Geek Native is a loss-making hobby blog but isn’t that the case for all hobbies? As an experiment, a small monthly budget is being set aside to pay for written content. No one will get rich, but we might have fun trying.
Pitches for 750 to 1,000-word content pieces are considered. Please use the contact form at the bottom of this page to share your headline idea and a brief description. Payment is made once the finished article is accepted. Writers are not made to wait until the content appears on the site.
Many, but not all, article types are considered. Geek Native does not accept guest posts. We do not sell links and recommend you look elsewhere for such shenanigans.
Geek Native does not pay for…
- Reviews: Geek Native wants to separate financial incentives from game reviews. We welcome review pitches as free submissions and use review copies of games to facilitate reviews. All review copies, as are any financial connections to publishers, are fully disclosed. If you have a review pitch or are interested in reviewing games, get in touch.
- Crowdfunding: Geek Native is inundated with Kickstarter news. If you have a Kickstarter, you wish to promote; we have a page of tips and ways Geek Native can help. If you are a fan of a particular crowdfunding project and are willing to write about it for free, please get in touch.
Geek Native will pay for…
- News: Up-to-date and source-cited write-ups of what is happening that would interest geeks. Geek Native’s core audience are gamers (especially of the tabletop variety), but our interests are wider than that. Pitch your headline first. We recommend one submission per story and avoid round-ups and summaries unless it is coverage of an event, conference, etc.
- Tips and tricks: Got some good advice for GMs? Want to put your thoughts on playing a better LARP character down in writing? Have a guide for getting started on the latest virtual tabletop? Do you have a clever way to run an anime streaming platform on a Fire TV or Google Chromecast? This is the section for you.
- Industry commentary: Big news tends to create opinion. A commentary piece might be your insights (cite a source for the original news), but it might also be an interview or a roundup of what prominent gamers and geeks have said in response to some news.
- Original photograph collections: This could be the best cosplays from a convention, the best LEGO on display at your Uni or even some carefully staged LARP or wargame photoshoots.
- Videos: Geek Native hosts videos on YouTube. This submission means Geek Native hosting the video on YouTube and embedding it into an article here. If you’ve filmed an event or have put together a mini-feature designed to grow awareness of your own channel/stream (but no adverts), this might suit you.
Money and Need To Knows
Geek Native pays $0.12 a word, including tax, on articles 750 words to 1,000 words. No additional payment is made for words beyond the 1,000 cap, so writers are encouraged to stay within the limits. Sorry to say this fee includes any tax and transfer fees.
If you wish to contribute photographs or videos, then please get in touch to discuss costs. As a ballpark, we can source 10 unique and themed Comic-Con photographs with a short write-up for each for $100.
We use PayPal.
All submissions must be original and exclusive. As a rule of thumb, we can normally negotiate and agree to allow reposts just a few days after Geek Native has published the piece. This includes photographs and videos.
We do not want to publish attack pieces at Geek Native. This does not mean writers cannot tackle controversial topics – but it does mean they have to do it carefully. Geek Native’s editor has the final decision as to whether an article is acceptable or not.
As a guideline to avoiding hit pieces (and thanks to Christopher Helton’s work at EN World for these), pay attention to the following;
- No anonymous sources. This does not mean you have to name your source in the story, but it does mean Geek Native staff may need to verify the story before print.
- Independent sourcing. Line up at least two different sources before writing. This is often a great way to avoid awkward misunderstandings.
- Associated Press guidelines. These are published here and are helpful; please use the GLAAD media reference guide for any article that discusses LGBTQ+ issues.
