These magazines / anthologies pay up to about $1,200 for fiction. A few also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry. There is a separate section for themed calls; deadlines are approaching quickly. – S. Kalekar
The Stinging Fly
This respected literary magazine will open for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry soon. They also accept translations. Please see their submission FAQ. Submission is via a portal, which will open during the reading period.
Reading period: 15 – 29 May 2024
Length: One prose piece; up to three poems
Pay: Fiction and nonfiction: €45 per magazine page, with a minimum/maximum payment of €325/€1200; flash fiction/shorter essays (1 – 2 pages): €150; Poetry: €45 per magazine page, but with a minimum payment of €70 per poem; Featured poet: €425
Details here.
Trollbreath Magazine
This is a new speculative fiction magazine, and they’re reading submissions for their first two issues. It is “a journal of speculative fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, publishing electronic issues on a quarterly schedule. Our interests are as varied as the endless amount of genres, from dark fantasy to hope punk to surrealism, and everything in between. We have a particular fondness for slipstream and fabulism in all their delightful forms, but what motivates us most are great stories by wonderful authors eager to share their visions of the past, the future, the in between, and everything that lies outside the margins. Coloring beyond the lines encouraged.” They’ve given links to the kind of stories they like, on their submissions page. They also accept fiction reprints.
Deadline: 31 May 2024
Length: 1,500-7,500 words for fiction (prefer 4,000-5,000 words), up to 2,500 words for non-fiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: $0.04/word for original fiction, $40 for non-fiction, $25 for poetry
Details here.
Tasavvur
This is a magazine for South Asian speculative fiction; you can read about them here. They are reading for their summer issue. Their Submissions page is divided into tabs, please click on the relevant ones to see the kind of work they want and hard passes. About who can submit, they say, “Our definition of South Asia is not restricted to traditional geographical terms and we welcome authors from neighboring regions and diaspora communities to submit too. We also highly encourage authors from traditionally under-represented communities to submit, such as but not restricted to: Women, LQBTQIA+ identifying, BIPOC, people with disabilities, religious and/0r ethnic minorities. If you are from one or more such community, we encourage you to please mention it in your email. However, please do not submit to us if you are not from any BIPOC community—Tasavvur is a magazine dedicated to publishing authors of South Asian origin and other BIPOC author, so we’ll have to turn you down as we’re not the market for you.” They also accept pitches for non-fiction (do not send unsolicited submissions).
Deadline: 31 May 2024 for fiction; non-fiction pitches open on an ongoing basis
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction
Pay: 2.5c/word for fiction, $100 for commissioned non-fiction
Details here.
Dragon Gems Anthology
This is an unthemed speculative fiction anthology. Stories can be part of an ongoing series you are writing. They also accept reprints. They also say, “While our (short story) program is called Dragon Gems, your story does not need to include a dragon.”
Deadline: 31 May 2024
Length: 5,000-12,000 words
Pay: $0.02/word
Details here.
Escape Artists: Escape Pod
This is an online magazine and podcast for science fiction. “We are fairly flexible on what counts as science (superheroes! steampunk! space opera! time travel!) and are interested in exploring the range of the genre. We want stories that center science, technology, future projections, and/or alternate history, and how any or all of these things impact individuals and society.
Escape Pod leans in the direction of escapism, hopepunk and optimism rather than grimdark and gloom.” They also accept translations and reprints.
Deadline: 31 May 2024 (see schedule)
Length: 1,500-6,000 words for original stories; longer for reprints (see guidelines)
Pay: $0.08/word for original fiction
Details here and here.
AGNI
This well-regarded literary magazine accepts fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. There is a submission fee for electronic submissions, but they do not charge for mailed submissions. Regarding length guidelines, they say, “We have no word limits, though space is at a premium and length sometimes affects our decisions.”
Deadline: 31 May 2024
Length: See above
Pay: $20/page for prose, $40/page for accepted poetry, up to a maximum of $300
Details here.
Profiles
This is a Dublin-based print journal. Their website says, “Profiles welcomes character-driven fiction and non-fiction — both original works and works in translation — under 5,000 words.
We’re interested in publishing character studies. We love writing that channels the author’s insatiable curiosity about other people (or their talent for self-reflection), is empathetic without bordering on apologia, and shows human nature as it is, not necessarily as it should be.”
Deadline: 4 June 2024
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: €200 for non-commissioned writers and translators (see here)
Details here.
