Dear Writers,
Here’s our latest roundup of calls for writers directly from editors and publishers.
All of these are paid opportunities. We’ve included payment rates and contact information for all of these publications.
Do not contact these publishers unless you know how to send a high quality pitch. That means carefully studying the publication. Watch this free lecture to learn how to send a pitch that wins over editors.
— Jacob Jans
Thanks to Fatima Saif for compiling this list
Type Investigations is a nonprofit investigative newsroom. They are seeking pitches for investigative projects. They are especially interested in pitches on these topics:
-
Communities, corporations, and governments responding to the climate crisis
-
The long tail of COVID
-
The radical right
-
Labor and economic inequality
-
Threats to democracy
-
Reproductive rights
Their written features are generally 4,000-6,000 words and they typically pay $3,000-$6,000 (including travel and reporting expenses). To learn more, refer to their senior editor’s Tweet and their pitch guide.
The Daily Beast is a news and opinion website dedicated to independent journalism. Their editor is looking for science and innovation stories. He is especially looking for stories that fall under the following topic areas: space, longevity and aging, climate change, brain science / neuroscience, biotech and medicine, and cities. According to payment reports, they pay an average of $0.33 per word. If interested, send your pitches to neel.patel@thedailybeast.com. For details, refer to their editor’s Tweet and their science and innovation pitching guide.
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a daily newspaper for Philadelphia. Their newly appointed commentary and ideas editor is commissioning op-eds about the region. They are looking to bring in new voices. Their rates for op-eds usually start at $100. Email your pitches to dlockwood@inquirer.com. Read their editor’s Tweet here and their opinion submission guidelines here.
Fanbyte is a video game website. Their editor is accepting a select amount of pitches this month. Rate is $150 to $300 per piece. Pitches should be sent to merrittk@fanbyte.com. For more information, read their editor’s Twitter thread and their pitch guidelines.
The Lead is a newsletter for student journalists. They are seeking pitches from students and recent graduates. They want to “hear how you’ve solved problems, innovated or tackled complex subjects at your student publication.” They are especially interested in pitches on the following topics: sports journalism, publishing across platforms, and photo + video journalism. They are partnering with The Poynter Institute and paying about $0.50 per word for pieces of 700 to 900 words. To learn more, refer to their Twitter thread and pitch form. To read their previous newsletters, refer to this page.
Atlas Obscura is “the definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders.” They are looking for pitches for their book, Wild Life. The book is organized into about 8 chapters. Each chapter covers a different biome. They are currently looking for pitches for the Grasslands chapter. They are seeking pitches for entries (300 to 450-word writeups of interesting creatures in that biome); sidebars (700 to 1,000-word pieces that dig deep into broader phenomena); and interviews (500-word interviews with those who interact closely with nonhuman members of that biome). Rate is $350 for an entry, $800 for a sidebar, and $100 for an interview. If interested, send your pitches to wildlife@atlasobscura.com. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread and this pitch guide.
Deadline: January 12th, 2022
Healthline is a health information website. In 2022, they would like to commission more freelancers for their market wellness vertical. They specifically want “people who have experience writing more clinical health content in the men’s and women’s health fields.” POC to the front. Rates for updates start at $250 and rates for new content start at $300. If interested, send your intro/bio, a link to your website (if available), and clips to mellee@redventures.com. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread and their about us page.
The Seattle Times is a daily newspaper that covers local news, politics, business, entertainment, travel, sports, and restaurants in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Their assistant features editor is looking for TV, culture, outdoors, and travel pitches. They would prefer people from “Seattle/PNW/West Coast (more so for outdoors/travel).” They will pay about $0.25 per word. Pitches should be sent to tlenzmeier@seattletimes.com. Read their editor’s Tweet here and contact them here.
Input is a tech publication. Their features editor is accepting pitches. They are “interested in stories at the intersection of technology and culture.” They cover fashion, streetwear in particular. They pay $0.50 to $1.00 per word. If interested, send your tech pitches to mark.yarm@inputmag.com, style pitches to edgar@inputmag.com, gaming pitches to ryan@inputmag.com, and review pitches to ray@inputmag.com. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
Opportunity to Work for a Non-profit News Site: “Launching a non-profit news site in Syracuse, NY! I’m hoping to connect with journalists interested in covering policy, government, justice, education, politics and more – freelance and full-time opportunities.” Freelance rate will start at about $0.25 per word. If interested, email jmcmahon@centralcurrent.org. To learn more, refer to this Tweet.
