These are 26 calls for pitches and submissions of nonfiction from the 18 markets listed here. Some of the themes are: Scandal; secret codes; volcanoes; the happy brain; speculative kdramas/cdramas; Regency-era Sapphic; work; and travel. – S. Kalekar
Positive News: Solutions-focused ideas
This is a print and online magazine. Their website says this is “the magazine for good journalism about good things. When much of the media is full of doom and gloom, … Positive News … is dedicated to quality, independent reporting about what’s going right.” A Tweet by their Digital Editor says, “As ever @PositiveNewsUK is bucking the trend, this time by increasing its online editorial budget. So I’m after uplifting, fun, solutions-focused story ideas.” Debut assignments are 25p/word, rising to 30p/word for repeat commissions.
ASK Magazine: Secret Codes; Volcanoes; Face It
This is a science and discovery magazine from Cricket Media, for newly independent readers (grades 3-5). They publish feature articles; photo essays; humor pieces; profiles/interviews of scientists, inventors, engineers, artists; theme-appropriate experiments; and science panel cartoons. They’ve announced themes for 2023, and say, “We are looking for pitches for interesting, current, particular stories in the following topics, that will be particularly thrilling to kid readers who are curious about everything.”
— Secret Codes: “Can you keep a secret?
Possible stories: History of secret codes, how to do some; unusual languages used as codes in wartime; spy techniques, how to hide messages; computer binary code; captchas; bitcoin”. January 2023 issue; queries by 30 April 2022.
— Volcanoes: “What makes volcanoes explode?
Possible stories: What are volcanoes and why do they erupt; legend of Pele; underwater volcanoes, vents, seamounts; volcanic succession, birth of a new volcanic island and how it changes over time; volcanic mini biomes (pockets isolated by lava flow); exploring a lava tube cave; geothermal power stations”. February 2023 issue; queries by 15 May 2022.
— Face It: “Why do we have faces?
Possible stories: Biology of faces, how they evolved and what purpose they serve; making faces for robots, uncanny valley; pareidoilia; forensic anthropology, reconstructing faces of ancient people for museums; masks; disguises”. March 2023 issue; queries by 15 June 2022.
They have several other themes listed, as well. Details here.
(The 2023 themes for three of Cricket Media’s nonfiction magazines, COBBLESTONE – American history for ages 9-14, MUSE – science and discovery for ages 9-14, and FACES – world cultures and geography for ages 9-14, have been announced, too.)
Discover Magazine: Planet Earth column pitches
This is a print and online magazine that publishes work about “science, medicine, technology, and the world around us.” One of their departments is the Planet Earth column; “Nature, geology, flora, fauna, glaciers, fossils! I’ve just taken over @DiscoverMag’s Planet Earth column, which means I’m in need of your ~1200 word stories exploring any topic from “the field.”” Pay is $1/word for print, and $300 for online stories. See the Tweet here and their general pitch guidelines here.
Sliced: Scandal
Sliced is a nutrition magazine from Fed. They are (still) looking for pitches, and are particularly keen to read pitches for their Scandal issue (they also issued a call for the Water theme, earlier). See the Twitter thread here. “Scandal: Abuse, exploitation, neglect by corporations and governments; false substitution or lying about ingredients; moral panic and mass hysteria, when fears over the perceived dangers of something are overstated, inflated or made up … … the scandals you don’t see; the function of gossip and scandal in kitchen industry discourse; making food and agriculture more accountable; the future of scandal — what do we accept today that food and agricultural ethics of the future won’t?; The bizarre, silly and the weird”. Pay is CAD0.15/word up to 1,200 words.
Functionally Dead: Political satire
They are “primarily interested in publishing short, left-leaning political satire, non-political comedy that speaks to the current moment, and earnest non-comedic essays from a Leftist perspective.” Please send only pitches (not complete works), up to 5 at a time. They rarely publish work more than 1,200 words. Pay is $50. Details here.
Tor.com: Two themes
The Books Editor of Tor.com has issued two calls for submissions on Twitter: “Hello, friends! I am looking to commission new work on all things LOCKED TOMB! If you’ve got an essay in you about GIDEON or HARROW, please get in touch!” Details here.
