We are a magazine about history and the process of doing history. We prioritize pitches from people who have completed postgraduate work in history (or a history-adjacent field) and are working outside the tenure-track professoriate.
Before you pitch us, please read our About Us page and a few of our articles to familiarize yourself with the magazine’s mission and style. Check out our “how to pitch us” guide to learn more about what we are looking for.
We are currently open to any pitches for:
- REVIEWS of books (especially books by non-tenure-track historians), films, museum exhibits, television shows, really anything reviewable. If there’s a book coming out soon you’d like to review, we can arrange to have an advance reader copy sent to you. Reviews are roughly 1,000 to 1,500 words; the base pay is $250.
- SHORTS, shorter pieces, roughly 800 to 1,500 words (or a comic/video/multimedia work of equivalent scope). The base pay for a short is $250.
- MINI-ESSAYS, roughly 200 to 500 words (or a comic/video/multimedia work of equivalent scope). We are especially interested in short pieces centered on a single primary source. The base pay for a mini-essay is $100. [You’ll find examples of mini-essays in the Shorts category.]
- FIELD TRIPS are pieces that demystify the work that historians do. These can include interviews, object studies, stories about chasing footnotes, behind-the-scenes videos—Mr. Rogers at the crayon factory, but it’s history instead of crayons. The base pay for a field trip is $250.
- MAILBAG columns, roughly 400 to 500 words. Is there a question you’re often asked about the work of doing history? Do you wish there were a short, accessible answer to that question you could just point them to? Write it for us. The base pay is $100.
- HOW I DO HISTORY interviews (see examples here). You can recommend yourself or someone else as a possible interviewee. Interviewees are paid $50.
- POSTCARDS (see examples here). We are accepting pitches for both research and conference postcards. The base pay for a postcard is $50.
To submit a pitch, please use the form at the bottom of this page.
We are not currently open for the following genres, but follow us on social media or sign up for our newsletter to be notified when we send out new calls:
- FEATURES, roughly 2,000 to 3,000 words (or a comic/video/multimedia work of equivalent scope). The base pay for a feature is $500.
We are unable to respond to every pitch; but if you don’t hear back from us within a week, feel free to send a follow-up email. We do not mind if you simultaneously send the same pitch to another magazine (so long as that magazine is okay with it). Subscribe to our newsletter and/or follow us on Bluesky to find out about special calls for pitches.
Send us your pitch using the form below: