{"id":12894,"date":"2025-12-23T04:51:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T12:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/?p=12894"},"modified":"2025-12-23T04:51:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T12:51:57","slug":"15-fiction-magazines-and-anthologies-paying-up-to-750","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/uncategorized\/15-fiction-magazines-and-anthologies-paying-up-to-750\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Fiction Magazines and Anthologies Paying up to $750"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By S. Kalekar

<\/strong>These fiction magazines and anthologies pay for fiction. A few also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry. They are open now, or will soon open for submissions.

Blue Cubicle Press: Workers Write! Tales from the Concourse<\/strong>
\u201cIssue 22 of Workers Write! will be Tales from the Concourse and contain stories and poems from airport and airline workers’ points of view.
We’re looking for fiction and poetry about the people who work in airports and for airlines, such as passenger service agents, ramp agents, TSA agents, airport engineers, baggage handlers, air traffic controllers, flight attendants, pilots, and so on.\u201d They also accept reprints.
Deadline: 31 December 2025, or until filled
Length: 500-5,000 words
Pay: $10-50
Details here<\/a>.

EVENT Magazine
<\/strong>They are open for fiction and poetry from Black, Indigenous and People of Colour\u00a0(BIPOC) writers through end-December, or until they hit their submission cap, whichever is earlier. For fiction, \u201cWe look for compelling characters and voice, fresh plots, and narratives that move us.\u201d\u00a0For poetry, \u201cWe look for arresting imagery, polished language, emotional impact, and lyricism without pretension.\u201d In January, they will open submissions for Canadian writers only. Event Magazine is affiliated with Douglas College in New Westminster, B.C., Canada.
Deadline: 31 December 2025, or until filled (BIPOC authors only)
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction, up to 8 poems
Pay: $35\/page for prose, $40\/page for poetry, up to $500
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

Utopia Science Fiction: Weird Science Fiction
<\/strong>They publish utopian science fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. They have detailed guidelines, please read them carefully. Their upcoming theme is Weird Science Fiction \u2013 \u201cSend us your strange, outlandish, outside-the-box stories and poems!\u201d
Deadline: 1 January 2026
Length: 100-4,000 words preferred for fiction, up to 6,000 words for nonfiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: $0.08\/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $30 per poem
Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Matchstick
<\/strong>The Matchstick is Amnesty Canada’s arts & human rights magazine. They want submissions from across Canada<\/strong>, of literary (poetry, prose and vignettes, short stories, short dramas, essays) and visual arts, short films, music and more from young activists up to the age of 25 <\/strong>only. They will consider \u201call work connected to justice, human rights advocacy, and the power of activism. We especially encourage submissions that align with the following Human Rights Campaigns: Indigenous Rights, Refugee Rights, Women\u2019s Human Rights Defenders, Indigenous Water and Land Defenders, Climate Justice, Anti-Black Racism and Corporate Accountability.\u201d
Deadline (extended): 4th<\/sup> January 2026 (see here<\/a>)
Length: Unspecified
Pay: CAD100
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

Cosmic Horror Monthly<\/strong>
This magazine will open submissions for a week in January. They publish weird and cosmic fiction. \u201cWe strongly<\/em> favor stories that use contemporary narrative styles.\u201d And, \u201cWe are especially interested in hearing from those whose voices are underrepresented in the cosmic\/weird.\u201d Their submission portal will open during the reading period.
Reading period: 1st<\/sup> to 7th<\/sup> January 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.03\/word
Details here<\/a>.

Headland
<\/strong>This literary journal accepts submissions from Aorta New Zealand and around the world. They publish fiction and creative non-fiction only. They are accepting submissions for Issue 25.
They also say, \u201cFor issue 25, we invite all submitting authors to include (in your email) up to 300 words on what Headland journal means to you. \u2026 What you write will not have any influence on our consideration of your work for issue 25, but it may be published as part of a special blog later in 2026. With permission, we may also use your statement as part of a future funding application.\u201d
Deadline: 9 January 2026
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $75
Details here<\/a>.

34 Orchard<\/strong>
This magazine will open briefly for fiction submissions in January. They say, \u201cwe like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We\u2019re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad.\u201d Work sent outside of the reading period will be deleted unread.
Reading period: 1st<\/sup> to 10th<\/sup> January 2026
Length: 1,000 to 6,000 words
Pay: $50
Details here<\/a>.

Flame Tree Anthology: Black Horror, Then & Next
<\/strong>They will accept two horror fiction submissions from this open call for the anthology, which is part of their Beyond & Within series and complement their Gothic Fantasy-series titles Black Sci-Fi<\/em>, Afrofuturism<\/em> and the upcoming Africanfuturism<\/em>. \u201cBlack Horror, Then & Next: Short Stories <\/em>(title TBC)will be a landmark anthology surveying the evolution of Black (American) literary horror<\/strong> while boldly imagining its future. We seek stories that recognize the legacy of Black horror, its literary milestones, cultural roots, and innovative voices, while pushing the genre into new, daring territory. We welcome submissions from Black authors who are engaged with the genre\u2019s history and also eager to reimagine it. \u2026 We are especially excited by fiction that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Embraces the power of horror to unsettle, illuminate, or transform<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Draws from Black American cultural histories, mythologies, or lived experiences or forges new ones<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Experiments with form, perspective, or speculative possibility<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Surprises us with fresh nightmares, folklore, or futures<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Honors the past while writing fearlessly toward tomorrow\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They only want original stories, not reprints, for this anthology.
Deadline: 14 January 2026
Length: 2,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08\/word
Details here<\/a>.

