The same greens we eat today were prized by the ancients: according to myth, the hero Theseus ate a dish of horta before taking on the bull at Marathon. Through the centuries, horta has helped Greeks endure through lean times, and again it does today. For some, horta is less a food of necessity than a delicacy, and it can be found on menus in restaurants throughout Greece, steamed, baked into pies, and as an ingredient in stews and casseroles.[4]

I propose a 500-word story on horta for AFAR‘s “Feast” department. [5]At least 80 different varieties of horta grow in Greece; my article will examine some of the most interesting and cherished of the wild greens. It will explore horta’s prolific role in the Greek diet and the Greek proclivity for foraging for it — be it from the mountains of rural Greece or along roadsides in suburban Athens. It will offer insight on the fascinating role of horta in Greek history, and it will help readers identify and sample dishes made with horta apo ta vouna should they travel to Greece. Finally, it will feature a step-by-step recipe for hortopita, or wild greens pie. (Spanakopita is a refined version of this dish.) I can provide beautiful, high-resolution photos to accompany the story. [6]

Over the years, I have covered topics ranging from sustainable agriculture to matters of the spirit for The Sun Magazine, Yoga Journal, Saveur, The Art of Eating and other publications. I have had the great good fortune to interview many fascinating folk, including the environmental writer and activist, Bill McKibben, the founder of the Utne Reader, Eric Utne, Krishna Das, dubbed “the chantmaster of American yoga” by the New York Times and, here in Greece, nomadic shepherds in the Peloponnese who combine ancient techniques with the raw milk of their goats and sheep to create rich, earthy cheeses. [7] Because I’ve contributed to American and European publications for more than 10 years, I understand that editors want compelling, well-crafted, accurate pieces delivered on time.

Many thanks for considering my proposal.

Sincerely yours,

Alexis Adams

Why the Editor Bit

Derk Richardson, senior editor at Afar: The hortopita pitch was the third of three queries that Alexis sent to AFAR within about a three-month span. I had not worked with her before, but was impressed by the intimate familiarity she demonstrated with each topic and the detail she put into each pitch. Although she did note a variety of freelance credits and 10 years of writing experience, those weighed less heavily in the decision to commission the story than did the quality of the pitch. We do like to see writing samples marked by a distinctive voice and graceful prose, but those qualities can come through in a well-crafted and precisely targeted pitch.

Alexis’s pitch showed that she had a good grasp of the mission and tone of the magazine, that she had made herself familiar with the writers’ guidelines for the “Feast” department, and that she probably had read “Feast” stories in the magazine. Her pitch opened with a scene that immediately piqued my interest and set a cultural and historical context for the dish she wanted to write about. She was pitching from first-hand experience and had already done significant research. And she laid out, in detail, the elements that would go into the story, whereas many writers simply pitch a concept. Moreover, there was an underlying sense of passion and curiosity, which is important when it comes to writing about food and essential when writing about anything for AFAR.

What Happened Next

Hi Alexis,

We had our Feast meeting yesterday to line up assignments and I’m happy to report that hortopita made the cut. We were especially intrigued by the elements you wove into the pitch: the foraging, the mythology, your local connections, the green itself, and the connection to a more “expected” dish, spanakopita.

I’ll be working up assignment letters and contracts in the coming week, but I wanted to give you a heads up and let you know that we’re looking at mid-July for the deadline.

Thanks so much,

Derk

Alexis Adams: Once my editor sent me his response, he was very hands-off, promptly offering answers to any questions I had, but allowing me the room to write the piece. After I submitted the story, we exchanged a few email messages to edit it together.

In November 2011, I helped to coordinate the photo shoot for the story, working quite closely with the magazine’s photo editor and the photographer they hired. That was great fun. In short, the editors at AFAR are very respectful, communicative, generous and kind. Such a pleasure to work with.

Derk Richardson: The manuscript came in a little long and needed some editing to balance the elements and smooth the flow, but it ran essentially as pitched. Although we have yet to commission another story from Alexis, she has pitched other promising ideas and has been very willing to rework pitches in back-and-forth correspondence — and we are currently considering making a feature assignment.

Key Components of the Pitch

(1) Editors are busy people, so keep yourself out of the slush pile by hooking them early with a strong opening sentence. Here, Adams takes the reader alongside her trek through the Greek mountains and shows that she can tell a story. Back to pitch

(2) Now, that she has the editor’s attention, Adams introduces the subject of her pitch, explaining what it is and how it is eaten and prepared. Back to pitch
(3) Always let the editor know if you have special access to the subject you’re pitching. One of the reasons Adams got the assignment, said Richardson, is that she lives in Greece where horta is grown and has “first-hand experience with it.” Back to pitch

(4) You can never provide too much detail. Adams dedicates the entire second paragraph to further explaining the significance of horta: when it grows, its history in Greek mythology, and how it’s used in cooking. Back to pitch

(5) Very important: Tell the editor where the piece will fit in the magazine. Editors don’t just want any idea — they want one tailored to their audience. Richardson said he could tell that Adams not only knew AFAR, but the “Feast” section, specifically. Back to pitch

(6) Can this pitch get any better? Now, Adams details exactly what the article will cover and even offers to shoot her own photos. As Richardson explained, editors want fully-fleshed out ideas that help them visualize the finished piece, not just generic concepts. Back to pitch

(7) When listing credentials, it’s always a good idea to mention anything that, again, proves you know the subject you’re pitching. Adams does this by including details of a previous piece she wrote on Greek food. Back to pitch

Topics:

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Pitches That Worked: How Trend-Spotting Landed a Texas Highways Assignment

Spotting a food trend early helped this freelancer land an assignment

7 min read • Originally published August 23, 2012 / Updated March 19, 2026

7 min read • Originally published August 23, 2012 / Updated March 19, 2026

All media outlets love a trend – if they can report on it before the inevitable saturation point. Freelancer Jennifer Nalewicki did just that after noticing that gardens were sprouting up in unusual areas in big cities. Armed with ample research to prove the phenomenon was more than just a fad, Nalewicki penned a compelling query that won over the editors at Texas Highways and led to an assignment for the pub’s July 2012 issue.

