Most people new to freelance writing are often shocked by the number of websites that do not pay their writers. Some of the biggest and most successful websites do not pay. The Huffington Post, for example, does not pay their freelance writers. That didn’t stop Ariana Huffington from selling the publication for $315 million dollars. Needless to say, we didn’t include that publication in this list. While some publishers have legitimate reasons for not paying, others have no excuse. A hugely profitable website is very different than a non-profit literary journal.

Here, we’ve only included publishers that pay their writers. And to make the cut, they have to pay at least $100 for some of their articles. Many of these publishers pay much more, while some barely scrape by. Either way, all of them pay freelancers far more than the Huffington Post.

   Travel Publishers

1. AMC Outdoors pays up to $700 for feature articles. They “inspire readers to get outside and get involved by providing high-quality coverage of outdoor recreation, education, and conservation topics throughout the Northern Appalachian region, from Maine to Virginia.” To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
2. Transitions Abroad is the magazine all about “travel, work, study, living, and volunteering abroad.” They want practical information gained from first-hand experience. They pay up to $150 an article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
3. The Viator Travel Blog accepts pitches for feature length contributions. They want to share an “insider’s view of travel.” They focus on more traditional tourism. They have a helpful list of cities they would need articles about. They pay $100-$150 for feature. For shorter articles, they pay $40-$45. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
4. Big Grey Horse needs writers from Texas to write about “restaurants, hotels, events, music, bars, etc.” They pay $125-$200 per publication. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
5. MotorHome, the magazine for RV enthusiasts, covers all aspects of the RV lifestyle. They accept queries, and pay writers up to $900 an article. According to their guidelines ”
   The easiest way to sell your work toMotorHome is to query us on an interestingand tightly focused motorhome story.” Learn more here.
6. Wanderlust is a British travel magazine. They accept pitches from freelance writers. They pay £220 per 1,000 published words for feature articles.  They accept submissions to their website as well as their print magazine. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
7. Travel + Leisure Magazine pays $1 a word. The vast majority of their writing is from freelance writers. They have a very large audience, with a circulation of 950,00. The editors “are looking for a compelling reason to assign an article: a specific angle, news that makes the subject fresh, a writer’s enthusiasm for and familiarity with the topic.” To learn more, read their contributor guidelines.
8. Great Escape Publishing helps writers get paid to travel. They publish articles all about helping writers make a living as a travel writer. They pay between $50 and $200, depending on the nature of the writing. Be sure to read the full submission guidelines.
9. Air Canada’s enRoute Magazine. Air Canada’s magazine reaches over 1 million readers a month. They have an international audience, and high expectations. They accept submissions in a variety of categories. They aim to respond to submissions within 30 days. Be sure to read their full submission guidelines.
10. Alaska Airlines Magazine. Not only is Alaska one of the largest airlines in North America, most of the writing in their magazine is written by freelance writers. They are very transparent in terms of pay, with rates ranging from $150 to $700, plus expenses. Contributor Guidelines.
11. Horizon Edition Magazine. Horizon Air is a regional airline affiliated with Alaska Air. Their magazine is largely written by freelance writers. The pay rates start at $100 for short articles, and $450 for feature stories, plus expenses. Here are their full contributor guidelines.
12. Delta Sky Magazine. Delta is a large airline, with a big audience. They accept submissions of articles ranging from 100 word pieces to 2,000 word feature stories. They also have an editorial internship program.  Here are their writer guidelines.
    

    Christian Publishers

13. Power For Living is a weekly take-home publication for Christian adults. They accept feature article submissions on a variety of topics, but they must be inspiring stories that “show the power of Christ at work.” They pay up to $375 for longer articles (1400-1600 words) and $125 for shorter pieces (750-1000). To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
14. devozine is a bimonthly magazine that helps young people mature in their Christian faith. Freelancers are welcome to submit either meditations or weekend feature articles, and they must follow the magazine’s theme list. They pay $25 for meditations and $100 for features. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
15. Pockets is a magazine that publishes “wholesome devotional readings that teach about God’s love and presence in life” to 8- to 12-year-olds. They accept stories and articles that can illustrate a real-life situation, describe children who actively spread God’s Word, or profile a noteworthy Christian individual. They pay $0.14 cents per word ($70 for a 500-word article). To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
16. The Quiet Hour publishes devotionals on a quarterly basis. Each devotional features an anecdote that leads into a Scripture-based insight and closes with a prayer or quotation. Writers are assigned contracts for seven devotionals each quarter, and for each contract, they pay $115 and up, based on experience. For more information, read their submission guidelines.
    

