By Vanessa Le

When I joined Writing Launch, I was clueless about writing. Oh, I knew that I wanted to write and that I had something to say; in fact, I had written a couple of short articles and sent them to friends and family. However, I had no idea where to focus my time and energy. I had no idea how many words to aim for in an article. And I had no idea where to get them published.

Today, just six months later, I am a happily published author. I have good relationships with the editors of two different freelance magazines and have a few other places that I am investigating for the future. I don’t write a lot – having four kids age five and under makes that rather impossible – but I write as a late-night/early-morning/while the kids are in the sandbox kind of hobby.

Writing Launch has some very helpful advice for beginning writers: Find your niche. Perhaps you (like me) are scrolling through pages of magazines that are looking for freelance writers, but coming up blank. There are lots of interesting writing opportunities available! But what do you want to write? End of the world fantasy? Maybe you can read it, but are not detail-oriented enough to write more than five words in that genre. Politics? Perhaps you know exactly where you stand, but don’t have the up-to-date knowledge to write compellingly in that area. So, try thinking about it from a different angle. What have you already written? What do you already know? What types of things do you enjoy reading? What are you passionate about? For me, the answer was obvious: Christian thought and practice. But I did not think I could get paid for writing about that.

Once you have established your niche, you need to identify the publications with which you want to work. Again, Writing Launch has great advice: Start with a publication very familiar to you, preferably one to which you already subscribe.

Having figured out my niche, I began to think about a Christian magazine (The Outlook) that I grew up reading. Although I was not a subscriber when I began writing, I had been asking my mom to pass her old copies of the magazine on to me.  I really enjoyed their content and style and was very familiar with them. The first articles that I had written were very short (about 700 words), whereas the typical Outlook article is much longer (1800 – 2300 words).

I initially submitted an article to a different publication based on a recommendation from a friend. They kindly asked me to revise, improve, and expand it, and also sent me their list of suggestions for beginning writers. After I did those things, I realized that my revised article felt like it would fit the content of The Outlook very well. So, I visited their website, and again, using the advice from Writing Launch (to be really familiar with what the editors want), I basically memorized their list of requirements. The Outlook does not require you to send them a pitch; rather, they assume that anyone interested in writing for them will be well versed in Reformed Christianity. The Outlook does not contract out its writing; it is done by freelance writers, and as a writer you can decide how often you want to submit articles to them. The Outlook is perfect for my interest and availability as a writer since it is published six times a year.

When you want to get established as a regular writer with your favorite magazine, expertise is your best friend. Make sure that you know what you are talking about.  Make sure that your article fits its content and style, and that it compelling addresses topics that the editor wants to include. The editor of The Outlook responded to my first article with: “I’m pleased to say we would love to publish your article. It is a very good article.” Aim for prompting that kind of response. Your first interaction with an editor is especially important: Keep him or her interested and engaged, make them excited to see your name pop up in the inbox.

There is one more key to success: get a small group of people who will be your proofreaders. Preferably, your group will include people who are also interested and passionate about the subjects about which you are writing. You might be surprised at who will end up being a good proofreader. 

My list includes a 19-year-old former student and fellow author; a friend with a doctorate in music; my pastor; a seminary professor who teaches writing; and a bunch of my family members. Good proofreaders catch those middle-of-the-night typos, tell you when you missed an important connection, or, as in my case, add and subtract punctuation in all sorts of places.

Oh, and one more thing: if your proofreaders tell you to take out your favorite point, do us all a favor and take it out. If someone is giving their time and effort to make you a better writer, the least you can do is take their advice.

Each person’s story as a writer will be different. Each person has unique knowledge and experiences. If you start with your passions and interest, submit your writing to a familiar publication, follow their writing guidelines, establish yourself as an expert, and get good feedback from others, you are well on your way to running from the mailbox yelling, “I just got paid to write!”

Vanessa Le is a freelance writer and Writing Launch student. She’s based in Orlando, Florida.

Dear Writers,

One of the best things about Writing Launch is our members only database of over 1,850 publishers. It is easily searchable, and organized by category.

Below is a list of ten publishers in the database that pay up to $1,000 or more per article.

If you want access to the full database, you’ll need to join Writing Launch. We just opened enrollment – and are offering a free month of membership to new members. This means you can get everything we have to offer, completely free. Just be sure to use the coupon code DONATE.

