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Friday, 2 May 2008

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Talktothepress.com =E2=80=93 it's the story of your life

2 May 2008

By Sarah Wiecek

Former Daily Mail journalist Natasha Courtenay-Smith has set up a = website=20 that aims to bridge the gap between the media and people with a story to = tell.=20

Talktothepress.com accepts submissions from people across the UK who = want to=20 sell their personal stories, and then liaises with newspapers and = magazines=20 interested in running real-life pieces.

Courtenay-Smith came up with the idea for the site when she noted the = increasing popularity of women=E2=80=99s weekly magazines and = human-interest stories in=20 newspapers.

She said that while the market was growing for human-interest = stories,

it can be difficult for those with stories to sell to know the right = channels=20 to go through, how to pitch a story, and how to negotiate fees and = contracts.=20

She said: =E2=80=9CIt=E2=80=99s not very nice to phone up a major = newspaper and sort of=20 mumble down the phone =E2=80=98Are you interested in this = story?=E2=80=99 only to be told=20 they=E2=80=99re too busy to deal with you.=E2=80=9D

Courtenay-Smith has 10 years experience writing personal stories for = national=20 magazines and newspapers.

She said that Talktothepress.com advises people on whether their = story is of=20 potential interest to the national media, helps them decide which = publications=20 to target, and manages all of their contracts and fees. Newspapers and = magazines=20 can also contact the site seeking commissions for case studies.

Since its launch, Courtenay-Smith says the website has successfully = placed a=20 variety of stories in the national press, including the News of the = World and=20 the Daily Mail.

Past stories have included a woman claiming post-natal depression = gave her a=20 laxative addiction; a man who survived breast cancer; a woman whose = husband and=20 son are fighting in Iraq, and a woman who discovered she was the secret = love=20 child of a Sixties rock star.

All were paid for their stories, but Courtenay-Smith believes that it = is not=20 just the prospect of making money that draws people to the site.

She said: =E2=80=9CFor many, just having their say and getting their = story out there=20 meets a deep-seated need. This is either because they raise awareness = about a=20 subject close to their heart, raise money for charity, or they quite = simply get=20 the opportunity to set a record straight.=E2=80=9D

To contact = the Press=20 Gazette newsdesk, maito:pged@pressgazette.co.uk = or ring=20 020 7324 2385.

For all the latest news in journalism from around the web, = see our=20 news blog, The=20 Wire

Press=20 Gazette comments powered by Disqus =

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