- this literary life
- Posts
- no. 8
no. 8
Nicole Tommasulo
November 24, 2024
hey there.
As you can see, this literary life got a little glow-up this week. I’ve moved over to beehiiv to test things out. Nothing should have changed on your end, except there’s now a table of contents for easier navigating to what you subscribed to this newsletter for.
If you’re struggling, I’m running a Black Friday/Cyber Monday special right now on Blue Line Editing Co. All services are 20% off through December 3. Your project doesn’t have to be ready yet, either; you can put a deposit in for a service now (only 50% is required to book) and schedule your edit later.
One piece of personal news: savor + roam also got the beehiiv treatment, with newsletters going out with travel news, things to do in Boston, features, and more. I’m putting together a special Black Friday/Cyber Monday edition that will go out Thanksgiving (November 28) with all the travel-related deals I can find.
If you work in PR or travel and know of any, you can reply to this e-mail with your tip and I’ll be sure to include your deal.
ALSO: you can now find prints (+ bags, mugs, etc.) of my photographs of around Boston + from my travels on Society 6 and Etsy.
Okay, that’s it from me for this week. Thanks for signing up and scrolling through. I hope your pitches/queries land and the words flow this week.
Without further ado.
table of contents
tips for freelance writers + novelists
craft
If you’re a travel writer, you already know how important a location is to a story. But this week on Crime Reads, Maddie Day looks at location’s role in cozy mysteries and why mystery writers need to have just as strong of a grasp on their setting. The best way to do that? Visiting the location.
One of my favorite writing prompt generators is actually a tarot deck. If you want to learn more about how to use tarot as a tool for storytelling, read Kriss Waldherr’s demystification of the practice on Jane Friedman’s blog.
Dialogue can (and maybe should) be a driving force behind pushing a narrative forward. Maya Kessler explores what makes dialogue such a powerful tool on Lit Hub.
marketing
There’s a very big difference between our soft, dreamy visions of our ideal readers and being able to put that picture into words. Jane Friedman shared her tips on easy ways to describe your target demographic so agents and publishers understand what you’re talking about.
One of a writer’s best tools for drawing in potential new readers is a magnet. Not actual magnets but snippets or clips meant to pull a reader deeper into your work. Jenn Windrow stopped by Writers in the Storm to discuss this clever (+ cheap!) marketing tool.
all things book publishing
scam alerts
There are a few active big publishing scams writers need to be aware of right now, so I made a special section for them this week.
Book Guard is not anti-scam protection. According to reporting by Victoria Strauss for Writers Beware (who is being impersonated, FYI), this company is promising “anti-scam" protection but, of course, is exactly that.
There is an active scam where people claim to be working with Penguin Random House, either for the company themselves or as literary agents. They have a list of companies and individuals they do not operate with or through on their website.
If you’ve noticed your published book is now free for download on OceansofPDF.com, don’t worry; the Author’s Guild is already fighting to make sure the site is taken down. In the meantime, there are other steps you can take to have your writing removed.
publishing news + interesting reads
We are all worried about AI taking our jobs. But, after several tests, the robots continue to fail. This week, a local Hawaiian newspaper fired its two AI content creators “hired” to boost reader engagement. So, is there anything we should be anxious about? According to Wired, yes.
Book censorship in schools and public libraries continues to be a divisive topic, and many believe more books will start disappearing from shelves. So far, President-elect Trump has called for the closing of the Dept. of Education (subject to congressional approval; unlikely to happen), which will allow school districts to depart from national standards. And, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times, groups like Moms For Liberty and Parents Defending Education are doubling down on their book-banning efforts.
Speaking of the upcoming administration, many of us are wondering (read: worried about) what this will mean for the publishing industry.
Already, Hachette announced the creation of an imprint called Basic Liberty, to be headed by Thomas Spence, one of the authors of Project 2025.
Plus, the President-elect has threatened to sue Penguin Random House and The New York Times for “false and defamatory statements” he claims are being made in Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success (September 2024).
For The Cut, Emily Gould explores what the publishing industry looks like now and what the next four years might hold.
calls for pitches + paid creative opportunities
Reminder: Vet each opportunity before submitting. Inclusion does not equal endorsement.
reported stories + essays
Travel, Retail: Nicolas Walton, group managing editor at Artemis Communications, is looking for pitches for Jetsetter Magazine. Specifically, he wants pitches for the magazine's "Retail Therapy section, which looks at a specific shopping trend or possibility in a specific destination," like this example. Send pitches to [email protected].
