The following is a list of 10 magazines that accept pitches from freelance writers in a variety of categories, including speculative fiction, politics, everyday stories, general interest, birding, Christianity, travel, and more.
According to our research, all of these publishers pay at least $200 for some of the writing they publish. Keep in mind that you may need to negotiate payment. We see our job at Freedom With Writing as sending opportunities out to writers; it is up to our audience to take full advantage of those opportunities. Though, we do try to make it as easy as possible for you. That’s why we research payment rates, and dig up links directly to submission guideline pages. — Jacob Jans, with research by Fatima Saif
On Spec is a Canadian quarterly magazine of speculative fiction. They mainly feature work by Canadian writers in the genre they call “fantastic” literature. For poems of 4 to 100 lines, they pay $50. For short-short stories of under 1000 words, they also pay $50. They accept fiction of up to 6,000 words. The rates vary depending on the length of fiction. For example, the rate for 1,000 to 2,999 words is $125, for 3,000 to 4,999 words, it is $175 and for 5,000 to 6,000 words, it is $200. All these rates are in Canadian dollars. Further information can be found here.
The Walrus is a Canadian general interest magazine that “provokes new thinking and sparks conversation on matters vital to Canadians.” They publish short essays, long-form narrative journalism, features, essays, fiction and poetry. Reports suggest that they pay their writers an average of $0.48 per word. To find out more, visit their submission guidelines.
Reader’s Digest is a general interest family magazine. They usually assign original articles to the magazine’s regular contributors. They do, however, accept queries that detail the article idea. They “look for dramatic narratives, articles about everyday heroes, crime dramas, adventure stories.” According to our sources, they pay $0.06 to $1.50 per word. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
Harper’s Magazine is America’s oldest general-interest monthly magazine. The magazine provides its readers with a unique viewpoint on “politics, society, the environment, and culture.” They do not consider unsolicited nonfiction manuscripts. They also do not consider unsolicited poetry. However, they do consider unsolicited fiction. Reports suggest that they pay $0.25 to $1.00 per word. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
Moment Magazine is an independent magazine that gives wide-ranging viewpoints on the “political, cultural and social issues facing the Jewish community.” They rarely accept unsolicited contributions. Our research suggest they pay $0.20 per word. To get more information, read their submission guidelines.
Audubon is National Audubon Society’s official magazine. They cover news related to the natural world with particular emphasis on birds. The writers can email their pitches and ideas to the editors. They don’t consider poetry or pre-written articles. Reports suggest that they pay their writers at least 30 cents per word. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
Psychology for Living (PFL) is a Christian psychology magazine published by the Narramore Christian Foundation. They publish articles ranging from those that deal with psychological problems to those that discuss communication and family relationships. They pay $200 for articles of 1,200 to 1,700 words and $125 for articles of less than 1,200 words. For previously published articles, they pay $75. For more details, read their writers’ guidelines.
Message is a bi-monthly religious journal. They love captivating comeback stories, inspirational profiles, well-crafted features and insightful Biblical analysis. They also consider financial, professional, health and relationship stories that have a strong Biblical foundation. They pay $75 to $300 per article. More information can be found on their submission guidelines page.
Popular Science is a science and technology magazine. They accept pitches from writers who have amazing stories to tell regarding scientific and technological developments in every realm. Payment reports suggest that they pay up to $2.00 per word. To find out more, refer to their writers’ guidelines.
Verge Magazine is a magazine that explores opportunities to volunteer, study and work overseas. They prefer articles that inspire people to travel and explore. They pay first-time contributors a rate of $0.10 (Canadian dollar) per word. Regular contributors may be paid more. To learn more, refer to their contributor guidelines.