They also want to see “lists & essays about speculative kdramas/cdramas” and “more content centering speculative work that isn’t in English”. Details here.
Poets & Writers: Debut Fiction; MFA Programs
This US-based magazine publishes articles of interest to emerging and established literary writers. They publish News & Trends, The Literary Life Essays (on the more contemplative aspects of writing, ranging from creative process to the art of reading), The Practical Writer (advice and how-to articles that offer nuts and bolts information about the business of creative writing), and features – articles, essays, profiles, and interviews regarding American literature. According to their Media Kit for advertisers, for July/August, the issue theme is Debut Fiction, with a special section on Agents; and for September/October 2022, it is MFA Programs. They do not publish fiction or poetry. Details here (Media Kit/themes) and here (writers’ guidelines).
The Victorian Writer: Tapestry
Writers Victoria is an Australian not-for-profit charity that supports and advocates for writers, illustrators, editors and literary-sector workers to be paid for the work that they do. They are accepting pitches of their in-house magazine, The Victorian Writer. For their September-November 2022 issue, the theme is ‘Tapestry’. “We publish poems ($70), and articles of 600 words ($100) and 1200 words ($200) in the print edition with particular interest in the craft of writing and the writing life.” Pay is in Australian dollars. Submissions for this theme close on 6 May 2022. Details here.
NPR Music: New Pitch Guide
They have uploaded a new pitch guide for freelancers. NPR Music is “devoted to connecting the dots between the people who make music, the people who listen to it and the context surrounding both. We prioritize publishing a wide array of perspectives, not a single definitive “take,” and are open to all genres, especially those you think we could be covering better.” A good target length for a first assignment is 800-1,200 words. They publish interviews and profiles, essays and criticism, as well as reporting and analysis. “As of early 2022, our base rates for common story types are $600 for reviews, $800 for short features (including interviews and obituaries) and $1,200 for longer features and essays.” See the Twitter thread here.
FIYAH: Food and Cuisine
They only publish work from Black writers of the African Diaspora. Apart from nonfiction, they publish speculative fiction, poetry, and reviews. They are reading submissions on the Food and Cuisine issue. For nonfiction, their guidelines say, “We’re looking for writing that examines the figurative over the literal, from a distinctively Black lens. Give us your best on theory, cultural myths, craft, the supernatural, afro-futurism, afro-gothic….again, your best. Think outside of the box—which is where speculative fiction lives. At this time, we’re not looking for stories centering Black trauma. Submissions are not required to fit the theme of the upcoming issues. Essays must be between 800-1200 words.” They also want pitches for the FIYAH Blog: “We are seeking creative nonfiction essays, criticism, and analysis related to Black SFF. We want to explore the contribution of Black thinkers to the speculative – in prose, in poetry, in music, in theatre, in film, in television. Any medium a Black creative has expressed themselves through SFF, we want to see responses. We want to see the scientific discoveries and mythic histories of Africa and the diaspora given the spotlight. We want to think about the past, the present, and the future of Black SFF.
Submissions do not need to match the issues theme though we are looking for work that fits the theme as well.” Pay is $0.10/word for nonfiction, $0.08/word for fiction, and $50 for poetry. The deadline is 30 April 2022. Details here.
Autostraddle: Regency-era Sapphic
The Culture Editor of Autostraddle has recently issued a pitch call on Twitter. “Wanna write about why (and where) there is space for regency era scoops of sapphic & dollops of dyking on Bridgerton for me at @autostraddle?! … Black folks to the front”. Pay is $100-125 for works of 900-1,000 words. You can read about the publication’s focus here.
BrainFacts.Org: The Brain & Games; Your Brain on Planet Earth; The Happy Brain
They want pitches on stories around the brain and nervous system. They have extensive guidelines, including: BrainFacts.org “tells the story of scientific discoveries, the people behind them, and how it relates to our everyday lives. Knowing about the brain’s inner workings helps paint a better picture of the human experience that explores the universe between our ears. We’re looking for freelance science writers, journalists, and multimedia creators with a strong portfolio in science communication to pitch us story ideas about the brain and nervous system.” They have some themes they are interested in currently, including the following, but also say that they are open to all neuro-related pitches at any time.
— The Brain & Games: “From therapies to learning, what do games, the gamification of activities, and play do for the human brain + what are researchers learning from them?”
