I Sold My First Piece to Architectural Digest - Here's the Pitch that Got a Response

While I LOVE sharing contact information of my editorial Pitch requests, I know that many of you have never landed a good pitch. So, I recently pitched an authentic article especially for Architectural Digest that got an almost immediate response.

I think it's important to share what is successful and what's not. And it's important to also note that a good pitch gets responded to immediately. ~ Darralynn

Here's the Pitch that got the assignment.

This home was built by the descendants of the Avent Family whose wealth was built by slaves across the state; at one point, the family ran six plantations and were famously successful exporters of tobacco to China. 

 

During the renovation for the hotels' opening, there was wallpaper discovered on the walls that was imported from China; hand printed from the 1920-30s, one of the rarest wallpaper in America. Students from the local university found that the hallway wallpaper was created by a Chinese contemporary artist Qi-Bashi,  considered the Picasso of the east.

This 800-1200 word beautiful essay follows the lineage of this wallpaper and its connection to the Avent family and this house while highlighting the opening to the public. I believe a conversation with the black woman that now owns and is renovating this hotel would be a sound addition to the article.

I'm a freelance journalist with bylines in Vogue Italia, Food and Wine, Travel & Leisure, and Essence Magazine. 

I can have this done by June 15.

Darralynn

Rachel's Response:

Fletcher, Rachel	Mon, Jun 7, 5:28 PM (16 hours ago)
to Allie, me

Hi Darralynn - 

Thanks so much for sending this idea along. I'm CC'ing our Deputy Editor, Allie Weiss, who has a few follow up questions!

Allie's Response:

Weiss, Allie	Mon, Jun 7, 5:55 PM (16 hours ago)
Thanks, Rachel! Moving you to BCC. This sounds interesting, Darralynn! Can you let me know what kind of images of the wallpaper or hotel exist? I worry that we may not be able to cover if there aren't any professional images, so let me know if you've come across anything else. Many thanks for the pitch!

--

ALLIE WEISS

Architectural Digest

Deputy Editor, ArchitecturalDigest.com

My editors are:

ALLIE WEISS

Architectural Digest

Deputy Editor, ArchitecturalDigest.com

 

My Pitch went to:

Architectural Digest

Commerce Editor, Rachel Fletcher

 

I've also pitched to:

Nora Taylor
Clever Editor, Architectural Digest

 

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