online essays or short stories?

you can try associated content, it pays an upfront payment and performance payment. you can also visit triond, for easy to get along with, just make sure that your articles has not been published in whatever site it may be even in your own website. so remove them before you gonna submit it to them for approval. it pays you by performance payment and the more articles being approved the better and the faster your earnings accumulates. there's helium too, which i could not speak as to what it offers, at the same time i didn't bother to dig it since i became so comfortable with triond. but someone once told me in the other forum that triond pays better than helium.

Try getting either the book "Writers Market" from Writer's Digest, or get a 4$ a month subscription to their website... www.writersmarket.com You will find listings there for those that pay, and they aren't scams! Good luck!