What the Writer Did

Jennifer Nalewicki: I came up with the idea after seeing the documentary “Truck Farm,” about a filmmaker/farmer who transformed the bed of his grandmother’s pickup truck into a mobile farm. When I went to the Truck Farm website, I noticed that there’s a truck in Dallas, which is where I used to live. I soon realized that I had visited another odd garden a year earlier during a PR event: a former football field that’s now a working farm on the Paul Quinn College campus. By this point I knew I had something, but to solidify my idea I wanted to find one more place to profile. After searching the Web, I discovered that two hotels had rooftop gardens. I pitched the idea to a couple other regional and travel magazines, but never heard back. I’ve written for Texas Highways in the past and am familiar with its content, so I knew this story would be a good fit.

Why the Editor Bit

Lori Moffatt, senior editor: Not only was the idea extremely original, but it addressed a need in the magazine: food stories with a fresh angle. Jennifer has written for the magazine before and also helped out with fact-checking and research, so we knew she was capable of pulling the story together. We also considered the travel expenses involved, as we do with all pieces. Since expenses would be minimal on our end, we greenlighted the piece. In short, Jennifer thought of a lively, original concept that fit the magazine’s mission and needs; communicated it clearly and concisely to us; and demonstrated that her abilities fit the topic.

The concept was already well conceived, and the pitch demonstrated that she knew both the magazine’s style and readership. Because Texas Highways is a travel magazine, it’s important for writers to illustrate how sites are open to the public, which Jennifer did. It’s also helpful for planning purposes when writers suggest a time frame for running the piece, which Jennifer did. And, of course, she double-checked spelling and made the query easy to read with proper punctuation and paragraph breaks — an obvious courtesy which oddly, many writers overlook now that most correspondence is done by email.

The Pitch

Dear Jill:

I saw a documentary the other day called “Truck Farm,” about a filmmaker/farmer named Ian Cheney, who, upon moving to Brooklyn in 2009, discovered that finding a plot of soil in the concrete jungle was impossible. So he transformed the bed of his grandfather’s 1986 Dodge Ram Pickup Truck into a portable garden. Here’s the Texas angle: [1] This truck-farming movement has swept the nation, with a fleet of 25 trucks dotting the landscape, including a rusty red pickup owned by Marilyn and Donelle Simmons in the DFW area. Right now, the duo pays weekly visits to the Dallas Farmers Market where they sell their bounty of cantaloupe, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes. [2] They also travel the Metroplex educating locals about conservation. Which got me thinking, how many other quirky urban farms/gardens (open to the public of course!) are in the DFW area? So far, I’ve come up with a few:

1. Hotel Rooftop — When Kyle Wilson, sous chef at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, isn’t whipping up plates of hickory-smoked salmon served with butternut squash succotash, [3] he’s tending to the peppers, rosemary, and other indigenous plants growing in one of the hotel’s two rooftop gardens. He incorporates much of the garden’s yield into dishes served at Cast Iron, Omni’s on-site southern-style restaurant, as a way to be eco-conscience while sharing locally grown food with guests.

2. Football Field — When Paul Quinn College, a liberal arts school just south of Dallas, eliminated its football team to save money, an enterprising group of students turned the field into a farm where they grow cucumbers, squash, watermelons, and other produce for the school’s cafeteria. The farm is part of PepsiCo’s Food for Good program, which teaches students about agriculture and enterprise.

3. Freeway Overpass — Soon downtown and uptown Dallas will be interconnected by a 5.2-acre swath of greenery that soars above the Woodall Rodgers Freeway. The greenspace (anticipated completion date: 2012) will include a botanical garden and children’s garden, both blanketed in native flora. [4]

4. Truck Farm — With the recent release of the documentary “Truck Farm,” gardeners across the nation are converting their pickup trucks into four-wheeled farms. In the DFW area, Marilyn and Donelle Simmons turned their rusty red pickup into a roving garden. The duo pays weekly visits to the Dallas Farmers Market to sell their bounty of cantaloupe, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes. They also travel the Metroplex schooling locals on conservation.

I can see this running in Texas Highways‘ Taste section sometime in the spring or summer of 2012 to coincide with gardening season. [5] I visited the Paul Quinn football field farm earlier this year during a media event and could easily scope out the others. [6]

Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to your feedback!

Best,

Jennifer Nalewicki

What happened next

Jennifer Nalewicki: Probably the most difficult part of the process was narrowing down which farms to cover. We wound up cutting one, a freeway overpass, because the completion dates kept shifting, and Lori wanted to make sure that all of the places I had covered would be open to the public by July 2012, the issue run date. It was also challenging, because I was writing the story in the winter and she had to coordinate with the photo editor to send a photographer. Not much is in bloom in January!

Lori Moffatt: We also communicated early in the process about photography needs, and Jennifer provided a short “photo wants list,” complete with names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of her contacts at each site. That courtesy made the photography process very smooth and also proved helpful later on during fact-checking.

After Jennifer submitted the story — on deadline, to the word count requested — we asked for one minor revision, primarily to clarify public access and offer more details about how the traveling public can see, visit and experience the sites. Jennifer was very accommodating and willing to rework the piece as requested and delivered an excellent revision by the requested deadline. During production, Jennifer made herself available for editing and fact-checking questions.

