Like many things in life, making a living writing is a numbers game. The more article/story queries you send out, the more chance that you’ll sell something. Sometimes you send stuff out and it seems to disappear forever. But they don’t disappear, they sometimes just take a little longer to make the rounds.
About six months ago, I sent a one page article idea to a kids magazine and was sure it was a great fit for their needs. This was about my third pitch to them in as many months. Each of my previous ideas was shot down, but I always got a very encouraging email inviting me to try again. So I did.
The pitch went off into the great email unknown and I didn’t hear anything for two weeks. Then three, then a month, two months – well you can see where this is going.
Last week, out of the blue, I received an email from a different editor at the magazine who liked the idea and wanted me to write it. Needless to say, I was very happy. A sale to a new magazine is always a good thing (well any sale is a good thing!)
There was no apology for the delay, but I wasn’t looking for one, so that didn’t matter. Obviously my idea had been knocking around the offices for six months and was probably brought up at the various editorial meetings but no one bit, until now – six months after it was submitted.
Morale of this story? An idea isn’t dead until the editor tells you so. Article/story pitches are like seeds, just plant them then forget about them. Pitch your idea and then move on to the next one. Long after you’ve forgotten about it, that pitch just may return and bring a little commission with it.
When this happens, the trick is finding your research on your computer and remembering exactly what the heck you pitched to the editor in the first place! But that’s a whole different story . . .
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