The following is a list of publishers that pay at least $100 for essays. Included in this list is a wide variety of publications, covering many topics including food, travel, culture, and religion.

1. The Big Roundtable is a new publisher that seeks to publish true stories. They believe storytelling is central to what it means to be human. They pay a minimum of $100 for short stories, by donation. All of the articles on the website are accompanied by a “donate” button that allows readers to easily send the writer money. To learn more, and to submit your writing, visit their website.
2. The Gay & Lesbian Review is a bimonthly magazine for GLBT men and women.  They publish essays, book reviews, movie reviews, and plays. Payment is a flat fee of $100. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
3. Country Magazine is all about living the small town, rural lifestyle. They feature stories and memories of country living. Their slogan is “the land and life we love”. They pay $100 per story. (Previous rate: $250.) To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
4. The Lookout is a weekly magazine published to a Christian audience. They are a general interest Christian magazine. The publish essays “dealing with topics of current concern.” They pay up to 11 cents per word, with a maximum of 400 words. That works out to a maximum of $154 per essay. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
5. Parabola is the magazine published by The Society for the Study of Myth and Tradition, a non-profit organization. Each issue of Parabola focused on “one of the timeless themes of human existence.” The tag line for the magazine is “the Search for Meaning.” They pay $150-$400 for essays. To learn more, and to submit, read their submission guidelines.
6. The Sun Magazine is a beautiful magazine with a literary bent and a very loyal following. They have no ads, and they pay their writers well. Up to $2,500 for non-fiction. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
7. LightHouse seeks to publish first person stories and essays by blind and visually impaired writers. They want to hear stories “not merely about blindness, but about what it takes to survive and strive as a human.” They pay $100 for essays published on their blog. They are open to negotiation for more complex pieces.Read their submission guidelines.
8. The Puritan is a literary journal that publishes interviews, essays, reviews, fiction, and poetry. They pay $100 for essays. Submissions are free, but they do charge for submissions to their contest.  To learn more, read their submission guidelines. You’ll need to scroll past the contest guidelines to get to the regular submission guidelines.
9. Chicken Soup for the Soul publishes inspirational essays on a variety of topics. They have over 500 million books in print. They always have a variety of forthcoming anthologies open to submissions. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
10. 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.
11. L.A. Affairs is the Los Angeles Times column about the dating scene in L.A. They publish essays with a strong sense of place — rooted in Southern California. They pay $300 per essay. Read their submission guidelines.
12. Writers Digest accepts submissions for their column “5 Minute Memoir,” a 600 word essay about the writing life. They want essays with “a strong narrative element, relaying an experience and its subsequent wisdoms and takeaways for writers.” They pay up to $300 for this essay. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
13. Cosmopolitan Magazine wants essays about a “a memorable, crazy, hilarious, or touching college experience.” They pay $100 per essay, to be published on their website. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
14. 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.
15. Field & Stream is an American magazine that focuses on hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities. They’re looking for queries, no longer than a page, that lucidly describe the subject at hand. Some pieces that “depend on writing style, such as humor, mood, and nostalgia or essays” can be sent in manuscript form, as can short tips. Payment: The magazine reports that payment ranges from $100 to “as much as several thousand dollars, depending on the quality of the work, the experience of the author, and the difficulty of obtaining the story.” Submission Guidelines
16. 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. They pay $100 for “Backwords” a 750 word personal essay. Submission Guidelines