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We freelancers can spend a lot of time crafting a pitch, and it’s helpful if we know what an editor wants from us. That’s why I am always on the lookout for additional publications to feature on the market guide section of AHCJ’s freelance center.
In April and May, I spoke with editors from seven publications new to the AHCJ website and added these guides to the growing list. There are now 48 guides in all, and each one contains detailed advice from editors. I date the guides so that freelancers know how current the information is, and I try to check their accuracy and update them when necessary every six months.
Each of these seven editors will be participating in PitchFest on Friday, June 7 at AHCJ’s Health Journalism conference in New York City. Their market guides appear not only on the freelance center but are also linked to their bios on the PitchFest page.
Here are short summaries of the latest guides:
CQ Researcher covers policy issues that are being debated by government officials, academics and/or experts within topic areas such as the environment, health care, medicine, education, social justice, international relations, the economy and government programs. These weekly reports consist of an 8,000-word mainbar, two 800-word sidebars, a bibliography and a chronology. Freelancer rates are competitive and are discussed at the time of assignment.
Everyday Health pays $400 to $800 for 1,200-word news stories. General features, profiles and Q&As run between 800 to 1,000 words and pay between $400 and $600. Guides are 1,500 to 1,800 words long and pay from $500 to $800. News stories tend to be about single medical studies. Features are typically explainers, for instance about something trending on social media. The guides focus on a health condition or disease or on a health and wellness topic.
Inverse covers the latest trends and innovations in science, technology, entertainment and culture. This digital publication, owned by Bustle Digital Group, pays $300 for single-source new stories of 400 to 800 words in length and sometimes more depending on the complexity and amount of reporting required. The fee for an enterprise piece of between 800 and 1,000 words is $500 to $600. Features run between 1,200 and 2,500 words and pay from $800 to $1,000.
JAMA, a medical journal, is looking for feature pitches that are relevant for physicians who are practicing medicine and for patients. The freelance fee for features, which range in length from 800 to 3,000 words, is between $1 to $2 per word, depending on the journalist’s level of experience and the nature of the article. Features take a variety of formats, including narrative pieces and single-study articles.
The New York Times Well section pays freelancers $1 per word. Editors are looking for stories that tell readers something surprising or compelling about health, scrutinize health claims that are too good to be true or provide readers with actionable steps to live healthier, happier lives. All stories should be grounded in science.
The New York Times Wirecutter section runs product review and buying advice articles ranging in length from 500 to 5,000 words. The rate is $500 for an article that requires the lightest amount of work and goes up from there. For example, a new product review would pay between $1,500 to $2,000.
The Transmitter, a digital publication about neuroscience, pays a starting rate of $1 per word and goes up from there, depending on the experience of the journalist. Readers are neuroscientists, and the publication focuses on basic research. It does not cover clinical trials and drug development. Editors are looking for trend pieces
If you have suggestions for other publications you would like to see in the market guide section, please don’t hesitate to contact me. And good luck at PitchFest!
Barbara Mantel is AHCJ’s health beat leader for freelancing. She’s an award-winning independent journalist who has worked in television, radio, print and digital news.