Travel: Stephanie Pitera Statile, lifestyle/entertainment editor at Business Insider, is looking for stories “about the best things to do in big cities and/or national parks. Note: Business Insider does not accept hosted travel stories. Rate: $240.
Outdoor Adventure: Trail Runner Magazine is open to pitches for stories for their print and digital formats. They are especially interested in outdoor adventure stories from women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other diverse voices. Rates start at $200 for digital and $.25/word for print.
Oregon/Portland: Portland Monthly seeks pitches for their 2025 print and digital issues. Specifically, they're looking for compelling long-form (2000 - 3000 words) features and shorter (500 - 1000) news and city life pitches. To pitch: [email protected].
Retirement: Conz Preti, Business Insider's deputy editor, is looking for more writers to share their stories "about their life not being [what] they thought retirement would look like.” Pay: $250. E-mail pitches to [email protected].
Male Fashion: Business Insider's Lifestyle/Entertainment editor, Stephanie Pitera Statile, is also commissioning male fashion writers to take on pieces like this example. She is also looking for pitches from writers in/near a big city or national park about the best things to do in these areas. The rates start at $240 for both pitch calls.
Star Trek: Contingent Magazine is now accepting pitches for its December issue, "exploring the relationship between Star Trek and history. You may engage in any iteration of Star Trek, from the TV show to the movies. Pay: $200 for 500 - 800 words. Deadline: November 24.
AI and Creativity: Rachel Courtland, commissioning editor at MIT Technology Review, is looking for pitches of longer pieces — narrative features, compelling investigations, essential profiles, and super-sharp essays — on the theme of “creativity” for an upcoming print issue. On LinkedIn, she shared: “Please note that we will likely be getting a lot of pitches on AI and creativity. This is not to dissuade you from pitching on that topic if you feel like you have a strong and specific idea. But we would especially welcome pitches on other subjects, ones that interpret the theme in other ways." Pay: $1 to $2 per word. Send pitches to [email protected] by December 4.
Science and Health Features: Shannon Palus, features editor at Slate, is open to science and health features. She's looking specifically for "big, unexpected and counterintuitive ideas" like this example and this example. E-mail pitches to [email protected].
Environmental: John R. Platt at The Revelator is now taking pitches for 2025. Specifically, they're looking for stories on "what we're losing: species, ecosystems, environmental justice communities, climate battles, or other aspects of life on Earth at risk." Plus, they want reporting on "What we’re saving: How people are working to understand, stabilize, or reverse a major threat." Finally, they're hoping for stories on the Trump administration: "What damage was done the first time around that we’re just starting to understand? How did people and communities recover after the first Trump administration? What are organizations doing to defend against the second?" Pay: $300 - $500. Deadline: Dec 10.
Politics: In These Times is looking for pitches (or draft submissions) exploring recent election news. “How are we moving forward and coming together to protect the vulnerable and create political possibility in a very dire and dark near-future?” They want essays, short stories, photo essays, poetry, art, comics, personal essays, and Q&As. The rates range from $375-$400 for short dispatches and op-eds. E-mail pitches to [email protected] with the subject: "Culture Pitch."
Journalism Fellowship: USA TODAY is accepting applications for its full-time, year-long remote Women & The Caregiver Economy Reporting Fellowship. This grant-funded program allows the reporter and a three-person reporting team to investigate the impact of domestic caregiving on women’s financial wellness. Applicants must have five years of journalism experience and an “interest in Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and the economic impact of and on women.” Pay: $95,000.
literary magazines
There are many literary magazines out there that pay. ChillSubs has an amazing (free) database you can dig through to find the right opportunities for you. The ones I include here are literary magazines that pay for publication that are closing within the next seven days.
Reminder: Vet each opportunity before submitting. Inclusion does not equal endorsement.
Art, Memoir, Short Stories: The Stinging Fly will close to submissions on November 27. They accept submissions from writers and artists worldwide and encourage new artists to submit. Pay range: €40 - €400, depending on genre and length.
Poetry: Winnow Literary will close to poetry submissions on November 29. Poems should deal with the idea of “occupation,” not just in terms of jobs or imperialism. Pay: $100/poem.
Short Story, Memoir, Travel Essay, Personal Essay, etc.: Fourth Genre will close to submissions on November 30. Your work should be “lyrical, self-interrogative, meditative, and reflective” and can fall under the “expository, analytical, exploratory, or whimsical” categories. Pay: $50.
Art, CNF, Flash CNF, Short Stories, Flash Fiction, Poetry: The Fiddlehead, Canada’s oldest continuously published literary magazine, will close to general submissions on November 30. They are open to work from writers worldwide. Pay: CA$60.
