Freelance Writing Opportunities
Freelance Writing — 34 Writing Calls For Submissions (as of 04/11/22) — Paid Writing Opportunities For Nonfiction, Journalism, Art, Poetry, and Fiction
Here are the latest calls for submission, pitches, and expiring writing opportunities
Welcome to this week’s roundup of writing calls for pitches and submissions. This week I have 34 different publications and websites currently looking for writers. These could be magazines that recently opened their submissions up, fast-approaching deadlines, shout out from editors looking for something specific right now, or just reminders that they are always open for pitches.
I cover all kinds of writing opportunities. These markets could be fiction, nonfiction, reported pieces, or poetry. Sometimes, these markets are also looking for artwork or photography.
All 34 markets in this article pay their contributors. A good portion of them either pay more than $100.00 minimum, or writers have the potential to make at least $100.00. Although, I do include some lower-paying opportunities as well.
Each of the freelance writing listings in this article will contain the following:
- The name of the publication, anthology, or contest.
- Some way to contact them (at least one of the following — a link to their published guidelines, Twitter handle, or email address).
- What type of writing they are looking for.
- How much they pay.
- Deadline, if any.
I am now including opportunities that I have mentioned before, and the deadline is within 7–13 days which I published the article.
When you scroll through these listings, you may notice this:
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
That is how I am indicating that less than 2 weeks are left on that writing opportunity!
Good luck finding the perfect writing market for your nonfiction, fiction, and poetry!
NEW PROJECT
Looking For: nonfiction
Payment: $400.00+
Deadline: Ongoing
Matt Brown is looking to start a newsletter from current college athletes about how any type of major college reform questions impacts their lives right now. He is offering $400.00 plus a bonus. If interested, DM him.
Agni
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $20.00 per printed page
Deadline: Ongoing
Rachel Mennies, reviews editor at Agni, tweeted that they are looking for pitches for long-form reviews. They pay $20.00 per printed page, and these reviews are typically 1,500–3,000 words. The Twitter thread links general guidelines, review guidelines, and examples of published reviews.
Al Blanchard Award 2022
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $100.00
Deadline: April 30
The 2022 Al Blanchard Award has a deadline of 04/30. They are looking for a New England Crime short story of 5,000 words or less. The story needs to be written by a New Englander or set in New England. The winner received $100.00, publication, free admission to the Crime Bake Conference, and a plaque. The winner is not required to attend the conference.
Apparition Lit — Flash Fiction Monthly Contest
Looking For: Flash Fiction
Payment: $30.00
Deadline: May 1 — May 14
Apparition Lit holds a monthly flash fiction contest between the 1st and 154h of every month. The prize is $30.00. They are looking for flash fiction stories of under 1,000 words, and they must be speculative stories. Make sure you check out the guidelines before submitting. For flash, you need to scroll to the bottom of the page, and it is on the right. Under the 2022 Monthly Prompts is a photograph for each month of the year. Use the photo for the month you are submitting as inspiration.
Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $50.00–250.00
Deadline: April 30
The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Fiction Contest is open until 04/30/22. They are looking for fiction stories of 2,000 words or less. The theme is An Element Mystery, which can be broadly interpreted. The prizes are as follows:
- First Place: $250.00 and publication in the upcoming anthology: An Element of Mystery: Sweet, Funny and Strange Tales of Intrigue.
- Second Place: $100.00 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
- Third Place: $50.00 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
Boulder Weekly
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $0.10 a word
Deadline: Ongoing
Emma Athena, senior editor at Boulder Weekly, tweeted that she is looking for freelance writers of science, news, and culture. They both accept pitches and assign stories. Currently, they are excited for pitches about Boulder County news, environmental and science news, and outdoor and adventure stories. DM Emma if interested.
Dark Recess Press
Looking For: Fiction and Nonfiction
Payment: $0.05 a word ($25.00–250.00) for print; online magazine is $10.00–25.00
Deadline: May 15
The quarterly magazine publishes 8 fiction pieces and 3–5 nonfiction pieces. Here is the breakdown of their publishing formula:
Fiction:
- 1x — 5,000 word story
- 1x — 3,000 word story
- 1x — 2,500 word story
- 2x — 1,500 word story
- 3x — 500 word story
Nonfiction:
- 1 article
- 1–2 briefs
- 1 interview or review
The print magazine pays $0.05 a word.
