23 Popular Magazines That Need Freelance Writers

Here are some magazines that may occasionally accept both writing and artwork/photography submissions. Some of these are very well-known, while others are fairly small.

You'll need above-average writing and photography skills to get your work accepted, and there might be a lot of waiting.

With this kind of work, you will spend a lot of time sending query letters to editors to see if they're even interested in an article before you write it, then more months to see if your article is up to their standards.

You might even need a decent portfolio of previous work to prove your professionalism before they'll even take you seriously.

BUT if you're willing to wade through all the upfront difficulty, the pay rates are fantastic, and getting articles published with these magazines can help your career in a big way!

Also, I share many different types of remote roles in my free-to-get weekly work at home newsletters you can sign up to get here if you are interested in earning in different ways.

Prefer something you can read at your own pace? My e-books that you can check out here cover a variety of work-at-home topics in one convenient place.

Read on for a list of magazines that accept or periodically open to freelance submissions.

Popular Magazines Looking For Freelance Article Submissions

Animals / Wildlife

• Animal Wellness Magazine – Welcomes unsolicited articles and story outlines focused on holistic animal health. Articles may range in length from 500 to 1,500 words.
• Reptiles Magazine – A publication for reptile and amphibian hobbyists. Current listed rates are $200 for articles of 2,000 to 2,500 words with photos and $100 for articles of 1,000 to 2,000 words with photos.
• The Horse – A publication devoted to horse care. It prefers how-to articles, technical topics, and topical interviews. Articles range from 250-word news items to 1,800-word cover stories, and payment varies by length.
• Tropical Fish Hobbyist – Accepts articles and photos about freshwater and saltwater aquariums. The publication purchases all English-language publishing rights to accepted articles.
• Earth Island Journal – Accepts pitches for reported stories covering wildlife, conservation, environmental justice, climate change, and other environmental issues. It pays 50 cents per word for print features of up to 4,000 words and $400 for stories published online.
• National Wildlife Magazine – Welcomes pitches about wildlife science, conservation, climate change, biodiversity, environmental justice, public lands, gardening, and related topics. Nearly all of its articles are written by freelancers. It pays $1.50 per word for print articles, with payment made upon acceptance.

Business – Career

• Family Business Magazine – Accepts educational thought-leadership articles relevant to family businesses. It does not accept articles that overtly promote an author's products or services.
• Working Money – Covers investing, money management, and financial planning. The listed rate is a flat fee of $180 per article upon publication.

Children – Young Adult

• ADDitude Magazine – Looks for personal-experience blog posts from adults with ADHD, parents, educators, spouses, and experts. Current payment information is not listed in its guidelines.
• Fun for Kidz – Looks for lively, wholesome writing for children ages 6 to 12. Ideal nonfiction lengths are up to 300 to 325 words for a one-page article and up to 600 to 650 words for a two-page article. It pays a minimum of five cents per word, at least $10 per poem or puzzle, and $5 per published photo. Submissions must currently be mailed.
• The School Magazine – Continually accepts stories, nonfiction articles, plays, poetry, activities, comics, and artwork for children ages 7 to 12. It welcomes new and emerging writers and pays on publication. This is an Australian publication, so submissions should be relevant and accessible to Australian children.
• High Five – High Five, which is affiliated with Highlights, periodically opens to stories and nonfiction for children ages 2 to 6. It is currently closed to submissions, but writers can check this page for future submission windows.

Crafts

• American Quilter Magazine – Accepts original, unpublished quilting patterns and feature articles year-round. Features should be 500 to 1,200 words and include high-resolution photos. Payment varies based on the content, length, writing quality, and visuals.
• Threads Magazine – A quarterly how-to magazine interested in articles about garment construction, embellishment techniques, materials, tools, and design. It accepts proposals from experienced sewists, including first-time writers. Pay is not mentioned, but that doesn't mean they don't offer payment if they publish your work.

General Interest

• Reader's Digest – You can submit jokes to Reader's Digest. It reportedly pays $25 for a published joke, gag, or funny quote and $100 for a published true funny story.
• Good Housekeeping – Accepts freelance pitches for print and digital content on a rolling basis. Writers should submit a working headline, a short description or outline, information about their experience, and links to previously published work. Payment varies by assignment.
• The New York Times Opinion – Accepts complete guest essays offering a clear argument and a distinctive point of view. This is for the Opinion section rather than The New York Times Magazine, so writers should carefully review the submission requirements before sending their work.
• The Sun Magazine – Accepts personal essays, fiction, and poetry from new and established writers. It generally publishes work under 7,000 words and pays $200 and up based on page length. Online submissions cost $2.50 and may temporarily close when the monthly cap is reached, but mailed submissions are also accepted without a fee.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

If you have an interest in jumping into the higher-end freelance writing market, the above links should give you a good set of starting points.

Tips For Crafting Your Pitch For Magazine Content

As you may have noticed above, many magazines want a query or pitch before they will consider a completed article.

Your pitch is everything! It will either get you in the door or not. You need to be sure it captures the editor's attention and shows them why your story is a perfect fit for their magazine.

To start, take the time to really research the magazine. Get a feel for their style, tone, and target audience.

Your pitch should include a strong, attention-grabbing subject line, followed by a brief but engaging introduction that outlines your article idea and why it matters.

Be sure to highlight the unique angle you bring to the topic you're writing about, and give them a detailed list of the key points you'll cover in your piece.

Make sure to tell them why you're the right person to write the piece, whether it's your experience, expertise, or a personal connection to the subject.

Don't forget to include links to any writing samples you have out there, especially if they're relevant to the topic you're covering. And follow the magazine's submission guidelines to a T!

Finally, keep your pitch professional and to the point, ideally no more than a few paragraphs. This is because editors likely get hundreds of submissions per month (or even more depending on how popular the magazine is), so presenting your idea clearly and succinctly increases your chances of standing out.

So, to sum up:

• Research the magazine’s content, tone, and audience.
• Write a subject line that grabs attention.
• Provide a brief introduction and outline your article idea.
• Highlight why you’re the best person to write the piece.
• Include relevant writing samples or links. Links are probably better because some people won't open emails with attachments.
• Follow submission guidelines exactly.

Before sending your pitch, I think it's worth running it through Grammarly first. Editors receive a lot of submissions, and spelling mistakes or awkward wording can make an otherwise good idea look less professional.

You can use Grammarly free here to check your pitch before you send it.

Pitch Templates

If you're nervous about your pitch, there are templates online to help you put them together. I've rounded up some links that have them for you below.

You are of course going to want to tailor these to suit you, but it should help if you are unsure about how to throw something together.

• Kat Boogaard
• Make a Living Writing
• Diana Kelly Levey

Using ChatGPT To Write Your Pitch – Should You?

While it may be tempting to have ChatGPT write your entire pitch, I wouldn't recommend copying and sending a generic AI-generated pitch. It may sound impersonal or fail to show an editor why you are the right person to write the article.

Some publications also prohibit the use of generative AI or require writers to disclose when they have used it. Always check the publication's current AI policy before using it to help with a pitch or article.

Your intention should be to create a connection with the editor and help them understand who YOU are. A pitch written in your own voice will usually do that better than something generated from a basic prompt.

On the flip side, ChatGPT could help you organize a pitch, brainstorm possible angles, or identify key points you may have overlooked. You could also paste in a pitch you have already written and ask for suggestions, as long as you review everything carefully and make sure the final version still sounds like you.