Short Stories, Poetry: The Baltimore Review’s annual general submission window closes on November 30. Pay: $50.
from previous issues
These pitch calls and paid writing opportunities were featured in previous issues and are still active. Reminder: Vet each opportunity before submitting. Inclusion does not equal endorsement.
reporting + essays
Food: Eater SF is open to "new ideas and new voices" with original insights, reporting, and analysis on the Bay Area's food scene. “We get the same press releases everyone else does, so strong preference will be given to story pitches that arise from your personal expertise, revelations, or finds over ideas proposed by media relations teams.” No rates were given, but historically have been $0.25/ word. E-mail pitches with a "clear angle" to [email protected] and include clips.
Food and beverage: Chris Hatler is seeking whisk(e)y pitches for Men's Journal. He's looking for hot takes and personal essays with unique opinions and snappy headlines like "Old Grand-Dad Bonded Is My Favorite Cheap Bourbon" and "I’ve Tried Hundreds of Bourbons. Bib & Tucker Double Char Is the Smoothest I've Tasted." No deadline. Rate: $250. E-mail pitches to [email protected].
Relationships: Nonlinear Love co-founder Ariella Steinhorn is looking for nonlinear love stories. This includes “divorces and remarriages; dating horrors or delights; lovers who cropped back up years later; or even an unexpected thing you learned from your partner within a traditional marriage or relationship structure.” The rate is $150 for 800-1,000 words. E-mail pitches to [email protected]. Stories can be published anonymously.
Writing Life: Remote Writing Jobs creator Melissa Tripp is looking for pitches for "real stories from working writers, particularly personal essays between 500-800 words that are brilliantly written and shed light on the world of writing for a living." Or "anything as it relates to your experience as a working writer." Rate: $200. E-mail pitches to [email protected].
creative opportunities
Travel: Beginning Monday, November 18, Kade Krichko will accept pitches for travel columns for Ori Magazine's Spring 2025 "Growth" issue. Specifically, they are looking for narrative-heavy "human interest/culture essays from around the world, but with particular interest in the American Midwest, American South/Southeast, and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, etc.)." Rate: $200 for columns, $0.50 to $1.00 for features. E-mail pitches to [email protected]. Deadline: Dec 1.
Travel: Anthology Creative Awards is accepting submissions for their travel writing contest. This is for previously unpublished “engaging article[s] that will capture the reader’s attention, conveying a strong sense of the destination and the local culture.” Writers may submit multiple articles, but they must be separate entries. Deadline: November 30. The grand prize winner receives £500.
Travel: Off Assignment seeks submissions for their "Letter to a Stranger," "Under the Influence," "No Equivalent," "What I Didn't Say," and "Witching Hour" columns. Only completed drafts are considered for publication. Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Pay range: $100 (Witching Hour) - $300.
Literary Life, Culture: LitHub is always open to pitches about "literary life and culture," especially "the ways that books or their authors fit into the culture at large, and we enjoy rigorous criticism for a general audience." Send pitches (2 - 3 paragraphs outlining your idea) to [email protected].
Interviews, Short Stories, Poems, Articles: Nonprofit Quarterly seeks articles, interviews, short stories, and poems for their print magazine's 2025 racial justice issue, “How Women of Color in the South are Reclaiming Space.” Deadline to submit: December 17. Pays: $150 - 300 (short stories, poems), $300 (interviews), and $500 (articles).
remote writing + editing jobs
Since we’re all already on LinkedIn, I will do my best to find the remote writing and editing jobs that are not already being shared/applied there. These job listings are all active as this newsletter is scheduled to be published (on Nov 23).
Reminder: Vet each opportunity before submitting. Inclusion does not equal endorsement.
Friends From the City is looking for a full-time sr. content writer to create “clear, concise, and engaging content that connects with all Veterans.” Ideal candidates “thrive in a fast-paced environment” and have 5+ years of content or UX writing experience (with a portfolio to prove it). Pay: $125k + benefits.
The Lever seeks a full-time political newsletter writer. You will be responsible for creating a “daily must-read email spotlighting the day’s most important and overlooked news, along with spotlighting The Lever’s latest money-in-politics and corporate-accountability journalism.” The newsletter should be something easy-to-digest for normies, not just political junkies. Pay range: $70k - $90k + benefits.
Blavity is seeking a part-time (25 - 30 hrs) content editor to work in a fast-paced environment. You will be responsible for editing and publishing 8 - 10 articles and 5 - 10 web stories daily, plus write 2 - 3 articles a week. Additional duties include supporting the pitch process and managing/mentoring a team of writers. Pay: $25/hr.
