– S. Kalekar
These magazines / anthologies pay up to $500 for short fiction. One magazine pays more for longer works. They are open now, or will soon open for submissions.
The Suburban Review
The Suburban Review is an Australian literary magazine, and they want submissions on the Untrue theme. “In a time of fake news and counterfeits, scammers and artificial intelligence, tell us how you’re sifting through the layers of conceit. Send us your most suspicious stories, fallacious arguments, and prose that teeters between fact and fiction.
What have you been covering up? Which appearances are deceiving? Is there something that rings false? We’re itching for unreliable characters, fabricated worlds, and deceptive turns of phrase. Is it time to come clean, or will you be keeping up the poker face?” They also take comics and art.
Deadline: 26 October 2025 (5 p.m. AEDT)
Length: 500-2,500 words for fiction, 1,250-2,000 words for nonfiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: Up to AUD450 for fiction, up to AUD550 for poetry, AUD400 for nonfiction
Details here and here.
(Also, Full Bleed, an annual print and online journal devoted to the intersection of the visual and literary arts, wants submissions on the Inheritance theme: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, critical essays, visual art, and hybrid, genre-bending works. Length guidelines are up to 4,000 words for prose; up to 3 poems, and they pay $25-50. The deadline is 1 November 2025. Details here and here.)
Inner Worlds Zine
They publish “Speculative stories about our inner lives”. They want “Science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror prose with a strong emotional or psychological focus. We are mainly interested in fiction, but we’re open to speculative memoir or creative non fiction, as long as it has speculative elements.” They have detailed guidelines. They also accept reprints. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Length: 500-2,500 words
Pay: £0.02/word
Details here.
Banshee
This is the literary magazine of Banshee Press. They accept fiction (including flash), nonfiction, and poetry. “Banshee welcomes submissions from both Irish and international writers of any background, including first-time writers. We welcome work from members of groups or communities typically under-represented within literature, whether or not the work addresses this.”
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Length: Up to 5,000 words for prose, up to 4 poems
Pay: €300 for a story/essay; €100 for flash fiction; €75 per poem (see ‘We believe in paying writers’ on their guidelines page)
Details here.
Metastellar
They accept flash fiction – science fiction, fantasy, and horror, for which they pay. They also accept other formats (reviews, essays, reprints, book excerpts) for which there is no payment.
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
The Speculative Detective Agency Anthology
This is an interconnected fiction anthology, in which each story is a case completed by one of the agency’s detectives – who are created by you, the authors. Please read their detailed guidelines for the premise. Some stories are invited via the open call. The Kickstarter for this call has been funded. See the call on BlueSky here.
Deadline: 31st October 2025
Length: 4,000-5,000 words
Pay: $300
Details here.
FIYAH
They only accept submissions from Black writers of the African Diaspora. They accept speculative fiction and poetry. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Length: 2,000-15,000 words for fiction, poetry up to 1,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $50 for poetry
Details here.
(And Neon Hemlock Press, which publishes queer speculative fiction, are accepting novellas from all writers (science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, slipstream, & weird, hybrid work, prefer works that explore some element of queer experience, 17,500–40,000 words)till 30th October 2025, see here – scroll down).
Utopia Science Fiction
They publish utopian science fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. They have detailed guidelines, please read them carefully. Their next upcoming theme is Alien Celebrations – “Bring us tales of celebrations from the far reaches of the galaxy!” This is also their Art special issue (see guidelines).
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Length: 100-4,000 words preferred for fiction, up to 6,000 words for nonfiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $30 per poem
Details here.
One Story
This print magazine accepts literary fiction. They will soon open for submissions. They will close when their submission cap is reached. Their submission portal will open during the reading period.
Opens on: 3 November 2025
Length: 3,000-8,000 words
Pay: $500
Details here.
Flame Tree Anthologies
Flame Tree is open for two Romantic Fantasy anthologies: “Of Blood & Petals and The Tarot of Love … We’re looking for tales featuring strong-willed, independent leads who are resilient, perhaps flawed or possess hidden powers, secrets or royal bloodlines. Such protagonists would not be defined solely by their love interests but grow through emotionally charged journeys. Friendships and love interests might be brooding, mysterious or dangerously alluring. Relationships might emphasize deep emotional connections, with lyrical, romantic scenes central to each character’s arc.
Ideal submissions will weave emotional tension such as longing, betrayal and love into epic fantasy worlds depicting prophecies, injustice and conflict. We welcome stories that explore moral dilemmas or sacrifices tied to love and duty, and will look out for richly imagined settings, from fae realms and alternate worlds to magical kingdoms, complete with unique magic systems, mythical creatures, royal courts and epic quests. Romance should be integral to the plot, with other elements such as slow-burn attraction, enemies who become lovers, forbidden love or fated matches. If you’re ready to immerse readers in unforgettable adventures where love and fantasy collide, we’d love to read your story.” Please see guidelines for details of the individual calls.” They also accept reprints.
Deadline: 10 November 2025
Length: 2,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word for originals
Details here.
(Flame Tree is also open for other anthologies. They usually announce all their calls on this blog.)
Revolute
Revolute is a digital literary magazine founded by the Randolph College MFA program. They are currently open for their annual reading period. They accept fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and microreviews. Please note, they can only pay US-based writers. “If “no open calls for submissions” appears during our submissions period, this means we have capped submissions. Check back, as we may reopen.”
Deadline: 15 November 2025 (with a submission cap for each genre – see guidelines)
Length: Up to 6,000 words for fiction and nonfiction, up to 3 poems, up to 300 words for reviews
Pay: $50 (US writers only)
Details here and here.
Night Shades
They recently reopened for submissions, and will be staying open until their slots are filled; see their post on Bluesky. “Generally, any kind of speculative fiction is fine, but it must have a recognizable speculative element. Sci-fi, horror, and fantasy that’s light on magic are all good bets. I also like slice of life or less plot-driven stories that create a world or a feeling or an image. Urban fantasy is a hard sell for me. I’m not looking for comedic, and I don’t care for stories with a gimmick or ones that play a trope ironically. Your best bet is something genuine and strange, that takes big swings with language, and that takes advantage of the short form rather than strains against it.”
Deadline: Open now (Will close when submissions cap reached)
Length: Up to 500 words
Pay: $65
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.