Factor Four Magazine
They want flash fiction “in the genres of speculative fiction, specifically science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, super hero, or any combination of these. We are looking for stories that are engaging to our readers in such a short word count. Please take note of these factors (pun intended) when submitting stories to us.” They also want artwork (see guidelines).
Deadline: Open now
Length: Up to 1,000 words
Pay: $0.11/word
Details here.
The Dark
They publish horror and dark fantasy fiction. They also accept reprints.
Deadline: Open now
Length: Up to 6,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word for originals
Details here.
Gumshoe
They want complete mystery stories, in 1,000 words or fewer.
Deadline: Open now
Length: Up to 1,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word, up to $50
Details here.
THEMED CALLS
SubTerrain: Trash
This Canadian literary magazine is reading fiction, creative nonfiction, commentary (social or otherwise), and poetry on the ‘Trash’ theme. They want works “that mine the depths of your trash — be it literal, metaphorical, metaphysical, or more. In a tech-filled world that engages in planned, rapid obsolescence while the planet burns, talk to us about the ethical quandaries of garbage. In a gentrified society with its moralistic values, how do you revel in your own feelings of being, well, trashy? Send us writing littered with the dregs of society, the lowest of the low, and remains and rabble of your brain.” Electronic submissions are charged, but there is no fee for mailed submissions.
Deadline: 15 May 2024
Length: Up to 3,000 words for fiction, up to 4,000 words for nonfiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: CAD50/poem; CAD0.10/word for prose, up to CAD500
Details here.
khōréō: Point of View
They want speculative fiction (including flash) by immigrant and diaspora authors only, in the broadest sense of the term. Their general submission guidelines say, “our stories include fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it — as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explores migration. Examples include themes of immigration, diaspora, and anti-colonialism, as well as more metaphorical interpretations of the term.” They’re reading submissions on the ‘Point of View’ theme: “Our theme for Issue 4.4 is “Point of View”. We are looking for unusual, unexpected, and uncanny takes on POV!” Some areas they are specially interested in are: unreliable narrators; first-person plural; second-person plural; experimental takes on third-person POV; non-human / more-than-human POVs with horror or ecological elements. They also accept translations.
Deadline: 15 May 2024
Length: Up to 5,000 words for originals; up to 3,500 words for translations
Pay: $0.10/word
Details here and here.
Atomic Carnival Books: Eat the Rich Anthology
This is a speculative fiction anthology; they want stories about billionaires (see guidelines) being eaten. They want stories from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, chronically-ill/disabled, and writers from other historically marginalized groups only. “Give us carnivores, cannibals, kaiju, cryptids, and, of course, capitalist comeuppance. So long as some kind of obnoxiously wealthy fuck gets eaten — somewhere, somewhen, somehow — the sky’s the limit.”
Deadline: 15 May 2024
Length: 100-8,000 words (see guidelines)
Pay: $0.05/word
Details here.
Apparition Lit: Anachronism
This is a quarterly speculative fiction and poetry magazine. They will be reading submissions on the Anachronism theme during the second half of May. As part of their equity initiative, they have a one-week extra reading period for writers who self-identify as BIPOC in their cover letters; they will also accept simultaneous submissions from writers who identify as Disabled, BIPOC, or LGBTQIA+ (see guidelines).
Reading period: 15-31 May 2024 for general submissions; will extend by a week for BIPOC writers (see guidelines)
Length: 1,000-5,000 words for fiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: $0.05/word for stories, $50/poem
Details here.
(Apparition Lit also has a themed flash fiction challenge, open on the first fortnight of every month – see guidelines.)
Little Ghost Press: Little Guts – A Gory Anthology
This is a fiction anthology. The editor says, “Some of you might know me for my love of GROSS, GOOPY HORROR—which is exactly what this anthology aims to be! I’ll be looking for pitches that evoke FUN and DISGUST, like Peter Jackson’s Braindead, and the films of Frank Henelotter. Shows like Freaky Stories and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. Like a pig in mud, we revel in the nasty and go, “hey, check this out! Made me want to barf!” Give me fluids! Guts and gore! Slime, ooze and GOOP! Your story can feature dark themes and heavy topics, but have FUN with it.” Their website also says, “We will be taking PITCHES, and if accepted, your story should be 2-5k words.” In the pitch, “Please include… just the guts! Character, rising action, and conclusion teaser. Suggest a style, leak the ooze, make us laugh (or go EUGHHHH). Pitch us something gross!” If your pitch (which is via a form on the website) is accepted, please send your stories before the submission deadline; they plan to do the edits June-August, with expected release in October.
