Looking for freelance writing jobs?
There’s a curious niche that started sprouting more work with all the self-isolating and DIY projects going on. It’s the home and garden niche.
Is this your niche? Or maybe you’re interested in breaking into the home and garden niche.
If you know where to find SMEs to interview (master gardeners, contractors, landscapers, builders, growers, business owners, DIY-ers, etc.), nurture those leads and come up with some story ideas to land freelance writing jobs.
These pubs are niche-specific and want writers who are knowledgeable about home and garden topics. And they have smart and creative audiences who know their stuff.
Want to land freelance writing jobs in this niche? If you can educate, entertain, or solve a problem related to home and garden, editors will pay well for your work.
Garden and landscaping pubs, in particular, are looking for writers who have solutions to problems and aren’t afraid to do a little research to give their readers the real scoop.
Keep in mind this niche isn’t just for green-thumbs in the garden. The home and garden niche includes construction, landscaping, home improvement, and DIY, too.
Ready to land some freelance writing jobs in the home and garden niche? Dig into this list and start pitching.
Pitch these 26 home & garden pubs for freelance writing jobs
1. American Gardener
Recently featured in the Writer’s Digest, American Gardener is a publication of the American Horticulture Society. From plant hunting, horticultural therapy, and “appropriate” gardening, to plant lore and literature, there are ample opportunities for freelance writing jobs with this pub dedicated to environmentally responsible gardening.
Rate: $300 to $600 for features and $150 to $200 for departments
Editor: Editor David Ellis is on LinkedIn.
2. Architectural Digest
If you have a story on “the next best thing” in international design, pitch AD! Be sure that you have a unique point of view and amazing photos before sending your pitch to have a shot with this iconic mag.
Rate: Anywhere from $0.56 to $1 per word reported
Editor: Find features director Samuel Cochran on LinkedIn.
3. Canadian Living
This pub is described as a service magazine that focuses on content its busy readers can put to use today. The number one magazine for Canadian women has a dedicated home and garden section and a prize for current full-time journalism students.
Rate: Reported $0.30 a word in 2018
Editor: Find home and garden director Sarah Gunn on LinkedIn and Twitter.
4. Coastal Living
Coastal Living accepts pitches for their home and garden section eight months prior to publication, so get those ideas in early! Send well-developed ideas on coastal homes, travel, food and lifestyle (with photos!) for best consideration.
Rate: $1 per word reported
Editor: Email Home and Garden section editor Ellen McGauley at ellen.mcgauley@timeinc.com.
5. Dwell
Dwell offers multiple options for landing freelance writing jobs and assignments, so check the guidelines for specific submission info. They’re looking for stories about modern home design, budget breakdowns, and lessons learned, among others.
Rate: Reported $1 per word
Editor: Find editor-in-chief William Hanley on LinkedIn.
6. ELLE Decor
Have a flair for decorating? This article gives the lowdown on pitching to magazines like Elle and others in the interior design space. Be sure to follow their tips when emailing your pitch!
Rate: reported rates of $0.42 a word average (for ELLE magazine)
Editor: Senior editor Vanessa Lawrence is on LinkedIn.
7. Fine Gardening
Write about all aspects of garden care in your region of the U.S. or Canada for Fine Gardening. Owned by Taunton Press, this magazine also puts out three other pubs devoted to the crafts of woodworking, homebuilding, and sewing.
Rate: Pays between $100 to $200 per page for a feature article, and $35 to $400 for department pieces, depending upon length and complexity
Editor: Find editor Steve Aitkin on LinkedIn.
8. Garden Gate Magazine
Have some advice for fellow gardeners? Garden Gate pays for garden design tips like this article on how to select plants that thrive in shade.
Rate: $25 a tip
Editor: Find senior editor Sherri Ribbey on LinkedIn.
9. Good Housekeeping
GH accepts freelance health narratives as well as submissions for their “Blessings” column. The most successful pitches offer fresh content tailored towards the mag’s readership of 25 million women.
Rate: $0.67 per word
Editor: Pitch digital director Lauren Matthews on Twitter.
10. Green Prints
Editor Pat Stone wants the best personal garden writing on the human side of the art-form out there. They publish four times a year, so it’s best to submit for an upcoming issue well in advance.
Rate: They pay up to $150 for pieces (up to 2,000 words).
Editor: Email editor Pat Stone.
11. Hobby Farms
Into urban farming or part of a generational farming legacy? The most common freelance writing jobs and assignments provide tips for small-scale farmers and those just getting started by pitching Hobby Farms.
Rate: $300 and up for features
Editor: You can submit to the editor, Roger Sipe, on Twitter.
12. Home Energy
Home Energy is a small nonprofit that publishes a variety of content exclusively on residential energy consumption. Freelance writing jobs and assignments typically include: trends, features, side bars, field notes, and columns. This pub values concise writing tailored to their highly specific audience of energy officials, contractors, program managers, weatherization crew members, and manufacturers of energy-efficient products.
Rate: $0.20 per word up to a maximum of $500, plus $10 for each piece of useable art
Editor: Senior editor Jim Gunshinan is on Twitter.
13. Homestead
This pub assigns freelance writing jobs to experienced homesteaders who can write well and capture readers’ interest. Check out their writer’s guidelines for details on submitting proposals, photographs or illustrations, and completed manuscripts (1000-2500 words).
Rate: $100
Editor: Find editor Jessica Shelton on LinkedIn.
