29 Magazines & Websites that Pay for History Writing

Writers! Today for you, I have a list of 29 publications that pay for writing on history.

We’ve researched payment rates and contact information for these publishers, so you can easily contact the right editor.

I’m sending this a day later than usual — as I had to take a sick day yesterday. Sorry about that!

Also, if you’re a paid subscriber, and want early access to the upcoming database of publishers, please let me know, and I’ll add you to the list for when it’s ready. (It includes over 2,000 listings, just like the ones below, across a huge variety of categories.)

If you’re new to pitching, I encourage you to spend time carefully studying the publications you would like to write for. Learn their style, how they’re organized, the types of writing they publish, and even the general lengths of the articles they publish. Also, pay special attention to the way they write article titles, as this is often vital to the pitch writing process.

Once you’re familiar with the publication, you can brainstorm ideas, and then carefully craft a short pitch to the appropriate editor at the publication. For paid subscribers, feel free to send me a draft pitch, and I’ll give you my feedback.

1. Today I Found Out publishes interesting history facts. They do not want dry material and the article must appeal to a wide range of readers. No length is listed on their website, but a word count check on recently published articles shows that they typically published articles that are 1,500 to 1,800 words. If they are interested in your articles, they will buy it from you. To learn more, read their Writers’ Guidelines.

2. The Smithsonian accepts proposals from “established freelance writers.” When sending in your pitch for a history article, you must supply links to previously published works. Length is  around 800 to 1,800 words. While no pay is listed on their website, other sources say they pay $0.17/word or more. According to one payment report, they paid $0.23 per word. To learn more, read their Print Magazine Pitches and Website Pitches.

3. Atlas Obscura publishes "secret histories, dispatches from odd gatherings, on-the-ground coverage of overlooked locales, profiles of fascinating characters, and anything with an element of surprise and a sense of place." Expect payment of around $0.50 cents per word. Word length is 800 to 1,500 words. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.

4. Chronicle is the official publication of the Historical Society of Michigan. They welcome queries for features, educational history pieces, and articles for other departments, which they list on their site. The payment range for members is $75 to $125. The payment range for non-members is $50 to $100. To learn more, read Chronicle’s submission guidelines.

5. Liber is a feminist magazine focused on feminist writing, culture, theory, and history. They accept reviews and essays on upcoming books of all genres, along with poetry, comics, personal or hybrid essays, photo essays, and long-form features related to feminist history and publishing. Reviews range from 1,000 to 2,000 words, and features average 2,000 to 4,000 words. They pay $100 per book review, $50 per poem, and $100-$300 for features based on length and complexity. To learn more, read their pitching guidelines.

6. American Spirit Magazine is a print magazine published by the Daughters of the American Revolution. They want articles that focus on American history, from the Colonial period to the 1820s. They are particularly interested in history that focuses on women and they accept queries that offer unique perspectives into the past. Pay is on acceptance for the amount agreed upon.To learn more, read their Writers’ Guidelines.

7. Archaeology is a print magazine that publishes articles about new historical discoveries and reevaluations of old theories relating to ancient and recent history. Most of their contributions come from freelance writers and they prefer to receive story pitches. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Pay is on acceptance for the amount agreed upon. Writers’ Guidelines.