Ladies & Gents:
[Let's pretend I now how to put gifs in here because I absolutely do not]
Instead of listing my recent bylines, I'm doing a super-sized version of "How Did This Get Made?" about how each story happened. If you want to read some pitches, there are pitches. If you want to see the kind of work I do that is not pitched at all, I've got those too (which I love because it takes a lot of the work of getting assignments out of the process). Another thing I think freelancers can learn from this: how much of my work (and really fascinating stuff!) comes from B2B publications.
The only items I haven't included here are my regular running column because I don't think there's much to learn there. It's something I write every week, and I'm the only person who writes it. Anyway, on we go!
Story: "Slow Enough to Be a Sponsored Runner"
Publication: The New York Times
The Pitch: I try to meet my clients in person a few times a year. This was a follow up to a conversation I had with an editor on my last New York Times trip:
"I didn't forget about what we talked about on my last visit. Just took some time to ask around for runners with contracts who might not be obvious choices. The gal I showed you on my phone – she's not sponsored by Hoka (they were just promoting her finish through their social media, oddly enough). But I have a few others:
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Justin Gallegos, who has cerebral palsy and runs for Nike (the video of him being offered the contract went viral).
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Mina Guli, who ran 40 marathons in 40 days and is sponsored by Reebok – and the last NYC Marathon as her 100th marathon. After a back injury and surgery at 22, she was told she'd never be able to run again. She's 46 now.
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Mirna Valerio, a plus sized ultra marathoner (I would need to check at what level Merrell sponsors her – whether it's a contract, or she's an ambassador or something like that)
I think the question is why – is this the natural trickle up effect from brands giving social media influencers free stuff in exchange for promoting the brand? Or that running just looks different now than it did 40 years ago?"
From Pitch to Print: December 13, 2018 to March 6, 2019.
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Story: "Princeton students tell a gripping story to NASA"
Publication: Princeton University
Pitch: None. I sent an LOI to the Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Science. This was assigned to me.
From LOI to print: October 30, 2018 to May 3, 2019
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Story: "3D printing programs fuel model approach to care"
Publication: HealthTech
Pitch: None. A former editor introduced me to an editor at this publication last year, and he's been giving me regular assignments ever since.
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Story: "3 Ways Healthcare Systems Can Get Buy-In for Predictive Analytics Programs"
Publication: HealthTech
Pitch: Same as above.
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Story: "3 Ways Healthcare Systems Can Get Buy-In for Predictive Analytics Programs"
Publication: HealthTech
Pitch: Same as above.
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Story: "Smart Dust Could Ramp Up Internet of Things in Higher Education"
Publication: EdTech
Pitch: None. Early this year, I asked my editor at HealthTech if you knew of any other publication at his company that could use a writer like me. He gave me five names, and I sent all five LOIs. That lead to an assignment from EdTech, and promising conversations with two other editors.
From LOI to print: January 4, 2019 to March 20, 2019
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Story: "ERP 101: Choosing the right solution for the business"
Publication: CIO Dive
Pitch: None. They send me regular assignments.
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Story: "The Races are Virtual but the Running is Real"
Publication: New York Times
Pitch: I've written for these editors for years, so it's an informal pitch – but still a pitch!
"I got a suggestion from a reader that I think is worth looking into: virtual races. I saw them pop up here and there as a way to fundraise no matter where you are, but now the New York Road Runners and Disney do them. NYRR has six, the next of which you can run from March 13 to 17. For theirs, you register for the race on their site, link your NYRR account up to your Strava account (which is a requirement – and I have questions for those of us who don't use Strava), and then run the appointed distance. The next one is 13.1 miles as it's linked to a half marathon. Disney has a summer series of them with registration opening up on May 7.
From pitch to print: February 27, 2019 to March 29, 2019
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Story: "Making and Changing Your Must Have List"
Publication: New York Times
Pitch: Like above, I've written for this editor for years. I'd sent her a few pitches that clanged, so I included that in this one.
"I was trying to figure out why I haven't come up with any good ideas later and I realized it's because I'm not in the process of buying a house, which means the thing I am doing is not inspiring ideas. So I asked someone who IS in the middle of looking, which promoted this idea:
From pitch to print: February 25, 2019 to March 22, 2019
What I'm Reading
- Kate by William J. Mann. I bought this last year at Connie's Bookshelf, a delightful used bookstore in Daytoan Beach. This was 500+ pages of the incredible, complicated life of Katharine Hepburn. I wonder how we'd have talked about her gender identification if the book had been written today (not a criticism of the book, though).
- Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas. A writer friend gave me a gift card for Barnes & Noble for recommended a client to her, so I used it to just buy books I judged by their covers. This is one of them. I liked it!
- Are We There Yet? by Dan Albert. This book about cars isn't out yet so no review.
- Only Beloved by Mary Balogh. This is the last of The Survivor's Series books. I feel like I've accomplished something for finishing the series.
What I'm Watching
- Into the Woods. Hey Hoopla is pretty great, if your library has it. They have many offerings, including a filmed version of the original Broadway production of this lively musical. It sounds ridiculously complicated to sing. I have no idea how the local high school, which just put this on, pulled it off.
- Guys and Dolls. ALSO on Hoopla but the original movie version. WE MAY BE GETTING A REMAKE! which is why I sought out the first one.
- Good Girls. I finally caught up! Way darker than I anticipated but that's not a complaint.
- Central Intelligence. Kind of a dumb movie with the Rock, but I wasn't exactly seeking out something serious that morning.
- Agatha Christie's Ordeal by Innocence. Oooo this was a good one. Great cast, high production values, a nice miniseries for a cold winter's day.
- The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box. Oooooo wow this was bad. Really really bad.
- DI Banks. I finished it!
- Death in Paradise. And I started this! This is exactly the kind of British Murder Show that I like: a tidy mystery every week, more than a little bit silly, that never addresses that a lot of people keep getting murdered in a very small geographic locale. It was also great to watch while finishing my taxes, which are now sitting with my accountant. Hooray.
Until Next Time!
Jen A. Miller
jenamiller.com
runningalovestory.com
twitter.com/byjenamiller
instagram.com/jenamillerrunner
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