Who Pays Writers?

Why Are Pay Rates So Mysterious?

Being a new writer is frustrating as all get out. You have imposter syndrome, and most of the time, you don’t know what the heck is going on. You try to find publications, but they are no help whatsoever.

They either have confusing submission requirements or commit the ultimate sin — they don’t have their pay rates on their site.

Trying to navigate the murky waters of submitting queries is nerve-wracking in and of itself. What makes it worse, publications that have unclear or missing payment information.

I wouldn’t waste my time with a site that claims only to pay.01/word, if they’d bothered to make that clear.

Publications that don’t post their rates are like job postings that don’t post the wages. They make you want to high-five them…in the face…with a brick.

Even if you get the unicorn that is straightforward in their rates, sometimes you run into issues with disorganized editors taking forever to get you your money.

When Are You Paying Me?

As a writer, you know that one of THE most frustrating things that’s a necessary evil is waiting to be paid. I have had some wonderful clients that pay immediately, and everything runs smoothly.

I have also had the opposite experience. The client is rude, dismissive, and flat-out refuses to pay after I satisfied all contractual agreements.

Not knowing what to expect with a company can be extremely frustrating. However, I have recently found a tool that is a lifesaver!!! The site is Who Pays Writers?

Now, let me preface by saying I am in NO WAY affiliated with this company. While I welcome all sources of income, this is not sponsored in any way.

That said, BOOKMARK THIS SITE!!! Established in 2012, this site has curated information of countless publications from anonymous writers advising what they were paid, how long it took, and the ease at which they were able to get their coins.

Some anonymous contributors to the site even reveal a pre-established relationship with the editors of the publication. Here is a quote from their about page.

Who Pays Writers? is an anonymous, crowd-sourced list of which publications pay freelance writers — and how much. This list is primarily concerned with journalistic writing for publications; we do NOT collect information about copywriting, advertising, corporate, tech-startup’s blogs, or sponsored-content assignments.

The site is updated on a monthly-ish basis, sometimes more, sometimes less. It can take a bit of time to post your rates after you submit them; it’s not an instant process.

For a writer such as myself, navigating my passion/profession full-time can be daunting and intimidating. This amazing tool helps me be confident that I am pitching to a reputable site worth my time and pay me what I am worth.

They Track Hundreds of Publications

The layout of this website is quite simple. The publications are on the left, and the feedback is on the right.

They even have a search feature that allows you to navigate their massive database to get to the publication you want to know more about. You can search for it in the top left of the website.

The feedback ranges from outright glowing to negative. However, Who Pays Writers? Tries to ensure that the reviews are honest and don’t just berate publications from magazines that are extremely niche to internationally recognized publications like USA Today and Teen Vogue.

You Should Contribute

As mentioned above, there are several hundred different publications, but they are always accepting more anonymous information — within reason. They won’t let you railroad a publication.

They also won’t publish anything that can get them sued for obvious reasons. However, if you are a journalist and want to contribute to a bit of good writing karma, you should submit a short review of your pay rate and ease getting your money.

They warn that it may take a while for them to get info on the site. They don’t get paid, and it is completely run on the charitable time and efforts of anonymous individuals that kindly donate their time.

That said, contribute. You’ll feel good telling other writers to avoid that janky publication like the plague because they took 4 scores and 7 years to pay you.

Conclusion

I use this site all the time to see if pitching to a publication is even worth it. From what I can tell, this tool is AMAZING! They aren’t affiliated with anyone, and they have no reason to mislead those that use the site.

The site is absolutely free to use. It is simple to search amongst the massive list of publications. I encourage everyone to bookmark this site and use it to their advantage.

When able, you should drop some feedback to get that good writer karma. Hopefully, this article sends a little my way as well.

What are your favorite writing tools that you swear by? Put your answer in the comments so the other readers and I can be in the know.

This story was originally written on Medium and can be found here.