You can generally get paid to write essays of two different types: academic essays and personal essays.
There are companies that will pay writers for academic essays. Still, it's important to scrutinize them and validate their authenticity before signing up, as this is an industry that is prone to scammers. You can also pitch magazines and periodical ideas for personal essays, which can fetch high pay rates and get your name in front of a large audience.If you are interested in writing academic essays for pay, you will want to stay on your toes and make sure you steer clear of scam sites. This is an industry that con artists are drawn to, and the last thing you want to do is start writing essays for free before determining that the company isn't as legit as they first appeared.
Are you thinking about applying to work for a high-volume content writing company? Make sure you check out our guide to content mills before you start sending out applications.
The Freelance Writing Jobs board is a great place to look for writing jobs that pay well-- no matter whether you're looking to write academic essays, personal essays, blogs, articles, product descriptions, or more.
Before we take a look at a number of companies and sites that pay writers for essays, we wanted to take a moment and let you know about our jobs board. Specifically designed to help writers and clients connect, you'll find that there are fresh posts for high-paying gigs listed every day! Whether you're looking for a one-off job or you're hoping to create an ongoing relationship with a client, there's a little bit of everything on our job board.
Academic Writers Online is one of the many sites where you can get paid to write essays.
The application process is free through this company and involves sending over writing samples and a resume or CV. They receive hundreds of applications every day, but they try to respond to all applications within just two or three business days. In some cases, it can take up to five business days to hear back.
Most of the customers that hire Academic Writers Online are businessmen, bloggers, site owners, and students, according to the company. Writers are responsible for taking care of writing, editing, and/or proofreading tasks.
When you work for Academic Writers Online, you can choose to write as little or as much as you want. The average deadline for essays here is one to two days, but some of them might have deadlines ranging from a few hours to several months.
Advanced Writers works with a pretty large team of writers who help their clients write everything from research papers to case studies. Unfortunately, they are not transparent about the rates that they offer writers, and it appears that they may not pay as generously as some of the other sites on our list.
Are you wondering how else you can make money online? Be sure to check out our list of more than twenty websites that pay great rates to writers.
Paper Help requires that writers complete a writing test and submit a resume via email in order to apply. If you are accepted, you'll first begin at a lower pay rate during a probation period in order for the company to determine whether you are a good fit. Over time, you can work your way up and start earning a higher price per page.
Though Paper Help doesn't advertise the rates that they pay writers, they are one of the better-reviewed academic essay writing services out there. Pricing depends on the academic level, the type of service, the type of paper, and the length of the essay, in addition to how quickly clients need the paper to be completed.
EssayPro has a fairly thorough hiring process in order to ensure that they are able to offer high-quality essays and papers to their clients. As a part of the application process, they will need proof of identity, diploma verification, and writing samples.
They will also give you a test assignment before you are permitted to begin a trial period. One of the things that is unique about this service is that you can set your own rates and choose your own assignments. They pay twice a month, once on the 15th and once on the last day of the month.
Rather than being assigned essays, when you work with Essaypro, you have to bid on orders that customers place.
Do you love reading as much as you love writing? Check out this list of more than ten ways you can get paid to read books.
Writing Creek is another site you can use to make money writing academic essays.
They pay twice a month and always have assignments available, meaning that you can work as much or as little as you want. They advertise that writers can begin earning money in as little as three days. In order to work with them, you'll need to:
They ask that their writers have the following skills:
When you read the reviews for Writing Creek from other writers, you find that they are extremely mixed. Some go as far as to say that this service is a scam, while others give five stars and rave reviews for the company. You will want to proceed with caution with any of these sites because the academic essay-writing industry is, unfortunately, a place where there are plenty of scammers.
Essay Shark is a site where freelancers can register and then bid on projects that interest them.
Glassdoor reports that freelance writers, on average, make $4,615 per month with Essay Shark, but how much you take home is obviously going to depend on how much you work.
Though you need to be skeptical of any companies that claim to pay writers for academic essays because it is an industry where scammers abound, EssayShark is one of the sites that has abundant rave reviews from both writers and clients.
As I've been driving home over and over, you need to be very careful with these academic essay writing sites. To Essay Shark's credit, they have some of the best reviews of any of the companies on our list.
If you don't love the idea of writing essays for people in high school, undergraduate, or graduate school, or if you simply aren't psyched about the idea of writing academic essays, turn your head in the direction of these seven sites that pay great rates for personal essays.
A personal essay is a piece of autobiographical nonfiction that shares a thought-provoking, interesting, entertaining, or humorous story with readers. These are pieces that are drawn from the personal experience of the author.
