If you read last week’s listing, you’ll know there’s quite a few publications that pay $1.00 per word or more per article. (In fact, that list only scratches the surface.)

However, there are many “mid-range” publications that pay a bit less, but can still be good opportunities for freelance writers. These cover a huge variety of topics, and are not necessarily as competitive to get published in.

If you’re interested in writing for these publications, please carefully study their publication before submitting a pitch. Don’t send in complete articles. The standard practice is to send a short email with a proposed article idea. If you’re not sure how to send a good pitch, please read this.

— Jacob Jans

The Progress Network is “a movement that speaks to a better future in a world dominated by voices that suggest a worse one.” They would love to receive substantive good news, solutions journalism stories, constructive opinions on current affairs, and “progress-oriented takes on historical, psychological, philosophical, and cultural themes.” They accept reported articles, opinion essays and think pieces, interviews, reviews, and listicles. Their rates fall somewhere between $250-$650 “depending on length, whether it will include original reporting or not, etc.”. For details, read their pitch and submission guidelines.

Distillations is a magazine by the Science History Institute. Their articles reveal the impact of science on our world, both past and present. They’re actively looking for writers who can unearth little-told history and find historical angles to contemporary topics. They pay $1.25 per word for features; a flat fee of $750 for argued essays, columns, and profiles; and $400 for interviews. If interested, email your pitches to editor@sciencehistory.org. For details, refer to this page.

TransLash News & Narrative is a personal essay and journalism platform for transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people. They’re interested in stories on government policy, bodily autonomy, navigating social services, community, identity, travel, and history. They offer a flat rate of $350 per piece (ideally 1,000 words). To learn how to pitch them, refer to this page.

Dollars & Sense is “a progressive economics magazine that explains in a popular way both the workings of the economy and struggles to change it.” They accept articles on a wide range of topics as long as they have an economic theme. According to their editor, they pay $250 for shorter pieces and $450 for features. For more information, refer to this page.

Berkeleyside is a nonprofit digital news platform that reports on Berkeley and the East Bay. They would love to work with local writers, reporters, and researchers to share the stories of Berkeley, serve local information needs, and highlight important viewpoints from across the city. They pay $100 for briefs, $250 for reviews, a minimum of $350 for complex features, and a minimum of $500 for in-depth enterprise and investigative reports. To learn more, refer to their freelancer’s guide.

Pipeline Artists focuses on “education, empowerment, and elevating authentic voices in film, publishing, and beyond.” They are seeking “pieces that highlight unspoken truths, provide honest advice, and profile ‘emerging’ creatives or those deserving of a platform they may not find in mainstream publications.” They are also seeking ridiculous humor pieces. They are accepting pitches for articles including interviews (they especially need articles that focus on the publishing industry), short stories of any length, and poetry. They pay $75 to $350+ per piece. If interested, send your ideas to stories@pipelineartists.com. For details, read their submission guidelines.

Runner’s World is a magazine and website that publishes “stories about every aspect of running, from tips on how to get started to human interest pieces to training plans for competitive runners aiming for a new PR, and everything in between.” They accept story pitches from writers. According to their health and fitness director, they pay $350 to $5,000 per story depending on length, research/reporting, turnaround time, etc. For more information, refer to their pitch guide.

Tom’s Guide covers all things consumer tech including smartphones, cameras, wearables, video games, TVs, and drones. They offer news, product reviews, price comparisons, and more. According to their managing editor, they typically pay $450 and up per review. Contact them here. Learn more about them here.

Teachers & Writers Magazine is “published by Teachers & Writers Collaborative to provide resources and inspiration in support of our stated mission: teaching creative writing and educating the imagination.” They are looking for the following type of articles: Favorite Classroom Writing Prompts ($75 for 500-750 words), Narrative Lesson Plans ($100 for 750-2,000 words), The Art of Teaching Writing ($150 for 1,000+ words), Interviews ($150-$350 for 1,000-2,500 words), Profiles ($150 for 1,000-2,500 words), Redefining the Canon ($150 for 1,000-2,500 words), and Essays and Editorial Responses ($150 for 1,000-2,000 words). For details, read their submission guidelines.

Columbia Insight is an online publication that “publishes news and feature stories about the Columbia River Basin environmental challenges, the people and places affected, and the successes.” According to their Twitter post, their starting rate for freelancers for a 750 to 1,000 word article is $250. They top out at $350. To contact them, refer to this page.

