Thread by @Helenreflects

I am at the #aarsbl19 (a big Religion conference) in beautiful San Diego and organizers tell me there are over 11,000 scholars attending here! That's enormous! But it makes me think about the state of the discipline - what does the study of religion do for us? /1

When I spoke to an editor for @OUPAcademic coursebooks, he told me that the demand for religion course books had crashed since 2008m (philosophy's still holding up well relatively speaking but also took a hit. 2/

@OUPAcademic He told me that religious studies and theology had a big surge in enrollment after 9/11. Suddenly, American students were like "Hey there's such a thing as religion, and it's important we learn something about it!" - I don't think that changed, so why the drop post 2008? 3/

@OUPAcademic You then had a concerted effort of governments to disvalue degrees like religious studies and theology, in favor of STEM and business. Yet, the vast majority of graduate jobs are not in STEM. And humanities students do well in job market see here economicmodeling.com/degrees-at-wor… 4/

@OUPAcademic Not only do humanities scholars find good jobs, it's really still important to study what we do as humans. I love applying game theory, stats and all that stuff, but that enriches, does not replace fields like religious studies. Ultimately, I think we have a PR problem 5/

@OUPAcademic I get upset when all people have read on religion is Sam Harris or Richard Dawkins, with so many thoughtful authors. Now at #aarsbl19 I'm at a session on how to pitch more effectively to media. Will live tweet some of this here. Hope it will be of use to us! /end (for now)

@OUPAcademic Feeling grateful to #aarsbl19 for organizing this panel on how to pitch to the media. Some important pieces of advice from this amazing panel.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana:
* it's a job/skill next to your work as professor
* Pitching to media is a people business. You don't pitch to "the media" - you pitch to different audiences etc. know your audience
* idea needs to be well-crafted. Otherwise, time-sink and not worth time investment

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain from The Conversation say they spend a bit more time on pitches, and they are not-for-profit and do quite some religion coverage. This then feeds into other publications who pick up their writing. They are specifically for scholars to disseminate their work.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston says got a lot of wide reach from a piece she wrote on The Conversation. Also, the RNS is great. Great about them is that they're already religion-friendly. How to pitch to mainstream websites/newsites? Problem they are skeptical religion says something interesting

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston Her advice: grabbing an editor's attention from the get-go. This doesn't mean hyping or exaggerating but say right from the outset why the idea is so important and interesting. Need to think as an editor: will my audience want to read it? What can it tell my audience?

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston Next up: @AntheaButler.
Pitching is all good, but you need to be found. Have your own website. Have a place where you can say what you do. Different ways to be visible - don't let media look through pages of miserable university pages.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler Don't pitch to the New York Times etc from the start. Pitch to venues you already read - because you know the style. So stop reading just journal articles. Start reading the venues in which you want to be published!
Also, write what you know - lots of legwork in pitching

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler Also @AntheaButler stresses importance of time! Don't sit for three days thinking after an important event like Billy Graham dying. If it's not time-sensitive you can sit and tinker. But if it's time-sensitive, do it right now. It's not for everyone. Faster = better.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @dianewinston says not everything is equally time-sensitive if you pitch to media though. Some stuff, e.g., white evangelicals in the US are less time-sensitive. Look through media to see if your angle's already been taken. #aarsbl19

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @dianewinston if your story has a bigger time window and is not really going to die if it's not published immediately you can pitch to an editor you don't know. This is higher-risk as coming cold to an editor is more difficult than one you've already established a relationship w

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @bobsmietana stresses the importance of building relationships - take the time to have a cuppa. Be a nice person - if you take time to explain your work, take the time to do so! Couch to 5k. Work up gradually - small publication, local paper and then gradually go up #aarsbl19

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @dianewinston: it's good to do a story during a holiday. It already involves religion - and often holidays have slow news. So ideal time to e.g., publish your take on Valentine's days. #aarsbl19

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @AntheaButler - Start local. Know your local media (she did, with a piece on Katrina).

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @AntheaButler - you think you're a good writer? Well maybe for the academy but doesn't mean you are a good writer for the public. If you have thin skin, this game is not for you. Being a public scholar = going to many, many edits #aarsbl19 - panel on pitching to media

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @bobsmietana:
If you pitch to media and don't hear from them - remind them politely.
When you respond, feel free to be forthright.
Feel free to say no if you can't do it. Even better if you can point them to someone else who can (a colleague)--good for maintaining relations!

