{"id":12280,"date":"2025-01-14T08:05:33","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T16:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/?p=12280"},"modified":"2025-01-14T10:17:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T18:17:44","slug":"14-podcasts-that-accept-fiction-submissions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/uncategorized\/14-podcasts-that-accept-fiction-submissions\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Podcasts that Accept Fiction Submissions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


By S. Kalekar

<\/strong>These are genre audio magazines\/podcasts which accept short fiction. Some of them also have tips on how to write for an audio magazine. All of these podcasts pay writers, from token to pro rates. Many, but not all, are open now. They\u2019re not listed in any particular order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Drabblecast
<\/strong>\u201cThe Drabblecast is an award-winning online speculative fiction magazine and podcast that publishes \u201cStrange Stories for Strange Listeners,\u201d often also classified as \u201cWeird Fiction.\u201d Loosely, this encompasses any and all genres, but largely centers around those of\u00a0Science Fiction, Fantasy,\u00a0<\/em>andHorror.\u201d They accept short fiction , drabble (exactly 100 words), and twabble (exactly 100 characters) story submissions. They have a wish-list of the kind of stories their various editors are currently looking for on the guidelines page. They pay $0.06\/word for original short fiction of 500 to 4,000 words with a cap of $300; there is no pay for stories under 500 words. They also accept reprints. They\u2019re open for submissions on an ongoing basis, according to their website. Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

Imaginary Comma: Thirteen Podcast
<\/strong>This is a horror podcast. \u201cWe are an audio-drama\/audio fiction podcast specializing in feature length (~ one hour) productions that are characterized by slow-burn, atmospheric stories, horror and ghost stories.\u201d They have detailed guidelines, including how the process works: \u201cStories not written in an audio fiction format will be altered and\/or adapted to fit that format. This may include changes in the placement of character dialogue attribution, folding character dialogue into narration and resolutions to issues of clarity that work on the page but not in an audio format
Submissions with several speaking roles may require alteration to fit a limited cast. This would come in the form of the narrator incorporating the character’s lines into narration\u201d. They pay $50 for stories up to 5,000 words, and $75 for stories over 5,000 words. They\u2019re open now for submissions. Details here<\/a>.

StarShipSofa: The Audio Science Fiction Magazine<\/strong>
This is a science fiction magazine and podcast. \u201cFrom the soft, social science fiction to the weird pulpy stuff to the vigorous hard SF and YA adventure. We welcome all sub-genres and all variety of punks in all their colours. From high-octane action to quiet philosophical stories, we\u2019re after it all. Science fiction is a rich and diverse genre, push its boundaries as far as you can go.
We welcome translations and are very interested in stories that take place\/written by authors outside the US\/Anglo-sphere, as well as alternative movements and styles. These include (but not limited to) \u201cnon-Western\u201d science fiction, Chinese SF, Soviet speculative fiction, Afro-futurism, etc. The exception is that the SF element must be the backbone of the story. It cannot be an afterthought, or simple window dressing.\u201d They also accept some reprints (see guidelines). And, \u201cPaid story length runs from 3,000 words up to 7,000 words. Most of the stories we accept are between 3500 and 5000 words.\u201d Do not send fantasy or supernatural horror stories. They pay $50, and are open now for submissions. Details here<\/a>.

Escape Artists: Five<\/strong> Magazines<\/strong>
They have five speculative fiction podcasts focusing on various genres. All have detailed guidelines.

