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Opportunities 

Here are some new opportunities featured in Opps Finder:

-American Craft is looking for pitches of reported articles, essays, and opinion pieces on the theme of "Retreat." They are specifically interested in pitches related to travel, wood, and mental.. “The magazine is for people who value the handcrafted over the manufactured, artists, collectors, and independent thinkers with a keen interest in the creative process—including materials, techniques, and processes.” The rate is $.50–$1.00/word, depending on the assignment, and stories are generally assigned at 400–2,000 words. Send pitches through their pitch form. 

-PCMag is hiring a freelance weekend news writer to write on Saturdays and Sundays (East Coast US hours). They are expected to write three to four stories per day. Candidates should have some experience writing consumer tech news for a digital publication and must be based in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia. The rate is $70 per story (and each story would be at least 300 words). Interested? Email a short cover letter telling us why you’re the best candidate for the position to [email protected]. 

-New York Focus is hiring for two positions: a Director of Digital Growth and a Social Services Reporter. Both roles can be based anywhere in NY. For both positions, candidates should have at least five years of experience. The salary range for the Director of Digital Growth is $80,000 to $105,000, and for the Social Services Reporter, it is $70,000 to $80,000. Applications for the reporting position must be received by October 1.

 -The Associated Press is hiring two part or full-time Washington Investigations Reporters to “provide illuminating coverage about how power, politics and money shape policy in Washington that affects the nation and the world.” Candidates should have “a strong record of delivering exclusive and distinctive investigative reporting on both breaking news and long-term investigative projects.” The salary range is $52,046 - $148,709. Apply by September 24.

-GamesRadar is hiring a Senior Staff Writer in a remote capacity, to “continue the rapid global growth of the website by delivering content that connects with a global audience of millions of multiformat gamers.” Candidates should have at least three years of writing experience and a “passion for console video games (and other related technologies such as VR or PC gaming). The salary range is $62,000 - $67,000 and the position is covered by the WGA-East.

Is There Room For More? 

By Pete Croatto

For too many years, I took any rate an editor offered, for fear that I’d be thrown out the door if I negotiated, or written off as pushy and ungrateful. Then, in the summer of 2019, after 11 years as a full-time freelance writer, a phone call rewired my brain and saved my career.

I was writing a column for The Writer on the benefits of asking for more money, inspired by Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s admission that she received $4 a word when she freelanced. Among my sources was the great Frankie de la Cretaz, a veteran freelance writer whose essays and reporting explore gender and queerness in sports. We ran in similar circles—I write about sports, too. In the middle of our phone conversation, de la Cretaz mentioned that they always asked for more money from editors. 

They said it like this was something everyone did. I’ll get breakfast, brush my teeth, and then ask for another $300 for this story.  

To me, it was like discovering fire. If Frankie was doing this, and we’re colleagues, this was not the domain of the privileged few. This, I thought, was something I could—and more importantly—should do.    

I started slowly. If I felt the rate lacking, I tried the following line: Is there room for more? I wasn’t pushy, but inquisitive, polite. I rarely explained why I was asking for more. If a publication offered 10 cents a word for a 2,000-word story, what good was logic? I said “thank you” and moved on. 

My salary that year, 2022, increased by $10,000, and I attribute it to the phrase “Is there room for more?” Then, I decided to track how much my negotiations earned me. By my calculations, in 2023, I made an extra $4,000.

Like everyone, I have seen the media industry erode like a bar of soap in a backpacker hostel. Of course, I am worried about generative AI tools, and publications folding or laying off staff members with stunning regularity. Judging from group chats and social media posts, this year has felt particularly grim. Good news is rare; “I’m grateful for the opportunity” farewell posts are plentiful. 

Even with all the tumult, you should ask for more as well. If not, you’re leaving money on the table. 

As of mid-August, I was closing in on an additional $3,000 this year.  My biggest triumphs in 2024 include going from $2,250 to $3,500 for an article at a college alumni magazine, and a bump from 80 cents to $1 a word on a rushed longform assignment. The first draft for the latter came in at 5,700 words, an extra $1,000 at least. Every year, I now inquire with my nonprofit client about a pay increase. This year, I went from 90 cents to $1 a word. Poynter offered $750.00 for a Q&A; I countered with $1,000 and got it. 

Putting myself in a better position to succeed has become instinctive; I’m not afraid to quote a more robust rate. Instead of asking $500 a month for a consulting fee, I tried $750. The client didn’t object. 

Not everybody throws spare ducats my way. I frequently contribute to PBS’s 50+ publication, Next Avenue. A few months ago, I asked about a bump, but my editor (kindly) couldn’t budge. At one of my steady gigs, I withdrew my request for a raise when my contact said the company might have to enter “austerity mode.” 

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Plug Your Work

Please check out the “Plug Your Work” feature on our member site. We are giving boosts to members’ work on our blog, social media channels, and Digest newsletter. 

Study Hall Member Matthew King Wrote a Brief History of Urban Climbing

For Majuscule, Matthew King wrote a research essay on skyscraper climbing and its evolution from early 1900s America to recent developments across the United States, Europe, and China. King tells Study Hall, “This essay reveals how each high-flying performance helps us see new issues of wealth inequality and labor exploitation, and challenges our collective orthodoxy around skylines as a symbol of progress.”

In his piece, King writes, “With every daring climb and high-rise performance, we’re invited to see anew the inheritance of our built world and socioeconomic condition. Many acts challenge our deepest assumptions about economic progress and fairness, revealing the extent to which feel-good narratives run against our best interests.” 

King’s writing has appeared in The Baffler, The Atlantic, and New Republic.

Study Hall Member Tyler McBrien Traced the Origin of the Right's New Favorite Bogeyman, "Lawfare"

For Mother Jones, Tyler McBrien wrote about former President Donald J. Trump’s obsessive use of the term “lawfare” and how it reveals him and the right’s understanding of the law. In the piece, McBrien explores how following Trump’s numerous criminal indictments, his supporters have promoted a baseless the law has been weaponized for politician gains. The piece also includes a brief history into the term. 

He writes, “Trump’s recent embrace of the term lawfare reflects his understanding of law as a pliable means to a political end, rather than a check on power and an impartial instrument of justice. For an emerging right, all is fair in law and war.” 

McBrien is the managing editor of Lawfare. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Slate.