Dear Writers,

Here are 25 publishers that pay up to $250 or more per article, according to our research. Keep in mind that payment rates aren’t set in stone, and may need to be negotiated.

Before sending a pitch to these publications, I highly recommend watching this free lecture.

Also, for those interested in more opportunities, we will be releasing the next edition of The Paid Publishing Guidebook very soon. If you want a free copy, be sure to sign up for out email list. The book will list over 1,700 publishers that pay writers.

— Jacob Jans

1. 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.
2. The Monitor is a bimonthly policy and current affairs magazine by CCPA (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives). They publish “feature articles, original research, book reviews, letters to the editor, and illustrations.” According to their senior editor, they pay $300 for short articles of 700 words, $500 for 1,300 to 1,500 words, up to $800 for feature length stories, and $150 to $800 for illustrations. If interested, send your pitches to monitor@policyalternatives.ca. To learn more, refer to this page.
3. Borderless Magazine is a nonprofit online publication that covers labor, justice, and advocacy issues affecting the Midwestern immigrant communities. They welcome reported feature story, comics, and as-told-to story pitches from freelance journalists. They also welcome personal essay pitches from immigrants. They encourage pitches from immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ community, and women. In 2020, 93% of their stories were written, photographed/illustrated by people of color. Their rate for reported stories starts at $250. Pitches should be sent to pitch@borderlessmag.org. To learn more, read their pitch guidelines.
4. Capital & Main is a publication that “reports on inequities related to class, race, immigration, gender, corporate accountability, climate change and energy, education and health, both in California and nationally.” They publish daily and accept pitches from freelance writers all the time. They pay $250 to $500 per story. For more information, refer to this page.
5. TalkPoverty.org is a project of the Center for American Progress that is “dedicated to covering poverty in America by lifting up the voices of advocates, policymakers, and people struggling to make ends meet.” They are looking for original content of 750 to 1,000 words. They publish personal essays, op-eds, original reporting, and explainers. They welcome submissions from both new and established writers. According to their deputy editor, their rates start at $250. For details, refer to this page.
6. Immerse is a publication (produced in partnership with the MIT Open DocLab) that sparks creative dialogue around emerging forms of non-fiction media (VR, XR, AR, video games, interactive media, and beyond). According to their editor, they pay $250 per piece (standard length 1,200 words). If interested, contact them at editor@immerse.news. Details here and here.
7. The News Station is a national alt-weekly that covers the war on drugs, prison and criminal justice reform, CBD, the innovations in health and wellness, culture, politics, and more. They welcome pitches from freelancers. Regarding the rates, their managing editor tweeted: “my interns get $75 for short pieces explaining new science/research, then about $150 for a researched news piece or $200 for features; then we’ll usually be $250 for day of, non-breaking news pieces, and as much as $500 though usually around $300 to $400 for features.” Learn more here. Read their styleguide and journalistic standards here.
8. Verywell Health is an online resource for health and wellness information. They are always seeking experienced and qualified writers who have expertise and credentials in health and wellness. According to their associate news editor, they pay $200 for 700-1,000 words, $250 for 1,001-1,500 words, and $300 for 1,501-2,000 words. If interested, send an email to writeforus@verywell.com. They don’t accept unsolicited articles. To learn more, refer to this page.
9. VICE News Canada offers original reporting from Canada and around the world. They are “looking for new talent, original news stories, and features and investigations that have a strong Canadian angle or bring Canada to the rest of the world.” According to their editorial director, their base rate for a quick reported story is $300 CAD. Rates for longer-reported stories and features are higher. For more information, refer to their pitch guide.
10. Self covers health and wellness. They are always seeking new writers and are especially excited to work more frequently with BIPOC, LGBTQ+ writers and writers from other marginalized groups. They want stories that will help improve personal or public health. Their main categories of focus are health, fitness, food, beauty, love, and lifestyle. Their rates start at $300 for stories with minimal to no reporting, $400 for reported service stories, and $800 for features. To learn how to pitch them a story, visit this page.
