11 Short Story Publishers that Pay $200+ for Short Stories

These markets pay $200 for fiction, and a few pay considerably more. Also see this list for markets paying $50, this list for markets paying $100, and this one for more fiction markets paying $200 – a few deadlines are coming up. — S. Kalekar

Flame Tree Publishing: Haunted House and Cosy Crime
They are looking for submissions for two anthologies in their gothic fantasy series. For the Haunted House anthology, their guidelines say, “The creaking floorboards, the children hiding in the mirror, the spirits that rake across the flesh of the mind, tell us your stories of hauntings and mansions. Oh, what is that sound within the walls?”
For cosy crime: ““The armchair detectives, the murder in the vicarage, the family secrets unravelling in gossipy ears, such are the ingredients of a gentile bloodbath in an otherwise delightful village.”
Deadline: 29 July 2018
Length: 2,000-4,000 word stories are “most likely to succeed”
Pay: $0.06/word
Details here. 

Mysterion: Christian Speculative Fiction
They want science fiction, fantasy and horror stories that engage meaningfully with Christianity. The stories need not teach a moral or be close to an approved theological position. Nor do they need to be pro-Christian – see their detailed guidelines on the kind of work they see too often, and what they would like to see. They are especially interested in stories that show Christians from cultures beyond those of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe.
Deadline: 31 July 2018
Length: Up to 9,000 words
Pay: $0.06/word
Details here (scroll down) and here.

Cricket: Make a Splash
For this call, they want “contemporary stories set on a rocky seashore, along a backyard creek, or at the city swimming pool” and also “well-researched stories about life along the world’s rivers; legends from around the world about river monsters, sea serpents, and water divinities; engineering stories about the challenge of building boats, bridges, and dams; exciting adventures of pirates, ancient explorers, dangerous ocean crossings, and water gone wild in monsoons and floods.” Cricket is a magazine for 9-14-year-olds and they also publish non-fiction, poetry, puzzles, crafts, recipes, and activities.
Deadline: 15 August 2018
Length: 1,200-1,800 words for fiction and non-fiction; can accept up to 6,000 words for fiction; up to 6 poems
Pay: Up to $0.25/word for prose, $3/line for poetry, $75 for activities and recipes
Details here.

Zsenon Publishing: A Punk Rock Future Anthology
They want speculative fiction for this anthology about a punk rock future. Their guidelines say, “We’d like to see dystopias, utopias, or something in-between; anything with a punk rock sensibility/ethos; alternative history; the promise of punk; the failure of punk; music-inspired stories; science fiction; fantasy; or horror.” They don’t want stories of steampunk, solarpunk, silkpunk or ecopunk. While they will not rule out stories that touch on those niches, the stories “should be the real deal, punkpunk.”
Deadline: 15 August 2018
Length: 350-6,000 words
Pay: $0.06/word
Details here.

Release the Virgins
This anthology call is for stories that include, somewhere in the story, the phrase ‘Release the Virgins.’ The phrase should be relevant and necessary to the story. They require an email proposal before the submission. The editor advices authors to avoid unicorns.
Deadline: 1 September 2018
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word
Details here.

Blood Bound Books: Crash Code
For this anthology, they want stories where “the pinnacle of our technology meets the depths of our depravity” – or how far humans are willing to fall in pursuit of the next innovation. Think Blade Runner meets Saw.
Deadline: 1 October 2018
Length: 1,500-7,000 words
Pay: $0.03/word
Details here.

Pink Triangle Rhapsody: Volume 1 – Mixed Genre
This is Lycan Valley Press’ newest anthology series in celebration of and dedicated to gay men and their cultural history, for which they accept submissions from gay male writers only. The series is intended to be a collection of stories written with “effusively rapturous or emotional expression.” Volume 1 is a mixed genre volume and will feature 5 stories in each of 5 genres for a total of 25 stories — Horror, Sci Fi, Dark Fantasy, Thriller, Pulp Mystery. Each story must include a supernatural, paranormal or occult element.
Deadline: 31 December 2018
Length: 2,500-8,000 words
Pay: $0.04/word
Details here.

Argot Magazine
This queer-focused website “spans the worlds of queer culture, the feminine narrative, marginalized communities, and politics and culture.” They want short stories, nonfiction, poetry, satire, comics, illustrations, and photo essays. They give preference to work by queer writers.
Deadline: Now open
Length: Unspecified
Pay: $35-250
Details here.

Samovar
This is a sister publication of Strange Horizons, and they publish science fiction and fantasy stories and poems in translation, as well as non-fiction. They particularly want stories from underrepresented populations, and those that address political views in complex and nuanced ways, rejecting oversimplification. They also accept translation reprints.  
Deadline: Now open
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction, 2,000-3,000 words for non-fiction
Pay: $0.06/word for fiction, capped at $300 for writers and $300 for translators, $100 for reprints; $40 each for poets and translators; $40 for non-fiction
Details here.

Clubhouse Jr.
This is a Christian publication for children aged 3-7 years and is the sister magazine of Clubhouse. They are looking for well-developed, fast-paced fiction, especially those with children of the audience’s age as the main character. Their guidelines say, “While our stories aren’t always explicitly Christian, they should build upon a foundation of Christian beliefs and family values.” They are looking for humorous stories with a point, contemporary stories with multicultural or ethnic settings, and choose-your-own adventure stories. They also accept Rebus stories, non-fiction, and retellings of Bible stories.  
Deadline: Rolling
Length: 800-1,000 words for fiction; 400-600 words for very early reader fiction; up to 200 words for Rebus stories; up to 400 words for non-fiction
Pay: $0.15-0.25/word; $100-200 for fiction, non-fiction and Bible stories, $75-150 for Rebus stories
Details here.

The Missouri Review
This literary magazine publishes fiction, essays, and poetry. Excerpts from book-length general interest non-fiction will be considered, but must stand alone; they also accept queries for non-fiction. There is no fee for mailed submissions.
Deadline: Rolling
Length: No length restrictions, but flash fiction (under 2,000 words) or longer works (9,000-12,000 words) must be exceptional to be accepted; 8-20 pages of poetry
Pay: $40/page
Details here.

 

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