Local News Matters brings community coverage to the SF Bay Area so that the people, places and topics that deserve more attention get it. According to their pitch guide, they pay the equivalent of $20/hour to start; that means about $150 for a short story of about 400-500 words with one to two sources that can be turned around in a day or $250 to $300 for a longer story of about 800-1,000 words with several sources that takes about two days to report and write. To learn more, refer to this page.
Indie Traveller is dedicated to DIY travel—adventure-seeking and following your own path. Articles need to be complimentary to what is already on the site and help a fellow traveller discover a new place. According to their guidelines, their base rate is $0.07 per word. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Plaid Horse is a print and digital publishing company providing exceptional coverage for the hunter/jumper/breeding disciplines at reasonable rates. Most articles generally fall between 900 and 1300 words unless otherwise noted or assigned. Rates vary by experience level, to be agreed upon prior to writing. To learn more, refer to this page.
Birmingham Parent Magazine is dedicated to providing families with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate the challenges and joys of parenthood with confidence. They are always looking for freelance writers to enhance their magazine and website. Their first priority is to find top-notch, original stories that reflect the diverse communities of Central Alabama. Payment is upon publication; pay rates are not mentioned. To learn more, refer to this page.
Asia Times is the world’s foremost English-language digital platform dedicated to providing comprehensive coverage of Asian news, views, and analysis. They welcome news articles, analysis pieces and op-eds. You must indicate clearly in your pitch that you seek compensation; payments are agreed by the newsroom in advance. To learn more, refer to this page.
Inkstick's work reaches beyond the policy bubble to deliver relatable human stories alongside hard-hitting news and analysis. They publish contributions in the commentary (1000 words), essays, and reporting formats. They pay only for original, reported articles. Pay rates are not mentioned. To learn more, refer to this page.
Corner Post seeks to explore human relationships to land and landscape unique to the Colorado Plateau, with an eye toward cultural, economic and environmental resilience and sustainability. They welcome pitches from freelance journalists and writers with an intimate knowledge and understanding of the land and cultures of the Colorado Plateau. According to their pitch guide, they pay $.75 per word. To learn more, refer to this page.
BuzzFeed is committed to making the internet better: providing trusted, quality, brand-safe news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people; making content on the internet more inclusive, empathetic, and creative; and inspiring their audience to live better lives. They welcome pitches for lists (with a minimum of 15 items in each list), how-to guides or explainers, super timely or trending news stories, first-person stories about trying something interesting, and more. Rates vary depending on amount of reporting or research, turn-around time, and topic expertise. To learn more, refer to this page.
Shelterforce is an award-winning, independent newsroom that uses the power of journalism to inspire, inform, and hold accountable all those working toward more just, equitable, and thriving communities. They accept pitches from freelance reporters who have experience covering housing, economic development, community development, neighborhood revitalization, community organizing, or related topics. They only pay freelance reporters to whom they have assigned stories or accepted pitches that involve original reporting and research. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Appeal is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to exposing how the U.S. criminal legal system fails to keep people safe and perpetuates harm. They prioritize pitches about politics (elections, legislation, policies, and reform efforts), alternatives (critical analysis of solutions to elements of the current criminal legal system), stories reporting on, and from, the South, Midwest, or rural areas, and op-eds and personal essays written by people impacted by the criminal-legal system. According to their pitch guide, they pay $1/ commissioned word for reported and first-person pieces up to 2,000 words. Payment for longer pieces is negotiable. To learn more, refer to this page.
Raseef22 is focused on a new awareness of citizenship and on promoting new values in line with human rights to build a better future. They are connected to the pulse of the street and raise issues of concern in the 22 Arab countries. They are looking for content that challenges the status quo, breaks down barriers and covers what other media platforms refuse to cover. Payment information is provided if they accept your article proposal. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Elephant aims to be at the center of dialogue, community building, and speaking truth in a quest to rethink the African condition to guarantee a life of inclusivity and dignity for all. Features are between 1,500, and 3,500 words. They seek well-researched, honest critiques, critical essays and sharp-eyed perspectives on a broad range of topics addressed from a Pan-African lens. Because they are a not-for-profit organization, their commissioning budget is small. To learn more, refer to this page.
Deleted Saves is “a quarterly publication for critical analysis of video games and their place in culture.” They accept pitches from both new and experienced writers. According to their guidelines, they pay $275 per piece. If interested, send your pitches to deletedsaves@gmail.com. To learn more, refer to this page.
Senior Executive Media is a publisher and community builder serving leaders of niche industries and disciplines. They strive to bring senior executives from around the world together to share business insights, learn from their peers, and showcase their individual and organizational strategies. They are always looking for independent freelance journalists with deep and diverse networks of sources to report and craft timely, actionable content. If they accept your pitch, they will pay you for your writing and reporting. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Barefoot Writer Club exists to help people make money through freelance writing. Their editorial lineup includes: Monthly Motivator (600-800 words), Productivity Secrets (400-600 words), Cool Tools (400-600 words), Thinking Like a Writer (700-900 words), Become a Better Writer (700-900 words), and Glicken (600-800 words). According to their guidelines, they pay $100 to $300 for published articles. To learn more, refer to this page.
