Stayton Bonner is an associate editor at Men's Journal magazine. He oversees stories about topics ranging from commercial space exploration to top-flight scotch. Previously, he’s worked at publications including Outside, GQ, and Details.

What he looks for in a pitch:
In a pitch from an unknown writer, I look for brevity. The pitch should be no longer than a
couple paragraphs. You need to be able to sell your idea in a sentence. It should also be well
written—you can tell in a couple sentences whether someone is good with words. The pitch
should demonstrate the writer has studied the subject matter—specific details, names, facts,
figures, etc. It should underscore why this is an important subject to cover right now (or in the
next few months.) And finally—especially important for a new writer—the pitch should explain
why this person is the best choice for writing the story. It helps if you're covering something in
your backyard—a geographic region or subject matter of which you are the sole writing
authority.

Contact: stayton.bonner@mensjournal.com