Do you have talent for composing dramatic pieces, fictional narratives, and short stories? Good news! We’re going to show you several places in this article where you can sell your stories for a profit.
You can make money doing what you love in many other ways than writing novels. You don’t need to be a novelist to find plenty of online writing jobs. Actually, you may make enough money from it to make it your main source of income.
Those who lack the energy or time to write lengthy novels or volumes may find this guide especially useful.
What does a story writer typically earn?
The truth is that it’s quite publisher and magazine specific. The monthly salary of certain fiction and theater writers might reach fifteen grand. Assuming your newspaper is well-read, you can make a respectable living off of only one tale. You may expect to earn between $20 and $30 per page from most publications. Consequently, you can figure it out whether your story has several pages.
Publishing Platforms for Online Short Stories
Choose an English-language website that fits your style and start making money doing what you love; the ones below offer chances for various genres.
The following are examples of well-read online periodicals that pay their writers for their original ideas:
AGNI
Poems and essays can be found in Agni, a literary journal. Anyone interested in literature or who aspires to be a writer can submit their work to the magazine, and the company will pay them for their pieces. In most cases, Agni accepts papers between September 1 and May 31.
Your manuscript can be submitted either electronically or via regular mail. While we do not impose a word count on your entries, the length of each article is a deciding factor in whether or not it gets published.
The magazine is looking for personal essays, memoirs, think pieces, poetry, and short tales; therefore, your work cannot be in the genres of romance, mystery, horror, or science fiction.
Submit up to five poems and one short story at a time if any of these styles ring true for you. It is expected that your writing has never been published or presented anywhere. Make sure to use double spacing and number the pages in the document.
For essays and short stories, Agni pays $10 per page, while poetry fetches $20 per page. Remember that the publication must accept your work before you can receive payment.
The Sun
renowned magazine that has successfully reached its target demographic through the publication of numerous stories and articles on timely global topics. Fortunately, you can apply to be a writer there right now.
Poems, articles, and personal narratives that explore social, political, or cultural themes are published in The Sun. Despite the fact that there is no word limit, the longest piece published in the journal was seven thousand words.
Both online and postal submissions are acceptable. You can use the website’s submission gateway after you’ve created an account.
The payment range for personal essays and fiction tales is $300 to $2000. The payment range for poetry is $100 to $250. Before submitting your manuscript to The Sun, make sure to review the example essays provided on their website. Payment is due upon approval.
Analog
Are you someone who enjoys science and finds science fiction stories to be incredibly imaginative? If so, you might be eligible to have your very own fantastical scientific universe published. One of the best places to get high-quality science fiction with a solid scientific foundation is Analog, a prominent science fiction journal. Additionally, it publishes factual pieces based on top scientific research.
According to their merit, Analog publishes articles. Scientific fiction that is both realistic and written by experts is welcome. Like other authors, you can also include an illustration in your submission; however, the illustration needs to be both aesthetically pleasing and pertinent to your narrative.
This magazine also accepts narrative pieces based on facts. You can only submit up to four pieces of prose or poetry and six poems. Before submitting your manuscript for publication, double-check its format on the website, and make sure to add a cover letter that introduces you and details your publishing experience.
Utilize their web-based platform to turn in your assignments.
Acceptance is a prerequisite for payment. In the realm of short fiction, Analog pays 8–10 cents per word (up to about 20,000 words), serials, 6 cents per word (40,000–80,000 words), fact articles, and poetry, $1 per line. Black and white covers cost $125, and colored covers cost $1200.
One Story
Contributions from people of all ages and walks of life are welcome at One Story, a nonprofit literary magazine. The dates for submissions are January 15th through May 31st and September 3rd through November 14th. Three thousand to eight thousand words is the sweet spot for story length. Through their portal, you are able to electronically submit your work. The file formats that can be submitted are PDF, RTF, and TXT. The file size should not exceed 500 KB. Any topic or theme you choose can be the basis for a short narrative.
Teens can also submit their work to One Teen Story, a special section reserved for those between the ages of thirteen and nineteen. Choose between one adult story or one teen story; you can’t have it both ways. You cannot submit two works at the same time, and none of yours should have been published elsewhere.
On the cover letter for your manuscript, you must provide the name of your novel, your personal name, and details.
For only one submission, the writers of One Story get $500.
Clarkesworld
Monthly stories and articles from the acclaimed science fiction and fantasy magazine Clarkesworld are published. This science fiction publication is on the lookout for pieces with strong prose and screen-friendly formatting. Long paragraphs should be avoided. Additionally, the story needs to be audio-friendly. Only submissions written in English will be considered.
Following the manuscript standards and avoiding the clichés given on the Clarkesworld website are important considerations while drafting a story for submission. You are required to submit your story online, and the word count should range from 1000 to 2000.
Even non-fiction pieces are welcome, but you must adhere to the website’s rules and steer clear of irrelevant subjects. Articles that are not fictional should not exceed 2500 words in length. If you’re an accomplished artist or illustrator, you can also send in your work.
Submit your work to the magazine, and they’ll pay you via PayPal or check. Writers from other countries also have the option of using wire transfers. The company compensates writers 10 cents per word for fiction stories.
Regular Science Fiction
The goal of the publication platform known as “Daily Science Fiction” is to publish science fiction stories every single day. The platform is looking for short works of exceptional and novel science fiction.
Yes, daily science fiction stories tend to be shorter, and if yours is shorter than another excellent, lengthy story, it has a better chance of being published. Stories should be between one hundred and one thousand words long.
Be sure to check the website’s criteria before submitting your story; it should be science fiction, not horror. You can submit your stories using an online form, and the website will provide you with all the necessary instructions. On this platform, you may also submit your artwork.
Award amounts range from $25 for poetry and nonfiction to $100 for fiction.
Carve
Carve magazine is always accepting submissions of all genres, including poetry, nonfiction, and short stories, and publishes them in both print and digital editions. The publication seeks creative prose and poetry with strong emotional content.
You are free to submit your work at your convenience, whether that’s via email or regular mail, since there is no deadline.
There is no minimum word limit for fiction or non-fiction, but the maximum is 10,000. Poetry has a word limit of 2,000.
Since Carve is solely interested in literary works, it does not publish works in the horror, mystery, fantasy, etc. genres.
You should attach a cover note before sending in your work. Even if your work doesn’t make it into Carve, the magazine may still publish it in their magazine and pay you for it.
Wattpad
If you’re interested in writing for fun, you can now make money on the biggest reader and writer platform. A select group of writers are invited to join Wattpad’s compensated program. The stories are chosen for their market worth, inventiveness, and originality. Only a select few writers on Wattpad have access to this feature.
Penpee
There is an online reading platform called Penpee where writers may publish their stories and earn money when people read them. You need to enroll and choose between a free and a premium membership plan in order to submit a story.
Authors who sign up for the free membership can produce stories of up to 3,000 words, with 400 to 600 words per page. Up to 12,000 words can be written with a premium subscription. When your article becomes live, you’ll be rewarded based on how many people read it. Each page has one credit.
With a premium membership, you’ll gain 70% credits, while a free membership will offer you 45%. After that, you’ll earn 2 pence for every credit.
You can earn credits and then use PayPal to withdraw your balance. A minimum of five pounds should be in your account. Withdrawals made to bank accounts are also possible in certain nations.
Conclusion
The aforementioned writing chances are competitive, so keep in mind that you won’t get paid until your piece is published on their site. But if you’re a gifted writer with the ability to produce outstanding works of literature, this is a fantastic chance for you to do double duty: build your resume and your bank account.