Hit Send: Publishing Short Nonfiction

GUIDE TO NONFICTION COURSES
Nonfiction Pathways
Foundation
If you’re not sure what kind of nonfiction to write...
If you know what kind of nonfiction to write...
Or...
If you want a rather short course...
Next Steps
After completing a Level I ten-week course...
After completing Memoir II, if you want to write a book...
Selling Your Work
If you hope to get published somewhere...
Hit Send: Publishing Short Nonfiction

Hit Send: Publishing Short Nonfiction is a 4-week class, which includes a mixture of lectures and exercises. It’s for beginners or anyone who wants a refresher. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.

There are countless magazines, newspapers, and websites that need a continual supply of short nonfiction pieces—articles, essays, etc. And they need material on every subject under the sun. How do you get them to publish (and pay for) your work?

You need to bait the hook properly. Here you will learn how to generate saleable ideas, turn them into pitches, and match them to the most appropriate people and places. It’s like fishing, and you don’t always get a bite, so to maximize your chances, you need to be repeating the process regularly.

You will work under the guidance of a successful freelance writer, who will help you identify your best ideas and prepare them for “casting into the waters.”

About Hit Send: Publishing Short Nonfiction
Hit Send: Publishing Short Nonfiction

Realistic in terms of the world of freelancing with its pitfalls and opportunities.

Catherine McArdle

teacher

Upcoming Classes

Masks are not required, but we’ll provide masks for those who want them. We are no longer requesting proof of vaccination.

More Covid details

Price

Registration fee $25, paid once per term

4-Week

Syllabus

This course shows you the process of getting your short nonfiction pieces published, and helps you craft a winning pitch letter. Course components:
     Lectures
     Writing and receiving feedback on a pitch letter (each student presenting work two times)

Week1
The Pitching Life: Perks of the pitching life. Setting your goals. What is your expertise and/or platform? Pitching basics.

Week 2 
Who Wants My Writing?: Finding a home for your work. Narrowing the field. Doing reconnaissance. Listening for voice and tone. Moving up the ladder.

Week 3
Getting The Job (And Getting It Done): Understanding the editor’s dilemma. Making contact. Query letter basics. The art of the successful pitch. Query letter FAQs. Before you hit send. Handling it when you hear “No.” What to do when it’s a “Yes.”

Week 4
The Work of the Working Writer: Getting paid and how much. Contracts, rights, negotiating for more. Should you accept a fee of $0? Conducting research. What it means to deliver the goods. Working with an editor. Getting “killed.” Promoting yourself. Making time for the work. Keys to success.

Note: Content may vary among individual classes.

Teachers

Lara Ewen
Lara Ewen

Lara Ewen is senior editor of Fashion Dive. She's the author of The Girlshop Guide to NYC Shopping (Shecky’s Media), and her articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Insider, the Kansas City Star, Newsday, NYC&G, NPR, PBS, Retail Dive, Slate, and Zagat, and she's a regular contributor to American Libraries Magazine. She has served as the U.S. market report columnist for Rapaport Magazine, editor-in-chief of the U.S. edition of Sportswear International magazine, a freelance digital editorial consultant for Rolling Stone, and a consulting editor at Women’s Wear Daily.  She is also the talent booker for the Free Music Fridays series at the American Folk Art Museum. She has taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She holds a BA from Boston University.

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