    Short Story Publishers

17. Cicada Magazine is a young adult magazine with a largely teen audience. Their editor says “There’s room in the world for your dark weird truths.” They pay $0.25 a word, up to 9,000 words, meaning a maximum pay of $2,250. Submission Guidelines.
18. Tor is a preeminent speculative fiction. They  pay $2,000 for the first 10,000 words. They define “speculative fiction” broadly. Fantasy, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and alternative histories fit in their guidelines. Submission Guidelines.
19. The Sun is a beautiful, ad free, magazine that publishes writing with a literary bent. According to their website, “The Sun is an independent, ad-free monthly magazine that for forty years has used words and photographs to evoke the splendor and heartache of being human.” They pay up to $1,500 for fiction. Submission Guidelines.
    
20. Clarkesworld is a science fiction magazine that has won numerous awards, including 3 Hugo Awards. They  pay $0.10 a word for the first 5,000 words, and $.08 cents each word after that. They have a maximum of 16,000 words. That means a maximum total payment of up to $1,380. Submission guidelines.
21. Harper’s Magazine is “the oldest general-interest monthly in America.” They typically publish though-provoking articles about contemporary issues. They also accept unsolicited fiction submissions. They’ve published many famous writers, including Jonathan Franze, Annie Dillard, and David Foster Wallace. While they don’t publish their rates, expect them to be very good. Submission Guidelines.
22. The New Yorker is possibly the most profitable magazine in the world. They have a huge and loyal readership. Their fiction has been a staple of the American literary scene for many decades. They accept unsolicited submissions of short stories. Submission Guidelines.
23. Asimov’s Science Fiction is a well established publisher of science fiction. They’ve won 58 Hugo awards and 28 Nebular awards. They pay ~8 cents a word for stories up to 20,000 words. That works out to a maximum of $1,600 per story. Submission Guidelines.
    

    Essay Publishers

24. Puritan Magazine is “committed to publishing the best in new fiction, poetry, interview, essays, and reviews. They are a Canadian literary journal. They pay $100 for essays. Regular submissions are completely free, but there is a $15 fee for submitting to their writing contest. We do not recommend paying the fee. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
25. 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.
26. Oregon Humanities is a literary arts publication based in Oregon state. They are currently calling for submissions from Oregon writers on the topic of “moving,” which can be broadly interpreted. They pay up to $800 for personal essays. The current deadline is July 27th. Learn more.
27. 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.” Read their submission guidelines.
28. LittleFiction|BigTruths is calling for essays on the topic of our “digital lives.” According to their website “The rules are simple: Be brave and be vulnerable. But also be brief.” They pay $100 to published authors. The deadline to submit is July 15, 2015. Submission Guidelines.
29. A Fine Parent accepts submissions on the topic of parenting. Every month they accept essays on a new topic. They have a short submission period every month. They pay $100. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
30. Chicken Soup for the Soul published inspiration 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.
31. 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.
32. 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.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. 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.
    

    Humor Publishers

36. Cracked publishes a variety of comedy articles. They pay $50 for Quick Fixes, which can be read in a minute or less, and $100 for feature-length articles. After your fourth published feature-length article, you’ll get $200 for subsequent pieces. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
37. Reader’s Digest consistently publishes jokes, humorous quotes, and funny stories for both their monthly print magazine and their website. They accept anything from knock-knock jokes to riddles. They pay $100 per accepted submission. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
38. Country Magazine is dedicated to showcasing “the fine flavors and beautiful scenery of rural America.” They publish both funny stories and jokes. They pay $250 for stories that are a page or more in length and $25 for jokes and “short items.” To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
39. Writer’s Digest publishes a back of the page column called “reject a hit.” It’s a humorous take on a “fake” rejection of a famous novel. They pay up to $150 for this column. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
    

    Sports Publishers

40. Sports Spectrum publishes pieces on sports with a Christian-centric worldview. They’re looking for articles that tell a story about a Christian athlete and their testimony. They pay at least 21 cents per word, and articles range from 1,500-2,000 words ($315-$420). To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
41. Black Belt Magazine is the United States’ oldest martial arts publication. They’re looking for educational and/or enlightening articles on the techniques, strategies, philosophies, and history of martial arts. They pay $150 to $300 for 1,000-3,000 word articles with good photos. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
42. Boys’ Quest publishes articles that provide a wholesome, youthful perspective to boys aged 6 to 13, particularly in the 8-10 range. They accept articles on sports that present the topic in a lively fashion from a boy’s point of view. They pay a minimum of 5 cents per word, and articles range from 350 to 750 words ($175-$375). To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
43. The Chronicle of the Horse is a national weekly magazine that focusses on the equestrian world. They address a variety of topics, from dressage and horse care to eventing and steeplechase racing. They pay $165 to $220 for news stories (1,500 words) and $150 to $250 for features (1,500-2,500 words). To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
44. Canoe & Kayak, the world’s largest paddling magazine, accepts article queries from freelance writers. They largely depend on their existing writers, but are open to new writers from time to time. According to WritingCareer.com they pay between $100 and $800 per article. To learn more, be sure to read their contributor guidelines.
45. Tai Chi Magazine is the international magazine for the form of martial arts known as T’ai Chi Chu’an. They pay between $75 and $500 per publication. To learn more about this publication, and to submit, be sure to read their submission guidelines.
    