The finished story ran in a department called “Taste,” which focuses on food and restaurant-related destinations, festivals and trends. Because of Jennifer’s early attention to photography, we had excellent photos; and because of Jennifer’s fresh idea — along with her talents in research, interviewing, writing, and collaboration — we wound up with a very compelling and original piece. We are looking forward to our next project together.

Key Components of the Pitch

(1). With “here’s the Texas angle,” Nalewicki lets the reader know that she will prove how and why the idea works for Texas Highways, specifically. Back to pitch

(2). How do you convince an editor that you can handle a meaty piece? By doing some of the legwork in advance. Nalewicki outlined the extent of the farming craze in the Dallas area and included details about one couple’s truck farm which “demonstrated that her abilities fit the topic,” said Moffatt. Back to pitch

(3). The writing in your pitch is a good indicator of the voice you’ll use in the finished article, so make it the best you can. Rather than saying the chef simply “cooked,” Nalewicki writes that he’s “whipping up plates of hickory-smoked salmon served with butternut squash succotash,” which is much more enjoyable to read. Back to pitch

(4). Now, she proves that she’s ahead of the curve by pointing out an upcoming garden, as well. Most print mags work at least a few months out, so showing that your topic will be timely once the issue hits newsstands can work in your favor. Back to pitch

(5). “It’s also helpful for planning purposes when writers suggest a time frame for running the piece, which Jennifer did,” said Moffatt. Doing so helps the editors envision what your finished piece will look like in their publication which, in turn, helps them sell their own boss on the idea. Back to pitch

(6). Sometimes, the key to successful freelancing is plain old likeability. Nalewicki tries to be as cooperative and reliable as possible, stating that she is willing to do further research for the assignment if necessary. Back to pitch

Topics:

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Business Basics

How Freelancers Can Protect Themselves From Not Getting Paid

Experts reveal how the self-employed can ensure they get their just dues

By Janelle Harris

@thegirlcanwrite

Janelle Harris is a multimedia producer, director, and founder of Harris Two Productions with decades of experience in non-fiction storytelling for networks including Bravo, Discovery, and A&E. A Howard University graduate, she specializes in amplifying diverse voices across television, film, and digital media.

6 min read • Originally published March 5, 2013 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Janelle Harris

@thegirlcanwrite

6 min read • Originally published March 5, 2013 / Updated March 19, 2026

This morning, I didn’t have enough money to ride the train. My checking account is overdrawn, so my debit card had about as much value as the sheet of plastic it’s crafted out of, and the one credit card I keep on hand for these types of emergencies is pitifully over limit. I was stuck.

The irony of it all? I’m a freelance writer who’s owed, in total, about $13,000 for copywriting, editorial, even editing a novel. There seems to be a widespread misconception that the ‘free’ in ‘freelancer’ is meant to be taken literally, making the accumulation of overdue payments an unfortunate rite of passage for consultants and other media entrepreneurs.

“We know from surveys of our members [conducted in 2010] that over 77 percent have been stiffed at one point, and it’s happened to about 40 percent of them within the past year alone,” claims Sara Horowitz, founder and executive director of Freelancers Union, a collective that supports the contracting community. “We’ve heard and seen almost everything: horror stories about small claims court or people losing tens of thousands of dollars. About a dozen of our members were all stiffed by one company, which then required them to agree to do further work as part of an agreement to pay their back wages.”

To avoid being one in that dismal number, freelancers have to be strategic. We’ve got to put the following into regular practice, so we won’t find ourselves in the position of fighting for our own money. Grrr.

Join an organization or union

We know, we know: you work alone. But there’s still power in numbers when you belong to a professional group. More than 150,000 folks in media-related fields are currently members of the Freelancer’s Union. There are plenty of others, like the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors, each with a hearty membership. Research, join up, and let a governing body with experience dealing with members’ needs be the wind beneath your wings in the face of a mounting non-payment.

The most ideal scenario is the one where we contractor types never find ourselves scrambling for payment in the first place. That means making the terms of our working conditions crystal, sparkling clear from the get-go — in writing.

Get project specs and payment terms in writing

“One of the biggest mistakes that freelancers make is they don’t have thorough communication with their clients regarding both parties’ expectations. In other words, a contract,” says Horowitz. “Last year, we surveyed over 3,000 independent workers from across the country, and only 33 percent always used a contract. What happens if the client doesn’t like the work? When is the client expected to make their first and final payments?”

Contracts are admittedly unsexy and sometimes awkward. But churning out freelance work without terms and conditions nailed down in print is like having unprotected sex: a no-no in this day and age.

Learn—and flex—your state’s contracting laws

2010 was a particularly rough one for freelancers in New York where, according to research gleaned from a study conducted by Rutgers University economist William Rodgers, 42 percent of independent contractors struggled to collect an estimated $4.7 billion in lost wages. The impact has been so great and far-reaching that Senator Daniel Squadron (D) sponsored Bill S8084, otherwise known as the Freelancer Payment Protection Act.

“The areas of Brooklyn and Manhattan I represent are some of the greatest neighborhoods in the world. They’re full of freelancers, but also very expensive. I’ve heard stories of folks who were at risk of being forced to move because an expected payment was never made,” says Sen. Squadron. “It’s difficult enough to work as a freelancer without having to spend extra time trying to collect your wages, or worry that the wage will never come.” The bill, he adds, will spare contractors who generally don’t have the legal protections they need from investing extra energy just to get paid for the work they’ve done.

Knowing the specific laws in the state your freelance business is based in can empower you to gently nudge editors for payment or, if need be, outright scare them. After all, they wouldn’t want to be in violation of the law, now would they?

Research the pub before you say ‘yes’

Freelance forums have a treasure trove of information, complete with names and incidents, about publications with bad reputations for failing to pay. Learning from others’ mistakes will keep you from making some of your own — at no cost.

