Monday Writers Markets

Here we are at Monday again. Time for our Monday Markets. If any one gets a gig from one of these markets do let us know of your success, and if you want to share your query tips, feel free to do so as well.

Please read entire guidelines before submitting.

AARP Magazine – Pays a minimum of $1 per word.

From the guidelines:

Query letters for specific features and departments should be one page in length and accompanied by recent writing samples. The letter should explain the idea for the piece, tell how you would approach it as a writer, give some sense of your writing style, and mention the section of the magazine for which the piece is intended. Your samples should not include the actual story that you are proposing.

Features and departments cover the following categories:

• Finance: investments, legal matters, and work issues
• Health: tips, trends, studies
• Food: recipes, emphasis on healthy eating
• Travel: domestic and international
• Consumerism: practical information and advice
• General interest: new thinking, research, information on timely topics, trends
• Profiles or first-person accounts of people who have made a dramatic change in their lives

AARP The Magazine discourages the submission of unsolicited manuscripts and assumes no responsibility for their return. Also, we do not print articles that have been previously published.

Byline – Pays $15 – $100 per.

From the Guidelines:

We purchase first North American rights only; no reprints. Submissions must follow standard manuscript format. List your full name, address and telephone number in the upper left corner of the first page and an accurate word count (line count for poetry) in the upper right corner. Send a #10-sized SASE or larger. Payment is upon publication. ByLine pays on a variable scale depending on length/complexity of article/feature and also includes a one-year subscription.

How Stuff Works – Pays $100 per article.

From the Guidelines:

If you are interested in writing for HowStuffWorks, we would love to see your résumé and some samples of your work. Please keep in mind, however, that we receive a high volume of e-mail from interested writers, but work with only a small group of freelance contributors. In other words, we are highly selective.

Above all, we are looking for authors who exhibit exceptional writing and research ability. Authors should also be able to:

• understand complex subjects and break them down for a general audience
• contribute entirely original, previously unpublished work
• finish assignments in a timely manner (no more than a month from assignment to completion)
• adapt to the HowStuffWorks voice and article structure

 

Cat Fancy – Pays $200 -$400

From the guidelines:

Thank you for your interest in CAT FANCY, a consumer magazine dedicated to cat care for the responsible owner. Before submitting any materials, read several issues to acquaint yourself with the type of material we use. Our magazine is available at many pet stores, bookstores and other places magazines are sold. Do not send unsolicited manuscripts. We will return them (if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope) or discard them unread. If you have an idea for an article, please send a written query with a SASE.

iParenting Media – Payment varies.

 From the guidelines:

Our tone is friendly and helpful without being preachy. Our articles are easy to read and full of information, expert sources and anecdotes. We offer material from parents who have "been there, done that." We accept features, essays, humor, informational pieces, how-to pieces, news articles and interviews with celebrities.

Incidentally, I’ve contributed several articles to the iParenting family of websites. The pay is reasonable and the editors are easy to work with. I believe it’s a Disney-owned company now. – Deb