Pitch Us!

What Do You Want?

We here at Heat Death are always interested in commissioning guest essays and pieces that fit with our primary ethos – weird deep dives into history, ecology, culture, and the unexpected intersections between them. We like esoteric juxtapositions of topics, and are interested in essays that work like mashups, that explore how one idea casts light on others.

We want essays with a strong voice, well-developed ideas, and a wide-ranging interest in the subject matter – a willingness to go down a rabbit hole and end up somewhere interesting and related to the topic at hand. Think how it feels to chat with someone interesting and knowledgeable about a range of idiosyncratic topics: that's the vibe we're trying to cultivate here.

The sweet spot on finished pieces is about 2-4k words, though we've commissioned longer when the idea calls for it.

That's A Little Vague. What Kind Of Stuff Have You Commissioned?

Good question. Here are a few of our guest essays to date:

• Kelly Merka on animal behavior and Jordon Peele's film Nope
• Annika Nilsson on pollution, chronic illness and America's "Inflammatory Industrial Complex"
• David Mann on the diverging roads Superman and Batman have traveled
• Ambika Kamath and Melina Packer on how queer readings of biology can make for better science

So What Does It Pay?

We pay a $50 – $75 honorarium per piece, which is funded by our paying subscribers. We recognize that this isn't much! But our goal is that at the end of working with us, you will have a developed, carefully-edited piece that you can be very proud of. You will also maintain all intellectual property rights to what you publish at Heat Death, and are free to attempt to re-sell, republish, or adapt it elsewhere.

Great! How Do I Pitch?

Here's what we want from your pitch:

• Pitches should be a few paragraphs at most, laying out your idea and the shape of the essay.
• Include a few clips of your past writing – this can be anything from published journalism to blog posts, if they're written with style and verve. You don't have to be a writer with a major publication record to work with us, but we do want to see that you can write, either in the pitch or in your clips.
• Do not use Generative AI to write your pitch or essay. Seriously, don't try it. We will be able to tell if you are doing so, and will regard it as an insult to our time and to the larger newsletter project. Heat Death is a newsletter by humans, for humans. If you can't write your own pitch – or your own piece – go elsewhere.
• Show us you've read the guidelines. Mention your favorite dinosaur in the pitch. (Birds count.)

Where Do I Pitch You?

All pitches can be sent to aelbein at gmail dot com. We look forward to hearing from you!