“Do I want to keep reading?”: What makes an editor say yes to your pitch?
Broccoli’s Stephanie Madewell on what makes a great story pitch.
As part of a new series with the Freelance Writing Network, I’m sharing direct insight from professional editors. What should you pitch them? Why should they commission your pitch? What are instant red flags? We’re covering all of it.
For this first edition, I had the pleasure of speaking to Stephanie Madewell, editor at Broccoli.
If you are an editor, or know an editor who might be interested in taking part in this series, please feel free to email me at thefreelancewritingnetwork@gmail.com for further details!
Q. Tell us a little about your writing & editing experience, and a little about Broccoli and what sort of content you cover/commission?
Broccoli is a publisher of unusual delights. For over seven years, our team has made an ever-expanding collection of niche magazines, including Catnip and Mushroom People, art books, and printed goods. Since day one, I’ve been lucky enough to be the editor for all of Broccoli’s projects. Before that, I had a wide and disparate array of gigs, some related to writing and editing and some not, but I have always been a reader and writer.
In the magazine realm, we’re currently working on Heartbeat, which is about sound and emotion; Sun + Moon, on things solar and lunar; and the second volume of Catnip. We mostly commission nonfiction work, with some exceptions, and we are violently allergic to the notion of “content”—keep it away! We’re in the story business. This is how I usually describe the difference: Content is what happens when a competent writer covers a subject. Story is something more magical and singular and human—a particular intelligence and sensibility delving into something in a way that illuminates unexpected meanings or emotions.
Q. When a writer pitches you a story, what's the first thing you look for/at?
This is extraordinarily basic, but the first thing I check is how I feel. One sentence needs to tug me forward to the next. Do I want to keep reading? If my eyes are glazing over or I start to skim, that’s a pretty clear sign that it is a nope.
Q. Is there anything common across accepted pitches that you notice? Something that those writers consistently include, perhaps?
I can only speak from my own narrow and peculiar perch in the publishing realm, but frustratingly—but also, maybe, thrillingly—not really. Pitching is individual and idiosyncratic; there is no one right way to do it, and no way to "hack" it. The art is conveying who you are in the pitch; not telling or explaining, but having the skill to make words embody your mind and vision—your singular sensibility, pattern of thought, style, and, of course, what you want to write about and why you want to write about it.
Q. How important is the suggested title as part of a pitch?
None! We write all of the titles for the pieces we publish in-house—they are crucial for setting the tone and feeling of the magazine. Because writers aren’t privy to all of the strategy, thinking, and design that inevitably happens as we harmonize all the elements of a magazine, there is virtually no way they would ever be able to come up with the right title.
Q. Are there any red flags in a pitch that immediately make you want to say no?
They are legion, but many are due to one thing: carelessness. Paying attention is everything to a writer and demonstrating a lack of attention, whether it is ignoring pitch call instructions or sloppy writing, is the reddest of red flags.
Broad assumptions are another pitch-killer. I’m skeptical of pitches based on generalities—there is nothing out there that “everyone” does/likes/reads/watches. That’s a clickbait mindset, which has no real place in what we publish.
And, as mentioned above, I loathe content with the fiery intensity of the ever-burning sun. Don’t pitch me content.
Q. How much do a writer's credentials and previous bylines matter to you?
Not much. We are in a publishing ecosystem where opportunity is rare and often hinges on personal connections, and most writers never get the chance to show what they can do or write what they want. It’s also impossible to tell from a finished piece of writing how much is an author and how much is the support structure around them; editors matter. So, at Broccoli, we really prioritize the pitch. The pitch is the room where we are standing alone with the writer, in the space they have offered us, trying to see who they are. That’s why, for us, the quality of the pitch is more valuable than any byline.
Q. How do you feel about follow-ups to pitches? When is too soon?
When it comes to following up, I think it pays to be attentive and tuned in to the publication’s processes. If you are pitching a time-sensitive story, it makes sense to send a nudge. But for Broccoli’s pitch calls, writers don’t need to follow up.
Each of our pitch calls designates a deadline for submissions and a date when the stories will be assigned. Our process works like this: We issue a call with a deadline (all late pitches are automatically rejected). As the pitches come in, all three members of Broccoli’s editorial team review them. If we know right away that a pitch is not a fit, we send a rejection. We each tag any pitch that piques our interest. Once the pitch submission deadline passes, we have an epic phone call and talk through all of the tagged pitches, deciding which ones we want to commission, how long each piece should be, and in what format. Then, I reach out to communicate to everyone in that last group, sending a mix of rejections and commissions. This almost always gets done by the story assignment deadline we share in the pitch call. Everyone who pitches us gets a response by that date.
Ideally, this process is so tight and transparent that follow-ups aren’t needed. We never commission anything timely; because of our print production lead times, breaking news or trends will be stale as old bagels. Speed is not an asset in our pitch calls; because of how we work, pitching an idea first isn’t enough to get a commission. You have to have the best pitch for an idea. Persistence isn’t really helpful, either—we’re not missing pitches or overlooking them. If writers send a follow-up before the pitch window closes, it’s just adding another email to the inbox.
Q. What would make you want to work with a specific writer long-term?
Beyond the baseline stuff—meeting deadlines, answering my emails, etc.—it is down to sensibility and approach. I’m interested in writers with something to say and the ability to take readers into new and unexpected places.
If you’d like to stay up to date with the Broccoli team, you can also subscribe to Publishing Dreams, where the editorial team shares an eclectic mix of behind-the-scenes insights and practical tips.
On this channel, Broccoli recently shared a complete pitching guide on Substack, which you can read here. It’s well worth a look if you’re looking to sell your stories.
Really useful insights!
Thank you for this super insightful interview!