Join Writing Launch here.

Also – if you’re an enrolled member of Writing Launch, please send us a draft pitch before you send it to the publishers. We often can suggest small changes that make your pitch much more likely to be accepted. As a member, we’ll give you feedback on as many pitches as you want, as part of your membership. (Of course, in addition to our in-depth courses.)

If you have any questions, feel free to email us: support@writinglaunch.com

– Jacob Jans

Truly*Adventurous is a digital magazine that publishes longform stories by established and powerful nonfiction writers. About the kind of stories that they publish, they say: “Unlike most magazines, we have no topical mandates and couldn’t care less about chasing the news cycle. We tell incredible true stories by amazing writers. That’s it. We’ve published a lot of true-crime and real-life horror—subjects we love—but we also publish stories about wild adventures, clashing cultures, devilish mysteries, and unsung heroes.” According to their editor, payment starts at $1,000 plus a revenue share model. Send your pitches to team@trulyadventure.us. Learn more about them here and contact them here.

Roadtrippers Magazine “celebrates road culture, Americana, and the great outdoors.” They are always looking for new contributors to tell stories from the North American road. They are currently only accepting pitches focused on the United States and Canada. They typically pay $250 to $1,000 based on word count. Details can be found here.

GIA (Grantmakers in the Arts) Reader is a publication that is dedicated to the field of arts funding. They publish 3 times a year. Their content is focused on 4 primary areas which are “racial equity, arts education, capitalization, and support for individual artists.” They welcome “submissions of previously unpublished content of various lengths, ranging from short reflections to long-form articles to poetry.” They pay $150 to $350 for articles of 500 to 2,000 words, $350 to $1,000 for articles of 2,000 to 4,000 words, and at least $50 per poem. For details, read their submission guidelines.

Bridal Guide Magazine offers everything that is needed to plan a wedding. They offer the latest wedding trends, registry advice, honeymoon information, real wedding photos, beauty tips, and more. According to one payment report, they paid $1,000 for a 2,000-word story. Keep in mind that this is a publication that may have been affected by the pandemic, as expensive weddings are currently much less common. Contact them here.

The Correspondent is “an online platform for unbreaking news, committed to collaborative, constructive, ad-free journalism.” They accept story pitches. They focus on stories that are “transnational, collaborative and constructive.” They pay $0.40 per word which means that writers will get $600 for 1,500 words and $1,000 for 2,500 words. Details here.

Faith & Leadership is a biweekly, online magazine that is a learning resource for Christian leaders. They are always seeking new writers and stories. Their feature articles are 1,500-2,000 words, essays are 800-1,000 words, and Q&As are 1,000-1,500 words. They pay $1,500 for feature articles and $300 for essays. They also pay for mileage, parking, and other expenses. For details, read their submission guidelines.

LiisBeth is a “a reader and community supported zine that examines entrepreneurship, start-up culture, and the innovation eco-system through a progressive feminist lens.” They pay up to $2,000 for articles. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

Legion Magazine bills itself as Canada’s military history magazine. They cover military history, military and veterans affairs, policing issues, issues of concern to senior citizens, health, recreation, humour and current affairs of interest to a national audience. Payment ranges from $150 to $1,200, plus 10 percent if they post the article on their website. Query first.  To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

Writer’s Digest is a widely-read and well-respected magazine about the art of writing. They accept both manuscript submissions and queries for articles that “inform, instruct, and inspire” readers. Writers can submit to any of their departments, including their “5-Minute Memoir,” “Reject a Hit,” and writing technique sections. They pay between 30 and 50 cents a word for articles up to 2,400 words ($720-$1,200), and they also work with a 25% kill fee. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

Kitplanes Magazine is a magazine of kit and amateur-built aircraft construction. Contributions are mostly by aircraft builders and recognized experts active in the field. They accept articles on all phases of aircraft construction, from basic design, to flight trials, to construction technique in wood, metal and composite. They also review and analyze products and services related to amateur-built and kit aircraft construction. Short, focused technical articles are always welcome. Query first. Word count: About 2,000 for major features, unspecified for others. Pay: $250-$1,000. Details here.

Email continues to be one of the most necessary and powerful tools for writers.

In this video, Ian shares one quick tip for increasing the chance that you’ll get a response to your emails. When sending a pitch to an editor, this little tip can help you increase your bottom line, by increasing the chance that your pitch will be accepted.

