7.31.2006

In a nutshell

One of these online writers' services contacted me and asked for some pointers on how NOT to write for Latin Trade. For your perusal, the response:

What NOT to say to a Latin Trade editor:

"I can get an interview with a financial analyst."
"I can get an interview with a professor of mine."
"I can get an interview with (fill in the blank)."

1) If you haven't begun interviews, you don't have a story yet, at least not for us.
2) If your main interviews will be secondary sources and observers, you don't have a story at all, at least not for us.

"I'll work on the idea and get back to you."

1) Why are seeking assignment if you yourself don't understand what the story will say?

"Here's the pitch, what do you think?" (Attached is 800-word e-mail)

1) If you can't get your idea into 50 words, you don't have an idea.
2) The story itself won't run longer than 800 words.
3) We do NOT run a story idea service, we edit and publish ready stories.

"I know a lot about Hispanics in my area of the country."
"You don’t understand, the immigration story is HUGE."

1) We do not publish stories about U.S. Hispanic anything. Do not pitch it to us. It will not be considered and likely will not merit even a response. Think of it this way: You just pitched a cooking story to Field and Stream. Okay, sure, the hunters sort of might cook what the catch, but it's just not a cooking magazine. We understand about U.S. Hispanic, we get it, but it's not interesting to our Brazilian and Mexican readers, which is most of them.