The art of pitching is a tricky thing: showing a literary gatekeeper why your story matters and why you should be the one to write it, all in 500 words or less. But that introductory cold email is also your opportunity to show off your writing skills, prove your mettle, expand your creative network, and exercise your heart. After all, the more you pitch, the more you rack up both the rejections and the acceptances—all of it proof that you’re out there trying. You’re writing.

This class is for early-career writers, anyone new to pitching, or a working writer who wants to freshen up their pitches. No prior publication experience required; this class will be more helpful if you have a regular writing practice. We will open with a short discussion about pitching and how it differs from “submitting” your work, and review excerpts from optional readings. Then we will discuss the structure of a pitch and best practices when emailing editors. After two generative exercises, students will leave class with the foundations of a personal essay pitch. We will end with a short Q&A, time permitting.

About the Instructor

Matt Ortile is an editor and writer who has taught creative writing seminars for the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, Tin House, Kundiman, Poets & Writers, PEN America, and elsewhere. He is the author of the essay collection The Groom Will Keep His Name and a co-editor of the essay anthology Body Language: Writers on Identity, Physicality, and Making Space for Ourselves. He is also an editor for print and digital at Condé Nast Traveler, and was previously the executive editor of the literary magazine Catapult prior to its closure.

How to Pitch Your Work to Magazines, 1 session craft seminar and workshop with Matt Ortile