<\/strong>Three-Lobed Burning Eye<\/strong>
They publish speculative fiction: including horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction. They want works \u201cacross the speculative genres, including all the shadows between and fluid mixtures thereof. We like narrative voices that are full of feeling, from literary to pulpy, with styles unique and flowing, but not too experimental. All labels aside, we want tales that value imagination in character, narrative, and plot.\u201d Their submission portal will open during the reading period.
Reading period: 1st<\/sup> to 16th<\/sup> January 2026
Length: 500-7,499 words
Pay: $0.08\/word
Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Astrolabe<\/strong>
They accept fiction, non-fiction, and art. They want \u201cwork about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection. Into the woods. Across a line. Beneath the ocean. Along a seam. Into the branches of an alternate present or the crevasse of an alternate future. Across the rifts between one another. And then, once we find one other, the myths we make. We\u2019re excited to see as many interpretations of this broad theme as there are stars in the night sky. We\u2019re open to work of all genres, with a particular fondness for anything that moves beyond realism in form or content or spirit.\u201d And, \u201cWe\u2019ll happily consider fiction and CNF in all prose forms\u2014prose poetry, micro, flash, and beyond\u201d. Do not send lineated poetry. They open for submissions on 21st<\/sup> December 2025 and close on 21st<\/sup> January 2026, or when they hit their submission cap, whichever is earlier. Do not send work outside of the reading period. 
Reading period: See above
Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose
Pay: $50
Details here<\/a>.

Ruad\u00e1n Books: Summer in the City Anthology
<\/strong>Ruad\u00e1n Books is an independent publisher of dark thrillers and speculative fiction. They are open for their Summer in the City fiction anthology. They want \u201cdark speculative fiction stories set in summertime cities that are as much characters in your narratives as the people are. These cities should exist (or have existed) in our world\u201d. Also, \u201cHow do you determine if a city has been spoken for<\/strong>? We don\u2019t. We tried that with WITC and it became a logistical nightmare. Understand that we are looking for cities world-wide and that your story should make a reader feel like they have been there. Rich descriptions and even a sentient setting will be looked at favorably. Understand that if we receive 19 stories about \u201cNew York\u201d your chance of acceptance is markedly lower than if you send us a story about San Paulo, Lahore or Kinshasa.<\/em>\u201d
Deadline: 31st<\/sup> January 2026
Length: 3,000-7,500 words
Pay: $0.10\/word
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The Ranger’s Almanac<\/strong>
They accept \u201cstories, poetry, artwork, photographs, and music for consideration in a (US) Forest and Park Service-specific literary journal\u201d from rangers and creators across the US<\/strong>. Submissions must be related to, or inspired by, a national\/state forest or park and must be PG-13.
Deadline: 28 February 2026
Length: Stories of 500 to 10,000 words
Pay: $5 for poems, photos, and reprints; $10 for music and original audio pieces; $25 for artwork; $5 per 500 words for stories
Details here<\/a> and here<\/a>.

Synthesized Sunsets<\/strong>
Synthesized Sunsets<\/a> is \u201ca magazine and podcast about speculative fiction, romantic art, and the evolution of popular culture. Every few months, the magazine will rebrand to reflect a new \u201cseason\u201d, complete with an aesthetic theme.\u201d You can read about them here<\/a>. They have detailed guidelines, including, \u201cWe are only accepting speculative fiction at this time; that is, stories where some novel idea of \u201cwhat could be\u201d or \u201cwhat could have been\u201d is central. We will also be prioritizing stories that are on-theme, although this is not strictly a requirement. This season\u2019s theme is mist<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are looking for\u00a0speculative fiction<\/strong>\u00a0stories that preferably relate to this issue\u2019s mist theme. By speculative fiction, we mean stories have some novel speculative idea about possible futures or alternate pasts. This idea may be scientific or technological, but it could also be philosophical, sociological, mythological, etc. While we hope to publish primarily sci-fi and fantasy, our definition will include works not normally considered within those genres. At the same time, just because a story has sci-fi\u00a0aesthetics<\/em>\u00a0(e.g. spaceships and aliens) does not mean it is speculative fiction.\u201d
Deadline: Open now
Length: Up to 12,500 words
Pay: $50
Details here<\/a>.

Ashton House Publishing: Ashton House Magazine<\/strong>
This is a new quarterly magazine. They want literary genre fiction and poetry. \u201cFrom tales of horror and suspense to crime mysteries, sports yarns, otherworldly adventures and nearly everything in between, we have something for everyone inside of our pages! We strive to continue America’s “pulp fiction” tradition by featuring both new and established authors whose work reaches beyond the grip of time.\u201d
Deadline: Open now
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction, up to 2 poems
Pay: $0.06\/word for fiction, $40\/poem
Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleveland Review of Books<\/strong>
They accept pitches and submissions of critical essays \/ reviews from writers in Cleveland and Ohio, as well as the Rust Belt and greater Midwest, but a regional connection is not a requirement. They also accept fiction submissions. \u201cLorain beams across us and the lake, readying us to send new signals outward.
Looking for work from Clevelanders and those in Lorain, and from anywhere in the world that has been touched by the ricochet of these beams, and from anyone who has risked, in many forms, and has taken a formal risk.\u201d
Deadline: Ongoing
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction
Pay: $50 for online, $100 for print, for fiction; $100-200 for critical prose
Details here<\/a> (scroll down).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Bio:<\/strong> S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By S. Kalekar These fiction magazines and anthologies pay for fiction. A few also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry. They are open now, or will soon open for submissions. Blue Cubicle Press: Workers Write! Tales from the Concourse\u201cIssue 22 of Workers Write! will be Tales from the Concourse and contain stories and poems…<\/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-12894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12894","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=12894"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12895,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12894\/revisions\/12895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}