25 Publications that Pay for Essays

Today, for our latest roundup of publishers, we have a list of 25 publications that pay for writing essays. 

We’ve researched payment rates and found contact information for all of these publishers, to make it easy for you to connect with the right opportunity.

If you want to browse even more opportunities, be sure to check out our database of over 1,500 publishers that pay writers. It’s easily searchable, and includes thousands of listings just like the ones below.

If you’re new to freelancing, I also very much encourage you to take our course on pitching. You can get the details here.

So, without further ado, here’s today’s list…

1. Deceleration is a San Antonio-based environmental justice journal serving the South Texas bioregion. They welcome “proposals for short- and long-form news articles, community op-eds, personal or creative nonfiction essays, theoretical/political analysis, calls to action, multimedia content, and hybrid concepts (documentary poetry, photo essay), and more.” According to their guidelines, pay ranges from $150 for opinion columns and reviews, $250 for shorter explanatory stories, videos, or photo essays, and $0.50 per word (or more) for longer-form investigative and time-intensive features. For more information, refer to this page.

2. Defector is a sports blog and media company. According to their freelancer policies, they pay at least $1,000 for longer essays and reported pieces, and at least $500 for shorter pieces. To learn more, refer to their pitch guide.

3. The Walrus is a Canadian general interest magazine that “provokes new thinking and sparks conversation on matters vital to Canadians.” They publish short essays, long-form narrative journalism, features, essays, fiction and poetry. Features run from 1,200 words to around 2,000 words, long-form journalism run from 2,500 to 5,000 words, and essays run from essays 1,000 to 4,000 words. According to their pitch guide, rates for short essays of around 1,000 words start at $500; long-form reported features pay up to $1/word.

4. H-Net is “an international interdisciplinary organization of scholars and teachers dedicated to developing the enormous educational potential of the Internet and the World Wide Web.” The editors of the H-Net Book Channel are looking for proposals for essays on topics related to new books. Book Channel essays are short-form (1,200 to 1,500 words) and have a list of titles for further reading. According to their guidelines, authors are paid an honorarium of $150. Details here.

5. Intervenxions is a publication of the Latinx Project at New York University committed to “exploring contemporary Latinx art, politics, and culture.” They publish “reviews, criticism, reporting, interviews, and essays on U.S. Latinx art, politics, and culture between 1,500 and 2,500 words.” According to their guidelines, they pay $300 for reviews, interviews, and short essays, and $400 for articles, profiles, and long-form content. To learn more, refer to their editorial guidelines.

6. IndieWire is an online publication that features film and TV news, interviews, reviews, and industry analysis. They are especially interested in stories about minorities, unusual business dealings, and craft stories related to various below-the-line fields. According to their guidelines, the standard rate for their essays and reported pieces begins at $300. To learn how to pitch them, refer to this page.

7. C Magazine is a quarterly published contemporary art and criticism periodical based in Toronto, Canada. Each issue of the magazine has a theme. They welcome “writing on contemporary art and culture that is lively and rigorously engaged with current ideas and debates.” They accept pitches for reviews (800 to 1,000 words), columns (800 to 1,000 words), and feature essays, cultural analysis, and interviews (1,200 to 3,500 words). According to their contributors guidelines, they pay between 35 to 45 cents per word. For reviews they pay a flat rate of $410 for print, and $210 for online.

8. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization that reports on education in poor communities across America. They elevate the “voices of educators, students, parents, advocates, and others on the front lines of trying to improve public education.” They are looking for personal essays (around 800 words) centered around a personal experience or observation. They publish these essays in a series called First Person. According to their guidelines, First Person pays $125 per published piece. For more information, read their first person guidelines. To pitch a national story, you can contact them here.