The Blacklight is the New York Amsterdam News’ investigative unit. They are seeking experienced freelance journalists. They primarily work with freelance journalists based in the New York City area but are also open to working with those based outside the region. According to their pitch guide, they pay $250+ for fact checks (500 to 1,000 words, 1 to 2 interviews); $1.00 per word for medium length articles (800 to 1,500 words, 2 to 4 interviews); $2.00 per word or a flat commission fee for long form articles (1,500+ words, 4+ interviews); and $250 to $500+ for data visualizations. 

Cosmopolitan is a women’s magazine for dating tips, sex advice, beauty tutorials, fashion trends, and celebrity news. Payment reports indicate that they pay an average of $0.30 per word. Previous calls for pitches have indicated a pay rate or $1.00 to $2.00 per word for features. To learn more about them and to contact them, visit this page.

Travel + Leisure Magazine tells stories from around the world: stories that are big or small, visually driven or essayistic, first-person or as-told-to or service-oriented. They’re interested in stories about a place that is misunderstood or changing, stories about seeing the world in a new way, and especially stories by writers or photographers who bring a new voice to the conversation about a place or topic. They don’t pay by word count; according to their pitch guide, they have a flat rate by type of story. That being said, previous calls for pithces have indicated pay rates of $2.00 per word. To learn more, read their pitching guidelines.

Smithsonian Magazine ‘’places a Smithsonian lens on the world, looking at the topics and subject matters researched, studied and exhibited by the Smithsonian Institution—science, history, art, popular culture and innovation.’’ They accept proposals from established freelance writers. When sending in your pitch for a history article, you must supply links to previously published works. While no pay is listed on their website, according to one payment report, they paid $0.23 per word. A now deleted Tweet also indicated their print rates are $2.00 per word. To learn more, refer to their print magazine pitch guidelines and website pitch guidelines.

bioGraphic is an online magazine covering stories related to biodiversity and conservation. They’re looking for original, reported story ideas that examine the beauty and peculiarities of organisms and ecosystems; demonstrate the fragility or the resilience of nature in a changing environment; amongst other topics. They accept ideas for feature articles, photo essays, and news articles. According to their senior news editor on Bluesky, they pay $0.85 to $1.00 per word for news stories. If interested, send your pitches to submissions@bioGraphic.com. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.

Marie Claire is a fashion publication for women with “a point of view and a sense of humor.” They prefer story proposals instead of completed work. According to an old payment report, they paid $1.47 per word for a 1500-word profile or interview. To contact the editors, refer to this page.

Ambrook Research offers data-driven storytelling regarding modern agriculture. They’re presently focused on U.S.-based subject matter but will consider exceptions if a story has significant impacts or teachings that can be applied in the U.S. According to their guidelines, they generally pay between $0.50 and $1.00 per word. To learn more, refer to this page.

The Boston Globe Magazine is published weekly inside the Sunday paper of The Boston Globe (a newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts). According to an old submissions page, they accept submissions for the following: op-eds; reported stories; book excerpts/adaptations; first-person essays; and Q&A features. According to an old payment report, they paid $1.00 per word. To contact the editors, visit this page

Washingtonian is a general-interest magazine for the DC area. They cover politics, technology, art, entertainment, dining, shopping, health, parenting, and personalities. They publish profiles, true-crime yarns, pieces of narrative journalism, trend pieces, column-length arguments, comprehensive lists, and photo essays. According to an old payment report, they paid $1.00 per word for a 1020-word fob. To learn more, refer to their writers’ guidelines.

Texas Monthly is a magazine and website that covers Texas news, politics, culture, food, travel, history, music, crime, and more. They're looking for well-reported stories of varying lengths, as well as visual stories, essays, and thoughtful commentary. They value great storytelling, humor, vivid characters, distinctive voices, and fresh perspectives. According to their guidelines, they pay $1.00 per word for print article. Digital article rates are negotiated. To contact them, refer to this page.

D Magazine is a resource for news, food, arts, health, business, weddings, and more in Dallas, Texas. An old payment report indicates that they paid $1.00 per word. To pitch them, refer to this page.

Sonoma Magazine is a bi-monthly publication that covers Sonoma County’s events, restaurants, hotels, bars, wineries, breweries, culture, style, and more. An old payment report indicates that they paid $1.00 per word. To contact them, visit this page.

MLK50 Memphis is a nonprofit news website focused on poverty, power, and public policy. According to an old tweet, they pay up to $1.00 per word. To learn more, refer to their contact page.

The Los Angeles Times covers news, politics, entertainment, sports, food, climate, environment, and more from Southern California and the world. They welcome opinion articles on any subject. Submissions must be exclusive to them, and most articles are 750 words. According to an old payment report, they paid $1.00 per word. To learn more, visit this page.

Seattle Met is a magazine about Seattle’s culture, lifestyle, arts, and more. They only accept pitches from freelance writers; they do not accept pre-written articles. According to a deleted tweet by their editor-in-chief, they pay $0.50 to $1.00 a word for narrative features. To learn more, refer to this page.

SkilledSurvival is a survivalist website. They publish articles on a wide variety of topics related to survivalism. They want ~2,000 word articles. They state they pay competitive rates. Previously, they were paying $2.5 per word. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

Solver Stories is a feature in New York Times’ column, Gameplay. It includes personal essays regarding the effect of puzzles on people’s lives. They prefer essays of 800 to 1,000 words. According to their guidelines, they pay $1.50 per word. To find out more, refer to their submission guidelines.

The Lighthouse: Black Girl Projects targets “southern girls with a mission to be a revelatory, unflickering light for black girls and young women in the southern United States.” They are ''always looking for thought-provoking stories and content for Black women, girls, and the people who love them.'' They accept self reflection, cultural criticism, and basic Q&As. According to their pitch guide, they pay $0.25 to $1.00 per word–the final rate depends on your level of experience, skill, and other factors. 

American Craft is the magazine of the American Craft Council. They want good storytelling that explores a craft artist’s struggles, doubts, determination, and triumphs. Their guidelines list a number of topics that could be of interest, including artists & makers, sustainability, community & social equity, objects that are beautiful, innovative, and affordable, and others. According to their guidelines, they pay $0.50 to $1.00 per word. Details here.

The Numismatist is the official publication of the American Numismatic Association. Numismatism is the collection of coins, medals, paper currency, and similar items. The magazine “serves as a refreshing review for the experienced collector and as an introduction to essential concepts for the less experienced.” The suggested length of articles for their magazine is 1,200 to 3,200 words. According to their guidelines, authors are paid $0.15 per word and $2.75 for each usable photograph, illustration, and numismatic material sent for photographic reproduction. To find out more, read their submission guidelines.