“We’re very close to releasing a platform for freelancers to use called the Client Scorecard that will let them rate clients based on key factors like timely payment,” Horowitz explains. “That way, freelancers can protect each other and themselves, not to mention set expectations for good standards in the business world.”

Call, email, communicate. Call, email, communicate. Call, email …

About.com freelancer Allena Tapia is waging a battle of her own due to a sour business account. “Right now, I’m waiting on a magazine to pay me, a trade title that I’ve worked with for over two years. They’re having cash flow problems, and they’ve owed me a small amount since November: $300 plus a bonus plane ticket worth about $200.” Hardly a jaw-dropping figure, the Michigan-based writer admits. Anything less than $1,000, in her opinion, isn’t worth the time and expense of taking legal action. Still, it’s her money. She earned it, she should have it, and she’s making sure she gets it.

“I write and call every other day. They respond about once a week saying a vague, ‘We’re working on it.’ Today, I told them I need a solid date or I will go to both the Freelance Writers Union and Editorial Freelancers Association, and I’ll go to Whispers and Warnings,” a watchdog forum that puts an all-points bulletin out on non-payers and other freelance un-friendly losers. She pulled one more ace move out of her strategy book. “I told them I’ll publicly blog about it at freelancewrite.about.com, where I get about 100,000 hits.” Checkmate.

Horowitz admits it’s rarely worth the time and money to pursue a non-paying individual or company in court, but suggests freelancers continue to communicate with their debtors by phone and email, and should consider sending a formal letter if those tactics prove unfruitful. “We’ve seen some funny, unorthodox approaches to shaming clients who don’t pay, but most freelancers prefer to keep things quiet to protect their own reputation,” she explains. (Umm, the heck with that, by the way.)

It’s easy to get lost in repeat assignments (They like us! They really like us!), but when the unpaid invoices start stacking up, you have to pull the plug on a client until the check is officially cut. That makes staying on top of bookkeeping and accounting an essential part of the freelance life. It’s not fun, it’s not glamorous, and it doesn’t even give you that warm fuzzy feeling of a perfectly executed feature story. But it will keep a roof over your head and ensure that you can actually afford to heat your humble abode.

As for my 13 grand budget deficit, I was temporarily forced back into the 9-to-5 world of bosses and cubicles—oh, and regular paychecks—in order to keep the lights on. And, like Tapia, I also hold down a side gig as bill collector, with an active cycle of phone calls, emails, and shame-on-you messages for those clients in arrears.

Topics:

Business Basics

Pitches That Worked: How a Cold Query Landed in AARP The Magazine

A compelling pitch landed this writer her first big break at a top mag

@valerieberrios

Valerie Berrios is a published author and senior content manager with nearly two decades of experience in digital publishing, including roles at Audible, Disney Streaming, Everyday Health, and Mediabistro. She specializes in content strategy, editorial operations, and international content launches.

8 min read • Originally published October 14, 2013 / Updated March 19, 2026

http://www.ventanamonthly.com/article.php?id=316&IssueNum=29

@valerieberrios

8 min read • Originally published October 14, 2013 / Updated March 19, 2026

Sometimes a great idea alone is enough to capture the attention of an editor — even if the angle of the original pitch wasn’t necessarily the hook. Joan Trossman Bien sent a cold query to AARP The Magazine on an idea she had to profile a 64-year-old filmmaker. The result was an FOB piece in the October/November 2013 issue of the magazine that focused on an element of her pitch — a program that pairs returning military veterans with older farmers who prepare the vets to be farmers themselves. The pitch was an especially big score for the writer because not only was AARP the largest publication she had successfully pitched, it’s also a magazine that accepts only about 1 percent of new-writer submissions.

What the Writer Did

Joan Trossman Bien: Well, [my pitch] started out as a different idea. A friend of mine introduced me to Dulanie Ellis, a documentary filmmaker. My pitch was about second stage of her life, a profile. When I pitched [Margaret Guroff, features editor, at] AARP she said it’s not really for [my department], but it might be just the thing for one of our editors [David Dudley]. And what he was most interested in was the farm-to-vet program featured in [Ellis’] latest film. I had initially pitched this to More magazine because I know it does stories about people reinventing themselves. I got an immediate answer — they passed — but it was better than waiting [on the feedback]. I had really gotten tired of getting assignments that paid next to nothing. I have written about 225 articles, so I really needed to get into a higher level — those that paid $1 to $2 a word.

The Pitch

Subject: Query: profile film, farms and vets [1]

Ms. Guroff:

I would like to write a profile for you about a woman who has truly found herself in the second act of her life and has made the many changes needed to accomplish her new passion.

Social Justice Through Storytelling on Film: Got Cause? [2]

There is a new trend developing among baby boomers [3] , brought about by a combination of circumstances and a belief that once you step aside, you lose your involvement in life. The majority do not intend to retire. Dulanie Ellis counts herself in that crowd.

Dulanie, who is 64, could be the poster girl for finding her passion later in life and devoting herself to making the world a better place. In this case, Dulanie has become a documentary filmmaker with her own production company. Over the years, she has worked on documentaries for HBO and the Southern Poverty Law Center. She was part of the team that created the Academy Award nominated Mighty Times — The Legacy of Rosa Parks.

Until her mid-forties, Dulanie had been a script supervisor for feature films. Although that skill is distantly related to documentaries, her job was technically demanding. At the age of 52, Dulanie took the leap and opened her own production company. As a filmmaker, Dulanie now has full creative control and is responsible for all aspects of a production.

Social justice has become Dulanie’s passion and family farming as an industry has become her cause. Her current film, Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmlands is about a new program to save small farms. About half of the current farmers plan to retire in the next ten years. But their own families are not interested in continuing to run the farm.

