The following is a list of publishers that pay for personal essays or memoir. Included is a very wide variety of publications, covering a wide variety of topics.
Be sure to carefully study each publication before sending them your ideas, to ensure the best chance of success.
-
Racked
Racked covers shopping, with a particular interest in “the intersection of politics and fashion and beauty.” They also pay for personal essays. Reports indicate they pay over $500 for feature articles. To learn more, read their contributor guidelines.
-
VFW Magazine
VFW Magazine is the magazine for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, or VFW. They have a very large circulation, with many readers. Their primary interest is recognizing veterans and military service. They do not publish memoirs, first person accounts, or personality profiles. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Extra Crispy
Extra Crispy is a lifestyle blog owned by Time Inc. They publish “opinion pieces, reported stories, personal essays, works of humor, illustrated narratives, breakfast-y profiles, original recipes, how-tos and unusual points of view on the beloved morning meal are all welcome. ” Payment reports indicate a rate of 50 cents per word, but will need to be negotiated. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Mask Magazine
Mask Magazineis a monthly “online repository of youth and internet culture packed with interviews, editorials, news, and style in the age of unrest.” Editors look for “expressive, evocative prose”: personal essays, documentation of a singular event, studies of movements or phenomena from history, how-to guides or tutorials. Note: Editors decide whether submissions are featured as free content or content to be paid for. Payment is $40-200. To learn more, read the writers’ guidelines: http://www.maskmagazine.com/docs/writers.
-
Modern Love
Modern Love is a regular column published by the New York Times. They are “interested in receiving deeply personal essays about contemporary relationships, marriage, dating, parenthood…” They pay $300 per essay. The submissions page is old, but is still up to date. To learn more, or to submit, be sure to read their submission guidelines.
-
AARP: The Magazine
AARP: The Magazine accepts submission from freelance writers on a variety of topics, including personal essays. They want “thoughtful, timely, new takes on matters of importance to people over 50.” According to our sources, they pay up to $1 a word. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
MotherWell
MotherWell is a blog that features personal essays and “perspective pieces” about all sides of parenting. According to an interview with their editor, they pay $50 per post, though payment is not listed on their website. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Adoptive Family Magazine
Adoptive Family Magazine – An award-winning resource for adoptive parents and people navigating the adoption process, Adoptive Families provides information and support through expert articles, personal stories, and advice. If you’re an adoptive parent (or in the process of adopting), click on the writers’ guidelines here for info on submitting articles or personal essays.
-
Women’s Voices for Change
Women’s Voices for Change publishes news, commentaries, personal essays, and expert analysis. They seek to redefine the way women over 40 are seen in the culture. They pay $50 per post. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
HerStories Project
HerStories Project is a website for Gen X women. They publish personal essays “about what it’s like to be a Gen-X woman at midlife. ” Payment is $80. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Femme Feminism
Femme Feminism is a hybrid fashion blog and feminist magazine. According to its editor Dena Marie Landon, “The site’s mission is to create an inclusive community for all women, feminine and non-binary, to discuss the intersection of fashion, femmes and feminism.” The editor publishes personal essays and historical pieces exploring these topics within a monthly theme. Payment is $75-$100 for essays (800-1,300 words). Writers must provide 3 photos to accompany their submissions. To learn more, read writers’ guidelines: http://www.femmefeminism.com/joomla/index.php/want-to-write-for-us.
-
BUST
BUST seeks to bring a feminist perspective to a wide array of topics, from fashion to pop culture to personal stories. Pay varies but reports estimate it to be around $50 to $100, and each category has different word length requirements. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Wanderful
Wanderful is a community of women who are passionate about travel. They publish personal stories and advice on anything that refers to traveling as a woman. Their tone is progressive and they seek submissions from writers of diverse ethnicities, sexualities, gender expressions, religions, and abilities. They pay $50 per article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Vela Magazine
Vela Magazine publishes nonfiction by women writers. They accept reported stories with a literary component, and personal essays that reach a larger issue. Most of their stories have an international focus and a sense of place but they are adamant about not publishing conventional travel writing. They also want stories that are relevant to anyone, not just women. Pay is negotiated once the piece has been accepted. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Scum
Scum is a feminist-friendly web magazine based in Australia. Submissions should be classified as able to be classified as “fiction”, “culture”, “memoir”, “column”, “poetry”, and/or “review.” They only accept submissions from the first to the seventh of the month. So, if you’re not in that window, it’s time to draft your submission and then wait. They pay $60AUD per piece. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Writer’s Digest
Writer’s Digest is a widely-read and well-respected magazine about the art of writing. They accept both manuscript submissions and queries for articles that “inform, instruct, and inspire” readers. Writers can submit to any of their departments, including their “5-Minute Memoir,” “Reject a Hit,” and writing technique sections. They pay between 30 and 50 cents a word for articles up to 2,400 words ($720-$1,200), and they also work with a 25% kill fee. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
The Catholic Digest
The Catholic Digest is a lifestyle magazine that “encourages and supports Catholics in a variety of of stages and circumstances.” They pay $500 for many of their articles, including personal stories. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Liguorian Magazine
Liguorian Magazine a Catholic magazine, bills itself “a redemptorist pastoral publication.” They publish articles, personal essays, and fiction. They pay 12 to 17 cents per word. They offer a free sample copy –– just send them a stamped envelope. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
The Bold Italic
The Bold Italic is a blog covering the San Francisco Bay area. They cover the ways the bay area is rapidly changing, and how the city functions. They publish personal essays, reported pieces, humor, interviews, and profiles. They pay $50 per article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Charleston Style & Design
Charleston Style & Design is a local magazine that publishes articles about architecture, fashion, businesses, food, and travel of interest to people in Charleston, South Carolina, and the surrounding region. They pay $200 for personal essays that offer a relatable story and good insight. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Folks
Folks is a daily online magazine focused on publishing the stories of “remarkable people who refuse to be defined by their health issues.” Editors look for strong personal essays offering “a unique hook and a strong takeaway” that would challenge readers’ perspective about the issues of health conditions. Editors prefer to receive queries first. Editors buy exclusive publishing rights to published essays for a one-year period and consider only original submissions. Payment is $400. To learn more, read the writers’ guidelines.
