Our mission at Narratively is to publish untold human stories that surprise, delight and captivate readers. The stories we publish are defined not by topic but by style: immersive, cinematic storytelling that takes readers inside another world, another life, through vivid scenes, colorful details and compelling narrative arcs.
The best way to get a clear sense of what makes a Narratively story is to read several pieces on our site, particularly from our Greatest Hits section. And to learn more about what a good pitch looks like, check out our StoryCraft piece, "The 3 Best Pitches I've Ever Received," which pulls back the curtain on how to get our attention. Still have questions? Pop over to the How to Pitch Narratively thread and ask us anything!
(NOTE: We've refined what types of stories we publish in recent years, so if you've submitted to, or even written for, Narratively in the past, we request that you read these full guidelines plus review some of the stories in the link above before submitting.)
There are a few key factors that every Narratively story has:
-It’s untold. The topic is original, fresh, and not already covered in other major publications, books or movies. Think offbeat, unusual, beyond the news cycle. It should make the majority of readers say, "Wow, I've never heard about this before."
-It’s human. Every Narratively story follows one central character or a small group of characters. We explore big ideas and topics, but always through the lens of human experience.
-It’s narrative. As you may have guessed from our name, we like stories with a narrative arc. That means that each Narratively story has a concrete beginning, middle and end that unfolds like a movie, taking the readers on a wild ride as they see, feel and hear the events through your writing.
We pay for all stories. In addition to publishing on Narratively.com, we also develop TV, film and podcast projects inspired by the stories that run on our site, generating additional creative and financial opportunities for contributors.
The first four calls we have below are for specific themes we're looking for pitches on. However, we're always looking for pitches outside those themes as well. To pitch a story not on one of these themes, scroll down to Reported Stories, Hidden History or First-Person Stories below.
Please note that we only publish narrative nonfiction. We don't publish fiction, poetry or opinion pieces.
Writers we’ve worked with in the past: We want to hear from you for this one!
Narratively has been around for about a decade now, and as the publication has grown and developed, so have many of the subjects we’ve published stories about. As part of our transition to Substack, we’ve been exploring new ideas and formats — one that we’re particularly excited about pursuing right now is a “Where Are They Now?” series, follow-ups to Narratively stories that have had new developments or interesting afterlives.
For instance, eight months after we published the story, “The True-Crime ‘Podcast Junkie’ Turned Real-Life Murder Suspect,” written by contributing writer Dylan Taylor-Lehman, there was an update in the case: Steve Pankey, the story’s main subject, was being retried for the murder Dylan had written about. So, Dylan wrote an epilogue sharing with readers what had gone down at the latest trial. We’d love to hear from you in a similar way. Perhaps you profiled someone in prison who has since gotten out and started a new life for themselves; maybe you wrote about something you spent years searching for (answers? your parents? a lost sibling?) that you’ve recently found. We want to hear about it!
Narratively is seeking pitches for stories about unique family-run businesses, think Succession or Six Feet Under but with a more inclusive angle — e.g., we’re particularly interested in all-female family businesses, Black family businesses, and others run by people from underrepresented groups — as well as stories from super unusual/surprising industries.
Know of a grandmother and grandson who run an illegal medical marijuana dispensary in Singapore? A team of siblings reviving the art of lion-taming? An Amish family-run bed & breakfast in Alaska? The more unique and unheard of the better. As in any Narratively story, we want drama and intrigue that grab the reader, and we always want an impactful takeaway that shows us how the story has progressed and why it’s relevant right now. These can be first-person pieces about your own experience or reported stories.
For a more in-depth idea of what we're looking for, check out some previous Narratively stories about very unique family-run businesses, such as: "The Deep South’s Dames of Dildos"; "The First Family of Counterfeit Hunting"; and "The High Notes and Hard Knocks of My Traveling Karaoke Family."
According to a report released late last year, Latinos, despite making up almost one-fifth of the U.S. population, continue to be underrepresented in the media. We would like to help change that by putting the spotlight on Latino/a/x stories that are extraordinary and deserve to be heard.
We’re looking for stories about LatinXcellence, people breaking ground across the board. A Latina mountain climber who broke an impossible climbing record; a grassroots organizer who saved his village from extinction; a Latinx advocate working tirelessly to improve conditions for the trans community in a conservative state. We want to hear your stories about people shaking things up — stories that have stopped you in your tracks and inspired you.
