The following is a list of editors and publishers seeking pitches directly from freelance writers on a wide variety of topics.
Please do not pitch these editors unless you are confident your idea closely matches their needs.
If you aren’t sure how to generate the right ideas and craft a good pitch, then I highly recommend The No B.S. Course on Freelance Writing. You can learn more about it here.
Sincerely,
Jacob Jans
PS: Thanks to Fatima Saif for her research on this article.
The Inspired Source is a new solutions-focused opinion piece series by EachOther (a UK-based human rights project). They are seeking story pitches from aspiring writers from marginalized groups. Each piece will “examine a human rights issue they or their community is affected by and preferably have a position on how we might begin to address it.” They will commission about 4 pieces a month. They will pay £50 per piece (400 to 600 words). Send pitches to editorial@eachother.org.uk. For details, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Non-Fiction is a biannual print publication from Open City Documentary Festival. They are looking for article proposals for their second issue. The theme of the issue is Network. They are seeking “proposals for (primarily text-based) responses to this theme that are related to non-fiction media (film, moving image, audio, VR/AR+ etc.), either new or older.” They will pay £150 per piece (1,500 to 2,000 words). Details here and here.
Deadline: July 24th, 2020
Tamarack Institute is launching Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF) initiative in partnership with the Government of Canada. To celebrate its launch, the Tamarack Institute is including youth blogs in their bi-monthly publication. They will publish the work of 10 youth (aged 15 to 30) in their bi-monthly newsletter until March 2021. They want “original blogs, interviews, poems, personal stories, illustrations or photo essays that have a focus on collaboration, neighbourhoods, community change, and leadership.” They will pay an honorarium of $60 per post (up to 500 words). For details, refer to this page.
Deadline: September 30th, 2020
The McHarg Center at the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design provides “a platform for scientists, planners, designers, policy makers, developers + communities to design new ways of improving the quality of life in cities.” They are “always accepting pitches from students, recent alums, and other emerging voices in design” for their blog. They will pay $200 per post. Read their blog here. Learn more here and here.
T3 is a UK-based print magazine and website that covers laptops, smartphones, audio, gaming, fitness, living, style, travel, and more. They publish news, reviews, guides, and features. Their AV and smart home editor is seeking “new freelance writers who know their TV, audio, smart home or Apple tech, or also board games.” He would love to hear from POC and people from marginalized groups. They usually pay 14p per word. Contact their editor at matthew.bolton@futurenet.com. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Are.na is a visual organization tool that is designed to help people think and create. They are looking for pitches for the second printed Are.na Annual. They want “essays and interviews that take their root from one of your Are.na channels.” “Submissions should fall loosely under the theme ‘tend’, as in to care for or manage, to give your attention to, or to move toward a particular direction, an inclination or ‘tendency’.” They are also open to your own interpretation. They will pay an honorarium of $100. For details, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Deadline: July 22nd, 2020
Rooted in Rights Blog is a platform that amplifies the authentic perspectives of disabled writers. As the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act approaches, they seek pitches for blog posts on “what’s changed, what hasn’t, and where we need to go from here.” They pay at least $100 per post. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Faithfully Magazine is a news and culture publication that amplifies Christian communities of color. They publish insightful Q&As, features, profiles (500-800 words), historical biographies (500-800 words), reviews (500-800 words), opinion and analysis (up to 2,500 words), commentaries, and news and lifestyle articles (500-800 words). They are accepting pitches for Faithfully Magazine 2020 Special Issue which will “primarily focus on the themes of ‘new’ Christian presence in the ongoing fight for racial equity and justice; what the coronavirus pandemic has revealed about U.S. Christianity, including how the virus has potentially changed Christian worship long-term and what we envision for the future of fellowship and community; and finding joy and staying grounded in hope despite what we have lost during the pandemic.” They will pay 10 cents per word. For details, refer to their call for submissions page and their submissions guide page.
