I’ve been doing this for several years and every few months the same old arguments come up. Two in particular stick in my craw. The first is that there are no “higher” paying writing jobs out there, and the second is that it’s unrealistic to expect new writers to find work above the abysmal paying web content mill. I hope I’m not the only one who considers these same lame arguments excuses for not finding more lucrative work.
To find higher paying work, writers have to dig a little deeper and work a little harder, but there are lots of opportunities out there. Don’t believe me? Check out this list of freelance writing jobs or markets paying over $100 per article or blog post. The bulk of them are magazine or other markets – not content writing jobs. And yes, new writers can break into many of these markets and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
Are you ready to step outside of your comfort zone?
40 Freelance Writing Markets Paying $100 or More (Much More)
- About.com – Pays writes $675.00 per month plus bonuses for traffic for only a few articles a month and two blog posts per week. Many of the writers at About.com earn thousands of dollars each month.
- DeveloperTutorials.com – Pays between $50 and $100 for tutorials.
- SQLServerPerformance.com – Pays up to $200 for 1500 word articles.
- Blue Mountain Arts - Pays $300 for each greeting card poem.
- Metro Parent – Pays $350 per article.
- Minnesota Trails Magazine -Pays a base of $125 for personal experiences, human interest stories, features and more. Query for full guidelines.
- Christian Science Monitor – Pays $200 – $225 per article.
- Bridal Guide Magazine – Pays .50 per word. Query for full guidelines.
- Brick – Pays $100 – $500 per submission. Please read a full issue or two or three before querying.
- Military Officer’s Association of America – Pays .80 per word
- Aerospace Magazine - Pays between $150 and $750 per contribution.
- The Saturday Evening Post – Pays up to $400
- American Scholar – Pays up to $500 for accepted pieces.
- Web Design Tuts – Pays $100/tutorial
- Technical Articles on Power Supply Power - Pays $100
- Sub Tropics - Pays $500 – $1000
- Martini Media Network - $100 per article
- Meetings Media – Pays $500 per article. Email for guidelines.
- Seattle Homes & Lifestyles - Pays $100 – $400 per article.
- National Parks Magazine - Pays $750 – $1300 per article and issues kill fee if article doesn’t run.
- Across the Board – Pays $50 – $2500 per article
- Family Business - Pays $50 – $1000
- Boys Life - Pays between $150 and $750
- Scrap Magazine – Pays between $600 and $1000
- Readers Digest – Pays $100 – $300 for accepted jokes and humor
- Smithsonian – Pays $1000 – $1500 for last word humor page.
- U.S. Airways – Pays $1 per word.
- HistoryNet – Pays $500 + per article.
- Outdoor Canada - Pays .50 + per word depending on assignment.
- Vibe Magazine – Pays $1 per word -email for guidelines.
- Oregon Humanities – Pays $50 – $800
- The Sun Magazine - Pays $300 to $3,000
- Radish – Pays $50 – $150
- Guideposts – Pays $25 – $500
- Wish – Pays $1 per word
- Skirt Magazine - Pays $150 per article
- Glimmer Train – Pays $500 per story
- Common Ties – Pays $100 per story
- Hispanic Business – Pays up to $1500 per article
*Koehler requested removal from this listing.
This is great!!! I just graduated with a B.A. in Writing and have been trying to find freelance jobs to pay the bills. This site has been a big help in providing me with markets and leads to start!
Thanks for the list
Great list! I didn’t have any non-fiction published when I wrote an article for Family Business. It was easy money for me because I wrote about working with my family. Using that published clip led to many other things.
@Deb – Nice collection of markets; a few I didn’t know accepted freelance material. Thanks!
You are such a better person than me
Wow! thanks for that. I was just at writersmarket.com getting completely bogged down in their search engine.
This is a really good list. It includes some pubs I’ve never heard of and reminds me to try and pitch the Bridal Guide (I’ve always wanted to pitch them, but never did!).
Anyone who says there are no good-paying freelance work out there to be had, is probably ONLY searching job listings on Craigslist and other similar sites. If you do that, it’s easy to throw your hands up and say that, but most freelance opportunities must be sought after and created on your own. I’ve found a few opportunities through ads, but most of my work comes through referrals, pitching and working with previous editors and clients.
Pick up a copy of the Writer’s Guide for lots more such listings. Trade publications are also a good high-paying gig if you have an area of expertise.
BTW, I am writing for Tonic.com, and they pay $150/article. Lovely folks, too. I’m now doing twice-daily blogging, and making a nice $20/blog (on a contractual basis with a monthly fee). Thanks to Deb for this lead!!!
Lisa
One more thing: I do write for About.com; it’s a good gig, but not a straightforward blogging gig at all. Their back end is antiquated, which means you actually have to code all your images and formatting; you’re also responsible for multiple monthly articles, a regular blog, a forum, and a weekly newsletter.
This is NOT to say it’s a bad gig (it isn’t) but to say it’s a fairly hefty chunk of work.
