The Witches
of Pitches
Each pitch witch provides you with a magic potion that will make editors and agents swoon
Upcoming Events
The Muse and the Marketplace Conference
Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts
“Writing Your Book Jacket Copy to Nail Down Your Story”
May 11, 10:30-11:30am
As writers we often get caught up in the big picture. When you’re writing a memoir or novel, the narrative arc can get lost in the ocean of your story. In this workshop we will craft the imaginary book jacket copy for your manuscript. Pretend you’re a customer at a bookstore and stumble upon your future book. What are the important details of your story? How do these help to shape your manuscript as a whole? We will identify your key themes, highlight your narrative arc, build suspense, and find your audience. Bonus, you will walk away with a clear path for the dreaded elevator pitch and the ability to discuss your project with clarity and confidence. Although your actual book jacket copy may be a far off dream, sometimes getting ahead of yourself is just what is needed.
Southeastern Writers Association
St. Simons Island, Georgia
June 7 - 11, 2024
This immersive 3-day conference joins aspiring and seasoned writers as they connect over their love of literature. The Witches of Pitches will be offering three sessions on demystifying the publishing process, writing a query letter that will grab an agent’s attention, and platform building beyond social media.
ABOUT US
Aileen Weintraub and Megan Margulies, both native New Yorkers, have formed a partnership from the modern love story playbook of online writing sessions. They have workshopped numerous articles, essays, and book proposals, helping writers produce top-notch material. Now they want to continue to share their knowledge.
Together, Aileen and Megan have placed articles in top-tier publications including:
The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Elle Magazine, Vogue Magazine, InStyle, and Glamour Magazine, among others, published two memoirs and over fifty children’s books, and helped numerous writers find their angle and voice.
THE WITCHES
Aileen Weintraub is an award-winning author, journalist, and editor. She began her career as a copy editor and then as a developmental editor working for both children’s and adult publishing companies. As a freelance editor she has worked with clients to help develop their books, proposals, pitches, articles, and essays.
She has written for The Washington Post, BBC, Oprah Daily, Parents, NBC, Al Jazeera, AARP, Glamour, InStyle, and other publications.
Aileen is also the author of over fifty children’s books including the middle-grade social justice book WE GOT GAME! 35 Female Athletes Who Changed the World, which was honored as A Mighty Girl’s Best Book of the Year, and the best-selling Never Too Young: 50 Unstoppable Kids Who Made a Difference, a Parents’ Choice Award recipient.
Her latest book Knocked Down: A High-Risk Memoir, is about marriage, motherhood, and the risks we take. The Erma Bombeck Workshop named Aileen Humor Writer of the Month for Knocked Down and Publishers Weekly says, “…there’s beauty on every page.”
Aileen has also created a series on marketing and platform building in collaboration with Writers’ Digest.
She lives in New York but her heart is in Seville. You can learn more at www.aileenweintraub.com.
Megan Margulies is an MFA recipient, memoirist, journalist, and a 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist for her book, My Captain America. Her essays and reported articles focus on motherhood and navigating life and healthcare as a woman. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Vogue Magazine, The Cut, Good Housekeeping, Elle Magazine, Parent’s Magazine, Oprah Daily, and more.
Before entering the world of journalism, Megan worked for almost ten years an an editorial assistant at Harvard University where she edited countless articles, profiles, and promotional materials for various departments and professors. It’s where she first fell in love with the Chicago Manual of Style.
She’s a native New Yorker, but splits her time between Boston and Vermont with her husband and two daughters. You can learn more at www.meganmargulies.com.
There may be other editorial services out there, but only with The Witches of Pitches will you get edits with a dose of witchy advice and the opportunity to kvetch as much as needed. Really. We’re all about the kvetching.
\ ˈkvech , ˈkfech \
Definition of kvetch: intransitive verb: to complain habitually : GRIPE
TESTIMONIALS
Rachel W.
“For anyone trying to establish yourself as a writer and get your essays accepted into national publications The Witches of Pitches is the way.”
Jessica G.
“The Witches deliver! Megan and Aileen both offered me robust and honest feedback on my project and I am going forth in my querying process with confidence and clarity.”
Glenda F.
“With your suggestions, I had the best book event ever!”
Brian W.
“Perhaps it was the darkening Solstice, but I went in to my session with the Witches in a profound funk. Forty minutes later I had a plan I could deliver on, together with the realization that my woes were far from unique. I had half-expected the kvetching to be for sympathy, but no, the Witches were ready for me with concrete suggestions that let me shed some writing stress before the holidays kicked into higher gear.”
Noah E.
“"Fire burn and cauldron bubble, the Witches magic really works. I feel so immensely more confident in my pitch!"
Cathy S.
“I am so glad I met with Megan and Aileen to review my pitch for a short story. I didn't know the first thing about pitching and these lovely witches offered lots of helpful pointers, ones that will be useful as I work on companion pieces for my book launch.”
Ann P.
