Call For Submissions — Freelance Writing Opportunities
Freelance Writing — 38 Writing Calls For Submissions (as of 02/21/22) — Get Paid For Your Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry
These markets include literary magazines, consumer magazines, and websites seeking nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Find the perfect market to pitch your ideas or send your completed manuscripts to today!
Are you looking for magazines and websites that are actively looking for submissions and pitches right now? If so — you are in luck! This article contains 38 markets with open submission periods or recently requested pitches!
Each of these freelancing writing markets contains the name of the publication, a guidelines website (or main website if guidelines are not online), what they are looking for, how much they pay, and any deadlines coming up. When there is no guidelines/contact page for the website, I have included email addresses or links to recent tweets by the editors of these publications.
Each market here gives writers the potential to make a few bucks (sometimes literary markets pay a little lower than other types of magazines and websites). About 70% of these opportunities pay $100.00 or more!
Good luck finding the perfect writing market for your nonfiction, fiction, and poetry!
Atlas Obscura
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $300.00+ — typically they pay about $0.50 a word
Deadline: Ongoing
Atlas Obscura’s mission is to inspire curiosity and wonder related to the world. They typically accept pitches for Places or Stories — which would be places you have seen or been before or stories that focus on one place. They also accept pitches for food-related stories.
They are looking for well-researched well-reported stories. The general topics they cover include geography, history, science, exploration, and culture.
Bennington Review
Looking For: Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry
Payment: $20.00–200.00
Deadline: May 8
The Bennington Review is published twice a year, and their current reading period is open to May 8th. They are looking for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
For poetry, send between 3 and 5 poems for consideration. They will pay $20.00 per accepted poem.
For Fiction and Nonfiction, they want 30 pages or less. If the work you are submitting is an excerpt, it must work as a stand-alone story. They will pay $100.00 for accepted works of 6 pages or less and $200.00 for 6 pages or more.
Bright Wall/Dark Room
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $100.00
Deadline: March 12
Bright Wall/Dark Room opens submissions on the 15th of each month, and they stay open for approximately 3 weeks. Each month they announce a different theme. This month, the theme is all about actor Paul Newman.
They are looking for critical essays 2,500–4,000 words in length. They want writers to send in the manuscript, not a pitch.
Cafe Mom
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $75.00+
Deadline: Ongoing
CafeMom is looking for pitches for articles to explain NFT’s. Typically CafeMom pays $75.00 for 500 words, but Lauren Gordon tweeted that this price may be negotiable for this particular article.
Lauren Gordon is the managing editor of CafeMom, and you can email your pitches to her at [email protected].
Cemetery Gates Anthology — Picnic in the Graveyard
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.07 a word ($140.00–280.00)
Deadline: April 1
Cemetery Gates Media is gathering horror stories for their upcoming anthology called Picnic in the Graveyard. They are looking for horror stories with a setting of a cemetery or some type of burial space. These stories should be between 2,000 to 4,000 words, and the payment for accepted stories is $0.07 a word.
Cthulhu FhCon
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.03 — $0.08 a word ($60.00–480.00)
Deadline: April 15
This is an opportunity to write a fictional horror story about something terrible happening at a Con event. This is a themed project where all stories are based on the same scenario (check out the guidelines page for more info).
They are guaranteeing that they will pay at least $0.03 a word; however, there is a Kickstarter associated with this project, and depending on how well that does, payment can go as high as $0.08 a word.
They are looking for stories between 2,000–6,000 words in length.
Dark Matter Anthology Human Monsters
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.08 a word ($160.00–320.00)
Deadline: March 15
Dark Matter is releasing a horror anthology later this year called Human Monsters. They are seeking horror stories between 2,000–4,000 words for this anthology. They accept simultaneous submissions for this anthology, as long as you pull it if it is accepted elsewhere.
They specifically enjoy dark psychological thrillers with twists and turns. They are looking for human monsters. This means no supernatural, paranormal, science fiction, or creatures for this story.
DW Global Ideas & Environment
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: €350+
Deadline: Ongoing
They are looking for reported features on climate change and the environment. They want stories that feature effective or creative solutions or that are being told from a unique or original perspective.