Deadline: August 15th, 2020
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is a nonprofit, membership-based organization that represents coffee professionals all over the world. Their “aim is to provide thoughtful reported stories, insightful personal narratives, and plain-language coverage of coffee research that shine a light on the specialty coffee community or its work in some way.” They are actively seeking pitches from BIPOC contributors working in and around specialty coffee. According to payment reports, they pay 17.5 to 22.5 cents per word. Send pitches to editor@sca.coffee. Read their Twitter thread here. Find more details here and here.
Man Repeller is a fashion and lifestyle website that “explores the expansive constellation of things women care about from a place of openness and humor, with the conviction that an interest in fashion doesn’t minimize one’s intellect.” Their contributing editor is seeking diverse writers with unique stories. Payment reports indicate that they pay up to $0.25 per word. If interested, DM their editor on Twitter. Read their editor’s Tweet here and contact them here.
Film Daze is “an independent publication that provides a platform for the unheard and underrepresented voices of the film community.” They are accepting pitches about Black cinema, television, and more for their Issue 4: Black Lives Matter! They will only accept pitches from Black writers. For this edition, they will pay $50 per piece (around 900 to 2,000 words). Send pitches to editorial@filmdaze.net. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
Deadline: July 17th, 2020
Room Magazine is a Canadian feminist literary journal. They publish quarterly. Their web content coordinator is seeking pitches for 800 to 1,200 word-articles for their blog. They are “open to any style, including, but not limited to interviews, essays, creative work, or a mix of elements.” They especially encourage pitches from “underrepresented writers including but not limited to women and nonbinary writers who are Black, Indigenous, people of colour, queer and/or disabled.” They will pay $75 per piece. Send proposals to w.isa368@gmail.com. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Deadline: July 14th, 2020
Mic is a digital news company that caters to millennials. Their innovation editor is seeking feature pitches “surrounding tech, sustainability/climate change, and cities, and how those things are adapting (or not!) to our new future.” He is also seeking stories about “the future.” According to one payment report, they paid $0.13 per word. Send pitches to jonathan.smith@team.mic.com. Read their editor’s Tweet here and contact them here.
TechRadar is a UK-based consumer technology news and reviews website. They are seeking new freelancers. They want camera-related pitches for “reviews/guides and also topics like the issues of built-in bias in photographic algorithms.” They especially want pitches from BAME freelancers. According to one payment report, they paid £140 for a 1,000-word piece. For details, refer to their cameras editor’s Tweet and this page.
Metro.co.uk covers news, lifestyle, fashion, health, food, sex, soaps, entertainment, travel, sports, property, weather, and more. Their newly appointed communities editor is accepting pitches at jess.austin@metro.co.uk. They are mainly seeking first person and opinion pieces. According to one payment report, they paid £100 per 1,000 words for an online article. Read their editor’s Tweet here and learn more about them here.
Polygon is a gaming website. They cover games, guides, reviews, entertainment, and more. For this month, they want posts about: Umbrella Academy S2, Asterix and Obelisk, Marvel’s Empyre, Silver Age World’s Finest Comics, and short reviews of #1 issues. For most of these pieces, they will pay at least $200. They will pay $150 if the pieces are especially short and quick. Send pitches to susana@polygon.com. To learn more, refer to their comics editor’s Twitter thread. For pitching information, refer to this page.
Public is a social investing app. They are seeking writers with finance and investment knowledge. They will pay $150 to $350 for 600 to 1,500 words. Contact them at justin@public.com. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Elephant is a magazine about contemporary art and visual culture. They are looking for new writers to “cover the intersection of the visual arts with mental health, money, politics, sexuality and education.” They want original stories that have a clear visual arts angle. They pay £100 to £200 per piece. For details, refer to their deputy editor’s Tweet and this page.
Offbeat Research is “committed to producing rigorous, offbeat stories which emphasize social media and open-source investigation to explore niche, novel, or otherwise unexplored ideas.” They are looking for stories. They encourage US-focused stories. They pay $100 for articles of 1,000 words and up, and $200 for articles of 2,000 words and up. Send pitches to admin@offbeatresearch.com. For details, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
