The Pitch

"Ephemeral" true stories that inform, surprise and delight

Senior editor Kayla Webley Adler scouts for both hard-hitting and fun stories with women at the center. Helpful hint: pitch a story – not a topic

In the second of a two-parter, the former LA Times reporter scrutinizes the first pitch – and then the revision – that earned her a cover piece in Wired

Journalist, professor, author, mother – How does she do it all? With passion, persistence, another paycheck and perspective: "I'm not just one story."

The editor's advice: Study what's been published before. Be authoritative, fresh and "arresting." Dare to send a (good) cold pitch

The magazine is known for its hard-hitting investigations, but Ian Gordon says, “We write so much about bad actors that we're always looking for people to bring some levity to…

Jennifer Sahn also mounts a defense of the overwhelmed editor, and why you might not hear back right away when you email

Editor Douglas McGray doles out a million great tips and insights, including the possibly scary, "We really put a lot of weight on the pitch."

Reporter (and editor) Paul Tullis has been on both sides of the pitching process; here, he annotates his "Into the Wildfires" proposal

Jennie Rothenberg Gritz says of story pitches she accepts: "There has to be something surprising and narratively interesting there."