News & Pitch Calls from Atlas Obscura

Tuesday, September 10th 2024

Atlas Obscura and Gastro Obscura have Updated their Pitch Guidelines

Atlas Obscura is a guide to the hidden wonders of the world. Gastro Obscura is their food/drink vertical. They have updated their pitch guidelines. They want articles that are “deeply rooted in our physical world, and have a strong sense of place.” The majority of their commissioned articles are between 800 and 1,500 words. They usually pay around $0.50 per word. For details, refer to their editor-in-chief’s post and their pitching guidelines.

Tuesday, October 11th 2022

Wild Life is Accepting Pitches on Mountains, Cities, Islands, and Shallows/Deeps

Wild Life is Atlas Obscura’s upcoming book about the natural world. The book is organized into about 8 chapters. Each chapter covers a different biome. They are currently accepting pitches for the chapters on Mountains, Cities, Islands, and Shallows/Deeps. They are looking for entries (300 to 450-word writeups of interesting creatures in that biome); sidebars (700 to 1,000-word pieces that dig deep into broader phenomena); and interviews (500-word interviews with those who interact closely with nonhuman members of that biome). They will pay $350 for an entry, $800 for a sidebar, and $100 for an interview. For more information, refer to this Twitter thread and this pitch call out.

Saturday, January 29th 2022

Atlas Obscura and Gastro Obscura are Seeking Stories about Women who have Changed the World

Atlas Obscura is a guide to the hidden wonders of the world. Gastro Obscura is their food/drink vertical. Atlas Obscura and Gastro Obscura are seeking pitches for stories about “women on every continent who have changed the world—both in the past and in the present.” They are seeking these stories for Women’s History Month. They are particularly interested in hearing from women of color, LGBTQ community, and other underrepresented groups. Their rates start at $300 and they usually pay around $0.50 per word. The majority of their commissioned articles are 800-1,500 words. They pay a 25% kill fee. For details, read their editor’s Tweet and their pitch guide.

Deadline: February 2nd, 2022

Tuesday, January 4th 2022

Atlas Obscura is Looking for Pitches

Atlas Obscura is “the definitive guide to the world's hidden wonders.” They are looking for pitches for their book, Wild Life. The book is organized into about 8 chapters. Each chapter covers a different biome. They are currently looking for pitches for the Grasslands chapter. They are seeking pitches for entries (300 to 450-word writeups of interesting creatures in that biome); sidebars (700 to 1,000-word pieces that dig deep into broader phenomena); and interviews (500-word interviews with those who interact closely with nonhuman members of that biome). Rate is $350 for an entry, $800 for a sidebar, and $100 for an interview. If interested, send your pitches to wildlife@atlasobscura.com. To learn more, refer to this Twitter thread and this pitch guide.

Deadline: January 12th, 2022

Saturday, August 14th 2021

Atlas Obscura is Looking for Pitches

Atlas Obscura is “the definitive guide to the world's hidden wonders.” They are accepting freelance pitches. They are seeking great storytellers with “hidden and wondrous tales from places around the globe.” Their rates start at $300 and they usually pay around $0.50 per word. The majority of their commissioned articles are between 800 and 1,500 words. For more information, read their editor’s Tweet and their pitch guidelines.

Thursday, July 1st 2021

Atlas Obscura is Seeking Pitches about Deserts

Atlas Obscura is “the definitive guide to the world's hidden wonders.” They are looking for pitches for their new book called Wild Life. The book is about the natural world. It is organized into roughly 8 chapters. Each chapter covers a different biome. They are currently seeking pitches for the chapter on Deserts — both cold and hot. They are seeking pitches for entries (300 to 450-word writeups of interesting creatures in that biome); sidebars (700 to 1,000-word pieces that dig deep into broader phenomena); and interviews (500-word interviews with those who interact closely with nonhuman members of that biome). They will pay $350 for an entry, $800 for a sidebar, and $100 for an interview. Pitches should be sent to wildlife@atlasobscura.com. For details, read this Twitter thread and this pitch guide

Deadline: July 6th, 2021

Tuesday, October 27th 2020

Atlas Obscura is Looking for Story Pitches

Atlas Obscura is “the definitive guide to the world's hidden wonders.” They cover history, geography, exploration, science, and culture. Their soon-to-be-appointed senior editor is looking for pitches. According to their pitch guide, they publish stories that focus on a place. Payment reports indicate that they pay up to $600 for features of about 1,200 words. For details, refer to this Twitter thread and their pitch guide.

Tuesday, September 8th 2020

Atlas Obscura is Looking for Stories

Atlas Obscura is “the definitive guide to the world's hidden wonders.” They cover history, geography, exploration, science, and culture. They are looking for stories that focus on a place. They are actively seeking stories by writers of color and writers from other marginalized groups. According to payment reports, they pay an average of $0.29 per word. For details, refer to their editor’s Tweet and their pitch guidelines.