Military vets have been coming home in great numbers but have not had many opportunities for really good jobs. They need the kind of work that can lead to a career, just like the rest of us. Many vets also still have a desire to help the country, a common reason for enlisting.

The program that is the basis for the documentary pairs older farmers with vets. [4] The farmer acts as a mentor and teaches the vet all about farming and that particular farm. When the farmer retires, the farm passes to the vet. That way, family farms remain active with new farmers who are both skilled and enthusiastic. Keeping the farms working can also help to revitalize rural America.

Dulanie has a compelling personal story. She was comfortable as a script supervisor for many years but, when she had her only child at age 43, she wanted to stay home. During that time, she moved to Ventura County where rolling hills of small farms formed a comforting landscape. Dulanie fell in love with the tamed rural open spaces that provided sustenance for so many people. Many of the farms are organic or raise specialty crops sold at the farmer’s markets. She had worried that these farms would disappear as she saw the county population grow and housing developments sprout up in what had once been tended fields.

Making a documentary about this farming program melded her two loves. Dulanie has taken control of her life and lives it fully. The satisfaction is what she reaps at a time in life when most people are preparing to retire.

Dulanie has weathered difficulties, such as losing 80% of her sight in one eye, yet has stayed focused on her life’s purpose.

Why should I be the writer on this story? [5] As a freelance journalist and general assignment reporter, I have more than 225 published articles in the past five years. My background is in television newswriting, having written for most of the television stations in Los Angeles over the years. I also earned a law degree in 2004.

Right now, I write long form features regularly for two alt weeklies, the Ventura County Reporter and Pasadena Weekly. Sprinkled in between assignments are other publications and websites for which I write occasional articles. So here are a few examples of my work [6] :

This was a relatively short profile of a local environmentalist/educator/political organizer who has led an unusually intrepid life. It was the cover for Ventana Monthly, an upscale publication.

This story was the cover for the VC Reporter. It was about the local politicians who were running for office, all of them being women.

http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/?id=9865

This article for Pacific Standard (formerly Miller-McCune) is not a profile but demonstrates my research and reporting abilities. It is about safety systems for trains, the history of train crashes caused by human error and the attitude of the major rail lines towards public safety.

http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/rails-150-year-wait-for-safety-3433/

Dulanie is not actively preparing for retirement because she said she never wants to stop working. That attitude reflects the changing nature of growing old: Baby Boomers, by necessity or choice, intend to stick with their work for as long as possible. [7]

If a profile of Dulanie Ellis interests you, I do look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Joan Trossman Bien

Why the Editor Bit

David Dudley, features editor at AARP The Magazine: One of my colleagues forwarded [the pitch] to me because I edit the mag’s “Upfront” department. Obviously, good/great clips are very helpful, and for most stories pretty much mandatory. But the pieces in “Upfront” are so short — 250 words tops — that the idea itself is the biggest draw.

The bottom line here is that Joan’s idea had at least three or four big things going for it. It hit on an issue that we’d been wanting to write about (the fact that American farmers, as a population, are getting so old on average). It had a simple, easily understood premise that would make sense even in a short 200-word piece. It had a timely Veteran’s Day connection that allowed us to add a Web tease to AARP.org’s many resources for older veterans. And she named names and had what looked like a promising main character scoped out. It was just very easy to see how a piece on this nonprofit would slide perfectly into the October/November book.

What Happened Next

Joan Trossman Bien: I heard back on the pitch maybe a week later. I was surprised by the 200 words [and needing] two people to quote because I was used to long-form writing at much smaller publications. I was also not used to having that many people helping me with the fact checking, etc. It’s been a great experience. And my ego really needed it. AARP pays $2 a word, so I made more [on this piece] than on the assignments that were 2,500 words. I want to be with the big boys now. The advice I have is to write. Just write. If you don’t have an assignment, write anyway.

David Dudley: As I often do, I sent the first draft back for another round of reporting. Even though this was a short FOB piece [titled “Swords Into Plowshares”], it had two distinct characters and a good bit of explanation to get through, and we needed more details, livelier quotes, etc. We adjusted the original premise to better serve our audience, with more of a focus on the inter-generational angle and how the Farmer Veteran Coalition brings older farmers together with younger veterans. I think Joan was a little surprised by how much expense goes into even a modestly scaled AARP The Magazine piece; we sent a photographer out to shoot portraits of the main subject on his organic farm.

I’m certainly open to considering future pitches and working with Joan again; she definitely demonstrated the key skill of the freelancer — understanding exactly how your idea would fit the needs of the publication you’re pitching.

Key Components of the Pitch

[1] Never underestimate the importance of your email subject line. Joan’s, “Query: profile film, farms and vets,” is short and to the point yet intriguing. And the editor sees immediately that this is a query, which increases the likelihood that the message will be opened. Back to pitch

[2] In the second paragraph, Joan suggests a possible title for the story. Editors like writers who are one step ahead and offer ideas that can help round out the story. You are also giving the editor a better sense of what your story is really about. Back to pitch

[3] Joan is telling the editor right away why she should care about this pitch. It involves baby boomers, which is the core demographic of this publication. Back to pitch

[4] The description of the farm-to-vet program is approximately the point at which Joan sparked the interest of the editor she originally pitched. Had Joan not included such detail in her query (and only mentioned Dulanie Ellis in general terms), she may not have been given the FOB assignment. Back to pitch

[5] Near the end of the pitch, Joan details her writing experience, [6] complete with links to her work. She even briefly explains why she chose these particular examples. Back to pitch

[7] Joan concludes the pitch by circling back to why this story is appropriate for AARP‘s audience. Back to pitch

Topics:

Go Freelance, Journalism Advice, Pitches That Worked

Advice From the Pros

Olympic Skater Ashley Wagner on Her Possible Future in Journalism

The athlete discusses sports journalism and the double-edged sword that is social media.

