Dear Writers,
Here’s our latest roundup of calls for pitches directly from editors and publishers.
We’ve researched payment rates and found contact information when available. Many of these publishers pay up to $1 per word, or more, though payment rates do vary, and will need to be negotiated.
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.
Massive Science is a community of scientists that shares fascinating and true stories about science. Their senior editor has tweeted, “CALL FOR PITCHES: Massive Science and I are working with Pioneer Works to create strange new writing about science. Are you a writer specializing in creative non-fiction essays about science? I’d like to hear about it.” “I have no particular subjects in mind, but I’m always into stuff about THE FUTURE of stuff, whatever that means to you. Genetic engineering, urban design, space exploration, geology, oceanography, evolution. But, strange stories about THE PAST OF SCIENCE are also welcome.” Pay is $0.75 to $1.00 per word. If interested, DM their senior editor on Twitter or send an email to dan@massivesci.com. Read their senior editor’s Twitter thread here. Learn more about Massive Science here and Pioneer Works here.
LeapsMag is an online magazine about “scientific innovation, ethics, and the future of humanity.” Their editor-in-chief has tweeted, “I’m currently taking pitches for Dec stories for LeapsMag. Features at the intersection of life sciences, medicine, biotech/ethics/future of humanity.” They pay an average of $1 per word. Email your pitches to kira@goodinc.com. Read their editor-in-chief’s Tweet here and contact them here.
Popular Mechanics is a source for tech, science, math, aerospace, military, and auto news. They are looking for new writers. They pay $100-$400 for a news/service story and $0.50-$2.00 per word for a feature. If interested, send “news (studies/trends), service (how-to/explainers), and feature ideas” about science, military, aviation, space, math, and more to andrew.daniels@hearst.com. For details, refer to this Tweet. To learn more about them, refer to this page.
Drive Magazine is a lifestyle magazine by Subaru. It’s mailed to Subaru owners but it’s not about cars. They cover travel, fitness, health, cooking, and more. Their readers love outdoor adventure, nature, animals, healthy cooking, and connecting with friends or family. They are seeking pitches this week for their Summer and Fall 2021 print issues and for their online features. They pay $1 per word. To learn more, refer to this Tweet. To visit their website, click here.
U.S. News & World Report is a media company that assists consumers in making decisions about education, health, money, cars, real estate, and travel. Their Executive Editor, Growth Opportunities has tweeted, “Guys, so many teams at U.S. News need freelancers right now. If you can write about tech and home products, as well as key services (like insurance), please reach out.” They pay an average of $0.25 per word. Their pieces are 1,000+ words. If interested, email jdeaton@usnews.com. Read their editor’s Tweet here and examples of the type of content that they publish here. Contact them here.
Inverse covers science, innovation, entertainment, gaming, and the mind and body. Their senior entertainment editor has tweeted, “Call for freelance pitches. I’m looking for articles for Inverse’s entertainment section through the end of the year: Essays on timely old sci-fi movies ($100-200); Smart or unique analysis/reporting on Mandalorian and WandaVision ($150-300); High profile interviews ($300+).” Email your pitches to jacob@inverse.com. Read their senior entertainment editor’s Tweet here and contact them here.
Submissions are open for the book anthology, Dating & Sex: The Theory of Mutual Self-Destruction. They are accepting pitches and also previously written pieces. Rate for previously unpublished pieces (1,200 to 2,500 words) starts at $200. Rate for previously published pieces is $200. If interested, email said@superchampbooks.com. For details, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
The features editor of Vice UK has tweeted, “Hey if you have any ideas for reported news features, investigations etc. that could work for Vice World News then send me a pitch. Mainly UK stories but with one eye beyond these borders too.” For reported pieces, the rates of Vice World News start at a minimum of 50 cents/word. If interested, email your pitches to simon.childs@vice.com. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
HuffPost Personal is a personal stories section in HuffPost. Their editorial director is always seeking smart and unique personal essays. People with/from diverse backgrounds/experiences are especially welcome to pitch. They will pay $125 per piece (800 to 2,000 words). Email your pitches to noah.michelson@huffpost.com. Read their editorial director’s Tweet here and their pitch guide here. Read HuffPost Personal’s pieces here.