Also – in the video, Ian mentions his pitch template. Grab a free copy here.

Dear Writers,

At Writing Launch we have a members-only database full of publishing opportunities. Hundreds of new calls for writers are posted every week, in addition to our database of over 1800 publishers.

Here’s a sample of some of the latest listings in the database.

Keep in mind that these are freelance opportunities. There is a huge difference between submitting your writing to a literary journal, a manuscript publisher, and a magazine. If you don’t know the difference, read this article!

Also – note that we’re not currently open to new members. If you are currently a member of Writing Launch, please send us a draft of pitch, so we can give you a critique before you send it out. This is one of the ways we like to help you out; and our critiques often make a big difference, in terms of getting your pitch accepted. (We often spot small changes that make a big difference.)

Let me know if you have any questions.

– Jacob Jans

Huck Magazine celebrates and explores “independent culture – people and movements that paddle against the flow.” Their US editor is always seeking “pitches on all things art/music/subculture/youth activism/politics.” They pay £120 to £200 for interviews and profiles, they pay more for a cover feature. They pay £225 and up for larger pieces. Send your pitches to jonathan@tcolondon.com. To learn more, refer to this Tweet and their submissions guidelines.

SPIN features music news, album reviews, interviews, concert photos, and more. Their contributing editor is accepting pitches. According to one payment report, they paid $0.25 per word for a 600-word piece. If interested, send your pitches to ryan.reed@spin.com. Read their contributing editor’s Tweet here and learn more about them here.

Junkee is an Australian pop culture website that covers TV, film, music, gaming, technology, politics, web stuff, and more. Their Gender Euphoria column is “always looking for trans & gender diverse writers to write about good news stories/ fun stuff & entertainment/ things important to the trans community.” They pay $200 AUD per piece. If interested, email your pitches to plenton@junkeemedia.com. For details, refer to their editor’s Tweet. To learn more about them, refer to this page.

The Frisc is an online publication that shares stories about San Francisco. They are accepting pitches. They cover San Francisco’s big civic issues, for example, housing, homelessness, transportation, street safety, schools, local businesses, etc. Rates start at $0.33 per word. To learn more, refer to this page.

High Country News is a non-profit magazine covering the Western US. Their associate editor is seeking original personal essays and perspectives (800 to 1,600 words). They will pay about $0.50 per word. For details, refer to this Tweet and their submission guidelines.

The Breakdown is an online mental health magazine. They are “looking for someone from the US who has tried therapy apps before, to try a few sessions of an online counselling service (free).” Pay is $70. If you would like to write this, then DM their founder and editor on Twitter. To learn more, refer to their founder and editor’s Tweet and this page.

Sustainability Action Network is currently seeking stories about “active, positive change” in terms of climate change and the environment. They pay £100 per 800-1200 words. To learn more, read this, as well as the editor’s Tweet.

HelloGiggles is a positive community for women. They are seeking pitches for their series, How I Bought That. The series focuses on the process of making a big or unique purchase. Pay will be around $100. Send your story pitches to raven.ishak@meredith.com. To learn more, refer to their senior lifestyle editor’s Tweet. To read How I Bought That, refer to this page.   

Mental Floss is a media brand that offers interesting facts, quizzes, trivia, and brain teasers to the audience. They are always seeking new voices to write about the diverse verticals they cover, “whether that’s history, science, entertainment, language, pop culture, art, or beyond.” They accept pitches for lists and features. For lists, their rates start at $150. For short features of 500 words, their rates start at $125 and for longer features, rates start at $200. To learn how to send them a pitch, visit this page.

Science for the People is a magazine and website dedicated to “building and promoting social movements and political struggles around progressive and radical perspectives on science and society.” They welcome pitches from anyone who can offer their readers “reporting, analysis, or perspective on the struggle to ensure science serves the people, not profit.” They pay $100 for short pieces (600 to 1,000 words) which are often published via SftP Online. They pay $200 for slightly longer pieces like reviews, columns, and other articles of 1,200 to 1,500 words, and $250 for feature-length stories of 2,000 words and above. To learn more, refer to their submissions page. 

Inverse covers science, innovation, entertainment, gaming, and the mind and body. According to their senior entertainment editor, they pay $0.50 per word. Send your pitches to pitch@inverse.com. To contact them, refer to this page.