These markets pay $100 to $560 for short fiction, and a couple of them pay considerably more for novelettes and novellas. Some also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry, and some of the calls are themed. – S. Kalekar
Departure Mirror
They want fiction and poetry, all of which must be broadly “speculative fiction” — science fiction, fantasy, alt-history, magical realism, slipstream, or in some other way altered reality. See guidelines under various sub-heads for more on guidelines, preferences, and hard sells – including their “current needs” tab.
Deadline: 30 April 2021
Length: 12,000 words or fewer preferred; 30 lines or fewer for poetry
Pay: $0.10/word up to 3,000 words, flat rate of $300 after that for fiction; $10/poem
Details here.
khōréō
This is a magazine of speculative fiction and migration, and they accept work only from those who identify as an immigrant or member of a Diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms (see guidelines). They are especially interested in writing and art that explores the impact of human or cultural migration, whether voluntary or forced, like themes of immigration, Diaspora, and anti-colonialism. They also accept speculative non-fiction (including non-fiction reprints) and art. After this submission period, they’ll be open in July and October this year.
Deadline: 30 April 2021
Length: Up to 5,000 words (up to 3,500 preferred)
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction; $200 for non-fiction; $40-500 for art
Details here.
Silver Shamrock Publishing: Midnight From Beyond the Stars
They want original alien horror stories with a The Thing/Alien/The Blob/Critters/Night of the Creeps kind of vibe. This is their third anthology in the Midnight series.
Deadline: 30 April 2021
Length: 2,500-6,000 words
Pay: $0.06/word
Details here.
Uncanny
This award-winning speculative fiction magazine is open for novella submissions. Their guidelines say, “We want intricate, experimental stories … with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs. Uncanny believes there’s still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel.” Please note, they are only accepting novella-length stories in this submission window; do not submit short fiction, or poetry.
Deadline: 30 April 2021
Length: 17,500-40,000 words
Pay: $0.10/word
Details here (guidelines) and here (portal).
Fiyah: Sound and Color
This is a speculative fiction magazine. They publish work by Black writers of the African Diaspora only, and they’re reading work on the Sound and Color theme. Their guidelines say, “We want to see to stories and poems about experiencing new worlds with particular emphasis on sensory detail. Magic systems based on color schemes, aural spectres in northern lights, the hearing of mysterious voices, the intoxicating scent of alien flowers luring our heroes to their deaths, etc.” They publish reviews as well, and they’re taking pitches for non-fiction to be published on the web as well as print – see guidelines. Their next submission window is in July, on another theme.
Deadline: 30 April 2021
Length: Up to 1,000 words for poetry; 2,000-7,000 words for short stories, up to 15,000 words for novelettes; 800-1,200 words for non-fiction
Pay: $50 for poetry, $0.08/word for fiction, $0.10/word for non-fiction
Details here.
Improbable Press: Cryptids Emerging – Tales of Dark Cheer
This is a fiction anthology about cryptids (like sea monsters, jackalopes, bigfoot) around the world. They want “contemporary supernatural or historical fantasy about cryptids living with humans, or just at the edge of our vision, stories of what the world would look like if cryptids were real. … Pick a cryptid from legend or make one up, we want a strange, spooky, sweet, sexy, and/or funny story of emerging. Whether that’s your cryptid coming out of hiding, a human being true to themselves, or a cryptid/human pairing falling in love, the heart of your tale is about rising, changing, growing.” They don’t want violence, horror, or pain. They also accept reprints.
Deadline: 1 May 2021
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word
Details here.
Bennington Review
This literary magazine aims to carve out a “distinctive space for innovative, intelligent, and moving fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, film writing and cross-genre work. In the spirit of poet Dean Young’s dictum that poets should be “making birds, not birdcages,” we are particularly taken with writing that is simultaneously graceful and reckless.” They publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and film writing essays – they will also consider pieces on television, video art, viral videos, Vines, or any of the other alternative forms that moving images might take. For fiction and nonfiction, they also accept self-contained excerpts from longer pieces. They also publish translations.
Deadline: 8 May 2021
Length: Up to 30 pages of prose; 3-5 poems; 10-20 pages of film (or TV) writing
Pay: $100-200 for prose; $20/poem
Details here.
Grain Magazine
This literary magazine accepts work from Canadian and other writers around the world. They publish fiction, literary non-fiction, and poetry that is “engaging, surprising, eclectic, and challenging”, according to their guidelines. Queries for submissions of work in other forms (i.e. short plays, comics, etc.) are welcome. They also pay for visual art. They can only accept a limited number of submissions per month via Submittable during their reading period, so it is best to submit early. Once this cap is reached, writers can still post their submissions, or wait for the 1st of next month to submit via the online system.
Deadline: 15 May 2021
Length: Up to 3,500 words for prose; up to 6 pages for poetry
Pay: CAD50/page, up to CAD250
Details here.
Classic Monsters Unleashed
This is a fiction anthology. Their guidelines say, “We’re looking for dark, scary stories featuring a classic monster or monsters (think famous creatures from pre-1960 horror movies). While we prefer new angles that subvert or re-imagine the monster, we are also interested in really good traditional monster stories. Stories can also star secondary characters, such as a well-known sidekick, assistant or love interest, from the classic monster universe.” They do not want general monster types, such as a Cyclops, Bigfoot, Dragon or Zombie. Nor are they necessarily looking for mythological monsters or old monsters, or for obscure characters. See guidelines for character suggestions; also, do not send Dracula stories.
Deadline: 30 May 2021
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Wyldblood Press: Runs Like Clockwork – Steampunk Anthology
This is a steampunk fiction anthology. Their guidelines say, “We love steampunk – zeppelins and pith helmets, clockwork men and steam driven monstrosities. What if the world ran on steam? What if science took a radically different turn around the time of the Age of Empire and crinoline dresses? What if we could unearth new stories about legendary (and hitherto unknown) Victorian adventures? What if there was a new age of adventure – and it ran like clockwork?” They also accept reprints.
Deadline: Until filled
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Pay: £0.01 per word up to £75 (approximately $100)
Details here.
Uncharted
This is a new magazine. They will debut in August 2021. They are reading crime, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and thriller short stories. They plan to read stories throughout the year. They’re also looking for readers (unpaid) and associate editors (paid) for these genres.
Deadline: Ongoing
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Pay: $200
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.
