Pitching

Issue #4: China

Over the past 70 years, China has experienced a dramatic and unprecedented period of growth and urbanisation, fuelled in no small part by a huge and still accelerating burning of fossil fuels. And yet, the country’s incredible development and mastery of renewable technology has also made it a green-industrial behemoth. As Adam Tooze has pithily said, “China is the climate crisis and its solution”.

For Issue #4 of The BREAK–DOWN’s print journal, we are looking for pitches that examine the complexity of China’s role in climate and ecological crisis. How has the Chinese state managed to hold these contradictory positions together? What effect has this had on Chinese society and its economy? What role has the rise of Chinese renewable technology had in decentering hubristic assumptions about Western leadership or in accelerating the rise of a new eco-ideological Cold War? How does China’s current role in global environmental politics relate to its historical and developmental trajectory? And how does Chinese environmental politics and power play out on the ground, whether in China itself or through its extended network of debt and investment?

We are interested in argumentative essays, works of geopolitical or political economic analysis, reportage and memoir, photojournalism or dispatches from around the world that troubles the received wisdom and that can tell us something new and unexpected about the Chinese position in global climate politics. We especially welcome pitches from new writers and writers based outside the centres of the Global North, particularly those with personal experience of Chinese politics.

When drafting your pitch, make sure to tell us what is going to happen in your story, not just what it is about. For photojournalism we require either samples of the photos you want to submit or previous work you have done, and a clear outline of the proposed story. See below for further details.

Pieces are paid at £650 for around 3,000 words, although in certain circumstances we can offer more for on-the-ground reporting where costs are higher.

The deadline for pitches is the 27th April, and we aim to respond to all pitches by the end of the following week. Please send pitches to pitching@break-down.org including 'ISSUE 4’ in the subject line.

What We Publish

We’re interested in original ideas and clear, compelling writing that breaks down complex subjects for an engaged but non-expert audience. The best guide to what we might like is to look at what we have published to date. When drafting your pitch, make sure to tell us what’s going to happen in your story, not just what it’s about. 

To be considered, pitches must include a 2-4 paragraph summary of the contribution's argument, an author bio, and a brief explanation of why the piece is right for The BREAK—DOWN. For photojournalism, we require either samples of the photos you want to submit, or a clear outline of the proposed story and samples of previous work.

We publish twice-yearly themed print issues featuring critical writing that explores how capitalism both shapes, and is being reshaped by, climate and ecological crisis. Our issues primarily feature long-form essays of approximately 3,000 words, but we are also interested in photojournalism, reporting and other formats.

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Digital

We publish digital-only pieces on our website and bi-weekly newsletter on a rolling basis. 

These need not be as focused on a particular theme, although a clear relationship between the topic and climate or ecology is necessary. Pitches may be for interviews, essays, debates, reading guides, etc, as well as literary non-fiction.

We welcome submissions for digital-only pieces, published on our website and in our fortnightly newsletter, at any time.

Online essays will be paid at 20p per word, typically to a maximum of £350. There is no deadline for online pieces. We will review pitches as they are submitted.

How to Submit

Please send pitches to pitching@break-down.org including 'ONLINE' or 'ISSUE 3' in the subject line. To be considered, pitches must include a short (one or two paragraph maximum) summary of the essay's argument, a short author bio, and a brief explanation of why the piece is right for the BREAK—DOWN.

We aim to reply to as many pitches as possible; however, we are a small team and may not always be able to provide a response. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of submitting for digital or two weeks of a specific issue submission deadline, please assume your piece has not been accepted on this occasion.