Graeme Green
– Journalist for more than 30 years
– The role of a freelancer is to have connections/develop relationships with editors and have a really good idea of what will be a good fit for his editors.
– Constantly in touch with PRs, going through emails
– Will send out alerts to contacts to ask for suggestions of names e.g. an editor at Daily Telegraph looking for a lifestyle/travel interview
– Graeme covers the Metro 60 sec interview; a slot for the Telegraph; Prospect mag; Sunday Times; Arts Interviews for Observer
– Has interviewed Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie, Irving Welsh
– Works on book related stuff but not always authors e.g. could be a sportsperson, chef
– Writes for a lot of specialist magazines, WIRED, Geographical mags, science focused for New Scientist
– Needs to be big names generally
– Interested in photography
– Looking for broad range of stories, keen to hear from publicists and gauge what will be a fit
– Based in the Peak District so coffees/breakfasts not that practical – meetings are not the best of use time as freelancers have so many demands on their time, get 100s of emails a day, so focused on being at home pitching and writing all the time
– Likes receiving catalogues – go through them all the time, helpful for forward planning – useful to have a relationship with PRs who know what Graeme is looking for
– Don’t tend to do kids authors, editors aren’t so keen
– Doesn’t cover science fiction/fantasy
– Doesn’t do self-help
– Name recognition for readers is key – particularly for digital – or it needs to be a big interesting juicy topic
– Email pitches are best – all info in one go – not time for lengthy calls
– Useful to know what is already lined up e.g. we’ve already got an exclusive with the Times in October, and you could run after that
– Useful to hear from the PR which outlet could be a fit
– Need an early heads up/advance notice – before it’s been pitched out widely and to avoid overlap with other outlets
– Publications looking into Spring/Summer 2026 now – would like to hear the sooner the better
– Frustrating to hear about a book if it’s coming out this week – need 3 to 4 weeks at a very minimum
– Media want to hear about it when it’s new
– Most interviews via Zoom but can be in person if in the North – Graeme is well placed to do that
– Biggest tip is advance notice
Donna Ferguson
– Writes for The Guardian, Sunday Times, Observer
– Lives in Cambridge
– Has written about 950 articles for The Guardian – much more focused on The Guardian, but also works with Sunday Times, Telegraph etc.
– Likes writing interviews with big name authors
– Advance notice is so key to avoid clashes
– A good moment to pitch again is when a film/TV adaptation is about to come out and the author hasn’t really been interviewed before
– Donna has done some ‘Me and my Money’ interviews
– News stories about non-fiction is Donna’s bread and butter
– Way to think about news stories as ‘The light and the dark’ – news stories are jostling for space, but outlets also want light/uplifting stories to balance out the depressing news
– Stories about quirky discoveries from non-fiction books, or discoveries of previously unpublished works by famous authors e.g. Donna has written about a discovery of short stories by Virgina Wolf found in an attic
– Need exclusives – if the story has already been put in a press release it’s no use to Donna – she needs to be able to say to the paper that the news hasn’t been covered
– Usually aim to publish a few weeks before publication so if there’s breaking news and it gets pushed back it’s still pre-pub
What Donna is looking for in a story:
– Recognition at last for a person from the past who deserves it
– Discoveries which shed light on a person their work thanks to an unpublished or previously overlooked manuscript
– A decades old mystery about a famous work or literature that has finally been solved
– New trend in publishing – needs to be evidenced
– Quirky or controversial story about history
– Writes a lot for the Guardian Seascape section, so anything ocean related is of interest to Donna
Questions Donna always asks before pitching it to an editor:
– What is being revealed in the book for the first time? Be specific – what is the news line? E.g. don’t say ‘It reveals a period of Marilyn Monroe’s life that has never been explored before?’ – Donna wants to know what those specific revelations are
– How is this being revealed in the upcoming book? E.g. actual sources – letters, documents, photograph
– What is being done to correct the injustice?
– Why should readers care? Why does this matter?