They publish fiction online, but it is at a substantially lower rate. Here are what they are looking for and the corresponding rates:
- Flash Fiction (up to 1,000 words) — $10.00
- Very Short Fiction (1,000–2,000 words) — $15.00
- Short Fiction (2,000–3,000+ words) — $25.00
Eggplant Emoji Volume 2
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $25.00
Deadline: May 10
Eggplant Emoji has issued a call for submission for their second volume of hilarious short fiction. They want funny stories that are culturally striking and character-driven. Submissions should be 1,000–5,000 words in length, but they will accept stories up to 7,000 words. The intended audience is 17+.
Game Daily
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $25.00–150.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Sam Desatoff, Editor-in-chief of Game Daily, tweeted that he is looking for freelance writers for news help at his website. Pay is $25.00 per post and around $150.00 for features.
The Georgia Review
Details/Website
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $50.00–150.00+
Deadline: May 14
The Georgia Review has open submissions through May 14. They publish prose, poetry, and book reviews. Payment is a year subscription and a monetary payment.
Poetry — you can submit 6–10 poems for review. Payment is $4.00 per published line.
Fiction and Nonfiction– They are willing to read any length; however, they rarely publish prose longer than 9,000 words. Fiction is paid at $50.00 per printed page.
Book Reviews — Typically, they assign book reviews, but they accept submissions. Reviews are either standard reviews (1,400–1,600 words) or essays reviews with a strong thesis (4,000–6,000 words). Reviews are paid a flat rate of $150.00.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Hidden Parts of Publishing, Episode 2
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $250.00–450.00
Deadline: April 18
Book Art Review tweeted that they are looking for pitches for Hidden Parts of Publishing Issue 2. They want pitches about the book writing process. They pay $250.00 for reviews and $450.00 for features.
Hypocrite Reader
Details/Website
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $115.00
Deadline: May 1
Hypocrite Reader tweeted that they are looking for pitches for their next issue about holes. Holes can be anything with a hole — memory holes, wormholes, assholes, potholes, loopholes, foxholes, gloryholes, plotholes, and more.
Input Magazine
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.50–1.00 a word
Deadline: Ongoing
Mark Yarm, features editor for Input Magazine, has tweeted that he is accepting pitches for wild, ambitious, and unexpected story ideas. Email your pitches to [email protected].
Intrepid Times Travel Writing Contest
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $50.00–150.00
Deadline: April 30
The Intrepid Times is looking for a nonfiction travel article of 1,000–1,500 words. The winner will receive $150.00, and the runner-up will receive $50.00. There is no entry fee for this contest. See more details on the contest rules page.
JewFolk
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $50.00–100.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Jewfolk tweeted that they are looking for personal reflections, opinion pieces, and creative work. They pay $50.00–100.00 per article. Send drafts and pitches to [email protected].
The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $1,500.00
Deadline: May 1
The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize is an annual competition. Each year there is one winner for a single poem. The winner received $1,500.00, and their poem is published in The Georgia Review. They get an expenses paid trip to Athens, Georgia, to give a public reading.
National Center For Business Journalism
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $500.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Reynolds Center tweeted that they are always looking to work with great writers. According to their writing guidelines page, they are looking for freelance journalists. Each article should be 500 words and contain at least one illustration or photo.
New Internationalist
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: £250 for 1,000 words
Deadline: Ongoing
Amy Hall, co-editor of New International, recently tweeted that she will be looking at pitches in the upcoming weeks of stories 1,000–2,000 words. Find pitch guidance here. https://newint.org/misc/write-for-us
Nightlight
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $50.00–200.00
Deadline: April 30
Nightlight accepts horror stories written by black creators all over the world. Stories should be between 3,000–10,000 words. Payment is as follows:
- Reprints — $50.00
- Short Fiction (less than 3,000 words) — $75.00
- Short Stories (3,000–10,000 words) — $200.00
The Outerhaven
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $0.04–0.06 a word
Deadline: Ongoing
The Outerhaven has tweeted that they are accepting pitches from gaming and geek culture writers. Payment is as follows:
- $0.04 cents a word up to 600 words
- $0.05 cents a word from 600–800 words
- $0.06 cents a word from 800+ words
According to this pitch guide, they are looking for freelancers to cover video games, TV & Film, entertainment, interviews, reviews, guides, toys, figures/figurines/models. Of course, they are open to creative pitches on subjects not mentioned in that list.
