Here’s a list of ten publishers seeking to pay writers for their true stories, opinions and/or essays. We’ve found payment rates, deadlines, and contact information for all of these publishers.
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Thanks to Fatima Saif for her research on this article.
— Jacob Jans
TripSavvy is a travel website. Their editorial director has tweeted, “Hey travel writers: I have some $$$ to spend before the end of the year and I want your stories! I’m mostly looking for travel features with a timely slant—we especially like first-person ‘I tried it…’ narratives or explainers that unpack things for our readers. Maybe you have a hot take on something you think is going to trend in travel in 2021? I’m all ears.” Send pitches to lratliff@tripsavvy.com by Wednesday AM. Rates start at around $250 for 700 words. For details, refer to their editorial director’s Twitter thread. To contact them, refer to this page.
Deadline: December 23rd, 2020
Mslexia is “the UK’s best-selling magazine for women who write.” They are “looking to commission features from women who manage to write despite a particular personal challenge, e.g. new baby, long-term illness, English as a second language, depression, no Wi-Fi connection, family ridicule…” They will pay £100 for a 1,000-word piece. Read their Tweet here and submit your pitch here.
Deadline: January 11th, 2021
Chicken Soup for the Soul just announced a new call for submissions for their upcoming anthology for Black Women. The deadline is tight — January 15th. This is in addition to the eight other anthologies they are currently seeking submissions for. They pay $200, plus 10 contributor copies. Learn more here.
The Wall Street Journal provides coverage of news, business, politics, technology, real estate, arts, culture, and more from the US and around the world. They are expanding their network of contributors under 35 and are looking for new voices. In their latest call for submissions, they are exploring career paths. They are interested in “completed work covering your experience entering or navigating the working world during the pandemic and your personal career path.” They hope to publish personal essays of no more than 800 words. Payment reports indicate that they pay an average of $0.66 per word. If interested, send your completed work or pitches to wsjnoted@wsj.com. For more information, refer to this Tweet and their call for submissions.
Deadline: January 8th, 2021
Solver Stories is a feature in New York Times’ crossword humor column, Wordplay. They are accepting submissions for the latter half of 2021. They welcome “submissions of personal essays about an issue the writer has faced in life, and how solving puzzles (of any kind) has helped them resolve that issue.” “Another topic of interest is how solving puzzles has affected a relationship in the writer’s life.” They will pay $200 per essay (preferred length: 800-1,300 words). Send essays to solverstories@nytimes.com. For details, refer to their Tweet and submission guidelines.
100 Days in Appalachia is “a collaborative nonprofit newsroom written for Appalachians, by Appalachians.” Their contributing editor has tweeted, “Students from Appalachia: I’m looking for pitches for the new year! We’re looking for personal essays, reported pieces, Q&As, photography.” Pay will be $75 per piece. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Orato World Media is a non-profit digital publication that publishes true stories from real people. They welcome all non-fiction, first-person story ideas. They pay $25 USD for standard-length stories (minimum 500 words) and $100 USD for long-read stories (minimum 2,000 words). To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
Dublin Inquirer is a reader-supported newspaper that serves Ireland’s capital. They pay €150 for reported pieces, and €80 for op-eds and reviews. Writers can send pitches to their editor at stephanie@dublininquirer.com. Read their Tweet here and contact them here.
The Globe and Mail is a Canadian news media company. Their deputy opinion editor is looking for pitches. According to payment reports, they pay up to $0.50 per word. If interested, send your pitches to mmedley@globeandmail.com. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and this page.