—<\/strong> PodCastle<\/strong><\/a> publishes a wide range of fantasy stories, \u201cfrom magical realism to urban fantasy to slipstream to high fantasy, and everything in between\u201d; and, \u201cWe are an audio magazine. Our audience can\u2019t skim past the boring parts. Ideally, fiction should have strong pacing, well-defined characters, engaging dialogue, clear action, and still be beautiful. Above all, we\u2019re looking for stories that are fun to listen to. Humor is encouraged.\u201d They\u2019re open now for a special call, on the Disability Pride & Magic<\/a> theme (open to all writers) until 31st<\/sup> March and they will also open for unthemed fantasy stories from 1st<\/sup> to 31st<\/sup> March 2025, see their schedule<\/a>;

— <\/strong>EscapePod<\/strong><\/a> accepts science fiction; \u201cWe 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. We love to see funny stories, which can include dark humor that doesn\u2019t punch down, and satire that isn\u2019t painfully bleak\u201d. And, \u201cWe publish our stories in text and audio, but audio is our primary format. Because our audience cannot easily reread or skim, we prefer stories of high clarity and tight pacing. Complex syntax, elaborate structures and typographic novelties (e.g. footnotes) are difficult for us to publish.\u201d They\u2019re open till 31st<\/sup> May 2025, see their schedule<\/a>.

—<\/strong> PseudoPod<\/strong><\/a> publishes horror; \u201cdark, weird fiction. We run the spectrum from grim realism or crime drama, to magic-realism, to blatantly supernatural dark fantasy. We publish highly literary stories reminiscent of Poe or Lovecraft as well as vulgar shock-value pulp fiction.\u201d\u00a0 And, \u201cSince we\u2019re an audio magazine, our audience can\u2019t skim past the boring parts, so stories with beautiful language at the expense of plot don\u2019t translate well. We\u2019re looking for fiction with strong pacing, well-defined characters, engaging dialogue, and clear action. It can be beautiful too, if you\u2019ve got all those other bases covered.\u201d See their schedule<\/a>.

— <\/strong>Cast of Wonders<\/strong><\/a>, for young adult (YA) speculative fiction; \u201cStories that evoke a sense of wonder, have deep emotional resonance, and have something unreal about them. We aim for a 12-17 age range: that means sophisticated, non-condescending stories with wide appeal, and without gratuitous or explicit sex, violence or pervasive obscene language.\u201d \u00a0And, \u201cStories are presented in audio format, which means our audience rarely skim past boring bits. We\u2019re looking for fiction with strong pacing, well-defined characters, engaging dialogue, and clear action. We like a proper narrative structure and a prose style not laden with clich\u00e9s and over-worn idioms. We like fiction that makes us think, but the main elements should be thrilling entertainment, adventure and emotional connection.\u201d They will likely update the website for 2025 calls soon, keep a lookout on their schedule<\/a>.

—<\/strong> CatsCast<\/strong><\/a> publishes fun speculative cat stories; \u201cSpecifically, we\u2019re looking for speculative fiction stories about cats. \u201cCats\u201d in this context are, well, cats \u2014 but since this is a speculative fiction podcast, they don\u2019t have to be exactly the same species as the housecats we have here on Earth. The stories should have happy, or at least hopeful, endings for all featured cats. Fun, playfulness, and humor are strongly encouraged but not required.\u201d They open occasionally for submissions, and will accept stories via their submission portal<\/a> during their reading period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the magazines in the Escape Artists suite only accept submissions via their submission portals, which open during the reading period, and pay $0.08\/word for original fiction. All five magazines also accept reprints. Escape Artists also sometimes has narrator auditions \/ calls; see their narrator guidelines<\/strong>, which has several helpful tips and links for narrators, here<\/a> (they\u2019re currently closed for narrator auditions, do not apply now).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Other Stories Podcast<\/strong>
This is a horror\/sci-fi\/thriller fiction podcast from Hawk & Cleaver. They accept themed fiction submissions of up to 2,000 words. Their upcoming theme is The Workplace(\u201cGive us stories of the slow death \u2014 office politics, chaos from the cubicle, stories from the ant farm, the workshop, the assembly line, the burnout, the boss from hell.\u201d), and the deadline is 1 February 2025. They have listed other themes too, with later deadlines. They pay \u00a315. Details here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>.

