The following is a list of calls for pitches directly from editors and publishers.

We’ve included payment rates when available, as well as contact information. You’ll notice that payment rates vary widely, though many of these publisher pay $1 per word.

If you want full access to a database of almost 2,000 publishers, plus hundreds of listings like this every month, then I encourage you to join Writing Launch. However, they’re not currently open for enrollment. You can join the waiting list here.

Please only approach these publishers if you are confident in your ability to send a pitch.

– Jacob Jans

Thanks to Fatima Saif for her research on this article.

Empire Magazine is a British movie magazine. Their editor-in-chief has tweeted, “Call for pitches! Looking to commission TV features for an upcoming issue of Empire. Essays, opinion pieces, interviews, trend pieces, oral histories etc. Either relating to what we’ve seen in 2020 or what’s ahead in 2021. We’re not looking for retro/anniversary pitches.” They only cover cinematic TV, so no reality etc. They do not want negative pieces on shows you dislike. As they are features, they are seeking pitches from experienced writers. They will pay 35p per word. If interested, email your pitches to terri@empiremagazine.com. For more details, refer to this Twitter thread. To learn more about them, refer to this page.

KultScene is a website that features creative Korean entertainment content (music, movies, fashion, food, and more) by international writers. They are “looking for someone to write about the 5th anniversary of BTS’ The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 that celebrates their songwriting & storytelling.” They pay $30 to $50 per article. If interested, send your pitches and writing samples to contact@kultscene.com. Read their Tweet here and contact them here.

Prism is a BIPOC-led news outlet that covers voting rights, electoral justice, criminal justice, racial justice, workers’ rights, immigration, the environment, gender and LGBTQIA+ issues, and more. They are looking for “reported stories on BIPOC political power, turnout, & organizing; state/local election admin. issues; budget justice; democracy reform in action; voter suppression & more.” They are also looking for evergreen pieces in any of their coverage areas: “racial/electoral/gender/criminal/environmental justice, immigration, workers’ rights, etc.” Pay is $0.40 per word. Send pitches to pitch@prismreports.org. Read their editor-in-chief’s Tweets here and here. Learn more here.

Reader’s Digest UK is a general interest family magazine. For the “next week(ish)”, their editor will be seeking pitches for personal essays and reported human interest features for their Christmas issue. This opportunity is open to writers the world over, so long as their ideas are relevant for a UK audience. According to one payment report, they paid £450 for a feature. If interested, send your pitches to anna.walker@readersdigest.co.uk. For details, refer to this Twitter thread. For more contact information, refer to this page.

OneZero is a new Medium publication about technology and science. Their senior editor is looking for pitches for “good stories about the humans stuck in the machines, platforms, and systems that are cacophonously assembling our rather uncertain future.” He is looking for “stories about exploitative gig app schemes, emerging surveillance frontiers, the node points where science fiction informs, fails, or reluctantly becomes reality, the people navigating the mess.” He is seeking features, reported pieces, and oddball essays, and wants to foreground non-mainstream and POC voices. Rates for reported pieces start at $1 per word. The senior editor’s email is bmerchant@medium.com. For details, refer to this Twitter thread. To learn more about them, refer to this page.

Gift Guides: If you are in SF, Houston and/or Albany area and want to work on gift guides, then send an email to ryan.craggs@hearst.com. Pay is $200 per piece. To learn more, refer to this Tweet.

Liberal Currents is a publication that offers “discussion, elucidation, and defense of liberal principles and institutions.” Their editor has tweeted, “we’re always looking for writers who apply liberal values to our current problems, or think about liberalism from margin to center.” They typically pay $50 per piece. Read their editor’s Tweet here and learn more about them here.

The National is an Abu Dhabi-based English-language newspaper that covers news, business, culture, arts, sports, and lifestyle throughout the Middle East and the world. They are seeking pitches on mental health in the Middle East. They will pay $0.45 per word. Email your pitches to theyman@thenational.ae. For details, refer to their assistant foreign editor’s Tweet. To learn more about them, refer to this page.

Revolution Magazine is a Medium publication about music. Their goal is to pay ARMY (the official fan club of a South Korean boy band named BTS) to write about BTS and the music industry. They are seeking pitches for a November article on BE. They will pay $50 for 500 to 800 words. If interested, DM them on Twitter. Read their Tweet here and learn more about them here.

