Write for Psyche

How to pitch an Idea or Guide to Psyche

Psyche is a digital magazine from Aeon that illuminates the human condition through psychology, philosophy and the arts. Our aim is to help readers better understand themselves, their relationships and the kind of life they want to have.

Psychology and philosophy are central to Psyche, and many of our writers are clinical or research psychologists, philosophers, as well as historians, literary critics and other disciplinary experts. We are keen to broaden our publishing of diverse voices, including people with lived experience of mental health issues or neurodiversity and those with insightful personal experiences in the arts, spirituality and related areas.

This year, we will be launching a new content format, which will include first-person essays of 1,500-1,800 words on the idea of change. We are keeping a particular eye out for stories that are captivating and dramatic in some way — that you might hear around a campfire, say, or at a dinner party — as well as stories with a sense of whimsy. Change can be interpreted broadly: big or small, lofty or absurd, something you initiated or something that happened to you or to your world. We encourage writers to pitch us ideas for these either as personal essays or in an ‘as told to’ format (if you are arranging someone else’s story in their words). For the latter, we are especially interested in accounts from people who might not typically narrativise their own experiences in written form or in English. For now, you can select the ‘Psyche Idea’ format on the pitch form when submitting these pitches.

Psyche is organised into three sections. Therapeia provides expert insights and practical help in dealing with emotional and psychological challenges. Eudaimonia focuses on the perennial puzzle of how to live well in our complex world. Poiesis explores the imaginative, artistic and transcendent facets of life.

Article formats:

Ideas are short articles of 1,000-1,800 words, from experts and writers.
Guides are longer articles (approximately 3,000-4,000 words) that follow our signature, how-to structure to provide in-depth, expert-written, practical know-how.

Our Guides are wide-ranging, including serious mental health topics, through to Guides on learning life skills, and philosophical Guides that explore new approaches to values and beliefs. We are especially keen to hear from clinical psychologists with specific expertise and skills who would like to share their know-how with a large global audience.

To get a better sense of what we’re looking for in a successful pitch, we encourage you to familiarise yourself with Psyche’s archives, where you will find examples of the Idea and Guide formats, as well as the range of topics we cover.

Please note that we will not accept completed drafts, nor do we publish direct rebuttals to previously published pieces. And we do not publish book reviews. As we receive a high volume of pitches, we cannot respond to every enquiry. We’ll be in touch if we’d like to pursue your piece. For now, thank you for your interest in our magazine.

Terms and conditions for authors

See our Author Terms

Payment:

For writers whose principal income is from their writing, we pay a freelance fee.
For all others, we pay an honorarium.
If your pitch is successful, we will let you know details of the relevant fee for your country of residence before you sign a contract.

For Film submissions, please email contact.video@aeon.co