David Perry on Public Scholarship

This week, I welcomed David Perry back to the podcast to talk about something a little different than his usual history writing.

David has recently published an excellent handbook, The Public Scholar, walking us through how academics and other knowledgeable people can write for public outlets. David covers basically everything—how to write emails to editors, coming up with topics outside your particular research niche, where to publish, how to negotiate for pay, and more. David is especially knowledgeable about writing opinion pieces, but he has also rounded up excellent advice on other forms of writing for the public.

And Two More Resources for Pitching Your Public Writing

Along with this episode, I wanted to share two more resources that I find indispensable, especially when it comes to pitching your work:

• The Open Notebook is technically geared toward science writers, but most of the advice on the site applies to pretty much any form of pitching and freelance writing. One of its most helpful offerings is the pitch database, where writers have shared hundreds of pitches that helped them successfully land publications. It’s a great place to study what makes a good pitch.

• My internet pal Brendan O’Meara, host of the Creative Nonfiction podcast (one of my faves), also publishes a newsletter/interview series called Pitch Club. It’s free, and it’s an incredibly generous resource where Brendan interviews writers about their successful pitches. You’ll learn what makes a pitch work, how much the resulting story paid, and get some great insight from nonfiction writers about how they think about pitching. Sometimes it’s like an incredible pep talk/ass kicking. Don’t miss it, seriously.

Do you have other resources to share? Had any recent successful pitches yourself? Comment and let us know!