-
Cure Today
Cure Today explores the latest in cancer research and treatment. They accept personal essays no longer than 700 words and well-researched evidence-based articles. Writers must have medical writing and interviewing experience. http://www.curetoday.com/write
-
Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health caters to people who have diabetes and their caregivers. They publish personal essays and medically based articles. https://www.diabeteshealth.com/contact/
-
Spirituality and Health
Spirituality and Health covers a broad spectrum of topics that fall under spirituality and health. They accept personal essays, recipes, how-to articles, investigative reporting and narrative journalism. http://spiritualityhealth.com/submission-guidelines
-
Transition Magazine
Transition Magazine, published by the Saskatchewan Division of Canadian Mental Health Association, covers mental health issues, including personal stories. They publish fiction, non-fiction, poetry, book reviews, and visual art. They pay $50 per page, up to 15 pages. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Abilities
Abilities is Canada’s foremost cross-disability lifestyle magazine. Topics include travel, health, sport, recreation, careers, education, transportation, housing, social policy, relationships, technology, family life, movie/book reviews, personality profiles, events and conferences. The magazine has a conversational tone. They’re not looking for personal essays, but encourage writers to draw on their experiences to illustrate a broader topic. They pay a kill fee if negotiated in advance. They pay $50 to $325. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
The Hamilton Review of Books
The Hamilton Review of Books publishes twice annually, in Spring and Fall, and accepts work by Canadian writers. They publish book reviews and long-form essays on works of Hamiltonian, Canadian and international fiction, nonfiction, poetry and graphic novels. Reviews are 500-750 words and pay CAD50. Essays are 1,500-5,000 words and pay CAD75, and focus on a literary subject; authors may, for example, engage with a book’s subject matter as a jumping-off point for a thematic, personal essay. Details here.
-
Whole Life Times
Whole Life Times is a bimonthly magazine that focuses on holistic living, mainly in Southern California. They accept queries for articles that reflect a holistic lifestyle in any area, including farming and sustainability. Writers can submit queries via email for features, the front-of-book section, or their personal essay section. Payment: $25 to $150, depending on article placement and length. Submission Guidelines
-
Westerly Magazine
Westerly Magazine publishes short stories, poetry, memoir and creative nonfiction, essays and literary criticism. Their reviews are between 500-700 words, to be published online or in print. They pay AUD75 for reviews, AUD75-100 for poetry, and AUD150 for features and short stories. Their style guide is quite specific about submissions. Details here.
-
Westerly Magazine
Westerly Magazine publishes short stories, poetry, memoir and creative nonfiction, essays and literary criticism. Their reviews are between 500-700 words, to be published online or in print. They pay AUD75 for reviews, AUD75-100 for poetry, and AUD150 for features and short stories. Their style guide is quite specific about submissions. Details here.
-
You and Me Magazine
You and Me Magazine publishes personal essays about experiences as a medical patient. They also publish some articles from provider’s perspectives. They pay 4-5 cents per word for articles 1,000-2,500 words. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
-
Solver Stories by the New York Times
Solver Stories is a feature in New York Times’ column, Wordplay. It includes personal essays regarding the effect of puzzles on people’s lives. They prefer essays of 800 to 1,300 words. They pay $200 per essay. To find out more, read their submission guidelines.
-
The Travel Writer’s Life
The Travel Writer’s Life is a web site managed by the Great Escape Publishing. Editors want material to show readers “how to enjoy a life of travel, adventure, creativity and freedom – and earn a good living.” They do not publish traditional travel pieces but look for articles on “the craft of getting paid to travel” through different venues (e.g., photography, writing, or leading tours). Regular contributors are professional writers/photographers making a living by selling their travel articles and/or photos. Editors buy all rights to articles and non-exclusive unlimited use rights to images. They also retain the right to publish articles or photos in any of their affiliated publications and online. Payment is $50-$75 for assigned articles for the website, $100-$150 for interviews and personal stories, and $150-$200 for articles with specific income advice. To learn more, read writers’ guidelines: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/writers-guidelines/.