Some of these publications are going to be seriously competitive (New York Times, we're looking at you,) but that doesn't mean it's not worth a shot.
New to writing and wondering how to break into the game? Learn how to find entry-level writing jobs for beginners in this recent post.
Bustle is an online American women's magazine that has been around for nearly a decade. Focusing on topics like celebrities, beauty, and fashion trends while also touching upon politics and news, they accept pitches for personal essays as well as:
They state that they will also consider reported feature ideas about lifestyle, fashion and beauty, and entertainment and culture so long as they are "conversation-making."
Is it time for you to make your own writer website to help market your writing services? Make sure you check out some of the best writer sites for inspiration. While you're at it, take a look at our guide to building a writer's portfolio.
While The New York Times needs no introduction, you might not know about the New York Times Modern Love column. This is a highly competitive place to have your writing published, as you might imagine. There are tons of respected and well-known writers that have struggled to have their pieces published here, but that doesn't mean there's no hope!
Apparently, about 8,000 submissions are made to the Modern Love column every year. If you want to try and become one of the 1% of applicants that actually has a personal essay published here, you'll want to study the column extensively.
Based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, The Sun is a magazine that publishes:
With both a print and an online monthly magazine, this is a very well-respected magazine that pays quite well. There is definitely a certain *vibe* to the magazine, so you'll want to check it out before submitting a pitch. Here is how they describe what they are looking for in their submission guidelines:
We’re looking for narrative writing and evocative photography from all over the world. Send us work that maps the human landscape, where the light catches on the faintest joy, where darkness sometimes threatens to overwhelm, and where ✗ never marks the spot because the truth is never so simple.
The Sun is happy to publish both award-winning writers and first-time authors. With 60,000 print subscribers and thousands more people that visit their website, this is an awesome place to get your name out there.
Practical Wanderlust is a site where you can submit pitches for travel writing, but they are pretty specific in terms of the type of travel article they're looking for.
This is a site that really focuses on providing practical and informative details for people that might want to visit the same locations you're discussing. Though they love it when you include personal anecdotes in your article, they don't want the whole thing to be all about your personal experience. The focus should be on providing an informative travel resource.
On their submission guidelines page, you can find a list of destinations they are currently interested in receiving pitches for. As of May 2023, these include the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe, and they've outlined specific states in the U.S. that they are currently prioritizing.
They really look for articles that will make the reader laugh, and you'll want to become familiar with all of their guidelines before taking the time to send a pitch.
The Smart Set is published through Drexel University, a private research university located in Philadelphia. This magazine covers just about everything-- from medicine and sports to literature and food. The publication is named after the literary magazine that was edited by H. L. Menken and George Nathan at the turn of the century, and they strive to publish high-quality writing and photography across genres.
Some of the genres they publish include:
When it comes to personal essays, they are usually looking for pieces that are between 1,000 and 3,000 words.
The Change Agent publishes their Calls for Articles on their "Write For Us!" page, which you can get to by following the link at the beginning of the sentence. Along with the themes that they are seeking articles and essays about, they include a deadline for when submissions must be sent in.
As of May 2023, the themes are:
This magazine focuses primarily on the topic of adult education. They suggest that the articles are between 200 and 1000 words in length.
Are you wondering what the best way to get paid as a freelancer is? Take a look at our guide to freelancer payment methods.
Slate is an online magazine that covers a wide range of topics, including politics, current affairs, and culture. They've been around since 1996 and are a well-known online periodical that offers pointers for new writers in their "how to pitch Slate" guidelines.
They ask that you become familiar with the magazine so you know what type of pieces they publish, and welcome pitches in the following departments:
If you're most interested in pitching personal essays, you'll likely be sending your info to the Human Interest and News/Politics & Jurisprudence departments depending on the topic at hand. You can also submit pitches for literary essays to the Culture Department.
There are lots of different ways to make money writing online, and one of the great things about being a freelance writer is that you can have a lot of variety in your work.
You might choose to write essays for pay, but you can also write articles, blogs, white papers, website copy, product descriptions, poetry, case studies, and more.
If you're interested in writing personal essays for online magazines, it's worth noting that you typically have to pitch each individual essay. This can be time-consuming and reduce how much money you're making on an hourly basis, as you have to put time into researching the publication and drafting a pitch before you even find out if they will be willing to pay for your piece.
Don't fret, though-- there are other ways to get paid for writing in a way that lets you spend more time writing and less time pitching. One of the best ways to find writing gigs is through our Freelance Writing Jobs board, which posts new listings every day from clients that are happy to pay great rates to writers.
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