Open Secrets Magazine Is Seeking Personal Essays/ How To Submit (Pay: $50)

Open Secrets Magazine is currently looking for personal essays on topics we are often taught to keep “secret.”

They are looking for essays ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 words that provide insight into the author’s life and show a major change or lesson learned. You might want to read this article on Tips For Making Your Writing Perfect.

Submission Guidelines For Open Secrets Magazine 

• Essays must use the first person point of view and should not be previously published or posted anywhere.

• They should not simply recount an experience but instead provide a deeper understanding of the author’s journey and growth.

• Open Secrets Magazine is interested in essays on work and career, relationships, parenting and family, identity, LGBTQIA+ issues, physical and mental health, grief, and the author’s relationship with their belongings.

• They especially welcome essays about accessing abortion and reproductive care in the U.S. post-Roe v. Wade, timely news stories, and working professionally in politics.

• They also want international perspectives, experiences of teachers and healthcare workers, minimalism, hoarding, collecting, military service, and using humor to share personal truths.

• Submissions are only accepted from Open Secrets subscribers, and each author can submit up to two essays per open submission period.

• Authors can use pseudonyms but must indicate this in their cover letter and include a bio for the pseudonym.

• Authors retain the rights to their essays but should credit Open Secrets as the original publication if the essay is reprinted.

• If you are not an experienced writer, please read this article: 10 Creative Writing Tips For Beginners.

How To Submit 

• To submit an essay, authors must send the following in a single email to opensecretsmag@gmail.com with “Submission” in the subject line
• Send a Word document or RTF with the essay, including headline, one-line subhed, and author name at the top.
• It should contain a one-paragraph author bio with embedded links; and a horizontal photo they own the rights to or a URL of a stock photo from Unsplash.
• Authors are encouraged to read at least two published essays from Open Secrets Magazine to understand the style and content preferred.
• Only authors whose work is selected will hear back from Open Secrets. For any questions not covered in these guidelines, email opensecretsmag@gmail.com with “Submission question” in the subject line.

Payment 

The pay for accepted essays is $50, made via Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle. If these methods are not available, authors can opt for a comped 1-year paid subscription.

Deadline 

The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2024, but earlier submissions have a better chance of acceptance. 

To learn more, refer to their post.