The features they publish are typically 800–1,000 words. Payment usually starts at €350+, but this will be discussed during the pitching process.
Eat, Drink, Do Good Newsletter
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $100.00
Deadline: Ongoing
The Eat, Drink, Do Good Newsletter is looking for pitches with a unique perspective on a social justice-related topic. If interested, pitches can be sent to [email protected].
Payment is $100.00 for the article and an additional $50.00 for accompanying audio/video content. Check out the tweet thread here for more details.
Economic Hardship Reporting Project
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $1.00 a word
Deadline: Ongoing
The Economic Hardship Reporting Project tweeted https://twitter.com/econhardship/status/1494778697680756737 that they are looking for pitches about the eviction crisis, tenant protections, and foreclosure. Payment is $1.00 per word.
In the Twitter feed, they ask you to check out some of the previous housing stories they have commissioned before (including a link). If reported stories on serious topics are something you would like to pursue, this is an excellent opportunity.
The First Line
Looking For: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry
Payment: $5.00–50.00
Deadline: May 1
The First Line is a literary journal where each piece of writing starts with the same first line. The First line for the Summer issue is:
“Thomas hadn’t expected to be alive when the town’s time capsule was opened.”
All entries must begin with this line. They publish mostly fiction, but they do accept nonfiction and poetry as well.
- Fiction pays $25.00–50.00 a story.
- Nonfiction pays $25.00 an article.
- Poetry pays $5.00–10.00 a poem.
- You will also receive one contributor’s copy.
First Peoples Myths & Tales
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.06–0.08 a word ($120.00–320.00)
Deadline: March 16
Flame Tree Press is looking for stories for an upcoming anthology called First Peoples Myths & Tales. They accept previously published stories ($0.06 a word) and unpublished stories ($0.08 a word).
They want stories about the first people in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. These stories would be written by writers with an appropriate heritage for the story they are telling.
Stories should be 2,000–4,000 words and can be folkloric, mythic, speculative, or fantasy.
Grist Solutions Lab — Climate Fiction
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $300.00–3,000.00
Deadline: May 5
Grist Solutions Lab hosts a no-entry-fee contest called, Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction For Future Ancestors. Stories are Due 05/05/22.
They are looking for 3,000–5,000 words stories, and the story should be set somewhere between today and the year 2200. This short story should “show a path to a clean, green and just future.”
The core elements they are looking for in a winning story are hope, cultural setting, vivid characters, creative solutions, and decolonized futures. Winners will receive a cash prize and publication on Fix’s site in the fall of 2022. Prizes are as follows:
1st Prize — $3,000.00
2nd Place — $2,000.00
3rd Place — $1,000.00
9 Additional Finalists: $300.00
Hill City Bride
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $50.00
Deadline: Ongoing
According to this tweet, Hill City Bride is opening up pitching to anyone interested in writing about weddings and honeymoons. They are looking for articles 600–800 words in length. Send pitches to [email protected].
Insider Life
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: Up to $1.00 per word ($1,000.00–2,000.00)
Deadline: Ongoing
According to this tweet, Insider Life has put out a call for pitches. Allie Pape, the features editor, has asked for new pitches. Their google doc pitch document is 4 pages long with all the details and multiple samples of the type of work they are looking for.
They cover multiple topics such as weddings, travel, the royals, home and design, fashion, beauty, style, food, drink, parenting, entertainment, health, and digital culture.
Typically, features are 1,000–2,000 words and reported pieces. These are deep dives into a topic that can involve interviews and sources.
Inverse
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $150.00–500.00+
Deadline: Ongoing
Jen Glennon, the senior gaming editor at Inverse tweeted that she is looking for pitches for a special spring issue called Love Games. She is specifically looking for thirst traps, memorable romances, sexy mods, and unsinkable ships in video games. You can email your pitch to her at [email protected]. The subject line should be “Love Games Pitch.”
Rates start at $150.00 for essays, blogs, and listicles, 300+ for interviews, and $500+ for long-form features.
Macro Mag
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $20.00–60.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Macro Mag is currently open to submissions for their topic of Beginnings for Spring 2022. For medium-length submissions of 1,500–2,500 words payment is $20.00–40.00. For their feature-length submissions of 4,000 words, payment is $60.00.