14. Luxe Design and Interiors
A magazine for affluent design enthusiasts, Luxe covers the entire design industry. They accept project articles, home tour pieces, and more.
Rate: $0.50 a word
Editor: Send digital story ideas to senior web editor, Ileana Llorens by email.
15. Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener
This magazine is published four times a year by staff writers, but includes several articles by freelancers in each issue. Find a detailed list of agricultural topics in the guidelines to hone your idea and pitch with photos for an added edge.
Rate: $0.20 a word
Editor: Email editor Jean English at jenglish@mofga.org.
16. Midwest Home
Write about Minnesota home and garden projects completed within the last three years for Midwest Home. This pub assigns freelance writing jobs on architecture, remodels, interior design, and landscape and garden design, but they ask that you don’t pitch the same story to multiple media outlets while waiting to hear about your query.
Rate: pays for unpublished work
Editor: Email senior editor Anna Bjorlin at abjorlin@midwesthome.com.
17. Morning Chores
Morning Chores has freelance writing jobs and projects for writers knowledgeable and experienced in sustainability. Write about practicable actions their readers can use in their daily lives in areas like homesteading, gardening and animal care.
Rate: $50
Editor: Visit the about page for team bios. Contributor Steph Coelho is on Twitter.
18. Mother Earth Living
Pitch upbeat, informative, and entertaining stories to Mother Earth Living’s editorial advisory group. They meet every three to six months to score queries on their suitability for the pub’s healthy, environmentally conscious readers, so expect a bit of wait time before hearing back.
Rate: Undisclosed, negotiable, payment on publication
Editor: Multiple editors can be found here.
NOTE 8/19/20: We’ve received a report that this sister publication to Mother Earth News has closed down, and confirmed it on their website. You can pitch to Mother Earth News instead.
19. Mother Earth News
This site accepts submissions with quality photographs for its Country Lore section. They range from 100-300 words in length. Their features are often assigned to contributing editors, but an experienced writer can land freelance writing jobs with a query and one-page outline.
Rate: $25-$100
Editor: Send submissions to editor Oscar “Hank” Will by email.
20. Oregon Home
Oregon Home offers practical advice and guidance to Oregonians transforming their interior spaces. Know up-and-coming craftspeople or other makers in OR? Pitch these and other home, garden, DIY, and style ideas to this Beaver-state pub to land freelance writing jobs.
Rate: pay for features and sponsored content is about $0.59-$1/word.
Editor: Email editor Emily Grosvenor or find her on LinkedIn.
21. Our Homes
This glossy mag is directed towards a high-income readership. They’re looking for lively and inviting stories that include interviews and research on home interiors, exteriors, and home life; renovating and real estate; gardening, landscaping, and building.
Rate: $0.25 per assigned word for freelance writing, and, if there is travel required, $ 0.40 a km after the first 60 kilometers travelled. (Canada)
Editor: Email Georgette McCulloch, editor-in-chief, at georgette.mcculloch@ourhomes.ca.
22. Popular Mechanics
Have an article on outdoor spaces in you? Pitch to Popular Mechanics! In their words, this magazine is about “wonder, curiosity about the world, and getting your hands dirty.”
Rate: Pay has been as high as $0.40 a word.
Editor: Editor-in-chief Alexander George is on LinkedIn.
23. ProBuilder
Professional Builder has multiple construction publication brands, including ProBuilder, ProRemodeler, Building Design and Construction, and more. They pay for feature-length articles for their print version and more recently for shorter online-only content.
Rate: Varies depending on the experience of the writer and the length of the article; anywhere from between $0.75 a word and $1.15/word. Occasionally for large articles or series they’ll negotiate a fee.
Editor: Email Rich Binsacca, editor-in-chief.
24. Sunset Magazine
Sunset covers outdoor living and home design in the 13 western United States, British Columbia, and Mexico. Freelance submissions are accepted for articles on new homes and renovations, preferably with “before” photos!.
Rate: average is $1.17 a word
Editor: Editor Sally Kuchar is on LinkedIn.
25. Texas Gardener
This bi-monthly magazine is specific to the Lone Star state and offers various ways to break in as a regular contributor. They have a personal essay column called “Between Neighbors” that’s open to submissions of 600-700 words. Most feature articles are assigned, but you can break in with a unique perspective on Texas gardening.
Rate: $50 to $200 range, depending on type, quality and length
Editor: Submissions and queries should be emailed directly to the publisher Jay White.
26. Whole Life Times
Whole Life Times is interested in anything regarding a progressive healthy lifestyle, including living sustainably in your home and garden. Pay rates vary based on several topic sections within the magazine.
Rate: pay $25 to $150, depending on article placement and length
Editor: Gina Salvati, editor, is on Twitter.
3 tips to pitch home and garden pubs
If you want to write for home and garden pubs, follow these three tips to increase your chances of landing assignments:
- Check out the guidelines AND read back issues of the magazine before pitching.
- Look for ways to leverage your knowledge, expertise, experience, and your network of home and garden SMEs, to pitch story ideas and land freelance writing jobs.
- Develop some photo skills. Being able to provide some high-quality photos with a pitch in the home and garden space makes you a lot more appealing to an editor.
If you get rejected or don’t hear anything after sending a pitch, don’t give up. Every pitch you send out gets you closer to your next assignment. Keep growing!
What home & garden markets do you recommend? Share in the comments.
Kathie Bullard Harris is a freelance health and wellness writer living in the Southern United States. When she isn’t writing copy, she’s working on her forever-in-progress first novel.
