10 Platforms that Pay You to Write Short Stories

Writing short stories is a form of art that can pay you well. You can make money from the comfort of your home if you know how to write the right book. Short stories are harder to write than novels, but it doesn't have to be difficult.

All you need to do is write, proofread, and then review it. You can also submit it to short story editors to improve your idea, structure, and characters. And then all you have to do is submit it to an online platform.

Below are some of the best platforms where you can submit your stories and get paid.

Bella Magazine

The platform pays up to £1,000 to writers for sharing their true stories. All you have to do is send a brief outline of your story. The team will contact you if they find it interesting enough for their platform. The magazine encourages the writers to include as much detail as they can.

According to their editorial guidelines, you should cover basic elements in your story. You need to explain how your story begins, who is involved, and how it ends. The team may contact you to ask about the details and crucial events that happen before or after.

The best part is that Bella also pays people for sharing their views. You can win £50 if your opinion is chosen as the star letter.

The Green Parent

The bi-monthly magazine covers topics that are associated with parenthood. They mostly like the authors to write about topics such as raising children, environmental concerns, and alternative health. However, you can also write about green travel, gardening (particularly growing your own), family life, and simple living.

However, keep in mind that they encourage writers to provide information that empowers their readers. So, write in such a way that the readers can become experts following your footsteps.

The Green Parent pays £75 for writing about 1,000 words. And you can send them short opinion pieces or lengthy articles between 1,500 and 2,000 words. 

101 Holidays

This is the best platform to share your travel stories. The best part is that you can also participate in their internship programme to write on a part-time remote basis. You can get between £50 and £100 for a travel story from 101 Holidays.

There is no word limit defined by the platform, but mostly they publish articles between 800 and 1,500 words.

If you are thinking of sharing your story, send it in Word document without images. Normally, they don’t ask for photos, but it’s always good to inform them that you have images. Also, if you mention affiliated brands, share the details at the end of the article.

Land and Wave

It’s another platform where you can share your outdoor experience. Land Wave pays between £50 and £100 to writers for sharing their stories with images. They mostly accept short stories about getting out during winter, outdoor instructor training, school trips, and adventures with kids.

The platform usually prefers stories from writers with original photos. 

One Story

The nonprofit literary magazine is one of the best platforms for short story writers. They accept submissions from people of every age and background. However, One Story accepts submissions only twice a year. You get to submit your story between 15th January to 31st May and 3rd September to 14th November.

The platform pays $500 to the author for a single submission. But the best part is that you can write short stories about any idea. The platform defines the ideal story length between 3000 and 8000 words.

Penpee

This is a platform that pays writers based on the views they get on their stories. Penpee has two membership plans, free and premium membership.

With a free membership plan, short story writers can submit up to 3000 words. Each page contains 400 to 600 words, and you’ll get 45% credits. When you have a paid membership, Penpee allows you to write up to 12000 words. You’ll get 70% credits, wherein one credit equals 2 pence.

Daily Science Fiction

The Daily Science Fiction is an ideal platform for science fiction story writers. The good thing is that the platform prefers to publish short stories, but only if they revolve around a brilliant idea. However, bear in mind that the platform does not publish horror.

What’s best about Daily Science Fiction is that it publishes new stories daily. You can pitch and submit multiple short stories ranging from 100 to 1500 words. And you’ll receive 8 cents per word from the platform.

The Sun

The renowned magazine accepts stories and pays authors for their efforts. You can write a functional story on an idea and submit it online. There is no word limit mentioned by the platform, but we recommend not to share anything that’s 7,000 words long.

You can earn between $300 and $2000 for a single story. However, this entirely depends on your story's quality, creativity, and length. Also, the platform pays short story writers only when published.

Analog

There is no better platform for science fiction writers than Analog. The platform accepts fact articles and realistic short stories as well as illustrations. And they pay you for your story based on story length and cover art.

You’ll receive 6 cents per word for serial stories with a word count ranging from 40,000 to 80,000. The platform pays between 8 and 10 cents per word for short fiction stories. 

Clarkesworld Magazine

The science fiction and fantasy magazine is an ideal platform for fiction and non-fiction writers. You’ll get 12 cents per word which you can receive through PayPal, wire transfer, or cheque.

The platform accepts stories with words ranging from 1,000 and 22000 words. But you must ensure that your writing language is ideal for on-screen readers. So, make sure to follow their editorial guidelines and try to avoid writing long paragraphs.

The Clarkesworld Magazine only accepts original stories based on unique ideas. So try not to write on cliché topics like zombies and time travel or stories involving political parties.

Final Note

Story writing is a skill that can help you make money online. The above-mentioned websites are the ideal platforms for you to earn extra. However, remember that you’ll only get paid if your story is selected or published.