These literary magazines pay $50 to $500 for fiction. A few also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry. – S. Kalekar
Southword Literary Journal
This well-regarded literary journal, from the Munster Literature Centre, publishes poetry and fiction.
Deadline: 28 February for poetry; 31 March 2022 for fiction
Length: Up to 4 poems; up to 5,000 words for fiction
Pay: €40 per poem; €250 for fiction
Details here.
Mud Season Review
They publish fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and they also pay for artwork. For fiction, “We are looking for fully realized stories that remind us of what it means to be human, that take risks, that show us something new, and that stand up over multiple reads, deepening with each encounter.” Fee-free submissions may close early by genre, if volume demands.
Deadline: 28 February 2022, or until filled
Length: Up to 6,000 words for prose, 3-5 poems
Pay: $50
Details here.
Underland Arcana
This magazine is published four times a year. They want “short fiction that veers into the numinous, the esoteric, the supernatural, and the weird. We like these stories to be mildly speculative, fantastic, mysterious, and/or horrific (if you prefer genre tags). We’re not terribly keen on stories that splash through gore, but we don’t mind the grotesque. We prefer character-driven pieces, but will pause and admire works that are exceptionally experimental in tone, style, and presentation.” If they also publish the work elsewhere after it is on the website – as an eBook or collected print edition – they will also pay royalties. About the deadline, their website says, “Our next reading period begins February 1st, 2022, and will run for approximately one month.”
Deadline: 28 February 2022 (see above)
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Pay: $0.01/word for work published on website
Details here.
Upstreet
They want fiction and creative non-fiction. They do not want unsolicited poetry, but do accept queries for these.
Deadline: 1 March 2022
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $50-250
Details here.
The Evil Cookie Publishing: Counting Bodies Like Sheep
This is an open-themed, extreme horror/splatterpunk fiction anthology.
Deadline: 1 March 2022
Length: Up to 3,000 words
Pay: $0.03/word
Details here.
(And Dread Stone Press is open for pitches for novelette-length horror fiction, of 10,000-20,000 words, for their Novelette Split series, until 14 February 2022; pay is $150 advance and royalty split. They want a pitch with the first 1,000 words. This is a general horror call, though the editor has a preference for Weird, Cosmic, Folk, and Body Horror.)
One Story
This well-regarded magazine publishes one short story per issue. They are looking for literary fiction. “We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone.” They accept translations, as well. Regarding reprints, they say if a story has been published in print outside of North America, it will be considered; they will not consider stories published online. Apart from cash payment, authors also get 25 contributor copies. They opened for submissions in mid-January.
Deadline: 31 May 2022
Length: 3,000-8,000 words
Pay: $500
Details here and here.
The Bureau Dispatch: Dispatch
They want fiction submissions, in all genres, on the Dispatch theme.
“We are open to all narratives, but are currently partial to ones that explore the theme of DISPATCH:
verb
1. to send off to a destination or for a purpose.
2. to deal with (something or someone) quickly and efficiently.
noun
1. the sending of someone or something to a destination or for a purpose.
2. a report.”
Deadline: Open now
Length: 500-1,500 words
Pay: $50
Details here.
(Here are some other themed call markets, which are open now or will open soon:
— Queer Weird West anthology; They want fiction and narrative nonfiction. “This hybrid subgenre requires three elements: Queer: At least one main character belongs to the LGBTQ+ spectrum, defined in whatever way seems natural to them.
Weird: The story contains a speculative fiction element, drawing on fantasy, horror, or science fiction.
West: The setting is the Old West – or the time and place of any other frontier”; it pays $30-50 for works of 3,000-10,000 words, and the deadline is 28 February 2022;
— Apparition Lit, a speculative fiction and poetry quarterly magazine, will soon open submissions for the Wanderlust theme; pays $0.05/word for stories of 1,000-5,000 words, and $50/poem; the reading period is 15-28 February for all writers, and an extended reading period, 1-7 March 2022, is for BIPOC writers only; they also have a monthly writing challenge based off a photo, which pays $30 for 1,000 word stories and is open from 1st to 14th every month; and
— Cast of Wonders, an online fiction magazine and podcast, will open for young adult stories on the Halloween theme; pays $0.08/word for stories up to 6,000 words, and the reading period is 21st to 28th February 2022 – see schedule.)
GigaNotoSaurus
They publish science fiction or fantasy (or any combination thereof). They publish one story a month.
Deadline: Open now
Length: 5,000-25,000 words
Pay: $100
Details here.
Goatshed Press
This is a new magazine. Their website says, “Goatshed Press is currently open for submission for the first edition of our biannual collection. We are looking for short stories, flash fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction. … We are looking for bold, exciting writing. We want to be surprised, moved and inspired.”
Deadline: Open now
Length: Unspecified
Pay: £25 for poems and flash fiction; £60 for stories and essays (over 1,000 words)
Details here.
James Gunn’s Ad Astra
This is a science fiction magazine; they are open for fiction, but currently closed for poetry and scholarly article submissions. The guidelines say, “James Gunn defines science fiction as “the literature of change” and states that it “incorporates a belief that the most important aspect of existence is a search for humanity’s origins, its purpose, and its ultimate fate.” A tall order but a worthy goal.
Our editorial vision for James Gunn’s Ad Astra calls for raising our eyes above the horizon and not limiting the scope of speculative fiction. It is in this spirit that we welcome great stories that range from the near-reality to the far reaches of the what-if.” They are reading stories for Issue 11, which will be published in the winter of 2022.
Deadline: Open now
Length: Up to 7,500 words; flash stories are a hard sell
Pay: $50 for fiction
Details here.
Broken Pencil
This is a Canadian publication of zine culture and independent arts. They are open for fiction submissions via Submittable. They want “works of fiction from diverse writers (broadly defined) that conform to no principles, no guidelines, and no preconceptions. We want work that is quirky, surprising, moving, and raw. … Please, no COVID-19 pandemic stories or poorly veiled anti-vax allegories.” They accept pitches for non-fiction. They do not publish poetry.
Deadline: Ongoing
Length: Up to 3,000 words for fiction
Pay: CAD60-120 for fiction
Details here (general guidelines) and here (fiction guidelines and Submittable).
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.
