How to Pitch James Cook

1) What’s the best way to pitch you?

A simple email is always best — there's no need for anything fancy like a tweet or a video pitch. As long as the email has what the company does, why it's interesting, and a way for me to get back to you for more information, then everything is there.

2) What’s the best time to pitch you?

I'm always baffled by emails that appear at 5pm on a Friday for a story that's not breaking news. But that's not to say that I won't read or reply to emails whenever. One of my bosses refers to me as "the man who never sleeps" due to my habit of responding to emails sent to me in the early hours of the morning.

3) Other than your own, which is your favorite publication to read?

I've always enjoyed reading The Spectator, which is actually the oldest continuously published magazine in the English language. It gives this fantastic depth and perspective on issues that I think many young journalists miss in their own writing. 

4) Who’s your favorite journalist?

There's a journalist in England named Dave Lewis who has written about the rock band Led Zeppelin for decades, publishing a magazine named "Tight But Loose" and covering every single story about them. That kind of dedicated coverage is so rewarding, both for the author and the reader, and is something that I really aspire to.

5) What kind of stories interest you?

I like to go inside companies and organizations, understanding the internal conversations and decisions that result in what we see publicly. And I also like digging through the internet to find the specific online posts and websites behind things like the Sony hack, or the celebrity iCloud photo leak.

6) What tips would you give someone pitching you?

It's so important to understand what it is that I write about it. Sending the same pitch to hundreds of journalists is fast, sure, but if you haven't taken the time out to understand what angles and topics I find interesting, then it's unlikely that I'm going to write about you.

7) What will you never write about?

I don't think there are any topics that are out of bounds. But the important thing is never to cover a boring story because a voice in your head says that you have to cover it. There's always an interesting angle or nugget to find in even the most boring story.

8) Star Wars or Star Trek?

I grew up obsessed with Star Wars. I had all the action figures, books and everything. I've never actually seen an episode of Star Trek.