When answering a call for freelance writers that specifies the publisher is looking for pitches, it is probably not in your best interests to do any of the following in your contact email:
1) Use emoticons and text-message spellings
2) Ask what a pitch is, and how you send one
3) Go on at length about how you’re concerned that the publisher is “going to just read my pitch and give it to another writer or write up something based on it yourself”, becaused you’ve been “screwed” before.
*deepbreath*ilovemyjobilovemyjobilovemyjobilovemyjobilovemyjob….
*Sigh*