Winnipeg Police Cause Harm (WPCH) is a community-centered police abolitionist group that is “devoted to sharing articles and personal essays that tell unique stories from across Canada related to defunding and abolishing carceral systems of policing, prisons, and migrant detention.” They are actively seeking people to write for their blog. They are committed to publishing writers of color, especially Black and Indigenous writers. They pay BIPOC writers $100 for posts that are over 1,000 words and $50 for posts that are under 1,000 words. If interested, send your pitches to wpgpolicecauseharm@gmail.com. For more information, refer to this Twitter thread and their call for guest blog posts.
Jewish Currents is a print and digital magazine that is “committed to the rich tradition of thought, activism, and culture of the Jewish left.” They have updated their submissions page. They are looking for “timely pitches that offer original reporting on the forces rapidly remaking our world, new angles on familiar narratives, and fresh arguments that reframe existing conversations.” The writers don’t have to be Jewish, and the story does not necessarily need a Jewish angle. They pay $200 to $300 for most of their web pieces. If interested, send your pitches to submissions@jewishcurrents.org. For details, refer to their Tweet and submissions page.
Filter is a nonprofit publication. Their mission is “to advocate through journalism for rational and compassionate approaches to drug use, drug policy, and human rights.” Their newly appointed deputy editor is accepting pitches at kastalia@filtermag.org. According to their pitching guidelines, they welcome pitches for feature-length articles, investigative reports, op-eds, essays, and interviews. They pay $50 to $250 per piece. To read their deputy editor’s Tweet, click here. To learn more about them and to read their pitching guidelines, click here.
The Breakdown is an online mental health magazine. They are open for pitches. Their founder and editor has tweeted, “So we’re open to pretty much anything as long as it has a mental health theme, but some hot topics are: sex, wellness, parenting, culture, men’s mental health, and general lifestyle topics. As we’re re-launching in December, we’re keen for some Christmas content. We’re also interested in news and entertainment pieces. We commission personal essays, opinion, explainers, features, listicles and general how-tos. We’re also open to reported pieces and any timely pieces (though I’d wait until December for that).” Pay is £80 for 700 words. If interested, email your pitches to hattie@the-breakdown.co.uk. For more information, refer to their founder and editor’s Twitter thread and this page.
HelloGiggles is a positive community for women. They are “looking to connect with writers who are choosing not to empathize with Trump supporters right now for an essay.” They are also “looking for biracial mothers to talk about what it means to have a biracial Vice President in the White House for their child.” Rates start at $150. Send your pitches to raven.ishak@meredith.com. For details, refer to their senior lifestyle editor’s Twitter thread. To learn more about them, refer to this page.
R29Unbothered is Refinery29’s sub-brand for and by Black millennial women. Their newly appointed senior editor is looking for story pitches for their Canadian audience. According to payment reports, Refinery29 pays an average of $0.26 per word. If interested, email your pitches to kathleen.newman-bremang@refinery29.com. To learn more, refer to their senior editor’s Twitter thread and this page.
Contingent Magazine is a nonprofit online magazine for “everyone who asks questions about the past.” They are looking for short essays (300 to 500 words) that “explore the history of a food or dish that was meaningful to you when you were younger.” Pay is $100. Email your pitches to pitches@contingentmag.org. For more information, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
Deadline: November 20th, 2020
Business Insider is a website that covers business, financial, and technology news. Their editor has tweeted, “I’ll be the e-learning editor at Business Insider through January and am looking for pitches, particularly for roundups, reviews, and FAQ posts.” “Right now, I’m looking for fluent Spanish, French, Japanese, and Korean speakers to write roundups of the best platforms to learn those languages. Also interested in roundups of the best ways to learn a specific skill — which can include online classes, books, apps, podcasts, etc.” Pay will be $100 to $150 per post. If interested, contact jpugachevsky@businessinsider.com. To learn more, refer to their editor’s Twitter thread and their e-learning section.
