Inside the Magic publishes articles about Disney theme parks, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Disney politics, Harry Potter, and other entertainment news. We’re on the lookout for new writers who are interested in pitching us stories about topics in our world. (You can learn more about our world here.)
How to Pitch
Email your story idea to pitches@insidethemagic.net. It may take us a few weeks to return your email, so please be patient with us. If your pitch is timely, add “Urgent” to the subject line. Due to the volume of emails, we may not be able to respond to each one, but we will try. To cut through the noise, make sure to send a catchy but concise pitch.
The best pitches include:
- Pre-written display:Â Write a working headline and enticing dek for your story to grab our attention.
- A unique angle:Â Because we write about such popular topics, we want to know how your story will stand out from the crowd.
- Formatting and length estimates:Â Do you foresee a longform narrative, a service-y roundup, a first-person essay, a spicy op-ed, or something else entirely? Share some brief thoughts on how you imagine shaping your story, along with an estimated word count.
- Reporting plan:Â If you’re proposing an in-depth or heavily reported piece, please include a few sentences on your research and reporting plan. We’ll be looking for original reporting whenever possible, as well as access to sources.
- Clips:Â Please include links to relevant examples of your previous work.
Our rates start at 25 cents per word, and we use fixed fees. Please keep inclusivity in mind as you pitch and report. We do not accept stories on spec.
What We’re Looking for Right Now
At this time, we’re primarily interested in personal essays and long reads.
Essays: Essays for Inside the Magic are usually assigned at around 1,200 words, and explore a timely topic through your personal experience. Maybe you have a pitch about what you learned about parenting from Frozen or what you discovered about your identity while working at Disneyland or how the Mandalorian helped you grieve your deceased parent.
Long Reads: Our long reads are typically at least 2,000 words with a narrative structure, characters, and a timely hook. In these pitches, it’s important to highlight what the narrative arc will be and to bring color to any characters you plan to include. A long read could be anything from the untold story of Disney’s most popular voice actor to a first-person account of visiting Disney’s most-haunted landmarks.
Have an idea that doesn’t fit into these categories? Send it anyways! We’d love to consider it.
