I’m always telling people to write for pay, and to ask to be paid well. But some food writers write for self expression, or to get clips, and money is not the most important thing.
If so, these publications might be right for you. They pay anywhere from nothing to not much, but offer the satisfaction of publication:
- The Bitter Southerner. This gorgeous start-up online magazine only recently came up with money to pay its writers, and maybe not all of them. Here are submissions guidelines.
- Graze magazine, based in Chicago, is a semi-annual literary magazine. Here are submission guidelines. As told to the Review Review: “We’re interested in the stories that food tells about us—after all, our collective and individual human histories were nourished by the food that we made, smelled, ate, threw up, fucked up, and loved. Our audience will likely be people who are interested in reading about people—and people who are interested in reading about food. This isn’t a Martha Stewart publication—there will be no recipes, no tablescapes, no restaurant reviews. We’re not trying to commodify food; we’re trying to look at the ways food is in the background or foreground of politics, human relationships, locations, events, and so on.”
- Punchnell’s. This general interest magazine pays $10 for stories based on cooking and recipes. Submission guidelines are here.
- Peggy Wolff is food editor of Realize magazine, an online journal for “dynamic 50 to 70-year-olds who are un-AARP, and are determined to push harder, imagine more deeply and risk more. I am looking for contributions from food writers whose stories fit this demographic. Contact me at writewolff@aol.com.” At this point there is no payment, even for Peggy. She is also looking for book reviewers, and she will consider written pieces, not just pitches.
- Serious Eats recently posted a piece about how to submit. In a conference call with members of the Association of Food Journalists (of which I am a member), Senior Features Editor Max Falkowitz said the site publishes four stories per day, some written in house, and he’s most interested in stories readers will share, most of all on Facebook. He likes evergreen stories, which the site uses to build a backlog of content.
- The Writer’s Workshop Review is an online literary magazine in Seattle. They say they are looking for “travel, food and wine writing with a strong narrative element.” They pay for both stories and interviews. Submission guidelines are here.
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Bonuses:
- If you’re a professional food writer looking for new venues, Meredith corporation launched a new quarterly magazine Eat This Not That. See the website and email editors@eatthis.com with your story idea.
- Wondering what publications pay? There’s a site for that.
- If you want to freelance for British magazines, see this list of magazines.
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You might also like:
- My Year of Submissions to Literary Magazines
- “Find the Story Only You Can Write,” says Carolynn Carreño
- How to be the Writer Magazine Editors Want
Great tips – thanks and enjoy the holidays.
Thank you Liz. I hope you will try a few. And happy holidays to you as well.
I have actually been published in a couple of great mags/platforms thanks to you, Dianne, that I have discovered on your blog so I owe you a huge thank you. Keep ’em coming!
I hope you are having a joyous holiday season and I’m so looking forward to seeing you next year!
Wonderful, Jamie. I love it. Happy holidays to you and your family. Next year in France!
Thanks for the list, I’m going to check into some of these. You’re right, sometimes just getting published can be satisfaction enough. Happy holidays to you!
This is an awesome holiday gift! Thank you Dianne and Happy New Year!
You’re welcome Maureen, and best wishes for a successful 2015.
Thank you for this information. I have not written in many many years and have recently started a blog http://www.chefsday.wordpress.com in order to practice my once very good skill. As someone who has a degree in English, but chose the life of chef, I’m looking for something to do when I no longer want to be in the kitchen. Writing seems to be an obvious choice as one part of my life at that time. As I become more polished I’m hoping to submit some work. I’m not ready yet but the information you’ve provided gives me a place to start.
Dear Dominic, you seem like a pretty competitive guy who takes new interests quite seriously, so I have a feeling you will succeed in getting some pieces published. Good luck to you! I hope you keep reading this blog for more tips.