Writing is a very lucrative profession if you can get your work published in the right places. By targeting magazines that pay $1000 or more per article, you can significantly increase your earnings as a writer.
In this article, I will list 10 magazines that are known to pay their contributors well.
These publications accept submissions from writers all over the world.
By following the tips we’ve provided, you can increase the chances of your work being accepted and start earning the money you deserve.
1. AARP The Magazine
AARP The Magazine is an American magazine for people over the age of fifty that has been active since 2002. This bi-weekly magazine is always publishing content on aging issues and inspiring stories from people who have learned to manage aging complications gracefully.
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For better chances of acceptance, pitch stories on health, wellness, fitness, travel, personal finance, relationships, nutrition, and lifestyle. According to their writer’s guidelines, your pitch must be one page in length, and you have to explain:
- the main idea
- how you would approach the story as a writer
- and give them a sense of your writing style
This magazine pays $1000 for a 500-word print article or the same amount for a 1000-word article written for their online audience. They have a generic email for pitches, but it’s better to find the email of an editor and pitch directly.
2. Brides
Brides is one of the leading magazines in the wedding industry, and as you may have already guessed, they publish everything weddings. So, you can pitch ideas on newlyweds, soon-to-be-weds, bridal fashion, and probably any idea that can make a wedding better.
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This magazine has been around for 84 years, and they’re freelance writers-friendly, but keep in mind that editors are exigent and they only accept the best pitches.
In fact, they prefer working with writers with some bridal experience and strong portfolios, but if your pitch is good enough, they can commission the story to you.
Their generic email is write@brides.com, but as we said before, it’s better to pitch an editor directly. Writers are paid $2-$3 a word, translating to $1000 for 500 words written.
3. Discover
Discover is a known science magazine usually found in doctors’ offices, libraries, and schools, as well as in the homes of their over 2 million loyal subscribers.
Research and breakthroughs in science, medicine, and technology are their bread and butter, so your pitch must belong to any of those categories.
A recommendation from us is to send science-related pitches to increase your chance of being accepted. Paleontology, physics, and space travel are topics that belong to the science department, by the way.
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For this magazine, you’ll have to strictly abide by their writing rules, so pitching the generic email, (editorial@discovermagazine.com), is the right step to take.
Before pitching, study the magazine, familiarize yourself with their writing style, study the writers and their qualifications, and then, build a pitch that fits Discover. They pay $2 a word, so if you write a 650-word article, you’ll get paid $1300.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more tips on how to make money as a freelance writer. I’ll be releasing new videos soon with even more information on this topic!
4. Eating Well
Eating Well is a cooking and food magazine whose mission is to promote healthy eating by teaching people healthy ways to enjoy food. “Ingredients for the Good Life” is their motto, and they’ve been covering nutrition, recipes, and sustainability for over 30 years.
The departments to pitch are Recipes, Healthy Cooking & Food Stories, Meal Plans & Special Diets, Nutrition, Sustainability & Social Issues. However, you’ll have better chances of acceptance if you pitch the department Healthy Cooking & Food Stories, specifically the column Heritage Cooking, which is written almost 100% by freelancers.
In your pitch, make sure to describe the angle you’d take and how your story will benefit readers. This magazine pays an average of $1 a word, and articles are usually 600-800-word long.
5. Fast Company
Fast Company is an American business magazine that publishes content on technology, business, and design. But, the only department open for freelance writers is the Work Life Section, a segment dedicated to career advice, inspiring stories of success and failure, productivity hacks and tips, and a look at the future of work.
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The first issue of this magazine dates back to 1995, and the publishing frequency is eight times per year. Your pitch must be:
- interesting
- clearly expressed and formatted
- innovative
- helpful or inspiring
Something to keep in mind is that this magazine doesn’t accept personal essays from writers, only interviews with experts and articles with enough data to back them up. Writers are paid $1200 for 600-word articles and the average article length is 600-800 words.
6. Glamour
Glamour is one of the leading fashion and beauty magazines worldwide, and it’s considered the women’s magazine of choice. They cover fashion, makeup, wellness, horoscopes, entertainment, culture, and any women-related topic with an intersection with lifestyle and glamour. To increase your chances of acceptance, pitch trendy stories, like TikTok trends, or successful seasonal content, like skincare tips for summer.
This magazine doesn’t have a write for us page, but a contact page where you can find the contact details of the senior editor. Bear in mind that getting a response can take some time, so make sure to send a really good pitch.
Study the magazine by reading past issues and even the online articles, familiarize yourself with the type of writing and then choose a story that fits the magazine’s style. They pay $2 per word or $1000 for 500 words.
7. Longreads
Longreads is a publication whose mission is to share the best long-form nonfiction storytelling on the web. Stories can be anywhere from 2,000 to 6,000 words, and the departments to pitch are Personal Essays Column, Features (Reported Essays), and Reading Lists.
Please, analyze the publication before pitching, and keep in mind that Longreads has a small team of editors receiving hundreds of pitches per month, so they will only respond if they like your pitch.
Try adding more details to the subject line to catch an editor’s attention, and don’t forget that pitching simultaneously to other publications is highly recommended. They pay $500 per essay, $1 a word per feature, and $350 per reading list.
8. Maxim
Maxim is a popular men’s magazine with a monthly publishing frequency. The topics they cover include entertainment, food & drink, women, gear, style, and sports. In-house writers are in charge of writing most of the magazine’s content, but they accept features (reported stories) from outside freelance writers.
As with all magazines, study past issues and create an outstanding pitch to catch an editor’s attention. They don’t have writer’s guidelines, but you can always use the contact us page to inquire more about it. Writers are paid $1 per word.
9. The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine that comes with every Sunday edition of The New York Times. As you may already know, getting a byline in The New York Times can open lots of doors for you, but it’s not an easy process. However, here’s how to send your pitch:
- Buy a few Sunday editions of the newspaper, and study the magazine’s writing, topics, and formatting.
- Then, go to the site’s masthead, and find the editor most likely to read and approve your pitch. In other words, try to go for the senior editor’s email, instead of the editor in chief’s.
- Write a concise and engaging pitch with resources and data. Don’t forget to include relevant samples of your work with it!
Payment starts at $2.2 per word or $1000 per the Lives Column.
10. The Oprah Magazine
The Oprah Magazine was founded by Oprah and the Hearst Corporation. This monthly magazine is mostly marketed at women and some of the topics they cover include lifestyle, entertainment, inspiring stories, finance, home, health & wellness, fashion, and food.
To increase your chances of acceptance, find what makes this magazine stand out, and create a pitch from that angle. Writers are usually paid $2 per word, and stories can be anywhere from 600-to 1200-word long.
All of these publications pay their writers $1000 or more, so there’s potential to make a nice chunk of change if your pitch is accepted.
Of course, it’s important to remember that not every submission will be accepted, so don’t get discouraged if your pitches are rejected multiple times.
Keep pitching and networking with other writers, and you’ll eventually land a gig with one of these top-paying magazines.
Have you had any success pitching to high-paying magazines? Leave a comment below and let us know!
10 Magazines That Pay Writers From $1,000 Per Article