By S. Kalekar
These outlets pay up to approximately $450 for fiction. They are a mix of literary and genre magazines / anthologies. Some of the calls are themed. Some magazines also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry.
Baltimore Review
They publish fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some editor preferences are in the bios on their Staff page, and some guidelines are on their Submittable page. Please note, fiction submissions may be capped, so may close earlier than the deadline. There are other opportunities listed too on Submittable, please be sure to submit in the correct one.
Deadline: 31 May 2025, or until filled
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.
(And, The Bombay Literary Magazine is now closed for fiction and poetry, but is still open for graphic fiction, translated fiction, poetry, translated poetry, and essays – essays have to be focused on writing and literature. They have a submission cap for each category, so will close when the cap is met, or on 31st May, whichever is earlier. Submission is via a form on their website. Length guidelines are 2,000-5,000 words for prose, up to 5 poems, and they pay INR 5,000; details here.)
The Malahat Review
This respected Canadian literary magazine is also accepting international submissions until end-May. They accept fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, as well as translations. Please note, they have different reading periods, as well as length guidelines for fiction, for Canadian and international writers. They read international submissions only during the months of January and May, and Canadian submissions from January to June.
Deadline: 31 May 2025 for international submissions
Length: Up to 4,000 words for international writers for fiction, up to 8,000 words for Canadian writers; up to 5,000 words for non-fiction; up to 5 poems
Pay: CAD70/page
Details here and here.
(They’re also reading submissions for a special issue, Inhale/Exhale theme, and want submissions only by indigenous Canadian writers for this theme, deadline 1st June; details here.)
Heartlines Spec
This is a Canadian magazine of speculative fiction and poetry, focused on long-term relationships. Please note, they will publish at least 50% work from Canadian writers for each issue. “We’re looking for short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. We don’t want the blaze of new love or the obsession of a new friend. We want pieces that show that comfort that develops when people know each other for years.
Give us deep space, dusty frontiers, or dreamy fantasy. We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. While we are primarily looking for stories with happy endings (yeah, yeah), we also want endings that are earned. If things get a little teary or gory, that’s ok.
We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules.”
Deadline: 31 May 2025
Length: 1,000-3,500 words for fiction; up to 5 poems
Pay: CAD0.08/word for fiction; CAD60/poem
Details here (guidelines) and here (submission portal)
Short Story, Long
This is a Substack-based magazine. They’re currently open for “Short stories, 2k-8k words long (with the 3,000-5,500 range being our real sweet spot).” They say the best indicator of what they’re looking for is to read a story or two they’ve already published. You can read the magazine here.
Deadline: 31 May 2025
Length: See above
Pay: $100
Details here.
Cast of Wonders: Banned Books Week
Cast of Wonders is a YA speculative fiction podcast and magazine, and part of the Escape Artists suite of magazines. For their annual Banned Books Week call, the theme is Joy that Sustains. They have detailed guidelines, including, “It’s all too easy to doom-scroll these days. The world is facing a climate emergency amidst a global rise in fascism and prejudice. For Banned Books Week 2025, we want to see stories of irrepressible joy. Show us the sparks that cannot be extinguished, the many facets of humanity in all its splendour. We are looking for stories that showcase the hopefulness and power of diverse voices, stories of music in dark times, stories that are unapologetic and inspiring.” They prefer stories of up to 5,000 words, though can accept works up to 6,000 words. They also accept reprints. Cast of Wonders is part of the Escape Artists suite of magazines.
Deadline: 31 May 2025 (see schedule)
Length: See above
Pay: $0.08/word for originals, $20-100 for reprints
Details here (theme details), here (general submission guidelines), and here (Moksha submission portal)
AGNI
This well-regarded literary journal charges for online submissions, but postal submissions are free. They accept fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They also accept translations.
Deadline: 31 May 2025
Length: Up to 5 poems, unspecified for prose
Pay: $50/page for poetry, $30/page for prose, up to $300
Details here.
Bona Books: Wrath Month Anthology
This is a fiction anthology. “We’re seeking fantasy, science-fiction, and horror short stories that embrace punk and queer rage.
There’s a glass ceiling in SFF representation, and we want you to throw a brick through it. Bring us the coven that burned Salem and your roaring bear-serkers. We want gangs of acid-wash werewolves, furious bipyromancers, flesh-eating femmes, and vengeant celestial bois—a cast of the downtrodden who make ruins of their oppressors.
Wrath lies at the heart of queer liberation—it can be a spur to action and the only righteous response to a world that would prefer we didn’t exist. So crash mainframes, collapse empires, and break normativity. Pride month is over. It’s time for — Wrath Month”.
Deadline: 31 May 2025
Length: Up to 6,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here and here.
Blue Planet Press: Far Futures Book Four – Titan
This is a speculative fiction anthology about Titan, the largest moon of the planet Saturn. “Far Futures Book Four will explore the colonial possibilities of Titan. What would settling on Titan entail?
How would humanity adjust to long-term effects of a gravitational pull even less than Earth’s own moon?
What would be the socio-economic impacts of such a colony?
What about the political dynamics? The military implications? The scientific potentials?
Submissions will involve space travel in some form to Titan, exploration and/or colonization of Titan, or long-term habitation of Titan. Military sci-fi is welcome.”
Deadline: 31 May 2025
Length: 6,000-10,000 words
Pay: ½ cent/word up to $50
Details here.
Amazing Stories: Tales of Galactic Pest Control
This is a speculative fiction anthology from Amazing Stories magazine. “We’re seeking original short stories that explore the theme of pest control in creative, unexpected, and engaging ways. However, don’t be misled by the title—this is not a shared-universe project, nor does your story have to be set in space or on an alien world. Your tale can take place anywhere—on a starship, in a medieval village, deep in the jungle, or even within the microcosm of a single human body. The crucial element is the struggle against some form of infestation, nuisance, or destructive force.
Your protagonist might be a seasoned exterminator, a desperate homeowner battling an alien infestation, or even the pest itself, trying to survive against overwhelming odds. We welcome a wide range of tones, from serious and thought-provoking explorations of ethical dilemmas to lighthearted, comedic takes on interstellar vermin problems. Whether your story leans toward hard science fiction, space opera, fantasy, horror, or slipstream, as long as it aligns with the pest control theme, we want to see it!”
Deadline: Open now
Length: Unspecified
Pay: A minimum of $100
Details here.
(Amazing Stories also publishes unthemed science fiction stories and poetry weekly online, and pays $10-20 for these – details here. The print magazine is currently on hiatus.)
Merganser Magazine
They want work from writers “whose work transcends disciplines and genres.” They want fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. And, “No word limits or hard editorial guidelines; we’re eager to find strong pieces across a wide range of material.” Please note, anything longer than 2,000 words will likely be a hard sell.
Deadline: Open now
Length: Up to 2,000 words (see guidelines)
Pay: $0.08/word for prose, $1/line for poetry
Details here.
Dissonance Media
They are accepting sci-fi horror fiction for a secret audio project; submission is via a form on their website. “If you think that your writing has the ability to spook the pants off our listeners, then you are just who we are looking for!
If your story is accepted, our team will work hard to transform your piece into an auditory experience never to forget.” Stories must be 4,000 – 6,000 words or 30 – 40 pages of script (10% tolerance +/-); first person perspective will take preference, but any perspective can be submitted; and stories must be Sci-fi Horror in nature. Slow burn stories preferred.
Deadline: Open now
Length: See above
Pay: $50
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.