@valerieberrios

4 min read • Originally published February 6, 2014 / Updated March 19, 2026

@valerieberrios

4 min read • Originally published February 6, 2014 / Updated March 19, 2026

After finishing fourth at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last month (where she fell twice during her free skate), Ashley Wagner endured some harsh public criticism when she was named to one of only three figure-skating spots on the women’s 2014 Olympic team. No matter that she had consistently scored higher results over the past four years than the Nationals third-place finisher and fan favorite, Mirai Nagasu. The bullying got so bad that Wagner, who had been active on Twitter and maintained a video blog on YouTube, took a break from social media. She told NBC Sports, “Twitter is a blessing and a curse. It’s tough to filter out the good things that you hear and the awful things that people will write.” But now she’s ready to pick herself back up and take her place on Team USA.

Beyond her athletic career, Wagner aspires to be a sports journalist. Her hobbies include writing and reading the classics, and she’s been tapped as a blogger for SI.com. Mediabistro caught up with Wagner just before she set off for Russia to compete at the Sochi Olympics:

When did you know you wanted to be a professional figure skater?
Well, honestly, I was driving my mom crazy at home. She put me in a skating rink so that she could get some time away from me driving her crazy. That’s how I became a figure skater. [laughs] But, beyond that, when I watched Tara Lipinski win Olympic gold in ’98, that was really where my Olympic dreams took off, and that’s where I felt like I really wanted to become an Olympic athlete.

Tell me about blogging for SI.com. How did that happen—and what are you writing about?
Well, I used to have a video blog, and that was really fun for me. I would take the camera and show people around backstage, show what it was like, you know, walking back to the competitor’s lounge, or what it was like getting rehab done on an injury. So I tried to show the different aspects of skating, beyond those perfect couple of minutes that you see on the ice.

It just comes kind of naturally to me to take something and try and make it relatable and interesting to someone who doesn’t know everything about skating. So I think that [the editors] saw that and thought, ‘Hey, she’s not too shabby at this. Why doesn’t she try blogging for us?’ And it took off from there.

So for SI.com, I’m mostly just giving people a glimpse of what it’s like on this crazy journey to Sochi. I mean because there are so many different aspects of competing and preparing and designing even that go on in figure skating, I wanted to give people a little insight into that.

You’ve said you’re interested in sports journalism after your athletic career.
Yeah, I want to stay involved in sports in one way or another. And I would love to coach, but I also feel like I’ve been on this one side of figure skating, and I’m so ready to see what it’s like to be on the other side—and be able to get those stories out of athletes.

What platform would you prefer—print, Web or broadcast?
Right now it’s pretty equal. It’s so daunting, because I know that journalism right now, it’s going through a lot of changes, and it’s all becoming integrated with social media. It could be fun to participate in something that’s completely changing, but also, I would be totally okay with being on air and interviewing athletes in that way and commentating on figure skating. So it kind of depends on where this road takes me.

Are there other sports you’re interested in reporting on?
I love hockey. That’s actually one of my favorite sports. And this season I have no cable, and I’ve been too busy to watch. But I think if I were to choose another sport, it would be hockey.

I heard you quit social media because you received some backlash over being selected to the U.S. Olympic team. Is that true?
Yeah, I mean I didn’t go cold turkey. I’m coming back. But, honestly, just a bunch of really mean, hurtful things were being said to me. You know, I had people telling me to go jump off of a bridge and things like that, that I was already going through a lot of things on my own. I didn’t need to see all that negativity. I think the great thing about social media is it gives people access to you on a totally personal level that they didn’t have before, so it’s really important and it’s a great way to get people involved and excited about what you’re doing. I’m definitely not gone forever, but I’m taking a break until those trolls realize that I’m not reading what they’re saying nor do I care what they’re saying.

Follow Wagner and all the Olympic action on NBCOlympics.com and TeamUSA.org.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Topics:

Advice From the Pros, Be Inspired, Interviews

Business Basics

Essential Tax Tips Every Freelance Writer Needs to Know

Fretting about tax time? Here's what you need to know about filing as a freelancer

By Amanda Layman Low

@AmandaLaymanLow

Amanda Layman is a B2B tech content writer and strategist with over 15 years of experience creating content for startups and enterprise brands. She founded Tigris, a content agency serving leading tech companies, and authored The New Freelance: A Book for Writers.

6 min read • Originally published April 1, 2014 / Updated March 19, 2026

By Amanda Layman Low

@AmandaLaymanLow

6 min read • Originally published April 1, 2014 / Updated March 19, 2026

In my early freelancing days, the only advice I’d retained regarding taxes was “file them” and something about keeping receipts in a shoebox. Granted, I earned less than $20,000 my first couple of years combined, and my husband’s tax return always covered what I owed. But this year, for the first time, after filing my taxes I owed money back and had to pay a penalty for not filing incrementally throughout 2013. This was enough to scare me into reality, make me buckle down and admit it’s time to get my act together. If you’re in the same boat, here’s a little advice to avoid the headache and potentially hefty penalties of putting off your taxes until the last minute.

Paying annually vs. quarterly

There are two ways to pay your dues to Uncle Sam: Annually or incrementally throughout the year. If you owe less than $1,000, there’s no penalty for filing once at the end of the year, says Brittany K. Hopp, CPA of Clayton, York and Hopp CPAs. “However, I do recommend my clients do quarterly estimates so they don’t get stuck with one big bill at the end of the year.” These are due in April, June, September and January, and can be paid online at eftps.gov

Because freelance income is so erratic, it can be difficult to calculate how much you’re going to owe. William Perez, tax practitioner and freelance writer, says that you can use Publication 505, available on the IRS website, to determine your taxes by hand. “However,” he says, “I prefer using tax software. After building a scenario for next year’s taxes in the software, I capture the data and tax calculations in a spreadsheet. Then I use the tax calculation to create a budget.”