They are not looking for submissions, only full-length manuscripts.
Masks Literary Magazine Prose and Poetry Contest
Looking For: Poetry and Prose (fiction, nonfiction, flash fiction)
Payment: $100.00
Deadline: April 15
Masks Literary Magazine is holding a no-fee contest for prose and poetry. The prize for each category is $100.00 and publication.
They are looking for single-page poems (36 lines or less) for poetry. You may submit up to 3 poems for consideration.
For prose, they are looking for pieces of 3,000 words or less. You can submit flash fiction, fiction, or nonfiction. However, if you choose to submit nonfiction, you must include any appropriate sources for your material.
MayDay March Madness Flash Fiction Contest
Looking For: Flash Fiction
Payment: $50.00–100.00
Deadline: March 2
MayDay is currently hosting a no-fee flash fiction content. To enter, you will need to first follow them on social media (links on the guidelines page) and like or share a story before entry. Then you can submit a flash fiction story between 100–500 words.
The editors will choose the top 16 entries, then those entries will be voted on using social media. The prizes are as follows:
1st Place — $100.00
2nd Place — $50.00
4 runner-ups — the story will be published, and they will receive a prize box with books and other items from their co-sponsors.
Men’s Health
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $150.00–350.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Evan Romano, the culture editor for Men’s Health, recently tweeted a reminder that they are always looking for entertainment and culture pitches.
Some examples of this would be hot takes, Q&A’s, interviews, and, as he put it, “explainer-y stuff.” This is for their website, not their print magazine and web rates are usually between $150.00–350.00 depending on the assignment.
You can pitch Evan directly at [email protected].
National Center For Business Journalism
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $500.00
Deadline: Ongoing
The National Center For Business Journalism is looking for articles from freelance journalists to cover topics for businessjournalism.org. If interested, you should pitch an article relating to the current business journalism world, including career advice, tops, or other resources for other freelance journalists.
They want each article to be about 500 words, and it must include at least one illustration or photo. The payment is $500.00.
The New Republic
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $400.00+
Deadline: Ongoing
The New Republic has an open call for submissions for the topic sold short, which is about inequality. They are looking for heavily reported articles with a strong angle. Typically, articles start at $400.00. If interested, send a pitch to the email listed on the guidelines / open call page.
New Scientist
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $300.00+
Deadline: Ongoing
Although The New Scientist guidelines do not specifically list how much they pay, online reports indicate around $300.00.
They are looking for new and exclusive stories. New Scientist covers health, technology, space, and physics. They are not looking for stories already covered by mainstream media.
Ninth Letter
Looking For: Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction
Payment: $25.00–150.00
Deadline: February 28 & March 31
Ninth Letter has two open calls for regular submissions and one for the web edition. There is a $3.00 submission fee.
The regular submissions are due February 28th, and payment is $25.00 per printed page, up to $150.00. They are looking for prose and poetry.
For their special web edition, the deadline is March 31. They will pay $25.00 for a poem or $75.00 for fiction or essays.
Oar
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $350.00–500.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Oar is a website that helps people deal with Alcohol Use Disorder. They are looking for writers who suffer from this disorder and can write personal essays, guides, or opinion pieces. Payment will be between $350.00–500.00 depending upon the research involved and the length of the piece.
OPTF
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $350.00 AUD
Deadline: March 14
OPTF is looking for writers to pitch articles and short essays (750–1,500 words) about cyber security issues, digital privacy, and digital rights. They are specifically looking for stories with a personal angle or something that has not been properly covered by mainstream media.
Polygon
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $300.00+
Deadline: Ongoing
Nicole Clark from Polygon tweeted that she is looking for pitches on internet, trend, culture, and fandom analysis and that payment starts at $300.00. In another tweet, she added that they are also still interested in culture stories tied to new releases and pitches for TikTok virality and subculture and more related topics.
If interested, you can send her a pitch directly — [email protected].
Popsugar Australia
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $250.00–500.00
Deadline: March 1
Alana Young from Popsugar recently tweeted that Popsugar is looking for content about accessibility in games for their gaming category. The rate is between $250.00–500.00 for this piece. They will take pitches from anyone, regardless of location. You can email your pitches to [email protected].
