39 Publishers that Pay for Personal Essays

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For those who have a true story to share, this list is for you. It’s a list of publishers that pay for personal essays.

I’ve included a wide variety of publications here. All of them pay for the essays they publish. You’ll find contact information, as well.

For those interested in learning more about writing and publishing personal essays, I highly recommend watching my hour long discussion with the editor of HuffPost Personal. (Essays published in HuffPost often reach millions of readers.)

Also, for those looking for even more options, you may want to look into literary journals that publish creative nonfiction. Literary journals tend to want submissions of complete drafts, and are less likely to pay, but are still a good option for many writers. Authors Publish has an older list of such journals here.

For paid subscribers, if you have any requests, in terms of future lists you would like me to put together, please let me know!

1. Extra Points is “a newsletter about business, policy, and off-the-field stories in college sports.” They’re looking for freelance pitches. They’re interested in “reported stories, personal essays, and interviews in the ‘off-the-field stories in college sports’ umbrella.” They pay a base rate of $350. They also give bonuses for driving new subscriptions. Send your pitches to matt@extrapointsmb.com. To learn more, refer to this post and their ‘about’ page. 
2. Rooted in Rights Blog is a “platform dedicated to amplifying the authentic perspectives of disabled writers.” They are looking for articles and op-eds on disability rights topics, by writers who identify as disabled. Their standard word count is 500 words, especially for creative nonfiction and personal essays. They pay on a sliding scale, with the minimum payment being $400. To learn more, refer to this page.
3. Solver Stories is a feature in New York Times’ column, Gameplay. It includes personal essays regarding the effect of puzzles on people’s lives. They prefer essays of 800 to 1,000 words. They pay $1.50 per word. To find out more, read their submission guidelines.
4. HerStories Project is a website for Gen X women. They publish personal essays “about what it’s like to be a Gen-X woman at midlife”. They are seeking personal essay submissions for their ‘Midstory Magazine’ on topics ‘life, love, loss, and friendship at midlife.’ They also accept submissions for their column “Unsent Letters”. They take completed drafts, not pitches. The preferred word count is 750-2000 words and pay is $75 for accepted essays and as they grow, their first priority would be to increase it to $100. (They’ve already increased it from $50.) To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
5. HuffPost Personal is a personal stories section in HuffPost (a news and opinion website). Their personal stories are “original, authentic, compelling and told in the first person.” To pitch, refer to this page. Watch our interview with the editor here.
6. Oh Reader is a print and online magazine about reading. They are “looking for stories about your experiences as a reader, insight into the effect of reading on humans, humorous takes on the world of words, and anything else you as a reader or writer might be interested in sharing.” They pay a flat rate of $200 per published article. Details here.
7. Open Secrets is an online magazine that publishes memorable and revealing personal essays on the topics we are taught to keep “secret.” They are open to essays (1,000 to 1,500 words) on all personal experiences. Before submitting, be sure to subscribe for free and read at least two articles. They pay authors $50 per essay, down from $100. For more information, refer to this page.