10 Fiction Magazines Paying $50 to $300 for May and June 2024



These magazines and anthologies pay up to $300 for fiction. A few also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry. Some of the calls are themed. Some deadlines are approaching quickly. – S. Kalekar

Eastover Press: Cutleaf
A project of EastOver Press, Cutleaf is an online literary journal; they also have an annual print anthology. They are open now for fiction. “Cutleaf will consider literary fiction of many styles. That said, we are very unlikely to publish genre fiction, young adult fiction, teen paranormal romance, erotica, science fiction, comics, or graphics-based short stories. We are generally interested in work less than 4000 words. Short excerpts from longer works are more likely to be accepted when they stand alone as a discrete work. We will read one long piece or up to three short pieces at a time per author. We are also interested in flash fiction (limit 1000 words).”
Deadline: 31 May 2024
Length: See above
Pay: $100-300
Details here and here.
(– They’re also reading submissions for a reprint anthology, EastOver Press Anthology of Rural Stories – they want submissions of previously published fiction from BIPOC writers living in the rural US. Pay for that is $100-300, and the deadline is 31 December 2024. Details here.
— Another themed call that’s closing soon is for Dublin-based Sonder Magazine – they want submissions only from writers who not have had a full collection or work published. They want fiction and non-fiction on the ‘Need’ theme – do not send poetry. Submission is via a form on the guidelines page. Send up to 700 words for flash fiction; 1,000-2,500 words for short fiction and creative non-fiction. Pay is €300. Details here.)
Baltimore Review
They publish fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some editor preferences are in the bios on their Staff page. Please note, fiction submissions may be capped, so may close earlier than the deadline.
Deadline: 31 May 2024
Length: Up to 5,000 words for prose, up to 3 poems
Pay: $50 (via a gift certificate or PayPal, if preferred)
Details here and here.
Neon Hemlock Press: Baffling Magazine
The tagline of Baffling Magazine is, ‘Speculative flash fiction with a queer bent’. “We’ll be open next in June, from the 1st to the 15th, reading on the theme of “monstrous” as well as unthemed submissions.” Submission is via a form, which will be active during the submission period.
Reading period: 1-15 June 2024
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
(Neon Hemlock is also open for a reprint anthology, We’re Here: The Best of Queer Speculative Fiction. They want speculative stories published in 2023 under 17,500 words that implicitly or explicitly explore queerness and/or transness. Pay is $0.01/word, and the deadline is 31 December 2024. Details here.)

carte blanche
This Canadian magazine accepts fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, translations (French to English only), photography, and comics. They’re reading submissions for Issue 49, and they want work on the ‘Play’ theme. “We are interested in your narrative and poetic experiments, odd stories, humorous pieces, weird fiction, and the quirky. We ultimately leave “Play” up for your interpretation. They specially welcome submissions from underrepresented writers. They may prioritize Quebec-based creators (see guidelines). Please note, there is a cap on poetry submissions – those may close earlier than the deadline if their quota is met. 
Deadline: 15 June 2024
Length: Up to 3,500 words for prose, up to 3 poems
Pay: $75
Details here and here

Dragon’s Roost Press: Arkham Institutions Anthology
This is a fiction anthology. “Arkham Institutions (tentative title) will feature 10 – 15 short stories focusing on the various aspects of government and business and their relationship with the oddness that creeps up in and around that most (in)famous New England Town. … We want to see Cosmic Horror stories set in and around Arkham, Innsmouth, and other mythos related areas that take place in or are associated with Lovecraftian tales AND which feature a public or private institution of some sort. What does Arkham Elementary teach? What weird cases does law enforcement have to deal with? What kind of people are seen in the Emergency Room? The psych ward? The local library? The institutions in question can appear in previous Mythos stories or be of your own creation. In fact, we would love to see some new places — let’s fill out that city map! Feel free to set your story in the timeframe that fits best. We are still looking for character driven stories, but make sure that these places are characters in their own rights. … We are not looking for stories set at Miskatonic University nor the Orne Library.” Please note, they will close submissions earlier than the deadline if they fill the anthology.
Deadline: 30 June 2024, or until filled
Length: 3,000-5,000 words
Pay: $0.06/word
Details here.

Spooky
This cozy horror magazine is reading on the Halloween theme, as well as unthemed horror submissions. They have detailed guidelines about the kind of stories they want, including, “Cozy horror. Fun horror. Classy horror. Dare we say, wholesome horror? … perhaps the easiest way to understand what we mean is to read stories by some of the old masters we love: Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, Roald Dahl. Watch classic episodes of Thriller, The Twilight Zone, and Night Gallery. Read old horror comics. Listen to radio dramas like Suspense, Quiet, Please, and Inner Sanctum Mysteries. … In short, we’re looking to provide a space for a type of storytelling that has largely gone out of style – dark and scary, but playful and approachable with an emphasis on plot.” They also want horror haiku.
Deadline: 13 July 2024
Length: Up to 5,000 words (prefer 2,500-3,000 words) for fiction
Pay: $0.01/word
Details here and here.

Pressfuls
They want fiction in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and crime/mystery stories with minimal or no dialogue, as well as non-fiction.
Deadline: Open now
Length: 1,000-1,500 words
Pay: $0.04/word
Details here.

Bourbon Penn
They want fiction submissions. They have detailed guidelines about the kind of stories they want, including, “We are looking for highly imaginative stories with a healthy dose of the odd.  Odd characters, odd experiences, odd realities. We’re looking for genre / speculative stories and are quite partial to slipstream, cross-genre, magic realism, absurdist, and the surreal.”
Deadline: Open now
Length: 2,000 – 7,500 words
Pay: $0.04/word
Details here and here.

StarShipSofa
This is a science fiction magazine. “From the soft, social science fiction to the weird pulpy stuff to the vigorous hard SF and YA adventure. We welcome all sub-genres and all variety of punks in all their colours. From high-octane action to quiet philosophical stories, we’re after it all. Science fiction is a rich and diverse genre, push its boundaries as far as you can go.
We welcome translations and are very interested in stories that take place/written by authors outside the US/Anglo-sphere, as well as as alternative movements and styles. These include (but not limited to) “non-Western” science fiction, Chinese SF, Soviet speculative fiction, Afro-futurism, etc. The exception is that the SF element must be the backbone of the story. It cannot be an afterthought, or simple window dressing.” They also accept some reprints (see guidelines). And, “Paid story length runs from 3,000 words up to 7,000 words. Most of the stories we accept are between 3500 and 5000 words.” Do not send fantasy or supernatural horror stories.
Deadline: Open now
Length: See above
Pay: $50
Details here.

New Welsh Review
They publish fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, and also accept feature pitches (see guidelines). Their website says, “Work is chosen at the start of June, September and March for editions published on 1 September, 1 December and 25 May, respectively. Stories generally attract, at current rates, a fee of £100, and essays and creative nonfiction pieces, £170.” Submission and pitching is via a form.
Deadline: Ongoing (see above)
Length: 2,500 to 3,000 words,
Pay: £100 for fiction, £170 for non-fiction, £28 per poem
Details here (guidelines), here (submit poetry), and here (submit prose, fiction, and pitches).


Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.

 

We send you writing jobs.

Sign up and we'll send you 3 companies hiring writers now. Plus, we'll send more companies as we find and review them. All in our free email magazine.

About Us

We're dedicated to helping freelance writers succeed. We send you reviews of freelance writing companies, assignments, and articles to help build your writing career. You can view our privacy policy here, and our disclaimer. To get started, simply enter your email address in the form on this page.