They are specifically looking for pitches that cover the following (per tweet 2):
- Having as self-care and how accessibility impacts experience.
- Personal experience in regards to accessibility in games.
- Why accessibility in games matters and the best accessibility features.
- What is the future of accessibility in games is?
- Listicles of the most accessible games.
Prism
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $0.40 a word ($280.00–480.00)
Deadline: Ongoing
Prism has put out a call for pitches for nonfiction features. Payment is $0.40 a word. They cover mass incarceration and policing, racial justice, workers’ rights, electoral justice, gender justice, and climate emergency.
They are looking for reported new stories, features, and profiles (up to 1,200 words) or commentaries, op-eds, and personal essays (700–900 words). These pieces should be on the topics already mentioned, or they can be other stories that:
“…Have the potential to impact lasting social, culture and systems change.”
Red Dog Anthology — Gone
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: £30
Deadline: Opens March 1, Closes May 31
Red Dog is looking for submissions for their upcoming Anthology — Gone. They want crime fiction short stories of at least 3,500 words but no more than 6,000 words. All crime sub-genres are accepted.
Rize
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $200.00+
Deadline: ongoing
Rize’s purpose is to disrupt white supremacy in the art world by bringing diverse stories forward. They publish stories about QTBIPCO and BIPOC people in the categories of art, music, culture, and features. You can check out some of the content already published to see if this is a good fit for you.
You can send a pitch or completed manuscript to Rize and links to previously published articles. Pay rates start at $200.00 but can increase based on the story’s complexity, length of the article, and original photography included.
She Knows
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $300.00+
Deadline: ongoing
Louisa Ballhaus, the entertainment editor of She Knows, recently tweeted that she wants to expand cultural content on their website. She is primarily looking for reported pieces and topics, including pop culture, celeb life, identity, power, money, and social media.
Send your pitch and recent clips to Louisa at [email protected].
Shredded: A Sports and Fitness Body Horror Anthology
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.03 a word ($60.00–135.00)
Deadline: Opens March 1, Closes March 31
This anthology is seeking horror stories related to sports and fitness. The Word count should be between 2,000–4,500 words. Accepted submissions will be announced by April 15th. The anthology will be published in a hard copy and an electronic book in July.
Sojourners
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $250.00–350.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Sojourners is looking for freelance writers to create reported pieces, commentary, and analysis on issues such as social justice or anything that would appeal to their faith-based audience. You can either pitch your idea or send an already completed submission of up to 1,000 words in length.
The guidelines page states that they pay based on research and depth of reporting, but it has been reported online that they typically pay $250.00–350.00.
Spy
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $25.00 an hour
Deadline: Ongoing
According to this tweet, SPY is looking for product reviewers, writers, and experts to write about topics such as grooming, gadgets, gear, home, health, pets, sex, and more.
You can either DM SPY from the tweet or send an email to [email protected].
Water Dragon Publishing — The Future’s So Bright
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.02 a word ($40.00–160.00)
Deadline: April 30
Water Dragon Publishing has issued a call for submissions on the theme “The Future’s So Bright…”
They are looking for stories between 2,000 to 8,000 words about the future and what you think it will be like (positive viewpoints only). Will the environment be better once humans have solved the environmental crisis we currently face? Will we live in a technology-driven paradise? Will we live in colonies on Mars? Will space travel be like going on a cruise ship?
They are looking for science fiction, fantasy, weird fiction, and humor.
Whetstone Magazine
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $300.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Whetstone Magazine is always open to pitches. Payment is $300.00 with no specific word count. Although there is no word count, they prefer shorter pieces, and they must be original to them, with no reprints.
Whetstone Magazine is a print and online magazine covering global food origins and culture. You can check out the journal section of their site to see the type of articles they are interested in.
Wirecutter
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $300.00–1,500.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Wirecutter is part of The New York Times, and they have recently tweeted that they are looking for writers who cover Smarthomes. You can DM them through the tweet if you are interested.
According to the pitch info page (which was just updated 02/10/22), they generally pay $300.00. However, an update to an existing review pays $500.00, and a new review or a rewrite of an existing review pays around $1,500.00.
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