Autostraddle Is Hiring New Writers for Our Team! Is That You?

HELLO AND BIG NEWS! Autostraddle is looking for 5-7 new writers to join our team! We’re seeking thoughtful, funny, bold, ambitious LGBTQ+ writers with a lot to say and an original voice to say it!

We want writers who are interested in using our platform to genuinely connect with our readers. We’re looking for people with sharp perspectives, unvarnished honesty, and who aren’t afraid to make people laugh or look at something that once seemed familiar in new ways.

Responsibilities:

You’ll be writing and publishing at least three articles a month (with the opportunity to write more!). In addition, you will be checking in with us on Slack and contributing to team writing projects, roundtables and the A+ Insider as requested.

Listen, we know you’re not making your living on our site — most of our team writers have other full-time jobs or freelancing gigs — so we’re flexible about your schedule, but we are also firm about expectations and deadlines!

Ideal Candidates Will:

  • Have a an intense dedication for lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans culture — from music and fashion to film, dating, and yes the internet topics of the day
  • Be comfortable coming up with story ideas on your own and regularly pitching them to editors (although stories may also be assigned to you)
  • Be capable of delving deeply into a story, thinking critically about it from multiple angles
  • Be able to write voice driven content from a personal perspective that connects to a broader audience, whether that’s a fun post on the Gayest Socks or a gripping personal essay on sobriety. We want you to have the range!
  • Be comfortable with journalistic standards of sourcing and fact-checking
  • Have familiarity with basic HTML (or ability to learn quickly!) and social media
  • Have a professional command of grammar and spelling
  • Have a passion for Autostraddle and building queer community
  • Above all you need to be reliable and accountable — the nature of a “virtual office” means we need a lot more “check-ins” than you might be used to

We’re especially interested in writers who can contribute to any of the following topics / types of posts, so tell us if this is you:

  • Music critics and writers
  • Film critics
  • Fashion, “beauty,” and style or comfort with writing honest, voicey product recommendations from a queer perspective
  • People with a passion for books and lit news!
  • Witty, informative and accessible coverage of politics
  • College and queer life in your 20s
  • Queer parenting and other grown ass shit
  • FUNNY WEIRD SHIT! Humorous, quick-turnaround pop culture or personal pieces
  • Any of the above (and more!!) especially from queer trans, disabled, and/or POC perspectives

And hey, if you have any of these skills, let us know that too: Photoshop, graphic-making, illustration, video editing, podcast production/editing, TikTok production/editing, merchandising, marketing, social media, event planning, research and data analysis.

To Apply:

Complete the application below. We’re asking for:

  • Your background and experience
  • Your areas of expertise and what interests you
  • 3 standalone story ideas and 2 ideas for a limited run column (things that only you could write!)
  • A few writing samples
  • Links to your social medias if relevant or applicable

QTPOC Writers are especially encouraged to apply!

Deadline to Apply is February 28th. There will be a second round of virtual interviews with final candidates. We’ve had this question a few times, and yes, applicants are welcome to apply even if you’re outside the US.

What’s In It For You:

Writers are paid per article, ranging from $80 – $200 per article ($80-$120 for less than 1k words is our most common rate). Again, we are looking for writers to write a minimum of three posts a month.

You will also have some opportunities to be paid more on special occasions (sponsored posts, for example, as well as deep-dive reported pieces, A+ posts for our subscribers which go behind a paywall, etc). There’s room for advancement into higher-paying positions or additional side projects as those opportunities arise.

We know that these rates are not going to even approach what you deserve! We work hard to raise our rates every year (and have continued to do so, even during a pandemic) and will keep going until they are market competitive. We want to be paying more. We also created a COVID Writers Relief Fund for all of our team writers. As you’ve possibly noticed, independently-owned queer media is not exactly a cash cow! But we do a thing that apparently many other publications don’t: We pay most of our writers within a week of invoicing, and all of them within one month. 

