If you get excited from the ideas raised by – and the knowledge gleaned from – well-written books from reputable publishers and want to share what you learn and/or your informed criticism of the ideas the book (or several books) raises with your peers, PopMatters would like to work with you.
PopMatters seeks writers interested in publishing idea- and conversation-generating articles raised by books published by independent, popular, and academic presses alike. These fiction and non-fiction works may be classics, cutting-edge contemporary, graphic fiction and non-fiction, experimental, and more.
PopMatters book reviews average 800 words and go beyond mere plot summary or simple yes/no judgment. Our reviews provide smart cultural analysis aimed at our sophisticated readers. Feature essays (min., 1,200 words, no max.) allow writers to approach various works and authors, past and present, from any number of angles, such as a work’s historical impact.
Staff writers have access to numerous offerings that, upon request, we will order for you and are encouraged to suggest titles we may not have listed. Academics and post-academics are of particular – but not exclusive – interest.
Note: We do not cover the following genres: poetry (unless it’s about a poet’s body of work that provides social/cultural critique), romance, true crime, celebrity, self-help, or comparable genres.
PopMatters publishes for a global English-reading readership. We also publish for posterity, and the ProQuest Database indexes our work. Future readers and researchers may reference the articles published on PopMatters. They’re also often used in college classrooms.
Please use the subject line: PopMatters Book Critic Application
NOTE: PopMatters is a wholly independent magazine of cultural criticism, est. 1999. Our mission is to educate readers and document our period on the cultural timeline. We publish for posterity. PopMatters is a highly respected magazine because of its ideals, fine writers, and editorial staff. However, such high ideals are not monetarily rewarded in today’s publishing climate.
For this reason, we can offer you an excellent publishing platform for your quality work and our social media efforts – but for now, we cannot pay you for your articles. Even the editors are volunteering their time. We are presently a 100% volunteer organization, with all advertising revenue supporting the magazine’s basic expenses. Writers retain ownership of their copyright on articles so that they can use them for books and other projects. Their essays are indexed in ProQuest, as PopMatters is educational in our mission.