Live Science wishes to add a weekend writer to their team. You will be responsible for writing 3 - 4 stories per weekend, a mix of longer features and news. Pay: $20/hr - $24/hr.
Bankrate hopes to fill several roles right now, including a full-time associate editor of banking. According to the job listing, "this editor will be responsible for contributing to and executing our strategy for delivering impactful consumer banking content related to savings accounts, checking accounts, CDs, and money market accounts, designed to provide readers with clear and consistent financial information." Pay range: $42k - $60k + benefits.
Bankrate is also looking for a full-time associate editor of loan content. According to the listing, "This editor will be responsible for contributing to and executing on our strategy for content within personal loans, student loans and auto loans that is designed to provide readers with clear and consistent information and advice when it comes to their financial health." Pay range: $55k - $70k + benefits.
Bankrate would also like to add a full-time personal finance editor to their team. According to the job listing, this editor "will be responsible for assigning content, updating existing stories, editing articles, and collaborating with our editorial and SEO teams on content creation for a major, respected media brand." Pay range: $55k - $70k + benefits.
Bankrate is looking for full-time student loan writers who will "be responsible for writing educational and transactional content on Bankrate, with a focus on Student Loans content." Ideal candidates have 4+ years of writing experience and a "deep familiarity" with the changes happening with Google. Pay range: $55k - $80k + benefits.
Additionally, Bankrate is looking for full-time investment writers with a similar background. You will be responsible for helping to "guide consumers beginning their investing journey, as well as explain key insights and trends in the markets to more experienced investors already working toward many of life’s biggest financial goals." Pay range: $60k - $80k + benefits.
Red Ventures is seeking a full-time senior writer for their Energy team. You will be responsible for "creating customer-centric, long-form content; the Senior Writer will help consumers navigate the complex energy industry. The ideal candidate is an experienced writer with excellent storytelling, project management, and communication skills. Additionally, the candidate should have demonstrated examples of thoughtful B2C content incorporating SEO best practices." Pay range: $60k - $90k + benefits.
The Points Guy wants to add a full-time aviation reporter to their team. You will be responsible for breaking airline news and writing longer-term features to help establish The Points Guy as one of the top sources for must-read aviation content. "Familiarity with airline loyalty programs is strongly preferred. The ideal candidate will come with deep – and growing – set of industry contacts and ability to break news that readers will first see at The Points Guy." Pay range: $60 - $80k + benefits.
TMZ seeks a full-time news desk producer. You will be responsible for identifying, researching, and pitching entertainment and pop culture news stories. This position is for someone who works well in a “high-pressure, deadline-driven” position. Pay depends on location (range: $50k - $100k).
recommendations
books
This was another week when the number of words I read was much higher than those I wrote. Or is it listened to? I’ll be honest; I operate solely on audiobooks these days. Thanks to the books I devoured this week, though, things should change on the writing front next week.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of Mexican Gothic, put out an amazing (and timely) ‘90s horror story last year with strong supernatural elements. In Silver Nitrate, Montserrat, a talented sound editor, and Tristan, a soap opera star and her best friend since childhood, help their neighbor — a cult horror director — lift what he believes is a curse placed by a Nazi occultist.
When Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam was slated to be published in October 2020, there was no way publishing could have known what the world would have looked like. And yet, here is a literary thriller that perfectly captures the anxiety of not knowing what is happening and what animal instincts kick in when survival is on the line. Through today’s post-election lens, and only an ocean separating us from multiple wars, this book still smacks hard. Read this one before the Netflix adaptation drops.
podcasts
If you’re obsessed with the JonBenet Ramsey case to the point where you really don’t care, there’s a new Netflix documentary set to drop on Nov 25; you’re not alone. I was that person until I listened to this week’s three-hour long (!!!!!) episode of Crime Junkie. If visual is more your thing, they also shared a video of the episode(which can be found in the link) and a video of the interview between Ashley Flowers and John Ramsey.
Naturally, I fell down a JBR case rabbit hole, so I also started on the 12-part limited series, The Killing of JonBenet Ramsey: The Final Suspects, which Flowers recommends in CJ. This production also heavily features interviews with John Ramsey as well as with case experts.
And as always, here are the podcasts I listen (and re-listen) to.
limited series
culture, news, politics, history
books, movies, TV, writing
true crime
Note: I may earn a fee from purchases made at Bookshop.org using affiliate links.
Reply