Magazines Paying $50 to $480 for Short Stories

These magazines and anthologies pay $50 to $480 for fiction. A few also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry. – S. Kalekar

Dark Recess Press Magazine
This is a magazine of horror and dark fiction. They also commission non-fiction – articles, essays, and briefs – on related themes (query for non-fiction). Submissions are ongoing, with quarterly cut-off dates for issues.
Deadline: 15 August 2022 for the Fall issue
Length: 500-5,000 words for fiction; varies for non-fiction
Pay: $0.05/word
Details here.

Funicular
This Canadian magazine publishes “quality fiction and poetry that shocks, surprises, moves, and tickles us. Maybe all of those things in a single piece.” They primarily publish Canadian writers, and also publish international writers. Pieces selected for online publication only are unpaid.
Deadline: 16 August 2022
Length: Up to 3,000 words for fiction (or up to 3 flash pieces, 1,000 words each), up to 3 poems
Pay: CAD25/poem and flash piece, CAD10/page for short fiction, up to CAD100
Details here.

Old Moon Quarterly
They have extensive guidelines, including, “Old Moon publishes character-focused, weird sword-and-sorcery: stories of a dark and transgressive nature, set in a secondary or historical-paranormal (“our” reality, but with a twist, if you will) world, with a focus on rounded characters undergoing some sort of conflict, resolved (though not always successfully!) by the might of their main or mind.
We love stories that combine that sense of action and adventure with well-rounded characters who make us question our own realities and perceptions. We love to see the gothic, the baroque, the eldritch, and we love to see it hit with an axe.”
Deadline: 20 August 2022
Length: 1,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word
Details here (open period announcement) and here (guidelines).

PseudoPod
This horror fiction online magazine and podcast will open for a couple of weeks in August. They have extensive guidelines, please read these before submitting. They also accept reprints.
Reading period: 12-21 August 2022
Length: Up to 6,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here (guidelines), here (schedule), and here (submission portal).

Unidentified Funny Objects
This is an annual anthology of humorous science fiction and fantasy. They want all style and sub-genres of speculative humor.
Deadline: 25 August 2022
Length: 500-6,000 words
Pay: $0.10/word
Details here.

Canthius
This is a Canadian intersectional feminist magazine that publishes poetry and prose by writers of marginalized gender identities. They also welcome submissions in Indigenous languages. They publish poetry, fiction, nonfiction, play excerpts, and experimental works. They accept both fee-based and fee-free submissions. Please note, they have monthly submission caps during their reading periods.
Deadline: 1 September 2022
Length: Up to 3,500 words for prose, up to 3 poems
Pay: $50-150
Details here.

Brigids Gate Press: Gothic Romance Anthology
This is a fiction call for women and non-binary authors only. They want “gothic romances that are equal parts horror and romance. The short stories should be mysterious, atmospheric, and include a HEA (or happy for now).”
Deadline: 30 September 2022
Length: 2,000-6,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.

West Branch
This literary magazine, housed at Bucknell University, publishes fiction (including short-shorts), nonfiction, poetry, and translations. Their submission period is from 1 August to 1 April.
Deadline: 1 April 2023
Length: Up to 30 pages for prose (see guidelines), up to 6 poems
Pay: $0.05/word up to $100 for prose, $50 for poetry
Details here.

Guernica
They are open for fiction submissions now, and a few other genres, including nonfiction, general poetry, poetry for their Anthologia series (3-10 poems from the same poet), and others. They accept short fiction, and also excerpts from longer works. They do not accept flash fiction. There is no deadline specified, and all genres close periodically.
Deadline: Open now
Length: 2,000-7,000 words for fiction
Pay: $50 for general poetry, $100 for original essays, and $150 for original fiction, Anthologia, and for reportage/journalism
Details here.

Utopia Science Fiction
This is a science fiction magazine; they also publish non-fiction and poetry. “We’re looking for enthralling stories set in a future we want to believe in, one we would fight to make a reality.” They want hard science fiction, but are also open to non hard science fiction “as long as it includes incredible world-building or captivating characters.” They have themed issues, and read works 2-4 months out for the themes.
Deadline: Ongoing
Length: 100-5,000 words for fiction, up to 6,000 words for non-fiction
Pay: $0.04/word for fiction, $20 for non-fiction
Details here.

 

Severl other themed calls that are open now are:

— Filthy Loot – two calls: They have only a few slots left to fill for each call, so this will likely be quite competitive. Pay is $0.02/word for both anthologies, and deadlines vary. The first is Dirt in the Sky; a horror anthology “focusing on juxtapositions. We’re looking for stories about the haves and have-nots, but also seeding elements of genres like alt-lit with body horror, or dirty realism with transgressive horror”, deadline 15 August. The second is Little Birds Green, “What we’re looking for: Autofiction, Transgressive, IndieLit, Outsider short stories. Some poetry, though poetry submissions will not be prioritized”, deadline 30 August 2022; details here.
— Medusa Tales – Horror issue: During their upcoming window, they want only horror stories, though they usually publish speculative fiction. They publish stories of human transformation and immobilization; stories may fall into three broad categories: transformed and immobilized, immobilized but not transformed; and transformed but not immobilized. They also accept reprints. Length is 100-5,000 words, pay is $0.01/word, and deadline 15 August 2022; details here.
Cemetery Gates Media: Campfire Macabre Volume 2 – five themes: They want horror flash fiction on a few themes for this anthology. Writers can submit one story per theme, which are: When We Were Getting High; My Last Trick ‘r Treat; Body Grotesquerie; Ominous Visitors From Deep Space; and Out in the Fields, Forests, and Lakes. Length is 500-1,500 words, pay is $0.08/word, and deadline is 15 August 2022. Details here.
— Shakespeare Unleashed anthology: horror fiction based on Shakespeare’s plays, and sonnets. Length is 1,500-6,000 words for fiction. Pay is $0.06/word for prose, $35 for poems, and the deadline is 25 August 2022. Details here – guidelines, and here – Kickstarter.
— Dracula Beyond Stoker – Renfield: This is the flagship journal of DBS Press. Their website says, “Our flagship journal, Dracula Beyond Stoker, will present the best new fiction based on Stoker’s characters, locations and themes, and sometimes Stoker, himself.” For their second issue, they are reading on the Renfield theme. “Give us your best Renfield story. Everybody’s favorite flyman is such a rich character, yet we know so little about him. Who do you think he is?” Send stories of 1,500-5,000 words. Pay is $0.05/word. Deadline 15 January 2023. Details here.


Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.

 

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