CSS-Tricks is a web design community powered by DigitalOcean. They are looking for articles in the range of 600-1,500 words, and visual aides are strongly encouraged. According to their guidelines, they pay $250 USD for the vast majority of articles. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Humanist is a quarterly publication of ideas and action focusing on the philosophy of humanism—a naturalistic and progressive outlook informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion. They are interested in receiving pitches for pieces that explore specialized topics (from politics to pop culture) relevant to humanism, columns recounting life experiences or “deconversion” stories, editorials, and book and film reviews. They have a limited budget for compensating authors. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Big Idea is “the largest and leading online resource for the arts in New Zealand.” They’re open for submissions from both experienced and emerging writers. They publish long and short-form articles covering “news, events, people, places, and concerns in the arts sectors.” Their focus is “exclusively on the arts in Aotearoa or New Zealand artists.” At the moment, they’re commissioning stories in the following columns: Pathfinders (800 to 1,200 words), Road Trip (800 to 1,200 words), Soapbox (800 to 1,200 words), Feature (up to 2,500 words), News (up to 1,200 words), and Arts Smarts. According to their guidelines, pay is about 30 cents a word. If interested, send your pitches to editor@thebigidea.co.nz. To learn more, refer to this page.
The Oxford American is “a national magazine dedicated to featuring the very best in Southern writing while documenting the complexity and vitality of the South.” They’re looking for dispatch pitches for OA Now. Dispatches “identify and draw attention to the space where ‘policy meets people,’ centering human impact and celebrating counter-narrative.” According to their guidelines, pay is $300 per article (500 to 2,000 words). To learn more, refer to their submissions page.
Podcastle is an audio magazine. They’re open to ‘open to all sub-genres of fantasy, from magical realism to urban fantasy to slipstream to high fantasy, and everything in between.' According to their guidelines, they pay 8c/word for fantasy stories of up to 6,000 words, $100 flat rate for reprints over 1,500 words, and $20 flat rate for flash fiction reprints (stories below 1,500 words). To learn more, refer to this page.
The Oval Update is an Estonia-based independent sports media company. They’re seeking track and field article pitches for their opinion, interview, and coaching sections. Most of their op-eds are between 600 and 1,000 words, with 700 to 800 words being the ideal length. Interviews are around 1,000 words, and coaches corner articles are also around 1,000 words. According to their guidelines, pay is $0.10 per word. To learn more, refer to this page.
Bourbon Penn publishes highly imaginative stories with a healthy dose of the odd. They are looking for genre / speculative stories and are quite partial to slipstream, cross-genre, magic realism, absurdist, and the surreal. According to their guidelines, they pay 5¢ / word, and stories should have 2000 - 7500 words. To learn more, refer to this page.
At DreamForge Magazine, they welcome readers with a passion for positive fantasy and science fiction. According to their guidelines, they pay $0.08/word for original fiction up to 7,000 words. Speculative poetry is also welcome. To learn more, refer to this page.
Trollbreath Magazine is a journal of speculative fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, publishing electronic issues on a quarterly schedule. They consider original speculative fiction up to 7500 words and original, unpublished poetry. According to their guidelines, they pay 4 cents (United States currency) per word for original fiction works, and 1 cent per word for reprints at the time of publication. They pay a $25 flat fee for poems. To learn more, refer to this page.
Flash Point Science Fiction is a speculative fiction magazine. They want stories from 100 to 1,000 words in length, and are looking for all kinds of fantasy. According to their guidelines, they pay $0.02 per word for first worldwide rights and for non-exclusive reprint rights. To learn more, refer to this page.
Adi Magazine is a literary magazine of global politics that is dedicated to rehumanizing policy. They publish fiction, poetry, nonfiction (essays, interviews, and reportage), and translated work alongside original illustrations. According to their guidelines, they pay $600 for essays, $250 for interviews, $150 per poem, $500 for short fiction (up to 5,000 words), and $200 for flash fiction (under 1,000 words). To learn more, refer to this page.
Paper Lanterns is a literary journal for all things to do with Teen and Young Adult Literature. They accept creative writing (short stories, poetry, flash fiction) and features (non fiction/essays/opinion pieces). According to their guidelines, they pay €66 for poetry and flash fiction, €110 for short stories, and €115 for essays (non-fiction). To learn more, refer to this page.
At 34 Orchard, they like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. They’re not genre-specific; they just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad. Their short fiction is from 1000 to 6000 words. According to their guidelines, they pay $50. To learn more, refer to this page.
CatsCast publishes speculative cat stories monthly. According to their guidelines, they pay $0.08 per word USD for original fiction (6000 word maximum), $100 flat rate for reprints over 1,500 words, and $20 flat rate for flash fiction reprints (stories below 1,500 words). To learn more, refer to this page.
Air and Nothingness Press is a publisher of French poetry in translation, fantasy, science fiction & handmade books. According to their guidelines, they pay $0.08/word for the stories they publish. To learn more, refer to this page.