7 Well-Known Magazines That Pay Very Well for Articles

Flynn Hannan
Writers Republic
Published in
4 min readApr 23, 2021
magazines that pay very well for articles

Being a professional writer could be a tough prospect, because it is not really a stable occupation. A majority of professional writers earn their money through book sales, royalties, and book signings. However, not all writers have a best seller or thousands of dollars in royalties to collect. So if you are a professional writer, who has yet to gain success in the literary industry, you should find a sideline job. Luckily, there are magazines out there that are willing to pay well for articles. Here are well-known magazines that pay very well for articles.

1. The Sun Magazine

The Sun has been in publication since 1974, and is based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For the past few decades, the magazine has followed the overall goal of publishing content that creates a feeling of connection between contributors and readers. Content-wise, the Sun magazine usually publishes essays, interviews, poetry and fiction.

As far as magazines go, the Sun Magazine pays handsomely as far $300 to $2,000 for fiction, essays, interviews and $100 to $250 for poetry. Should your article be accepted, you will also get a one-year complimentary subscription. The Sun Magazine is a highly-respected publication, so you will have to create thought provoking content for them to purchase your articles.

2. Scout Life

The Scout Life magazine is a monthly magazine that is owned by the Boy Scouts of America. It was originally named as Boy’s Life, but in recent years the name was changed to Scout Life. Its main target audience are boys and girls between the age of 6 and 18. The magazine has been around since 1911. Its contents are very varied, and could range from health and fitness, survival skills, and even tech gear.

Content-wise, the magazine only accepts the best because they are willing to pay around $500 to $1,500 for non-fiction articles up to 1,500 words. If you choose to write for one of its departments, you could still earn up to $100 to $600 for a 600- word article.

3. One Story

If you are into fiction writing, then you should try your hand at writing content for One Story. It is a literary magazine. It is fully committed to supporting the development of the short story format. It is unique, because it only publishes 12 issues a year, and each issue only contains one short story. The short stories are limited to 3,000 to 8,000 words. The pay per article is somewhat middling at $500 per issue, and 25 issues of the magazine. The magazine also only accepts articles between the months of September and May.

4. National Geographic Travel

The National Geographic magazine is iconic, and many a writer has dreamt of writing for it. With the National Geographic Travel magazine, you could now write for it as well. The magazine’s topics are varied, but they usually focus on travel, cultural sites and stories about travelling. Their pay per article is respectable at 50 cents per word, at 1,000-word features.

5. EatingWell

If you are interested in nutrition and fitness, you should try writing for EatingWell. The magazine covers nutritional topics, and publishes fact-based articles that could be used to help readers in their health and fitness journeys. EatingWell, usually pays $1 per word, and their articles usually have a maximum of 500 words.

6. The American Gardener

The American Gardener caters to gardening enthusiasts, and is considered as the publication for the American Horticulture Society. The magazine’s main focus is plant conservation, biodiversity, and new concepts in gardening to name just a few. The magazine was founded in 1922 as a non-profit organization for the American Horticulture Society, and is considered one of the most respected gardening organizations in the world. So if you are planning on writing for the American Gardener, you should make sure that your work is well-written and fact-based. The magazine usually pays around $300 to $600 per article. Most of the articles should consist of 1,500 to 2,500 words.

7. Early American Life

The Early American magazine is a joy for history enthusiasts to write for. Its main focus is American history, and predominantly covers many facets of early American culture, home design and a lot more. The magazine is known for its great and varied content, so you should only send your best and most well-researched work. You have the option to send 2,500 word articles, at $500 per article, however, you also have the chance to earn a larger payment for future articles that you send in.

Conclusion

Being a professional writer, you would understand the challenges of staying financially stable. Remember that not all writers have bestsellers and royalties to draw from. By writing articles for these well-known magazines, you will be able to pay the bills.

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Flynn Hannan
Writers Republic

Bibliophile , Senior Indie Editor at Writers Republic