Since 1961, Atlanta magazine, the city’s premier general interest publication, has served as the authority on Atlanta, providing its readers with a mix of long-form nonfiction, lively lifestyle coverage, in-depth service journalism, and literary essays, columns, and profiles.Their goal is to reflect the city and demystify the cultural, political, and economic capital of the South—and they rely on pitches from freelancers to help them do that.
How To Submit A Pitch To Atlanta Magazine
- They focus on Atlanta and the metro region. They’re looking for stories that haven’t been told before, that help them see the city, the state, the region, and everyone in new ways.
- They’re open to a variety of nonfiction formats—news features, profiles, narratives, Q&As, reported essays, lists, roundups, humor, infographics, annotated photos, etc.
- They’re most often looking for shorter, “newsier” pieces in the front of the book (for the Connector and Bite sections) but feel free to share pitches for long narrative or investigative features as well.
- They assign print stories several months in advance but are constantly looking for digital content. (Their website covers the same topics as their magazine and is best for especially timely stories.)
They avoid conflicts of interest, they’re fair and strive for accuracy, they don’t accept gifts or freebies from the people and institutions about whom they’re writing. Their editing process includes detailed fact-checking, so be prepared to provide references.
What Do They Want In A Pitch?
- They love hearing from both new and established writers. Your pitch doesn’t need to be perfect but including a few details helps.
- What is your story about? Why do you think Atlanta magazine is a good place for it? Who are your sources? If you haven’t worked with them before, do you have any published writing samples you can share?
- Please be patient. Their editors receive dozens of pitches every day and can’t always respond individually. Sometimes they file ideas by subject and revisit them later. Feel free to send a reminder after a few weeks.
Which editor should you contact?
- For arts, culture, events: Kamille Whittaker, Betsy Riley.
- For food, dining: Sam Worley.
- For human interest, profiles: Heather Buckner, Sam Worley, Betsy Riley.
- For lifestyle (style, design, health, travel, real estate): Betsy Riley.
- News, crime, politics: Heather Buckner, Sam Worley, Betsy Riley.
- Especially timely pieces (to run online, rather than print): Myrydd Wells.
Pay Rate
$1.00 per word.
More questions? Visit their official website.