Submission deadline: 31 May 2024
Length: 2,000-5,000 words
Pay: $0.12/word
Details here.
Weird Little Worlds: The Robots Were Right – Tales of Unstoppable Technology
They want stories about “Robots, AI, and all things technology. Think of our annual anthology call as a mix between the Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, and Back to the Future. We are looking to highlight 20+ brand new writers with tales of technology gone right, wrong, and everything in between.” This is a Kickstarter-funded project. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 31 May 2024
Length: 500-5,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word ($0.08/word if Kickstarter stretch goals are met)
Details here and here.
Lucky Jefferson: Two themes
— Lucky Jefferson: Wildflower: Lucky Jefferson wants submissions of flash fiction (up to 1,000 words) and poetry (up to 3) from autistic BIPOC writers and artists only, for the Wildflower theme. Pay is $15-50, and the deadline is 31 May 2024. Lucky Jefferson is reading submissions on other themes too; please be sure to submit in the correct category.
— Awake – How We Make Fire: Awake is a zine by Lucky Jefferson Magazine, which publishes work by Black writers and artists only; currently, they’re reading submissions of flash fiction (up to 1,000 words) and poetry (up to 3) on the ‘How We Make Fire’ theme. Pay is $15-50, and the deadline is 31 May 2024. Please be sure to submit in the correct category. Deadline: 31 May 2024 for both themes
Length: Up to 1,000 words for fiction, up to 3 poems for both themes
Pay: $15-50
Details here.
The Victorian Writer: Bite
Writers Victoria is an Australian not-for-profit charity that supports and advocates for writers, illustrators, editors and literary-sector workers to be paid for the work that they do. They are accepting works their in-house magazine, The Victorian Writer. For their next issue, the theme is ‘Bite’. “We publish poems ($70), and articles of 600 words ($100) and 1200 words ($200) in the print edition with particular interest in the craft of writing and the writing life.” They also accept short fiction. Pay is in Australian dollars. For articles, they accept pitches as well as submissions.
Submission deadline: 31 May 2024
Length: See above
Pay: AUD70-200
Details here and here.
Bannister Press: Other – the 2024 fantasy short story anthology
Bannister Press specializes in supernatural and fantasy stories loved by adults and young adults. For this fiction anthology, they only want submissions from writers who identify as women. “We are seeking international short story submissions by writers who identify as women for an anthology with a focus on what it means to be on the outside looking in, or comfortably or uncomfortably out of step with the world(s) at large, and with a fantasy element (either subtle or writ large). The story can be visually focused, or character/narrative focused, as long as it leaves the reader thinking about the story long after closing the book. We don’t want a lesson, we want an experience that makes us come alive. Humour is fine as long as it’s not about the mic drop.”
Deadline: 1 June 2024
Length: Up to 3,500 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Celestial Echo Press: Ruth’s and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel
Their guidelines say, “The theme for this anthology is time travel. We’re looking for stories that will take readers on a journey through time, from the Wild West to the future in outer space, from humor to horror. All genres accepted, except erotica. Send us well-written stories that make us believe time travel is real.” They also accept reprints. They have some slots for invited authors, and a few slots will be filled with this open submission call. Their reading period will open soon; please send submissions only during the reading period. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 1 June 2024
Length: 500-4,000 words
Pay: $0.01/word for originals
Details here.
Room Magazine: Humor
This Canadian magazine accepts submissions of fiction, creative nonfiction, reviews (see guidelines), poetry, and art from people of all marginalized genders, including cis and trans women, trans men, nonbinary and Two-Spirit people (see guidelines). They’re reading submissions on the ‘Humor’ theme. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Genocides, heat waves, floods, fascism, an ongoing mass disabling event:the world is burning and it’s no laughing matter. But humour can be a weapon, a coping mechanism, a sacred instinct that keeps us alive and living amid the most devastating conditions. … Send us works that uplift to role of laughter in resistance, break comedic genres, explore the uses and limits of irony, upend white supremacist and ableist origins of standup—tongue-in-cheek, deadpan, alive-pan, cringe, unbelievable, absurd.”
Deadline: Until filled (see Submittable)
Length: Fiction and creative nonfiction of up to 2,500 words, or up to 5 poems
Pay: CAD50 per page, up to CAD200; reviewers and web contributors are paid CAD75
Details here and here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