Here are a few stories from Narratively that capture what we’re looking for:
Laura Agudelo Is Living Large: In beauty-obsessed Bogotá, a plus-size fashionista challenges Colombia’s cultural norms, inspiring thousands of Latin American ladies to look good and feel great at any size.
The Disobedient Children of Monsters: When they learned their fathers led the reign of kidnapping, torture and murder that tore Argentina apart, their first reaction was disbelief. Their next was to take action.
The Secret Story of the Groundbreaking Boxing Champ Who Lost His Title — Because He Was Gay: This Latino immigrant moved to 1920s New York with nothing and took on the sports establishment. Then the establishment took him down.
You can check out our entire collection of true tales by and about the Latino/a/x community here for inspiration.
As per usual, we’re looking for gripping stories full of drama and intrigue that grab readers, and we always want an impactful takeaway that shows us why the story is relevant now.
For our Super Subcultures collection, Narratively is looking for true crime pitches that center around underrepresented communities and expand to say something bigger about a lack of opportunity, equity or representation for these groups. With these stories, we’re aiming to show how crime in these communities can often be overlooked by official authorities, to the extent that people in the communities have to stand up for themselves. Think: An Eqyptian drag queen who uncovers a money-laundering scheme that stretches to the highest levels of government; a group of imams going up against a biker gang terrorizing their town; a nonbinary ketamine ring promoting gender abolition in the underground drug world; a teacher exposing human trafficking at a school for the blind; a Taiwanese grandma taking down a mafia boss.
As always, we’re looking for gripping stories full of drama and intrigue that grab readers, and we always want an impactful takeaway that shows us how the story has progressed and why it’s relevant right now.
Here are a few stories from Narratively and elsewhere that capture what we’re looking for:
- The Million-Dollar Scammer and His Many Mormon Marks: How an audacious con man with fake ties to the pinnacles of the church ran an epic scheme and swindled those who trust.
- The Delay: After an 11-year-old Navajo girl was kidnapped, her family and friends sprang into action to find her. Why did it take so long for law enforcement to join them?
- Jannie Duncan: “Beautiful Human” or Fugitive Killer? She was imprisoned for murdering her husband, then escaped and assumed a new identity. Her adoring friends and employers had no idea.
- The Counterfeit Queen of Soul: A strange and bittersweet ballad of kidnapping, stolen identity and unlikely stardom.
These can be first-person pieces about your own experience or reported stories.
Submissions and pitches for extraordinary reported stories. We want the incredible, the unusual, the unheard of. We want in-depth reporting on worlds that readers might not otherwise have access to, with strong central characters and active, dramatic scenes.
Most of our stories fit into one of our main verticals:
Renegades: Profiles of fearless rebels who are doing things their own way — and changing the world while they’re at it.
Super Subcultures: Meet the people who build their lives around weird and wonderful obsessions.
Secret Lives: Stories that lift the veil on surprising and secretive jobs, pursuits and lives.
For Hidden History stories, Narratively looks for larger-than-life characters who never made it into the history books, and deeply reported pieces that share their stories in full, vivid color.
The key to these pieces is that they haven’t been widely told elsewhere, and that you can uncover enough detail in your reporting to make your story just as vivid and active as the present-day stories that our reporters are watching in real time. Rather than encyclopedia entries that tell us about a person's accomplishments, we want narrative stories that show us the most incredible moments from their lives.
We are particularly interested in pieces about groundbreaking women, people of color, and anyone else whose incredible story has been unfairly obscured by history.
Some examples we love:
How Kenny Washington Broke the NFL’s Color Barrier…And Why You’ve Never Heard of Him
The Obsessive Life and Mysterious Death of the Fisherman Who Discovered The Loch Ness Monster
The Curious Case of the Socialite Who Sterilized Her Daughter
Narratively publishes first-person pieces in both our Memoir and Secret Lives sections.
Secret Lives stories spotlight surprising and secretive jobs, pursuits and activities. Memoir stories offer intimate takes on one-of-a-kind personal experiences. In both sections, we want an honest glimpse into your life, and through that, into a world we’d never have access to otherwise.
As with all Narratively stories, first-person submissions should be made up of compelling, vivid, active scenes. These scenes should be dramatic, exciting moments of you interacting with others. If most of your story is internal -- thinking, feeling, reflecting -- instead of moments where you are actively doing things and interacting with others, then it's not the right fit for us.
Some examples of first-person pieces we love:
My Childhood in an Apocalyptic Cult
I Was Taught to Hate My Lesbian Neighbors. They Took Me In Anyway.
My Secret Life Tracking Down Debtors