We were lucky to catch up with Aileen Weintraub recently and have shared our conversation below.
Aileen, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I, along with Megan Margulies, co-founded The Witches of Pitches to help writers at all stages of their career with their manuscripts, book proposals, articles, essays, query letters and so much more. Our goal is to empower writers to find their voice and present their finest work.
Megan and I knew each other for years through various writing communities but had never worked together. At the beginning of the pandemic, she reached out to me and a few other writers to form a small writing workshop. Every other week, we would meet and edit each other’s proposals, queries, manuscripts, and essays.
It wasn’t long before Megan and I realized that we enjoyed this so much it would be great to help other writers take their writing to the next level. Since our first goal was to assist writers and to be good literary citizens, our second goal was to make it as affordable as possible. We both know how difficult it is to make a living as a writer, and while this is definitely true for those first starting out, it’s also true for writers further along in their career. Having been published in top tier publications, and having written multiple books between us, including two memoirs, along with our years of experience as developmental editors, we knew we had the credentials in place to help other writers. We work together with each writer to impart what we have learned along the way to not only save them time, but to make sure they feel seen and heard, and ultimately present their best work. This is why one of our offerings is the Kvetch Session, where a client meets with both of us to discuss anything writing related, including how to get unstuck, how to reach out to agents and editors, and how to take those scary next steps on their writing journey. We love to kvetch!
Our sessions often include both laughter and tears as we dig deep with our clients. We now also offer webinars where we interview experts including literary agents, editors, and publicists to help clients break down those publishing barriers and get the inside scoop. We keep these super affordable and they’ve been so successful we are adding more all the time.
Everyone asks how we came up with the name Witches of Pitches. It was easy. We believe in working hard and casting literary spells to make magic happen.
Aileen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I started my career in publishing as a copy editor, and then a developmental editor. As a full time freelancer I have written multiple children’s books, began my career in journalism, and published Knocked Down: A High-Risk Memoir about being a Brooklyn girl who moves to the country and ends up on pregnancy-related bedrest for five months in a rickety old farmhouse. It’s a book about marriage, motherhood and the risks we take. Knocked Down took ten years to write and I never gave up. That’s one of the biggest lessons I share with my Witches of Pitches clients. The writers who succeed are the writers who go back and write and rewrite and keep going no matter how many rejections they receive. We often share our successes online, but I always make it a point to share the real behind-the-scenes truth of how painful and excruciatingly slow the publishing process can be.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I teach a lot of workshops about platform building and social media. What most people don’t realize is that it’s not so much about the number of followers but about engagement and the dedication your followers have to your brand and your content. I don’t have huge numbers, but I engage with my audience as much as possible, and provide valuable information and insight. Posting about your business, event, or product and not giving anything back isn’t going to get you the results you are hoping for. Instead, commenting on other people’s posts and engaging with them in a real, human, compassionate and understanding way is what is going to make you memorable. It’s going to make others want to find out more about you and the work you do. This is something that took a long time for me to learn. Like many creatives who just want to focus on their craft, I was so hesitant to build my “dreaded” platform, but when I leaned into it, I found joy in the experience. I always suggest choosing one or two social media platforms you enjoy. If it becomes a chore, it’s going to be apparent. Focusing on what brings you happiness is the best way to share your enthusiasm for your work and build your audience.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The Witches of Pitches gets clients from so many different sources. Word of mouth is by far the best way to get clients, but we have also been on podcasts and have been featured in newsletters and Substacks. We host webinars, and have been invited to teach workshops around the country, and we have published multiple articles on craft. We hope to start writing a column to answer questions that will reveal the deepest darkest secrets of the publishing industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: witchesofpitches.com
- Instagram: @aileenweintraub
- Facebook: @aileenweintraub
- Twitter: @aileenweintraub
- Other: www.aileenweintraub.com
Image Credits
Author Photo: Gregory Payan