Pitches wanted (secrets) (worldwide) | $100 per essay

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: OPEN SECRETS 

Deadline: 9 April 2023

SUBMISSION WINDOW FOR OPEN SECRETS FROM APRIL 3-9, 2023

For a one-week period, I’m accepting essay submissions from the public for Open Secrets. Since our first six months are mostly booked up, these essays will likely run in October, November or early December 2023, unless they are especially timely. You can expect to hear back about your essay within one week of submission. Any writers from anywhere in the world may submit essays. Writers of color, disabled writers, LGBTQIA+ writers, writers ages 50 and over, and writers living outside of large U.S. cities and/or outside of the Unites States are especially encouraged to submit essays.

I'm open to any topic, as long as the essay is deeply personal, emotionally powerful, and memorable. The site will have a mix of tones, from serious to humorous. Published essayists will receive $100 on acceptance via Venmo, Zelle or PayPal, and will be required to work with editor Rachel Kramer Bussel on final edits, artwork, and to claim their essay via Substack as the author.

While I’m open to any topics, a few I’m especially interested in are:

• Essay by a person who’s ended a pregnancy in 2022 or 2023 in a state where abortion is now illegal
• Essay by a disabled writer about any aspect of their life
• Essay by a trans, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming author about any aspect of their life, especially anything related to the current political moment
• Essay by an author living with a mental health issue
• Essay by an author about being part of the sandwich generation

Submit a completed 1,000-1,500 word essay in ONE of these formats: Word doc, Google doc, or RTF that includes a headline, subhed (a subhed is a one-line tagline - see an example here), and a 5-sentence or less bio with links embedded to opensecretsmag@gmail.com with “Essay Submission” in the subject line. I’m only accepting completed essays, not pitches. Essays must never have been published in whole or in part in any format, whether in print, online, newsletters, blogs, social media posts, etc. I will respond within one month of submission; if you have not heard back within one month, please follow up.

CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):

• Questions/submissions: opensecretsmag@gmail.com
• Website: https://opensecretsmag.substack.com

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Open Secrets is a home for memorable, revealing personal essays about all the subjects we're taught to keep “secret.” Open Secrets essays cover the gamut of human life, from personal relationships to mental, physical, and emotional health to grief, love, career/work, parenting, addiction, and beyond. More information here.
• Read through a selection of recent articles/stories on its website.
• Review the submission guidelines here.
• Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook and at SuccessfulPitches.com.
• Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a few lines highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits; and (3) links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.

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