Tales to Terrify
<\/strong>\u201cTales to Terrify is a volunteer-run fan podcast featuring short horror, dark fantasy, and other disturbing fiction. \u2026 We encourage you to challenge the definition of horror. Standard tropes and monsters are welcome, but give us your own unique take. Avoid the cliche and expected, unless as devices used purposefully and cleverly to further your story. Drag us deep into the unsettling atmosphere of a crumbling Gothic mansion. Show us the gritty, real-world horrors of evil people with dark intentions. Make our blood run cold and our breath catch in our throats as we\u2019re hunted by ravenous creatures. Unhinge our minds with reality-bending, psychological horrors. Make us feel the pain and sorrow of a long-suffering spirit.\u201d They\u2019re currently open for flash fiction only (up to 2,000 words), for which there is no payment. Watch for their next submission period for short fiction (2,000-10,000 words), for which they pay $0.02\/word; they also accept reprints. Details here<\/a>.

Manawaker Studio: Flash Fiction Podcast
<\/strong>All fiction genres will be considered, but the story must remain accessible to all ages. \u201cMost of what we accept is sci-fi stories, so if you are trying to decide which flash to send, send the one with robots and spaceships. We\u2019re also almost always low on joyful stories. Note that we are not necessarily looking for humor (in fact, a story which is mostly a set-up for a punchline or pun is a hard sell) but we get a lot of submissions which leave the listener feeling sad or angry, which is fine and necessary, but it\u2019s nice to get triumph or joy mixed in there once in a while.\u201d The ideal length is around 800 words, but stories as short as 250 or as long as 1,500 may be considered. They also accept reprints. Pay is $0.01\/word up to $10 for original stories. They are reading now for Season 10. Submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NoSleep Podcast<\/strong>
This is a horror fiction podcast. They have detailed guidelines about what they want, including, all kind of horror stories, and stories with great audio cues. Pay is $60 for flash fiction (up to 1,199 words), $125 for regular stories (1,200+ words), and $175 for full length productions which will run more than 90 mins (approx 15,000+ words): $175. They are open now for submissions. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creepy
<\/strong>This is a horror fiction podcast. They have a live feed as well as stories on Patreon. They publish four stories on Patreon every week (up to 25-minute length), and longer stories on Sundays. They have detailed guidelines, as well as a short list of the kind of stories they\u2019re currently looking for, including Creepaway Camp 2025 stories of 1,000-5,000 words, female and gender-neutral stories (they do still accept stories from a male perspective), and single-narrator stories. They publish stories of 1,000-3,500 words for Patreon, and of 4,000-7,000 words for Sunday production. They pay $0.02\/word up to $100. They are open on an ongoing basis. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alpennia: Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast
<\/strong>This is a fiction podcast series on lesbian-relevant themes, and it is open for all writers. They have detailed guidelines, including, \u201cStories must be set in an actual historic culture–i.e., a specific time and place in history–and the plot and characters should be firmly rooted in that time and place. (No time-travel or past memories, please.) Stories may include fantastic elements that are appropriate to the historic setting. …Stories must be set before 1900. We\u2019d love to see stories that reach beyond the popular settings of 19th century America and England unless you do something new and interesting in them. … Romance is optional, and romance stories should have some other significant plot element in addition to the romance.\u201d They also say, \u201cWe will be publishing four stories. (If we get some really great flash fiction, there\u2019s the possibility of doubling up if the total meets the word count limit.)\u201d They pay $0.08\/word for stories up to 5,000 words, and the deadline is 31 January 2025. Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bio:<\/strong>\u00a0S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached\u00a0here<\/a>.

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By S. Kalekar These are genre audio magazines\/podcasts which accept short fiction. Some of them also have tips on how to write for an audio magazine. All of these podcasts pay writers, from token to pro rates. Many, but not all, are open now. They\u2019re not listed in any particular order. The Drabblecast\u201cThe Drabblecast is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12280"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12288,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12280\/revisions\/12288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}