You’ll also get free and discounted merchandise, free gold A+ memberships, reimbursements for expenses, and passes to cool stuff whenever possible.

None of us are working for big bucks around here, but we’re passionate about the work we do and value mentorship. This is what we can promise: You’ll become a better writer, build a brand and a portfolio, gain valuable skills, and have the freedom to write about things you care about on a wide reaching, GLAAD-award-winning platform. Autostraddle team writers write for The Cut, Refinery29, Vogue, Elle, Vulture, VICE, and more. They’ve gone on to become the Editor-in-Chief of Nylon, the Senior Tech Editor of The Daily Beast, the Executive Director of Bitch, Managing Digital Editor of Ms Magazine and the Assistant Managing Editor at Business Insider.

Deadline to Apply is February 28th

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we’re only able to get in touch if we’re interested in working with you. We are aiming to get back to everybody we want to talk to more the week of March 14th – March 21st at the latest.

You can apply using the embedded form below, or follow this link to the form directly. Either option will work. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!
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33 Comments

    • Hi Josh! We specifically highlight that we’re looking for writers with “an intense dedication to lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans culture” in the call because those are the themes our website writes about.

      Any writer, of any background, who feels confident they can write about those themes is welcome to apply!

    • Hi Stacie!

      Ideally we’d be looking for writing samples that allow us to get a sense of your voice and how your voice would fit on our site. We tend to publish magazine editorial of around 750-2k words, so I’d say the majority of our writing samples come from within that broad range.

      However, we also love working with and encourage early career writers or people making the leap from another genre of writing to this one! Before working at Autostraddle, all my previous writing was as an academic — for one example. In those cases I’d recommend including whatever writing samples you feel demonstrate your best work!

      I would also encourage you to spend time with your intro statement in the application! That’s another place where we get a real sense of a writer’s voice, especially if you’re writing samples are otherwise outside of our norm.

  4. Hi! For the resume portion, what are you looking for? I have my resume that I would use for job interviews but should this resume be tailored towards writing (even if you’ve never had a writing position before)?

    • Hi Zaira,

      I’d probably recommend whatever resume feels best for you! We want to learn about you, and the resume is just another tool to help us get there.

  5. Hi! I don’t think I have time to be a staff writer at this point in life. But. I am very excited about a lesbian artist who sculpts tiny figures in clay. Her figures are Mormon women (she’s ex-Mormon) from the 1800’s who are traveling west as part of the racist genocidal movement of Euro-Americans and who are existing within the Mormon culture and having lesbian feelings and working together on traditional tasks like farming and quilting. If you’ve ever read the classic book “Patience and Sarah” the figures are reminiscent of those characters. It’s a hidden part of lesbian history and the sculptures are beautiful and intriguing.
    So, she has a show coming up and I wanted to write about it for Autostraddle. Just wondering if you would want a submission if I’m not a staff writer and will not be applying to be one any time soon…

  6. Ok so I’m a non-binary drug discovery masters student with multiple publications I’ve contributed to as a co-authored. Would you be looking for anyone to do some sciencey stuff?

    • Hi Shivani,

      We are interested in all kinds of topics! If you feel like this call is for you, we encourage you to apply!

  7. Hi, I submitted the form but didn’t receive a copy in my inbox so just making sure it’s been submitted properly?

  11. Hi! I also had trouble with my submission. I sent my application in over the weekend and did not receive an email confirmation either. Should I be following the comment above and emailing someone to confirm my application was submitted? Thanks in advance.

  12. Some of the open positions have my interest. Despite the fact that I have only limited expertise in this. I’ve started preparing a résumé and am getting ready to look for similar job openings. I believe that a strong https://skillroads.com/blog/hear-back-after-interview up for my lack of experience and emphasizes my other abilities. I learned how to conduct an interview properly and how long it typically takes to receive a response from one from this source.

  13. If you’re looking for writers still I’d like to apply, I write from a afrofuturistic perspective.

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