— Your Brain on Planet Earth: “Climate change has altered our human experience — even more so the animal models researchers study. Expanding urban cities, drought, land, water, and air pollution touches us all. How does this impact the brain?”
— The Happy Brain: “Are you happy? There are lots more questions than answers when we think about happiness and how we decern if we’re happy and those around us (including our animal friends) are happy, too. What is happy, who is studying it, and why?”
They assign long (1000-1200 words), medium (700-900 words), and short-form (500-800 words) written and multimedia stories. They do consider profiles of experts in neuroscience if you weave the science throughout the story. Commentaries are accepted by invitation only. Pay depends on a number of factors, but is roughly $1/word. Details here (guidelines) and here (themes).
Science Write Now: Science, Humor, and the Absurd
The tagline of Science Write Now is ‘Creative writing inspired by science and scientists.’ They want craft essays from all kinds of creative science writers, and relevant book reviews, essays, poems, short stories, author interviews, and other sections. They are reading submissions on Science, Humor, and the Absurd. “This edition of Science Write Now will explore how humour and the absurd shape cultural ideas of science and, in turn, how the world of science influences comic performance in popular culture, art and literature.
Mark Twain wrote, “Humour is tragedy plus time”. So can comedy help us make sense of the scientific and political entanglements of climate change? If laughter is the best medicine, can it also help us manage chronic illness? Existential crisis? How does science explore the absurdities of our age? And how does the science of humour actually work?
We welcome new and previously-published craft or creative essays, fiction, memoir, and poetry related to these themes, with a view to publishing in June 2022.” Please note, they can only pay Australian or Australia-based writers, AUD20-390. The deadline is 28 April 2022. Details here.
Taproot Magazine: Amend; Commune
They want pieces exploring the topics of food, farm, family and craft. The magazine is divided into three sections: Head – essays about living a more connected life; Hands – recipes, crafts and projects to make yourself; and Heart – the personal experience of more connected living. Also, “We are looking for traditional and modern crafts. We are looking for recipes, and techniques to be carried into the kitchen, the garden, the pasture, the urban homestead, the rural farm.” Articles are 800-4,000 words. Their next themes are: Amend (deadline 1 June 2022, publication October 2022); and Commune (deadline 1 August 2022, publication December 2022). Details here.
Yes! Magazine: The Work Issue
Yes! is a publisher of solutions journalism. They have extensive guidelines for their upcoming Work issue, including:
“The Fall 2022 issue of YES! Magazine, the “Work” issue, will examine what work really means in contemporary society, and what it could mean if our society were reordered to prioritize health, fulfillment, fairness, and joy. We’ll look at solutions that are adaptations to the current system, such as labor organizing, reduced workweeks, and prioritizing well-being and leisure. We’ll also explore boundary-pushing ideas, such as universalism as an alternative to means-tested or pay-for-privilege benefits; an end to unpaid labor in the home; alternative structures of business that value equity, fairness, and democratic decision making; and severing the connection between a job and basic human needs.” Print base rate for reported articles is $0.50/word for the print magazine and $0.40/word for the web. Commentaries may receive a small essay stipend. The deadline for pitches is 29 April 2022. Details here (theme) and here (writers’ guidelines).
Estuary: California water and SF Estuary
Estuary is a regional magazine about water, wildlife, resilience, and adaptation around the San Francisco Estuary. According to a recent Tweet, “We’re accepting pitches for 700-1400 word articles about #cawater and the #SFestuary from around the #SFbay and #SacDelta for our June issue.” They want to hear from journalists with demonstrated skill writing about water policy/ecology. Pay is up to $1/word.
National Geographic: Travel desk pitches; My Hometown
The travel editor of National Geographic wants pitches on “smart stories for National Geographic’s travel desk.”
“- think fascinating and *unknown or overlooked* local animals/history/culture
– experiences need to be accessible and replicable
– we aim to feature writers who live in/are from a destination
– does it have an eco/conservation/slow tourism angle?
– why are we talking about it now?
– we’re doing a “my hometown” series, we love to see a local’s take on places around the world!” Pay is usually $1/word up to 1,000 words. Details in the Twitter thread. There is no deadline.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