11. The Bellows is “a Marxist online magazine, featuring analysis, criticism, and opinion on the political scene, current events, and more.” They pay $150 for articles of 500-800 words, $200 for mid-length articles of 1,000-1,500 words, and $250 for long articles of 2,000+ words. Learn more about them here and contact them here.
12. Faith & Leadership is a biweekly, online magazine that is a learning resource for Christian leaders. They are always seeking new writers and stories. Their feature articles are 1,500-2,000 words, essays are 800-1,000 words, and Q&As are 1,000-1,500 words. They pay $1,500 for feature articles and $300 for essays. They also pay for mileage, parking, and other expenses. For details, read their submission guidelines.
13. What To Expect is a pregnancy and parenting brand. They offer preconception, pregnancy, and parenting advice. According to their managing editor, they pay $250 to $400 per piece. To contact them, refer to this page.
14. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, or JTA, offers news and analysis on issues of Jewish interest and concern. According to reports, payment starts at $250 for an 800 word op-ed. To contact them, visit this page.
15. Mundane Magazine is a Nashville-centric digital publication about music, fashion, art, culture, and sex. According to their executive editor, they pay $75 to $300 per piece. To contact them, refer to this page.
16. Level is a new platform for independent musicians. They are always seeking new voices to write about music topics that matter to their artist community. According to payment reports, their rates start at $250. They pay more for longer pieces. To become a contributing writer for their blog, refer to this page. To read their blog, refer to this page.
17. China Dialogue is a bilingual website that covers global environmental issues, with a special emphasis on China. They welcome unsolicited submissions. They publish “articles by journalists, academics, experts, policymakers, activists and concerned citizens.” They want writers to keep their articles to about 1,200 words in English or 2,000 characters in Chinese. According to their editor, their base rate is around $300. For details, visit this page.
18. Phenomenal World is a publication that features research, analysis, and commentary on social sciences. The publication is managed by staff of the Jain Family Institute (JFI). They publish content by JFI staff and fellows, as well as by external researchers and writers. They “welcome submissions on any topic in the social sciences, particularly economics, history, philosophy, sociology, economic history, and kindred fields.” Their interests are very broad. According to this Tweet, they pay $500 for longform pieces and $250 for interviews. Details here.
19. Contently is “a technology company that helps brands create great content at scale.” To help freelancers during the coronavirus pandemic, they have decided to frontload their freelance content budget for The Content Strategist (Contently’s publication about content strategy and content marketing). This will allow them to accept more freelance work. They will pay a flat rate of $500 for a story. They will pay $300 for Q&As (published occasionally). For details, visit this page.
20. HuffPost Life is a section in HuffPost, a news and opinion website. This section covers food, drink, wellness, beauty, style, relationships, home, and more. They are looking for health/wellness freelancers for reported, service-focused COVID-19 stories. They pay at least $350 per story. Interested freelancers should contact their senior wellness editor at lindsay.holmes@huffpost.com. To learn more, read this Twitter post. To contact them, refer to this page.
21. INKLINE is “an international media platform that features positive news and interviews with go-getters championing sociocultural causes to show the diversity, beauty, and goodness of the world.”  They’ve previously reported payment rates of $300 per article. To contact them, refer to this page.
22. Digital Trends is a website that covers all things tech. They offer the latest news, reviews, deals, and sneak peeks. Their gaming section editor is seeking “freelance gaming writers to cover news and report on gaming issues.” Their rates start at $50 for news pieces and $250 for reviews/ features. For details, read this Twitter post. To learn more about them, refer to this page.
23. Pipette Magazine is an independent print magazine about natural wine. They publish 3 times a year. They are looking for pitches about natural wine from experienced writers. They pay $200 to $350. For details, refer to their editor and publisher’s Twitter post. To contact them, refer to this page.
24. The A.V. Club is an entertainment website for the pop culture obsessed. They cover news, films, music, TV, games, and more. They are always seeking thoughtful pitches for their TV section. Their rates start at $250 for 900 words. To learn more, refer to this Twitter post and this link.
25. Whisky Advocate is a whisky publication that is a source of news, recipes, reviews, and videos for whisky enthusiasts. They are looking for writers (with expertise in whiskies and spirits) for their web stories. Their average rate for 700 to 800 words is $300. For details, refer to their editor’s Twitter post. To contact them, visit this page.