Here’s a list of editors and publishers calling for true stories, personal essays, and/or opinion peices.
We’ve noted deadlines and payment rates when available.
If you’re not sure how to take advantage of these opportunities – and want to build a real income with your writing, I suggest signing up for Writing Launch, so you can get in-depth training, mentorship, and more. Join the waiting list here.
– Jacob Jans
Thanks to Fatima Saif for her research on this article.
Transformations is “a project of the narrative storytelling initiative at Arizona State University and a publishing channel of the Los Angeles Review of Books.” They have tweeted, “Holidays can evoke strong emotions & poignant experiences—even life-altering ones. Or they can be disasters. Do you have a transformative holiday story? We’re accepting submissions of up to 600 words on the topic: ‘Holidays?’” Pay will be $75 per story. Email your submissions to transformations@asu.edu. For more information, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
Deadline: December 13th, 2020
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, or JTA, offers news and analysis on issues of Jewish interest and concern. Their opinion editor is seeking pitches on “Hanukkah / your complicated relationship to Christmas Season.” They generally pay $200 to $300 per piece. Send pitches to ladkins@jta.org. Read their opinion editor’s Tweet here and contact them here.
HuffPost UK Personal is a personal stories section in HuffPost UK. They are always accepting first-person essay pitches. They “love pieces on life behind the headlines, identity, work/life, health, relationships, parenting, and wild transformational experiences.” According to one payment report, they paid £100 for an 800-word personal piece. For more information, refer to their commissioning editor’s Tweet and this page.
The Guardian is a British news and media website. Their deputy opinion editor has tweeted, “I’m taking pitches for a series loosely titled ‘The year that changed me’ – serious or fun. Did you realise how much you could sacrifice for others or how selfish you are? Did you make a big life decision or appreciate the little things more? I’m open to ideas!” They pay £310 per 1,000 words. For details, refer to their editor’s Tweet and their freelance charter.
CBC Saskatchewan is a source for news stories, breaking news, and viewpoints from Saskatchewan. They are seeking people to write opinion pieces regarding the latest Covid-19 restrictions announcement. You don’t have to be a professional writer to contribute. They will pay $250 per piece (500 to 700 words). If interested, email your pitches to sask-opinion-grp@cbc.ca. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and their pitch guide.
Wired UK is a print and online magazine that covers future science, culture, and technology news. Their features editor has tweeted, “Want to pitch a longread before Christmas? Now’s the time! I’m always looking for smart narrative nonfiction pitches in tech, science, and innovation.” According to two payment reports, they paid £1,400 for a longread feature of 4,000 words. Email your pitches to vturk@wired.co.uk. For more details, refer to their features editor’s Tweet and their contributor’s guidelines.
Euronews Travel publishes Europe’s best hidden stories. They are seeking Christmas-themed travel pitches. They commission a wide range of content types e.g. features, listicles, and op-eds. They pay €100 to €150 per piece. For more information, refer to their Tweet and pitch form.
OpenDemocracy is a global media organization that covers world affairs, ideas, and culture. They are seeking “stories that track the backlash against women’s and LGBTIQ rights, document the resistance or profile feminist media in the Eurasia region.” They accept pitches for comment and analysis pieces (800-900 words), features (1,200-1,400 words), investigations, first-person accounts, and photo essays. They commission 2 articles per month and prioritize articles by women, trans, and non-binary contributors. Rates are £100 to £350 per piece. There is no deadline, but writers should try to submit by the end of January. If interested, send pitches in English, Russian or Georgian to inge.snip@opendemocracy.net. For more information, refer to this Twitter thread and this page.