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @AntheaButler - don't be aloof (aloof =/= shy).
Don't have thin skin, where you take it personally.
Rejection = well, I have a day job. I tried. Don't feel bad.
It's not for everyone to be a public scholar.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @kalpanajain says: if you missed the time window there maybe other opportunities. For example you might have missed writing on Billy Graham's death, but the anniversary of that will come up and then you might still pitch your carefully-wrought piece #aarsbl19 (panel on pitching)

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @bobsmietana says don't miss the opportunity to teach/educate the reporter you talk to. You can help them contextualize, or even tell them that the angle of the story is wrong (nicely) #aarsbl19

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler (btw I'm looping in @PeriferlyCentrd as I believe this will be useful for you! - have a look at the looong thread that's building. Also, anyone reading this, @PeriferlyCentrd is an awesome philosopher writing on Islam in the US, and has an important series of podcasts)

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @AntheaButler cautions: be careful who you talk to - especially if it's a volatile subject like abortion. You will be misquoted, campus reform etc. Know who is speaking to you. "Can I call you back?" and then Google them #aarsbl19
The Editor is in position of power.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd Ok now on to the risks of pitching to media. @AntheaButler who had a story that went viral, and it went all to Fox News, death threats, moving, a hell hole. You think it's innocuous. She was quoting a philosophy book on how can we be sure God is good if black people suffer ...1/

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd But it was misconstrued as people picked it up as "is God racist". So that was rough. It's public. It's not for everyone. You are already public now. It will be costly for you. Be judicious and careful. Her faculty was great and supportive. Will yours be? /2 #aarsbl19

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd Value of relationships, they can protect you if you get misconstrued/if you go viral (can be good but also really bad).
This leads to the next panel question: How do I build relationships? #aarsbl19

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @AntheaButler advises: you can use social media, but FB is a closed network and won't help you. Twitter is better. Blogs are good - different places you can go to write.
@Medium is good to push your own stuff there but you already need some traction on social media.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium @AntheaButler's tips for pitching proposal to media as a scholar
* don't wait too long if time-sensitive #aarsbl19
* don't have fully written piece yet, just one clean paragraph
* say sth about longevity of your piece in pitch
* know the venue you're pitching for

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium @bobsmietana makes an important point:
* Don't pitch to several news outlets at the same time. Why? You might disappoint editor and that's bad for relationship.
* Say something like if I don't hear from you by x, I'll pitch it somewhere else (and do that!)
Editors are busy!

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium @kalpanajain's example of a bad pitch of a scholar to the media. The editor will go: I don't understand this. It looks perhaps interesting?
@bobsmietana says: hey cool a math formula that can tell me if someone's lying. But I don't understand it. He has limited time.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium @kalpanajain's example of a better pitch of a scholar to the media. It tells us: Why is it timely? Why is it distinctive? It gives a lot to start a conversation. There are some typos in it but even so it is good.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium @AntheaButler: practice the NYT obituary tactic. If you know someone might die, then write it already (or think about it) before he actually dies (e.g., the Pope is usually an old person). Sounds a bit gallows but it's good to have something ready.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium @dianewinston "Baby boomers and death doulas" pitch don't lead with a long exposition of the history of death in America over centuries. Rather lead with what's important now. Boomers. Spirituality. Folks trying to make their death meaningful. From birth doula to death doula.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium Example of a good pitch from @bobsmietana
Credentials. Context. Importance and current relevance. Personal interest/enthusiasm matters enormously

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium Also at some point your scholarship, which might seem obscure, will become super-topical. Say, fire-prevention in ancient Gothic cathedrals was niche at some point but then the Notre Dame went up in flames. So it's good to be ready and learn how to write for popular audiences.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium @AntheaButler's really important point. Some things don't lend themselves to an 800-word op-ed piece and require more nuance.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium Longer form examples:
Los Angeles Review of Books
Aeon
Guernica Magazine
Medium
- you can realistically do 2000 words or so in these.
You choose where you publish.

@OUPAcademic @bobsmietana @kalpanajain @dianewinston @AntheaButler @PeriferlyCentrd @Medium Ok that's it for now. Still lots of useful bits in the Q and A but don't want make it too long! Thanks for reading, I found this hugely helpful particular @AntheaButler's comments. Very grateful to her and other panelists for taking the time to explain this all so clearly! /end