Unfortunately, I have no experience at all with paying publishers. I'd love to go that route, too.

One thing you could do, though, is to invest your time and effort into regular writing here on Medium. My publisher here (owner of the Read or Die publication) is open to new and good writers. You could try to republish your article (after rewriting it a bit). If you are consistent with your writing schedule, you will get more traction. But it is no walk in the park.