Parsec Short Story Contest
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $50.00–200.00
Deadline: May 1
The Parsec Short Story Contest has a theme of Hearth, Song, and Table for 2022. They ask authors to incorporate at least 2 or the 3 concepts into their speculative stories. Ideas for this could be in the dialogue, the setting, the characters, or the plot. The theme must be central to the story, not just an added detail. The prizes for this contest are as follows:
- First Place: $200.00 and publication
- Second Place: $100.00
- Third Place: $50.00
Queer Sci-Fi Flash Contest
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $25.00–75.00
Deadline: May 1
Queer Sci-Fi is having a flash fiction contest with a theme of clarity. These fiction stories will have a maximum word count of 300 words each, no more. These stories will be used to create an anthology of queer speculative fiction stories. 120 stories will be included in the anthology, and all authors will get a copy, but only the top three authors will get a monetary payment. The monetary payment for the top three authors is as follows:
- 1st Place — $75.00
- 2nd Place — $50.00
- 3rd Place — $25.00
Rogue
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: €120 for 800–1,200 words
Deadline: Ongoing
Cassie Delaney recently tweeted that Rogue Collective accepts pitches on a rolling basis. They accept pitches from all writers, regardless of location.
San Francisco Chronicle — Datebook
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $250.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Samantha Schoech, book editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, tweeted that she is looking for BIPOC to review books of all kinds. Although she prefers people located in the Bay Area, she is open to BIPOC writers from anywhere. Payment is $250.00 for a 450–500 word review.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $0.10 a word
Deadline: Ongoing
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America tweeted they are looking for writers for nonfiction articles relevant to their audience. Payment is $0.10 a word, and the article length is 500–800 words. Their guideline page gives topic ideas and pitching instructions.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Science For The People
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $50.00–300.00
Deadline: April 22
Science For The People Magazine tweeted, that they are accepting pitches for their Autumn 2022 issue, Bleeding Earth. They accept features, book and media reviews, opinions, and artwork. The payment structure is as follows:
- $150.00 — Short Features, columns, reviews, and articles (length 1,200–1,500 words)
- $250.00 — Features (2,000+ words)
- $50.00–100.00 — Infographics
- $50.00–300.00 — Artwork
Shopify
Looking For: Nonfiction,
Payment: $1.00 a word
Deadline: Ongoing
Gregory Ciotti. Marketing with Shopify tweeted that he is looking for freelance writers and journalists with experience covering creators. Send pitches to [email protected]. Pitches should include 1–3 writing samples. They are looking for various content, including profiles, trends, and explainers.
The Sunday Long Read
Looking For: Nonfiction,
Payment: $2,000.00+
Deadline: Ongoing
The Sunday Long Read tweeted that they are looking for pitches on long-reported stories. The floor for these stories (of more than 2,000 words) starts at $2,000.00. You can learn more here.
Sundog
Looking For: Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry
Payment: $25.00
Deadline: May 1
Sundog publishes 2 print issues a year — September 1 and March 1. Submissions for the September issue are due on May 1. They accept poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Short stories can be up to 3,000 words long or up to 3 flash fiction pieces of 750 words or less each. Nonfiction can be up to 4,000 words for one story or 3 flash nonfiction essays of less than 1,000 words each. For poetry, they prefer traditional poems, and you can submit up to 3.
Tape
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: £80
Deadline: Ongoing
Tape has tweeted that they are accepting pitches. To see some of their past commissions, check this page out. https://www.tapecollective.co.uk/blog
The Unwritten
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: £75
Deadline: Ongoing
Rachel Charlton-Dailey, founder and editor of The Unwritten, tweeted that she is looking for pitches from disabled writers on how the cost of living crisis will affect the community.
The Victorian Writer
Looking For: Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry
Payment: $70.00–200.00
Deadline: May 6
The Victorian Writer publishes poetry and nonfiction articles about the writing life and the craft of writing. Submissions for the Spring Edition close on May 6, and the theme is Tapestry. Payment is as follows:
- $70.00 for poetry
- $100.00 for articles of 600 words
- $200.00 for articles of 1,200 words
Wired
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $500.00–2,500.00+
Deadline: Ongoing
Zak Jason, research director and editor at Wired, tweeted that he is looking for magazine feature pitches. According to their pitch guide, they pay $500.00 for short online pieces, but their print story fees start at 2,500.00 and go up from there.
Their features range from 2,000 to 10,000 words, but the sweet spot is around 5,000 words.
Word Works
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $125.00 per published page
Deadline: Ongoing
Word Works tweets that they are looking for submissions from BC and Yukon writers on the theme of writing into a new future. Payment is $125.00 per published page. One page is around 500 words, and a two-page spread is about 1,100 words. They will also consider longer articles. If you have an article that fits the theme but has been published elsewhere, they will consider reprints at $50.00 per reprint.
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