10 Calls for Short Stories ($100 to $600 Per Story)

These markets pay $100 to $600 for fiction. Some also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry, and they’re open for submissions. — S. Kalekar

Ploughshares
This literary journal reads submissions from June to January. They accept fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Non-subscribers are charged a fee to submit online, but there is no fee for mailed submissions. Also look at Solos, which accepts longer submissions. 
Deadline: 15 January 2021
Length: Up to 7,500 words for prose, up to 5 pages of poetry
Pay: $45/page, up to $450 per author
Details here and here.

khōréō
This is a new quarterly of speculative stories, essays, and art: fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. 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. For non-fiction, they also accept reprints. They’ll be reading submissions in January, April, July, and October this year.
Deadline: 31 January 2021
Length: Up to 5,000 words (up to 3,500 preferred)
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction; $100 for non-fiction; $40-300 for art
Details here.

Diabolical Plots
They publish science fiction, fantasy and horror. Feel free to mix in other genres with these (like a fantasy mystery or a science fiction romance). All stories, including horror, must have a speculative element. They list the tropes/elements they particularly like, and also those that are hard sells. They can accept up to two submissions per author during a submission window.
Deadline: 31 January 2021
Length: Up to 3,500 words
Pay: $0.10/word
Details here.

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 (click on ‘current needs’ tab) for the kind of work/stories they are particularly looking for in this reading period.
Deadline: 31 January 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.

Alpennia: Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Fiction Series
They want short stories in the lesbian historic fiction genre, to be produced in audio format for the podcast, as well as published in text on the website. The editors want to see actual historic culture and the plot and characters should be firmly rooted in that time and place. Stories must be set before 1900; they’d like to see stories that reach beyond the popular settings of 19th century America and England. Romance is optional – meaning story lines focusing on the establishment of a new romantic relationship – and romance stories should have some other strong element in addition to the romance. Stories may include fantastic elements appropriate to the historic setting. For example, they can include fantastic or supernatural events or beings that people of that era considered to be real. Or stories may be modeled on the fantastic literature of a specific historic era and culture. No time-travel or past memories, erotica or tragic endings. 
Deadline: 31 January 2021
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.

Triangulation: Habitats
They want fantasy, science fiction, weird fiction, and speculative horror for this anthology on the Habitats theme. They want stories about “Sustainable habitats, in tune with their surroundings.
Show us places we want to live that never existed or that we don’t know ever existed. Past, present, and future domiciles for humans, aliens, and fantasy creatures.
Ideally, the story plot will hinge on the habitat design. Let us hear about a new way to live, thriving, not merely surviving. What does it mean to live sustainably in outer space, underground, in the sea, floating in the atmosphere?
What does sustainability look like in a fantasy setting?”
Deadline: 28 February 2021
Length: Up to 5,000 words (sweet spot is 3,000 words)
Pay: $0.03/word
Details here.

The Southampton Review
They publish fiction (including flash and novel excerpts), creative non-fiction, memoirs, personal essays, and traditional essays, poetry, and artwork. They encourage submissions from unpublished authors, and are interested in voice-driven writing that takes risks with structure and content. All submissions will be considered for the print edition or TSR Online, and they pay cash only for work selected for the print edition. They will accept a limited number of fee-free submissions a month during their reading period, so it is best to submit early.
Deadline: 1 February 2021
Length: Up to 7,500 words for prose; up to 5 poems
Pay: For the print magazine, pay is $100+ for prose, $75 per poem
Details here.

The Arkansas International
­­­­­This biannual literary journal was launched by the University of Arkansas. They publish short stories, essays, poetry, and translations. Longer works should be self-contained. They publish both established and emerging voices. After they hit their monthly free submissions cap, submissions are charged (except for translations).    
Deadline: 1 May 2021
Length: Up to 8,000 words for prose, up to 5 poems
Pay: $20/page, up to $250
Details here.

Apex Magazine
This popular, award-winning magazine of science fiction, fantasy, and horror was relaunched, after a successful Kickstarter in July 2020.
Deadline: Open now
Length: Up to 7,500 words; additional $0.01/word if the story is podcast
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.

Daily Science Fiction
This flash fiction market accepts speculative stories. They also accept flash series, of three or more stories around a theme; each story needs to stand on its own. They may publish dark fantasy, but they try not to publish pure horror. They also publish artwork.
Deadline: Ongoing
Length: 100-1,500 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here and 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.

 

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