Happy to answer additional questions about About (I’m http://www.autism.about.com).
Lisa
Many thanks, Deb! I was delighted to see that About.com is accepting apps for a Las Vegas guide. And it’s good to hear Tonic is such a good market–they are on my list for pitches. Thanks again–you give writers a fantastic resource!
thanks for all of the great leads this week.
This list is greatly appreciated. Just the motivation I need to get going on some new work!
“To find higher paying work, writers have to dig a little deeper and work a little harder, but there are lots of opportunities out there.”
Deb, I don’t think this is hard at all. Writing 10 articles a day for a content farm is HARD. Researching, querying and writing is a breeze (for me) compared to the alternative.
*Thank you* for making our lives easier. Does anyone remember what we went through to find markets 20+ years ago? Or 10? Or 5?
You rock, Deb!
Hi Deb,
Thanks so much for this list.. Just what was needed to motivate me into applying for well-paying jobs.. Hopefully, some of them would accept non U.S writers, so should have something soon.. Thanks again for all the wonderful work!
Blessings
Thank you for the list. I am currently working on breaking in travel and food writing and have been looking for some places to submit my work.
Great list Deb. There were even a few in there that I decided to pursue.
Deb:
Your generosity of spirit is greatly appreciated! Thank you for some great leads,
This is a great starting point! I was just going through some of the “leads” I get every week from Morning Coffee and Writers Weekly, and they are offering some of the worst, lowest-paying jobs in the world. It’s pretty embarrassing that although these places (Writers Weekly, especially) are always putting out exposé types of articles that unmask low-paying companies, they are still essentially telling writers that the best they can hope for are the super sketchy Craigslist ads they often link to in their job markets sections. I always go through their leads, just to see if there’s anything good, but most of the time I am really disappointed in the types of things they think qualify as paying markets. Frankly, I’d rather be paid nothing for my work than patronized with the offer of $5 or less per piece!
Oh, and just FYI: Wish closed up their magazine, but they still have a website up and running. Not sure if they plan to continue updating it, or if they still pay $1/word for stuff that ends up there.
Thanks Deb, though I do have a question. I went to the VIBE site to check out that offer you posted, and it seemed like a simple “contact us” webpage. Meaning, “contact us” if you have any questions or comments, but not necessarily if you’re curious about how one can write for the website.
How did you determine that they pay $1 per word?
Thanks!
@Mike – I researched the rates online to find out how much they pay.
Thanks Deb!
I should point out that WISH magazine is no longer around:( It ceased publication in 2008
Thanks Caroline. I’ll look for something to replace it!
Deb, you are now officially my hero!
My fingers are itching to start applying!
Thank you so much for this! Also received an email with these listings. I already applied to a few of them. I’m not sure how it will all turn out, but it just feels pretty good to expand to different types of resources!
Liz
Does anyone have experience with Jane Media or Interact Media? What is the pay/workload like? Thanks in advance!
It’s not easy to find someone to share such kind of info-it’s worth a lot. Thanks for the list…
Keep up the good work!
I completely agree with you. I have been writing for 6 years–professionally since I was 16. I started out helping a friend and moved up from there. Pay for content writing doesn’t pay all that great, but every once in a while you find a good job. I am currently writing with a client who is paying me $1 for about 3-4 sentences. I get paid between $20-$45 an hour working with him, and it’s been great. But you have to be diligent, know what you are doing, and work hard. Thanks for the awesome writing markets!
Thanks Deb. I’ll check it out.
Thank you so much for putting up this list. This is not just wonderful information for writers, but for people who need to get information out to a wider audience, through their articles and writing. Superb. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
This is a great list and it really has given me the encouragement to move out of the ghostwriting arena and move into getting my name published with my writing. I will be checking out this list and fingers crossed will have something good to report soon.
Good list. I’m Canadian and didn’t even know about your #36 Wish magazine and it sounds perfect for me, so thanks for the lead, Deb!
The only one that should be removed is #38 Glimmer Train as it’s not a market, but rather a contest and they charge a $15 reading fee.
Thankyou for the list! I was really getting depressed with the low wages I receive.
You are so good at searching high paying writing jobs.
is it true?? this is awesome dude!
Thank you. This is a very useful resource you have shared.
Wonderful…
Great post! Freelancing is a great opportunity for those looking to work from home. It allows people in this economy to gain new skills and use current skills to make more money. I will share this post with my list of subscribers.
Thanks,
Charlotte
This is an amazing list, Debra. Thanks for sharing this. I’m assuming that most of these allow you to submit online?
Gina Jennings´s last [type] ..Make Money Writing and Selling 7 Dollar Info Products
I can’t believe I found this. This is a very helpful resource to freelance writers like myself. Thanks a lot.
I never thought I would be taking this route, what can I lose
if I don’t give this a shoot. Maybe this God’s way of telling me son why not take advantage of these opportunities and see where you fall.