Dear writers, 

Hello! Thank you for your interest in pitching Narratively. We have received an overwhelming amount of pitches recently, so we're pausing submissions for a bit while we get caught up. If you've submitted, thank you! We absolutely plan to get back to you still, and will do so in the upcoming weeks. (Thank you for your patience!) Also: We do plan to open up for submissions again shortly in some capacity, so make sure you're signed up for our email list to learn about our next open submission period. 

If you would like to get your pieces ready in the meantime, please read on to see what we're all about and what we're looking for. 

Our mission at Narratively is to publish untold human stories that surprise, delight and captivate readers. The true 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. Our staple sections are: Deep Dives, Memoir and Secret Lives, and we recently put out a call for The Personals, which we're excited to start publishing. 

So, what are we looking for? 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 pieces, “The 3 Best Pitches I’ve Ever Received,” which pulls back the curtain on how to get our attention, and, “So, What Is a Narratively Story, Anyway? (Hint: Surprising, Exciting and Delightful, to Start),” in which two Narratively editors break down what defines a feature story for the site, replete with advice on how to do it. 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.

Please note that we only publish narrative nonfiction. We don’t publish fiction, poetry or opinion pieces.