Sport Rocketry is the official journal of National Association of Rocketry. It is dedicated to the sport rocket hobby. They want full length feature articles that are accompanied by high quality photos or illustrations. They pay $350 per feature article. To learn more, refer to this page.

Whitetails Unlimited Magazine publishes “a wide range of hunting, environmental, educational, wildlife management and how-to articles.” Nearly all of their features include wildlife topics, particularly the whitetail deer. Their feature articles are 1,500 to 2,500 words long. They pay up to $350 for feature articles with photos and up to $200 for stories without photos. To learn more, visit this page.

Metro Magazine is Australia’s film and media magazine, run by the Australian Teachers of Media association. They publish essays, articles, reviews and interviews that analyse the film and media cultures of Australia and the Asia-Pacific. They pay $80 to $700 AUD per article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

The Earth Island Journal is a quarterly magazine that discusses the environment and how it relates to present-day issues. They pay 25 cents per word. According to their guidelines, an in-depth feature of 4,000 words pays $750 to $1000. To learn more, make sure to read their full submission guidelines.

Wellbeing is an Australian publication about holistic health, sustainability, and spirituality. They look for articles that are empowering, informative, and entertaining. They pay AU$600 to AU$700 for feature articles 2,000 to 2,500 words long, AU$750 for travel articles, AU$150 for shorter pieces, and up to AU$1700 for special reports. To learn more, read their contributor guidelines.

Arizona Wildlife Views Magazine publishes articles on Arizona wildlife and wildlife management, habitat issues, outdoor recreation, and historical articles. E-mail queries are preferred over manuscript submissions. Payment for features varies by length from $250 to $800 per accepted article. To learn more, visit their website here.

Oregon Coast is a family-oriented magazine that covers the current developments, festivals, and other happenings in the Oregon Coast region. They publish 6 times a year. They feature stories of regional interest. They pay $100-$250 for regular features (450-1,250 words), $250-$450 for special features (1,250-2,500 words), $450-$650 for regional roundups (2,000-3,000 words), and $225 for restaurant features (1,000 words). They don’t accept fiction or poetry. To learn more, refer to their guidelines.             

South Carolina Living is a lifestyle magazine published by South Carolina’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives. They reach a very large audience. They publish general interest articles, profiles, articles about energy issues, and regional travel articles, recipes, and more. According to previous versions of their writer’s guidelines, payment is up to $450. You may find contact information for the editors here. You can also read past-issues on their website.

Mountain View Publishing publishes 3 regional magazines Woodstock, Here in Hanover, andimage. They cover Woodstock NY, Hanover NH, and and the Connecticut River Valley, respectively. Feature articles pay between $250 and $450. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

Seattle Magazine wants news-related stories about the city and region, civic and social issues, local travel, food news, home, interiors, and other lifestyle stories, arts and culture, home and garden, and front-of-book features. Rates were previously listed as follows, but have since been removed from their website: $400-$1,000 for features; $350 for departments; $50-100 for very short pieces. Details here.

The War Cry is the magazine published by the Salvation Army. They’ve been around a whopping 135 years. They accept submissions from freelance writers. They pay $0.35 per word for original articles, and $0.15 a word for reprints. They’ve recently published articles around 1,000 words. So that would mean a payment of $350.  To learn more, and to submit, be sure to read their submission guidelines.

Turkey Country is the member’s magazine for the National Wild Turkey Federation. They are devoted all things related to hunting wild turkeys, including conservation, firearms, and outdoor activities. They pay an average of $450 for feature articles, and $350 for department articles. To learn more, read their Contributor Guidelines.

The Sierra is the magazine of the Sierra club, the non-profit environmental activist organization. Their readers are “are environmentally concerned, politically diverse, and actively enjoy the outdoors.” Their standard rate for online stories is $350. They pay $250 for reviews and opinion pieces. They pay up to $1.50 a word for feature articles in their print edition, and between $250 to $2,000 for other stories. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

The Nation is a liberal political magazine. They accept submissions of political commentary as well as articles. They have a very dedicated readership. In fact, they’re supported by 30,000 donors. This is in addition to their 145,000 weekly circulation. They pay $150 for commentary, and between $350 and $500 for articles. They also accept submissions of art as well as poetry. To learn more, and to submit, be sure to read their full submission guidelines.