MIT Technology Review is a media company that explains the commercial, political, and social impact of the newest technologies. Their newly appointed commissioning editor is looking to hear from freelance science and technology journalists. They pay $1 to $2 per word. If interested, email rachel.courtland@technologyreview.com. Read their commissioning editor’s Tweet here and learn more about them here.
FanSided is a network of fandom-focused sports, lifestyle, and entertainment websites. They are “open to pitches for opinion columns, essays, detailed analysis, interviews, reported features, cultural criticism related to the world of sports, fan fiction any anything else you might dream up related to the world of sports.” Their rates start at $100 to $150. If interested, send your pitches to freelance@fansided.com. For more information, read their Twitter thread and pitch guide.
NewMusicBox, a program of New Music USA, is “an advocacy magazine dedicated to the music of American composers and improvisers and their champions.” They are accepting pitches for “how to” content. They are seeking “original material that offers significant value and takeaway benefits for the new music community.” They pay $200 to $400 per article. If interested, send your pitches to box@newmusicusa.org. For details, refer to their Tweet and call for pitches.
Deadline: January 10th, 2022
Opportunity for a Data Journalist: “Need a data journalist for a freelance feature. Will involve pulling, analysing, visualising a large dataset of json files.” Rate is £300. Data folks without journo experience are also welcome. To learn more, refer to this Tweet.
Reserve & National Guard is a bimonthly publication that covers unit training, deployments, education, transition, and more. They are starting to plan for their second quarter print edition. The theme of the issue is “deployment and training, but pitches don’t necessarily have to focus on that topic.” “However, pitches do need to have a specific angle and a direct tie to the National Guard or reserves.” They pay $75 to $200 per story. If interested, send your pitches to kari.williams@ameriforcemedia.com. For details, refer to their Twitter thread, this page, and their pitch guide.
Deadline: January 5th, 2022
Sliced is a monthly food journalism magazine by Fed (a food startup that offers nutrition-focused meals for specialized diets). They are accepting pitches for their eighth issue. The theme is Plastics. They are particularly keen to see pitches on: “how a circular economy would eliminate food waste and needless plastic packaging; plastic and microplastics seeping into and poisoning agriculture.” Rate is CD$0.15/word for around 1,200 words. Pitches should be sent to editor@fedfedfed.com. Read their Twitter thread here and their previous issues here.
Poynter is a school that teaches and inspires journalists and media leaders. They are seeking guest columns for The Cohort (their newsletter about gender and media). They are “especially interested in hearing from trans journalists on ways gender intersects with their work and reporting.” They love reported pieces with personal angles. Rate is $750 per piece (800 to 1,200 words). If interested, send your pitches to thecohort@poynter.org. This is a rolling call for pitches. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
Giddy is a sexual health platform. Their associate editor is looking for sex + health pitches for 2022. They will pay $200 to $400 per piece. If interested, email nlane@getmegiddy.com. Read their associate editor’s Twitter thread here and learn more about them here.
Anime Herald is a website that offers news, reviews, interviews, and commentary on anime and anime fandom. They are always looking for articles, especially as they’re gearing up to return on 8th January. They pay $50 per article (1,000-2,000 words). To learn more, refer to their Tweet, their contributor guidelines, and this page.
OpenDemocracy is a global media organization that covers world affairs, ideas, and culture. They are always seeking new stories and freelancers. They pay £150 to £300 per piece. If you are an investigative, political or social journalist, then get in touch with them at james.masters@opendemocracy.net. For details, refer to their Tweet and guidelines.
Input is a tech publication. Their senior reviews editor is looking for more people (specifically POC and non-male writers) to review gadgets. Their rates start at $300. If interested, DM their editor on Twitter or email ray@inputmag.com. Read their editor’s Twitter thread here and contact them here.
Uproxx is an entertainment and culture brand for the digital generation. Their managing editor, music is seeking “a handful of feature writers (essays, reviews, lists, interviews)” to join their pool of freelancers. They generally pay in the range of multiple hundreds per feature. If interested, send your clips to philip.cosores@uproxx.com. To learn more, refer to their managing editor’s Tweet and their editorial guidelines.
Rest of World is a global nonprofit publication that covers technology beyond the Western bubble. They are seeking 3,000+ word, character-led feature stories on the impacts of technology outside the Western bubble. Their rates start at $1 per word. Pitches should be emailed to victoria@restofworld.org. For more information, refer to their features director’s Tweet and their pitch guide.
Defector is a sports blog and media company. They are accepting pitches for stories. They pay at least $1,000 for longer essays and reported pieces, and at least $500 for shorter pieces. If interested, send your pitches to pitches@defector.com. For more information, read their co-owner’s Tweet, their pitch guide, and freelancer policies.
