Last week, I wrote about the difficult decision choosing whether to write for free. Ultimately, it’s a personal choice you come to by weighing the balance of one very important question: do you need them more than they need you?
If you’re a new or aspiring writer, the answer might be “yes” pretty often. If your portfolio is sparse and you’re looking for publication credits to round it out, being willing to writing for free can help level the playing field between you and more experienced writers.
Still, I’d really stress that you don’t write for just anywhere. If you want your unpaid work to lead to paid work later on, it’s best to pick gigs in the field you eventually want to go into. If you’re on my website, I’d guess that means the geeky stuff.
Here are six geeky news outlets that are frequently accepting pitches for unpaid work:
Anime Diet | Editor: Michael Huang
If you’re interested in stretching your in-person reporting and interviewing skills, writing for Anime Diet can get you the opportunity to do just that. If you volunteer as a convention reporter, the site will do its best to get you approve for a press badge and even reimburse your convention ticket after you turn in your article.
Michael says, “I’m proud to say that several of our current permanent staff cut their teeth as con volunteers first. It’s a great way to show one’s dedication and talent.”
Comics Bulletin | Editor: Jason Sacks
Everyone who writes for this comics, TV, movie, and games review blog is unpaid. But Jason says that he’s been able to maintain several dozen staff members for years because of the perks he can offer them, including exposure, free review copies, convention passes, and an editor who wants to help them improve.
Jason says, “there are quite a few perks of working on a ‘group’ site like mine that you don’t get from writing for other sites. [For example], camaraderie with fellow writers and encouragement from the editorial staff to work on material that’s near and dear to their hearts. I’ve been told this is the special sauce of my site.”
Hypable | Editor: Andrew Sims
This site covers a far wider selection of fandoms than any of the other sites on this list. Basically, if you can write fanfiction about it, you can read about it on Hypable, whether it’s a book, a movie, a TV show, or even a band.
In order to write for Hypable, go to News by You and click, “Click here to get started!” Similar to Japanator’s community blogs, it’ll walk you through a process to become a fandom reporter for the site. You don’t need to pitch the editors directly.
Japanator | Editor: Josh Tolentino
There are two main types of content on the Destructoid network’s anime blog: show reviews and Japanese cultural news. Long time readers might remember that I used to write here. There are two ways to get a byline here. If you’re a big Japanator fan and interested in a long term commitment, you can write to Josh and pitch yourself as a well-rounded staff writer. Or, you can quickly and easily set up a community blog, and staff writers might choose to highlight your posts on the front page.
Josh says he looks for writers with an affinity for the topic: “Considering what Japanator’s all about a high level of interest in Japan and Japanese culture, though not limited to anime, manga and videogames, is a must.”
Real Otaku Gamer | Editor: Andre Tipton
This geek culture blog is relatively young at three years old. As a result, they’re always looking to expand their content. ROG covers news about video games, anime, and comics or manga. They publish reviews, opinion pieces, interviews with creators, and straight news. To write for this site, pitch your story ideas directly to Andre.
The Mary Sue | Editor: Susana Polo
I was unable to get in touch with Susana before I published this blog post, but I know by word of mouth that the Mary Sue looks for high quality pitches about features related to female geekdom. That could mean editorials based on your first-person experiences, in-depth reporting about a phenomenon in fandom, or interviews.
Try the Contact page to suggest an article idea for the Mary Sue.
Update: Susana says you can find guidelines for writers on the Contributors page.
Do you write for any of these sites? If so, how is/was your experience? Got another one you think I should add to the list?
(Photo by Berto.)