If you’re married filing jointly and your spouse gets a regular paycheck, an alternative option is to take your tax estimation and have a certain amount of money withheld from your spouse’s checks.

This is what writer and communication strategist Meg Maker did earlier in her career, although now that she and her husband are both self-employed, she uses the traditional quarterly filing method.

Keep organized and track deductions

Even if you’re a budding freelancer with nary a paycheck to speak of, it pays to make a habit of getting organized now. Perez recommends familiarizing yourself with the forms 1040, Schedule C and Schedule SE. Print them off, read them and get acquainted with which items are deductible and align your spreadsheets or other bookkeeping tools with its categories.

For example, I have one spreadsheet dedicated solely to potential deductions. Some of the things on my list include my membership to my local networking group, my Mediabistro AvantGuild membership and my coworking group membership. The miles I drive each day to get to my coworking spot are also deductible. Some other common deductions for freelance writers include office equipment, home office expenses, health insurance and retirement plans.

Occasionally, entertainment costs are deductible—say you’re a food or travel writer whose articles depend on spending money on these things—but they’re highly scrutinized by the IRS, so save as much evidence as possible (printed clips, receipts, correspondence with editors) in the event of an audit.

Regarding bookkeeping tools, you should use what works best for you. Maker uses Quicken for analyzing her current financial state and Excel spreadsheets for tracking invoices. I use spreadsheets backed up to the cloud, and I try to keep them as simple as possible: One book for invoices, and one book for income and expenses. Quickbooks is another tool that’s popular with small businesses, although its scope may be too wide if you’re just getting started freelancing.

About the self-employment tax

So, why does the tax bill seem so much higher for freelancers than traditional employees? The answer is the self-employment tax, which is a combination of Social Security tax and Medicare and comes to 15.3 percent as of 2014. If you’re an employee and you get paid through a W2, half of that 15.3 percent is withheld from your paycheck and the other half is paid by your employer.

However, when you’re self-employed, “you have to pay both sides of that, because you’re the employer and the employee,” Hopp says. “Self-employment tax is figured on your net income. So you receive your income, subtract your expenses, and then that amount, that 15.3 percent, is calculated.” From there, you take your net profit and determine your income tax from that. This is where you may see different benefits and drawbacks from filing jointly or separately from your spouse.

Sole proprietorship or LLC?

An important distinction that may impact your taxes is whether you choose to remain a sole proprietor or become an LLC. If you are the only person who owns your LLC, you’ll file a Schedule C (exactly as you would for a sole proprietorship). However, if your LLC is owned by two or more people, you’ll split the net income of the LLC between owners based on their percentage of ownership, says Perez.

Otherwise, becoming an LLC won’t have too much bearing on your taxes — but it could change some aspects of your business for the positive. Maker likes being an LLC for many reasons. Because an EIN (Employer Identification Number) replaces your social security number on legal forms, she states, “it’s nice not having to give out my social security number to everyone I work for.” In addition, it protects her family assets from any kind of business-related lawsuit.

She describes it like this: “If I’m just working as Meg Maker, they can file a lawsuit and go after our personal money. But if I have an LLC, all my client can go after is what I have in the bank for my LLC.” Of course, it’s best to talk to an attorney to see which entity makes more sense for you. If you’re still in startup mode, it may be difficult to justify the initial cost of setting up an LLC, which varies by state.

Tax advice and mistakes to avoid

Hopp recommends that if you’re going to hire a professional to help with your taxes and accounting, choose someone with whom you feel comfortable. “If you know you can’t handle it on your own, call around, get referrals, do interviews for CPAs or tax preparers. They shouldn’t be offended by that. You’re definitely going to be more willing to call someone throughout the year if you feel like you can trust that person.” She also recommends keeping a notebook handy to jot down potential deductions, like mileage, as you go. “I see so many people going back at the end of the year trying to recreate it. Get in the habit of doing it when you’re driving so you don’t miss things.”

The only regret Perez has about his early approach to money management as a freelancer is that he would have re-invested more of his income into business. “Today, I ask myself, where is this money needed, where can it be productive?” He cites the improvement of professional skills, technology upgrades and even ergonomic furniture as great ways to invest in your business—all of which qualify as tax deductions.

A few simple steps is all it takes

You don’t need to get a degree in accounting to be smart about your tax planning as a freelancer. Set small goals for yourself. Schedule a meeting with a CPA (many will do a free consultation), start a free online trial of a business accounting software program that looks good to you—or take a course like Mediabistro’s Develop a Successful Freelance Career, which includes a section on finances.

In the same way that you do a wealth of research before sending out a pitch to Glamour or Sports Illustrated, some advance planning and organization is all you need to pay your dues and get back to what you love: your writing.

Topics:

Business Basics, Go Freelance

The Biggest Mistakes Now-Successful Freelancers Made Starting Out

Veteran freelancers reveal what they wish they'd known early on

Paula Vasan is a four-time Emmy-winning investigative journalist and communications strategist whose reporting has influenced legislation and reached millions across broadcast and digital platforms. Her career spans Wall Street reporting at Yahoo Finance, senior investigative roles at TEGNA, and communications leadership at TEDx, with bylines in The Atlantic, CNBC, and The Boston Globe.

6 min read • Originally published January 20, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

6 min read • Originally published January 20, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026

Any freelancer who’s built up a steady client base over the years can admit to having made their fair share of mistakes when he or she started out in the industry. Maybe it was underestimating the time it takes to get paid or taking editors’ feedback on their first, second or third drafts too personally. Here’s what a few veteran freelancers say were their biggest blunders — so you can avoid making them.

