The hardest part of getting started with a writing career is knowing where to submit your ideas.
With this list, you no longer have that problem!
Not sure how to pitch a magazine your idea?
Here are some good rules of thumb to follow when you’re pitching:
- Know the website/magazine well before you pitch and cater your pitch to its style.
- Pay attention to the submissions guidelines and follow them exactly!
- If they don’t say what subject line to use, put a quick half-sentence pitch/overview in the subject line.
- Address a particular editor if you can and send it to their email address if you can find it.
- Give a brief (3-5 sentences) summary of the piece.
- Tell them why this piece would be perfect for their publication.
- Share 3-5 links of your work, social media, etc. if you have it.
- Some places want to see the whole piece first, in that case include it at the end of the email and as a PDF (don’t just attach it, some places won’t open attachments).
Scared of rejection?
That’s valid and real. Rejection sucks! But here’s the thing: rejections mean you’re trying. Rejections mean you’re not just sitting around dreaming of “one day.” Rejections mean you’re taking a step towards making your goals a reality!
I won’t lie, they hurt, but you know what hurts more? Living a life of fear.
None of life’s greatest accomplishments are easy and I know you have what it takes to overcome fear and live a creative life.
So go out there and get rejected!
Pitch your ideas to everyone on this list!
Or better yet, pick just one single publication from this list to pitch to this month.
Reply to this email and let me know which you chose.
With love and light,
Lauren
P.S. Want to learn more about how to write for publications and what to charge when you do? Check out my Business Basics for Writers Masterclass!
This list was last updated October 9, 2017.
Newspapers, magazines, websites, and literary journals that pay
New York Times
- Modern Love
- Op-Eds
- Pay: varies ($300 I was told)
The Sun
- How to submit
- Pay: Nonfiction $300 to $2,000; Fiction $300 to $2,000; Poetry $100 to $250
Tin House
- Submissions page (accept in September and March)
- Pay: Fiction and nonfiction $200; Poetry $50
McSweeney’s
Buzzfeed
- Submit to Buzzfeed Reader – home for cultural criticism, personal essays, fiction, and poetry
- Accepts new, unpublished voices!
- Pay: unknown but the say competitive
Bitch Media
- Submissions guidelines
- Pay: varies
DAME
- Submissions page
- Pay: $250 (I’ve been told)
Refinery 29
- Submissions guidelines
- Pay: $100 (I’ve been told)
One Story
- Submission guidelines
- Pay: $500 and 25 copies
VQR
- Submissions guidelines
- Pay: $200 – $2000 for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry
The Nation
- Submissions guidelines
- Pays: $50-500 for comments, articles, and poetry
The American Scholar
- Submission guidelines
- Pay: $250
Modern Farmer
- Submissions page
- Pays: $250 (so I’ve been told, unverified)
TravelWritersLife.com
- Submissions page
- Pay: $75-150
In-flight magazines that pay
Newspapers, magazines, websites, and literary journals accepting submissions that may or may not pay
The Rumpus
Poets & Writers Magazine
- Submissions guidelines
- Pay: unknown
Daily Worth
- Editorial suggestions page
- Pay: unknown
The Nervous Breakdown
- Submission areas and guidelines
- Pay: unknown
So Say We All
- The Radvocate – literary journal
- Black Candies – evolving and advancing the beloved horror genre
- Incoming – stories from veterans, in their own words, from their own mouths
- Pay: unknown
Share with your friends!
Am I missing any?
Let me know in the comments below.