Media Diversity Institute (MDI) is an international organization that encourages “accurate and nuanced reporting on race, religion, ethnic, class, disability, gender and sexual identity issues in media landscapes around the world.” Their communications manager has tweeted, “I am looking for great story pitches. If you have a story that is about *both* the media and diversity issues get in touch. This week I am looking for stories on:
1. Media representation of #Elections2020 (special interest in LatinX/BAME voters)
2. The new Witches movie and the disability representation debate
3. Border violence/migration and the media
They pay £150 per piece. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
The Daily Dot is “the ultimate destination for original reporting on internet culture and life online.” Their politics and tech team is seeking pitches. They want “reported features at the intersection of the internet, politics, and technology.” They will pay $100 to $500 per piece. If interested, DM their senior politics and tech editor on Twitter or email dcovucci@thedailydot.com. To learn more, refer to their editor’s Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
The Face is a British magazine that covers style, music, TV, film, fashion, culture, and more. Their editor has tweeted, “looking for sharp pitches on street fashion, future clubwear, mushrooms, surveillance, fetish and the mood of modern Britain.” Payment reports indicate that they pay £150 to £500 for features. If interested, email your pitches to pitches@theface.com. For details, refer to their editor’s Tweet. To learn more about them, refer to this page.
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 political editor is looking for writers and pitches. She wants “pitches for stories that put POC (especially WOC & nb-POC) front and center.” According to payment reports, they pay £70 per piece. For more information, refer to their political editor’s Twitter thread and their pitching guide.
Emperifollá is a digital content space that is focused on Latinx style. They are looking for Latinx writers for their December issue. They want stories that focus on “what the year 2020 has been like through the lens of style, beauty, and culture.” They typically pay $100 to $250 per piece. They will only take 2 to 3 paid writers for this issue. If interested, send an email to contact.emperifolla@gmail.com. For details, refer to their editor-in-chief’s Tweet. To learn more about them, refer to this page.
Paste Magazine covers music, movies, TV, videogames, books, and more. Their newly appointed movies editor is looking for pitches. BIPOC and LGBTQ+ writers are encouraged to pitch. According to payment reports, they pay an average of $0.08 per word. Read their editor’s Twitter thread here and their pitching guide here.
Pink Advocate is an Australia-based LGBTIQ news magazine. Their editor is always accepting pitches from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ writers. They usually pay $40 to $50 AUD for short essays or opinion pieces. To learn more, refer to their editor’s Tweet. To contact them, refer to this page.
Orato World Media is a non-profit digital publication that publishes true stories from real people. They are always looking to hire freelancers to provide quality journalism. They pay $25 USD for normal-length stories (at least 500 words) and $100 USD for long-form stories (at least 2,000 words). For more information, refer to their Tweet and this page.
Globe Content Studio is the commercial content division of the Canadian news media company, The Globe and Mail. Their content strategist has tweeted, “I’m looking for writers comfortable writing about art / music, who have any sort of connection to Alberta. Priority goes to Black and Indigenous writers. This is a paid opportunity, but must be comfortable with sponsored content!” According to payment reports, The Globe and Mail pays up to $0.50 per word. If interested, DM their content strategist on Twitter or email at jrobinson@globeandmail.com. For details, refer to this Twitter thread. To learn more about them, refer to this page.
The Eyeopener is an independent student newspaper at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. For Trans Awareness Month, they want to amplify trans voices on campus. They are offering trans folks a paid opportunity to write a column. The column can be about any topic. The format is flexible, you can write an op-ed, personal essay, arts roundup, etc. Pay is $50. Send pitches to editor@theeyeopener.com. Read their Tweet here and contact them here.
America Hates US (AHUS) is “a contemporary lifestyle brand that reflects the current landscape of politics, health & socioeconomics.” They will publish 8 articles per month. Pay will be $75 per article (800 to 1,200 words). To learn more, refer to this Tweet and their submission guidelines.
Can I Play That? is a community where disabled gamers share their stories of game accessibility. They have tweeted, “The upcoming release of Miles Morales is an important step forward, both for accessibility and for representation of Afro-latinx identities in games. We’d like to feature the work of a disabled Afro-latinx writer as one of our paid November features on this game.” They will pay $75. Send your pitches to submit@caniplaythat.com. Read their Twitter thread here and their submission guidelines here.
