Wild Pitches
When I started Nathan Rabin’s Happy Place five and a half years ago I had a very concrete, specific sense of what I wanted it to be. While I am very grateful for Clint Worthington and his write-ups of Travolta/Cage podcast episodes and regular assists from my sister-in-law/webmaster Romy Maloon, this is otherwise a one man band.
I’m not an editor. I’m not a manager. I’m not someone who can interact regularly with other human beings without experiencing intense anxiety. I’m not someone who should be in charge of other people.
I’m someone who loves to write. I’m someone who needs to write. Without Nathan Rabin’s Happy Place I would be lost emotionally and creatively as well as professionally. I need a digital, permanent online home. I like to think that I’ve found one here.
I’m not interested in anyone else writing for the site yet that somehow has not stopped a steady trickle of would-be freelancers from seeking me out and asking if they could write for Nathan Rabin’s Happy Place.
One of the reasons why Nathan Rabin’s Happy Place is the work of one man and one man only is because I do not like saying no to people. I don’t like being in a position where I have to say no to other people because I know all too well just how much rejection can sting.
Yet I’ve never had to reject a single pitch to Nathan Rabin’s Happy Place because there’s never been a pitch even vaguely suited for the site. To give you a sense of how fascinatingly off every single pitch I’ve received, I don’t think a single one has even involved the world of entertainment.
I write about politics and depression and being a dad here, particularly in the blog, but the primary focus of the site is pop culture. I write about movies. I write about music. I write about television. I write about books but not as much as I should. Ironically, writing books keeps me from being able to read as extensively as I’d like.
Yet the pitches I receive through the site’s Squarespace email NEVER involve movies or books or television or music.
Instead I get excited pitches inquiring if I would be interested in publishing a blog post about senior care or end of life planning or changes in the tax code and how they affect senior care and end of life planning.
Today I got an email from an experienced Cannabis grower inquiring if I accept guest posts on my site and what the guidelines and rates for guest posts are.
This pitch was completely off-base but it was closer to the target than the vast majority of the blind pitches I’ve gotten have been.
I have no idea how these people discovered my site, and what makes them think that their dry, technical non-entertainment-themed pitches would be appropriate for it.
I wonder sometimes if there’s a list of places to pitch sponsored posts and my site somehow ended up on it despite it being a website that does not accept sponsored posts, has never accepted sponsored posts and will never accept sponsored posts.
If these errant pitchers were to even glance at my site they’d realize how inappropriate their spiels involving elder care or taxes are.
On some level I’m relieved that the trickle of pitches the site receives are so off-base that ignoring them is more polite than asking my would-be collaborators where they learned about my site and what made them think a blog post about hospice care would be appropriate for a website called Nathan Rabin’s Happy Place.
On another level, the fact that zero pop culture writers haven’t approached me about writing for the site can’t help but add to my gnawing sense that the site is culturally invisible, and that it doesn’t matter how hard I work or what I might try, it’ll never grow in visibility or profitability.
I like not having to reject real pitches but I sure wouldn’t mind if the site was big enough or successful enough to make it attractive to writers I’d have to say no to.
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Buy The Joy of Trash, The Weird Accordion to Al and the The Weird Accordion to Al in both paperback and hardcover and The Weird A-Coloring to Al and The Weird A-Coloring to Al: Colored-In Special Edition signed from me personally (recommended) over at https://www.nathanrabin.com/shop
Or you can buy The Joy of Trash here and The Weird A-Coloring to Al here and The Weird Accordion to Al here
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