the craft. getting back to what you know.
I hate pitching. I think I’ve shared that openly on numerous platforms. Of course, I’ve worked long enough to know it’s not always personal. There are budgets, timing, staff writers, all the reasons why a pitch may be rejected that are no indictment on your skill as a writer. But one thing that I’ve always done is created my own door when it felt like others weren’t opening.
Around the release of Good Morning, Love, I started my foray back into pitching. If you don’t know, your team tries to get you to pitch essays and articles that may relate to themes in your book. A little easier when writing nonfiction for sure. But there were definitely some good threads within my novel I wanted to follow for stories that, in my mind, were in concert to other stories I’d seen within the publications.
Yet, nothing.
I shook it off. Listen, I am true to this rejection thing, not new to it. So, I thought to myself that maybe I should actually pitch more. Keep pitching to keep my bylines fresh. And knowing that any personal visibility as a writer is helpful to book sales. And so, I came up with a few different pitches as they came to me and and continued tossing things out there.
Still, nothing.
Most recently, I’ve been pitching an essay on literary critique that I felt like I really dug into. I mean, the girl writes when she wants to. But when I tell you, the people have continued to turn me down. I shot for the moon on this one okay? NY Times, LA Times, this one was good. But as the rejections have rolled in, I decided recently that I’m pitching to one more place before I just publish it my damn self.
In all honesty, you think that it’ll get easier. It’s like, I have a published book now, don’t you care that I’m pitching your publication? The answer is no. Ha! I’m not Jasmine Guillory or Kennedy Ryan and so the reality here is, I’m still on the grind in more ways than one.
It would be easy to get down and swear off pitching again, I promise I did for like a year or two in the past, but it dawned on me that every time I was feeling opposition, I did it myself. And honestly, it always led to the very same opportunities I found myself chasing. We don’t have to wait for gatekeepers anymore with all that’s available to us these days. So, I thought about getting back to what I know.
What I know is that I never waited for someone’s permission to explore my ideas through writing. That’s how your girl got to where she is now. All I knew was I wanted to get my thoughts out to the world and at the time, the best way to do that was through a blog. So much has changed now, of course. And I don’t have the time at all to blog the way I used to. However, I still write my own personal newsletter monthly. So I’m thinking about parking all my culture and lifestyle pieces there for the time being. I’ve been trying to figure out whether I’d like to go back to Medium, I tested out a piece about Clarence Avant for GP. Or if I want to stick with my personal site or go back to Substack.
I’m still mulling over the specifics. But ultimately, it’s always nicer to get a paycheck for our ideas, our thoughts, and criticisms, however, what I know for sure is that if you build it, they will come. I’ve seen it happen time and time again from my first real freelance pieces with Essence to my book deal with Simon & Schuster. There is no way around doing the work. And occasionally, you gotta dip your toe back into that free pond, in order to stir up some paid work later.
Be encouraged that even if you’re in the grips of rejection, you can always build your own door. My whole career is a testament, I promise you.
Where are y’all writing these days? Substack? Medium? Your own site? Tweet your girl or reply to this email, I wanna know!
Writing/Job Opportunities
Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is pleased to announce the launch of the third annual BOOKS LIKE US First Novel Contest. The aim of the contest is to facilitate access to the publishing process for writers from underrepresented groups, and to celebrate the diversity of readers across the United States. As the nation strives for progress, Atria Books and Simon & Schuster aim to help catalyze that change by amplifying voices that represent us, by publishing books like us. Begins September 29th.
Robyn Mowatt is accepting pitches from experienced fashion writers with concise, fleshed out feature ideas. robyn.mowatt.editorial@essence.com.
The Yale Review is currently accepting submissions for poetry, fiction, essays and review essays. (Sept. 30)
The Department of English at the University of Southern California seeks an assistant professor of Latinx Literature to start August 2024. ($89-94k).
Barack H. Obama Presidential Library is hiring a Director.You will be responsible for planning, directing, and administering all programs and activities of the library. ($141-212k).
Hammer & Hope is hiring a Managing Editor. Part-time. ($60/hr).
To Be Read
There Have Been Several Public Library Bomb Threats This Week
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