“Your enthusiasm is heartening, and your feedback feels spot on.”
Steffi G.
“Thank you so much for your uplifting words and all the work you have put into my piece! You made me jump forward in leaps and bounds today!
SERVICES
Are editors “GHOSTING” you?
Here’s how we can help you bring the magic back into your writing:
The Pitch
Each witch will read and edit your pitch in MS Word track changes to help it get noticed among a sea of pitches in an editor’s inbox.
Price: $100
Add-on options:
A thirty-minute follow-up Zoom will be used to further flesh out the pitch and provide suggestions on places to send it.
Price: $50
The witches will review your edited pitch to make sure it’s polished and ready to go.
Price: $60
(Note: We do not give out editor’s email addresses, but we can give you tips on how to find them.)
The Essay, Op-ed, Reported Piece, Excerpt, or Craft
We will read your double-spaced piece in MS Word and provide comprehensive feedback in track changes.
800-1200 words. Price: $250
1200-2000 words. Price: $350
2000-5000 words. Price: $450
Add-on:
A thirty-minute Zoom session with both witches to discuss ways to develop and flesh out a piece, along with suggestions on places to pitch.
Price: $60
Add-on: The witches will review your edited essay to make sure it’s polished and ready to go.
Reach out to discuss pricing!
Query Letter Review
We will review your query letter, providing you with edits to get it in stellar shape. We will then follow up with a 30-minute Zoom call to flesh out ideas for getting you out of the slush pile.
Price: $250
Proposal Consult
Not sure how to get started on your book proposal? In a 1-hour Zoom call, we will help you map out your ideas and show you how to build your proposal from the ground up, explaining everything you need to include to get an agent interested in your work.
Price: $200
Nonfiction Book Proposal
The witches will edit up to fifty pages of your nonfiction book proposal (double-spaced), and will follow up with a 30-minute Zoom to discuss ways to strengthen and develop your work so that it’s agent ready. Evaluation of additional pages available for a fee.
Price: $950
First Fifty Pages
Working on a manuscript? The first fifty pages (double-spaced) need to be rock solid to grab an editor or agent’s attention, and will likely be included in your book proposal. We can help you develop your work, add threads and themes, and gracefully build up to the arc of your story. Included is the edited document, a detailed letter, and a 30-minute Zoom session to answer questions and discuss further.
Price: $950
Kid Lit Developmental and Line Editing Combo
We will do a big picture evaluation to help you develop the narrative arc, plot, and characters in your manuscript using age-appropriate vocabulary and language, and then provide a line edit to make sure every word counts! A detailed editorial letter will be provided, along with our in-text edits, and then we will follow up with a 30-minute Zoom call to help you flesh out ideas, discuss submission strategy, and answer questions about the publishing process.
Price: $300 for up to 1,500 words, $50 for every additional 500 words
Kvetch Session
Even witchy writers need support sometimes. Whether it is discussing how get unstuck on a project you’ve been working on or how to take the next step in your publishing journey, we’re here to listen with a 45-minute Zoom call and offer advice based on years of experience.
Price: $200
Services for Published Authors
Do you have a book coming out? Congratulations! These services are tailored for authors with forthcoming books.
Companion Pieces
One of the best ways to get word out about your book and build your platform is by writing companion pieces. We know how incredibly overwhelming that can be. We specialize in writing companion pieces and we’d love to share our secrets to mining your work for angles and ideas. We will brainstorm with you on a 45-minute Zoom call, and help you come up with fresh topics to write about. We’ll even suggest places
to pitch.
Price: $250
(Note: We do not give out editor’s email addresses, but we can give you tips on how to find them.)
Platform Building
A one-hour Zoom session to discuss your platform and give you an actionable plan to reach your target audience ahead of your launch. In this session we will go over your current platform and show you how to strategically expand your readership. We will discuss ways to up your social media game, reach out to reviewers, reporters, and podcast and radio hosts, tell you the secrets to forming a successful hype team, and becoming a good literary citizen.
Price: $350
Book Doula Service
We will meet with you for one hour, every week or two weeks (depending on your needs), during your launch to help you brainstorm strategy, come up with unique ideas tailored to your specific launch, kvetch about the stress and angst of birthing a book, provide feedback, and validate your fears, worries, and concerns. We will work on pitches and companion pieces, give you ideas for podcasts, brainstorm events, suggest ideas for book review placement, discuss social media strategies, and so much more to help you successfully market your own book. You will walk away with a step-by-step plan to help you create buzz and market your book.
Price: $650 for three sessions, $1,000 for five sessions
PLEASE NOTE: Followup services available. If you don’t see a service here that fits your needs, reach out and we would be happy to customize a package for you.
CANCELLATION POLICY: You must cancel 24 hours in advance or charges will apply.
SUMMON THE WITCHES
We can’t wait to kvetch with you. Go ahead, summon us by using the contact form below.
Please note: Our replies sometimes end up in your spam folder, so if you haven’t heard from us within 48 hours, please check your spam folder!