Noah Davis, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, calls himself a generalist, writing about everything from the future of women’s soccer in the U.S. to the rise of the font type Helvetica. He’s been a freelancer on and off since 2005 but has pursued freelancing full time for the last three years, writing on average 10 feature articles a month. His income in 2014 totaled about $125,000, and he earned roughly $95,000 the year before. He attributes his earnings last year — the highest he’s ever made — partly due to the fact that he has a specialty in soccer writing, and was pursued for many assignments related to the World Cup. He gives us our first two mistakes:

Mistake #1: Not understanding the difference between a topic and a story.

“When I first started out freelancing, I’d often pitch things I thought were cool or interesting, but it didn’t have a story behind it,” Davis said. “A trend isn’t enough. You need a face or story behind it.”

Davis soon learned he needed to do more than just pitch ideas. While the majority of those pitches went ignored, once in a while he’d hear back from someone who would offer advice on how to shape the story. “It depends on how much the editor wants to work with you,” Davis said. “Your job as a freelancer is to find something the editor doesn’t know about and turn it into a story with an arc.”

Mistake #2: Assuming you’ll bank payments right away.

A frequent misconception among new freelancers is that they will get paid immediately after their story is submitted. Ramping up a freelancing business, however, takes time.

There’s a huge difference between a) being a full-time freelancer and b) having another job — whether it’s full time or part time — while freelancing, according to Davis. “So it takes a long time for that cycle to start and for checks to start rolling in.”

Initially, Davis thought it would take three to four months for him to have checks coming in on a steady basis, but it took him closer to six or eight months to have that steady stream of income from freelancing and to feel like he was on his feet. “Luckily I had reserves to make it work, but it was surprising at the time,” he said.

To create a sustainable business, freelancers need to gain trust among editors. “If [editors] have a piece in mind, you want to be top of mind for them,” explained Davis.

So how do you make that happen?

Take the time to form a connection. “If I feel like I have a good relationship with an editor, I might send a note saying, ‘Hey, I’m full-time freelancer. Keep me in mind,'” Davis said. “Or I might ask to go out for a drink.” The goal, he added, is to not only develop relationships, but also to bounce ideas around and figure out exactly what editors are looking for at their respective publications.

Kevin Lincoln, who’s based in Los Angeles, has worked on staff at BuzzFeed and Fox Sports Live and freelanced on the side before leaving his salaried position to dive into freelancing full time.

He set himself up well for the transition. “It was easier to become full time by already having a few strong relationships with editors and a reliable number of assignments,” Lincoln said. He has our second set of mistakes to avoid:

Mistake #3: Failing to maintain relationships with publications you’ve already worked for.

“I think that at some point, to really make it work and be able to have a living wage as a full-time freelancer, you need to have steady assignments with particular outlets,” said Lincoln. Since April 2014, when he became a full-time freelancer, he’s been cultivating those established relationships and has already been developing new ones that he aims to rely on moving forward.He set himself up well for the transition. “It was easier to become full time by already having a few strong relationships with editors and a reliable number of assignments,” Lincoln said. He has our second set of mistakes to avoid:

Mistake #4: Forgetting to keep track of how much money you’re making.

“I now have a spreadsheet where I write down every dollar that I earn,” said Lincoln. Keeping track of his assignments and projects allows him to see his progress from month to month.

The rhythm of freelancing income is often hugely unpredictable, so freelancers must keep track of the flow of money to pay rent or your mortgage and other regular expenses. And it’s a good idea to have a good amount of savings before you become self-employed, Lincoln said.

Writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner, from West Orange, New Jersey, has been freelancing for five years, and in 2014, published a total of 79,200 words. Back then, her goal was to be a contributor for both GQ and The New York Times Magazine — and these days she is a contract writer for both outlets.

Her foray into full-time freelancing was spurred by staying at home with her son for a year after he was born. “When he turned a year I got some babysitting together, because I felt stay-at-home life didn’t play well to my skills. So I wrote personal essays about things going on in my life,” she said, slightly out of breath on the phone from her treadmill desk at home. “People said I should start a blog, but I felt I should be paid for my work.” Brodesser-Akner shares our last group of new-writer oversights:

Mistake #5: Letting the pitching process intimidate you.

“I wish I hadn’t been so nervous pitching,” Brodesser-Akner said. “I wish I realized early on that editors are just people, and they need proof that you’re just a person.”

She referenced a piece of advice from one of her editors, who said that in freelancing all you need is the following (and if you have two of the three you’re golden):

Be good at your job
Be on time
Be nice

Mistake #6: Understanding that interviews and conversations are not always synonymous.

Early in her freelancing career, Brodesser-Akner said she would often spend too much time trying to relate to her interview subjects, rather than get those quotes she needed to write the piece. The result? Wading through hours of transcripts. “Why didn’t I just shut up?” she laughed.

Mistake #7: Taking revision requests too personally.

Keep in mind that editors want to make your work shine — and that’s not a bad thing. It will be your byline on the piece, after all. Don’t think you’re the only writer who’s gotten her story picked apart.

And if you don’t get feedback, that isn’t necessarily something to be concerned about. “I used to look for approbation from editors, but I finally realized that if an article was good enough to run and had a good editor… it was all I needed,” explained Brodesser-Akner. But always know you can send a quick message to your editor to make sure you were on target.

Mistake #8: Being afraid to ask for more money.

It’s a topic Brodesser-Akner feels strongly about. People often are so timid to ask for more money, she said. You may be surprised to find that many of your clients are willing to negotiate, especially if they’ve come to rely on you to meet deadlines and produce good work.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Topics:

Go Freelance, Journalism Advice

Never Run Out of Ideas: How to Generate Story Pitches Editors Want

Learn how to cultivate a deep reserve of ideas

4 min read • Originally published February 10, 2015 / Updated March 19, 2026