Business Insider is a website that covers business, financial, and technology news. They are “looking for job diary stories featuring professionals with interesting jobs.” Reach out if “you’re a freelance writer with someone to feature or have a cool job yourself.” Payment starts at $250. Send your pitches to lcasado@businessinsider.com. To learn more, refer to their associate editor’s Tweet and this page.

Likemind builds brands that deliver educational and entertaining experiences to their subscribers’ inboxes. They are always looking for freelance commerce writers to introduce great products to their subscribers across brands like “The Discoverer, Trivia Genius, Word Genius, and more.” Examples of work that they are looking for on a regular basis include “odes to your favorite products”, “actionable travel tips”, and “products from other parts of the world.” They pay $50 to $200 per piece. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.

The Culture, Life, and Magazine side of the Vice Features Team has posted their pitch guidelines and would love to hear from writers. Some topics that they are particularly interested in are:

“On the culture side: profiles of up-and-coming and established artists, performers, and celebrities; smart investigations into celebrity culture; interrogations into the world of fame; nuanced food stories not being tackled elsewhere. On the life side: stories about college and academic life, and of the lives of people that age not in school; coverage of the underbelly of influencer and wellness culture. In both: lighter fare, investigations, and thoughtfully reported essays, personal and otherwise.”

For digital pieces, their rates start at about $0.50 per assigned word. For magazine pieces, they pay $0.50 per word for pieces of under 3,000 assigned words, and $1 per word for pieces of 3,000 to 5,000 assigned words. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and their pitch guide.

The Forgive Everyone Collective is a collective that is dedicated to raising awareness for people coming out of prison. They have tweeted, “Seeking justice impacted people to submit pitches for our blog related to prisons, punishment, policing, abolition, etc. We pay! Formerly/currently incarcerated people to the front!” They pay $0.25 to $0.60 per word. Read their Tweet here and their blog here.

OpenDemocracy is a global media organization that covers world affairs, ideas, and culture. Their U.S. investigations editor is accepting “freelance pitches related to investigating the organized opposition to women’s and LGBTQIA rights, and the impacts of the U.S. elections on marginalized communities.” They pay £0.33/word (approximately $0.43) for news (700 to 1,000 words) or feature articles (800 to 1,600 words). They pay £0.50/word (approximately $0.64) for in-depth reported investigative articles (1,000 to 1,800 words). Email your pitches to teddy.wilson@opendemocracy.net. Read their editor’s Tweet here and contact them here.

The Fuller Project is a global nonprofit newsroom that reports on issues affecting women in the US and abroad. They raise awareness, expose injustices, and spur accountability. They are seeking stories on issues that affect women in the US and globally. They are “looking for coronavirus or public health-related stories, stories about racial and social justice and in the US, politics and election-related pitches.” They are “also always looking at stories around gender based violence, trafficking, the climate crisis and reproductive healthcare.” According to payment reports, they pay $1 per word. If interested, send your pitches to pitch@fullerproject.org. To learn more, refer to their Tweet and pitch guide.

InTheBuildingLA.com is “the most comprehensive source of news and information on the people, projects, and policies reshaping South Los Angeles.” They are “hiring freelance writers for articles (250-500 words) focused on black business and real estate related news in South LA/Inglewood.” They will prefer experienced, local writers. They will pay about $0.25 per word. For details, contact info@inthebuildingla.com. Read their Tweet here and learn more about them here.

Indiegraf is “a network of journalist-entrepreneurs and independently-owned digital publishers sharing resources to serve their local communities sustainably.” They have a weekly newsletter called Indie Publisher that demystifies news entrepreneurship. Their senior editor is looking for freelance pitches for their newsletter. She has tweeted, “I tend to get a lot of pitches about new outlets and initiatives, which is great! But I’d like to get some more about project and products existing outlets are pulling off really well.” Pay is $400 per story. Read their senior editor’s Twitter thread here and their previous stories here. 

gal-dem is a British online and print magazine that is dedicated to sharing the stories of women and non-binary people of color. Their opinions + personal essays editor is looking for freelance writers for their opinions and personal essay section. They will pay £70 to £80 for 600 to 800 words. If interested, send an email to diyora@gal-dem.com. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.

Booking.com (USA) is an online accommodation reservation service. They are hiring a full-time Content Writer to create high volumes of destination and travel-related content. The applicant should have at least 2 to 3 years of content writing, editing and proofreading experience, preferably in an e-commerce and B2C environment. The role is full-time and based in New York, NY. For details, refer to this page.