Writing for MULE

If you want to get involved but are not a writer (e.g. photographers, web geeks, etc), want to tell us about a story but have no intention of covering it yourself, or have a general query, please email editor@manchestermule.com.

If you’re interested in writing for us, please email writing@manchestermule.com with a brief pitch (no more than three paragraphs) for the story you intend to write. Please do not send us entire articles until we have accepted your pitch. In your email, please follow these criteria:

1) Overall we are interested in articles about Manchester, Greater Manchester and the wider North West (in that order). We sometimes publish articles on national issues – but only if they’re relevant to Manchester (for instance welfare reform or the housing crisis). We’re interested in social and political issues; check out the articles we have already published to see whether what you intend to write fits in (but we’re interested in covering new things – the only way to be sure is to send us a pitch).

2) If you want to write a comment piece or a feature article, then the pitch should be a brief outline, not more than a paragraph, stating the subject and the argument you intend to make. You should also tell us why your article is different from the articles in other media outlets, particularly major national or local newspapers. In particular, we are interested in stories that are overlooked in the mainstream press, either locally or nationally. This can include events in your area that you feel are simply not covered, or alternatively an angle you feel overlooked from an otherwise well-covered news story. We will be more interested in articles that look original for whatever reason – so make sure you tell us why your article will be original.

If you want to report on an upcoming event – such as a protest, anticipated redundancies, a council meeting, etc – then ask us if we’re already covering it. If we’re not but we think it’s something worth covering, then we may ask you to write a news story on it.

3) Whatever you intend to write, you should tell us your experience, either professional or personal (in no more than a few lines). Are you a professional journalist? Do you have previous writing experience, paid or unpaid? Is the topic something involving your workplace, or is it a budget cut or reform that will impact upon your life?

Don’t worry if you don’t have formal writing experience or training – we’ll mostly be interested in the article you pitch, not your CV. We welcome first time, amateur and professional writers.

 

If we like your idea we will get back to you with a word count and deadline. If you don’t get a reply, it’ll likely be because we’re busy, but we’ll always try. Unfortunately, we are a volunteer run organisation with very little money, so we cannot pay for submissions. This also means that we cannot offer formal internships, since we do not work regular hours in our office.

Please do not send us speculative emails asking to get involved if you do not have a pitch for a specific article. It’s simply easier for us to pick people based on their pitches, which means it’s easier for you to get involved if you already have an article in mind.