    Web & Technology Publishers

46. The Layout is a daily design publication that features how-to articles on WordPress. Their articles range from 700 to 1,200 words. They pay between $50 and $150 per article, depending on the subject and word count. Additionally, they provide a list of articles they need written that you can choose from. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
47. PhotoshopTutorials.ws publishes a wide range of articles and tutorials on Photoshop. They pay $25-$50 for articles, $50 for quick tips, and $150-$300 for full tutorials. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
48. DigitalOcean publishes tutorials about cloud hosting, namely Linux and FreeBSD. They pay $200 for long-form tutorials and $100 for short-form tutorials. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
49. VPS Web Hosting publishes a variety of articles on exactly that––VPS web hosting. They pay $50 for VPS related articles, $100 for how-to guides, and $150 for VPS hosting reviews. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
50. Polygon publishes engaging stories based on video game artists, fans, and culture. They pay $0.25 per word ($125 for a 500-word article). To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
51. A List Apart publishes articles about web design, development, and web content. They pay $200 per article. Their articles are typically between 1,500 and 2,000 words. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
52. iPhone Life Magazine is one of the world’s premier iPhone resources, with a readership of over 650,000. Their articles range from how-to pieces to app and gear reviews. They pay $50–$100 per article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
    

    Parenting Publishers

53. A Fine Parent pays $100 for parenting articles, on a different theme every month. They have monthly deadlines. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
54. Home Education Magazine publishes “stories and articles from families who empower their children and teens to live a life rich with self-directed experimentation, thought and action.” They pay $100 for feature articles. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
55. Scary Mommy has over a million likes on Facebook. They publish parenting humor, as well as practical advice for moms. Their basic idea: You don’t have to be a perfect mom. They pay $100 per article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
56. Babble is a parenting website owned by Disney. They publish articles in a number of categories including pregnancy, ‘mom’, ‘baby, ‘body + mind, and relationships. Our sources say they pay around $150 for a 1,200 word article.  To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
    

    News Publishers

57. Salon is a major news media website, as well as a publicly traded company. They regularly hire freelance writers. Expect payments of at least $100. They are known for sharp political commentary, socially trending essays, and high quality writing. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
58. Dissent Newswire publishes news, analysis and comment about the state of political dissent. They pay between $100 and $250 an article, with the length randing from 700 to 1,500 words. To learn more, read their guidelines.
59. The Christian Science Monitor is a major national newspaper. They pay for hard journalism. Their basic rate for a story is $200 to $225. They have very thorough and detailed contributor guidelines.
60. The Nation is a liberal political magazine. They accept submissions of political commentary as well as articles. They pay $150 for commentary and between $350 and $500 for articles. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
61. Youth Today is a trade newspaper for for people who work with children and youth. Think social works, youth workers, administrators, policy directors, etc. They do not list their pay rates directly, but WritingCareer.com reports that they pay between $150 and $2,000 per article, as negotiated between the writer and the editor. To learn more be sure to read their submission guidelines.
    

    Even More Publishers

62. Howlround is all about the theater and performance. They pay up to $150 per article, depending on the category. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
63. iWorkWell publishes articles about human resources. They want “expert HR professionals/consultants/academics and employment or labor attorneys with deep expertise in any area of HR.” They pay $200 or more per article. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
64. eCommerce Insiders publishes articles about online retail and the retail industry. They pay $125 for articles 600 words or longer. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
65. The Motley Fool helps investors make the most of their money and provides financial advice of all kinds. They pay $100 for articles that are “analytically sound, thoughtful, and well-written.” Writers who publish multiple posts will be offered a contract for long-term work. To learn more, read their submission guidelines (click on “Freelance Writer/Analyst”).
66. Western Art & Architecture is the magazine for art collectors and art aficionados in the United States. They pay around $400-$600 an article. They accept submissions in a variety of categories, including artist profiles, home features, “illuminations”, “In the Studio”, and “Collector’s Eye.” To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
67. GreenPrints Magazine publishes personal stores about gardening. If you want to share a story about joy, humor, love, and gardening, then keep reading. They pay up to $150 per story, and are currently open to submissions. The word limit is 2,000 words. Be sure to read their complete guidelines.