When it comes to turning your ideas into reality, a successful pitch often makes the difference for getting that coveted green light. Few people can relate to this more than freelance writers, who rely almost exclusively on pitches for selling their work. This two-part class will focus on perfecting pitch letters for print and online publications—and the elusive art of making your pitch stand out in an editor's ever-widening sea of emails. The first class will focus on crafting effective pitches and examining real-life pitch letters to see why they did—or didn’t—work. We’ll also cover techniques for idea generation and how to determine whether an idea is salable before pitching. At the second class, you’ll have the opportunity to share your pitches and get feedback from a live panel of local editors (and maybe sell a story on the spot!).
Instructor: Jen Jones Donatelli is a full-time freelance writer/editor with over a decade of experience. Currently, she is the editor-in-chief of Edible Cleveland, along with acting as a contributing editor FreshWater Cleveland, Destination Cleveland, and Your Teen. To date, her work has been published in national outlets including REDBOOK, Robb Report, Budget Travel, Playboy, Variety, Thrillist, GOOD, Natural Health, and many more. She has also authored numerous books for publishers such as Capstone Press and Enslow Publishing, including the Team Cheer and Sleepover Girls fiction series for tweens. When not typing the day away at her laptop, she teaches writing and creativity (specifically The Artist’s Way) for Literary Cleveland, Ohio University, StoryStudio Chicago, and Creative Groove. Jen is a proud graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.
Details: Pitch Perfect: The Art of Effective Pitching with Jen Jones Donatelli is a three-week course which takes place Mondays Sep 21-Oct 5 from 7-8:30pm remotely through Zoom. Register and we will send along information about how to connect via Zoom.
