Want to join in? Respond to our weekly writing prompts, open to everyone.
Want to join in? Respond to our weekly writing prompts, open to everyone.
from Nerd for Hire
Conventional wisdom says that fewer publishers read submissions in the summer. And there are a few categories of publishers this is often true of. University journals, for instance, often close their submission forms over the summer when students and faculty aren't on-campus. But there are also a lot of independent publishers and literary journals that aren't impacted by the academic calendar, and who do keep reading work from submitters through the summer.
I have a few stories seeking a home currently, so I've been consulting my usual sources to find some places I can send them, and figured they might also be intriguing markets for some other writers out there, too. I mostly focus on places that publish fiction, since that's what I'm shopping around, but a lot of these places also publish creative nonfiction, poetry, or other things like visual art, if you're looking for places to send those. And of course, these aren’t even close to all of the options that are out there. If you don’t find any that speak to you here, give a quick look at Duotrope or ChillSubs. You might be surprised how many spots are still out there reading, especially for writers in the genres.
Deadline: 7/15 Genres: Literary speculative (sci-fi, fantasy, apocalypse, fabulism, splistream, etc.) Fiction wordcount: up to 5,000 Pays: .14/word (CAD) Duotrope acceptance percentage: 0.82%
A top Canadian publisher of speculative fiction, Augur is only open to international submitters during limited windows, one of which is in the first half of July. This is a good home for pieces that straddle the literary/genre fiction divide, and they’re open to work from most speculative genres.
Deadline: always open Genres: Secondary-world adventure fantasy Fiction wordcount: up to 15,000 Pays: .08/word Duotrope acceptance percentage: 0.78%
Beneath Ceaseless Skies has a very specific focus: fantasy stories set somewhere other than Earth, or in an alternate history version of Earth, and where some kind of adventure happens. Within that category, they’re an excellent home for fantasy written in a literary voice, though the clarity of the plot and character development should always be paramount.
Deadline: Always open Genres: Sci-fi, fantasy, mystery Fiction wordcount: 1,500-45,000 (up to 15,000 preferred) Pays: .01/word ($5-$50) Duotrope acceptance percentage: 11.03%
Black Cat Weekly publishes fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery stories, and since it comes out weekly they need to buy a lot of them. This is an excellent home for quick-paced plot-driven stories. Genres like space opera and epic fantasy do well here. Note that they don’t accept simultaneous submissions.
Deadline: 11/30 Genres: All Fiction wordcount: up to 5,000 Pays: $20 Duotrope acceptance percentage: 0%
One of the unique things about Black Fox Literary Magazine is that it accepts genres that are often hard to find a home for in a short length, like mystery, romance, and YA. It is also a highly competitive market, and with good reason because it can make a beautiful home for stories in a broad variety of genres.
Deadline: Currently open (deadline not stated) Genres: Any Fiction wordcount: up to 7,500 Pays: $35-$150 Duotrope acceptance percentage: 3.03%
The literary journal of Subtle Body Press, Body Shots is relatively new, debuting in late 2024. Their vibe veers toward bizarro, transgressive, and counterculture work, though they’re not limited to things in that area. Generally, it’s a good home for work that’s got a bit of an edge, or work that blurs genre or takes experimental approaches to form and voice.
Deadline: 7/31 (Midnight Bites), 8/31 (Once Upon a Tale, Curses & Crystals), 9/30 (A Winter in Love) Genres: Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, romance Fiction wordcount: 3,000-20,000 Pays: Royalties Duotrope acceptance percentage: 44.12%
Dragon Soul Press publishes themed short fiction anthologies that all generally fall under one genre umbrella or another. They usually have several anthology calls open at any given time and they’re often announced several months in advance, so you can plan ahead if you have stories that might fit their aesthetic.
Deadline: 8/1 (The line of people stretched all the way around the block), 11/1 (Lawrence was the last to arrive). Genres: All Fiction wordcount: 300-5,000 Pays: $25-$50 Duotrope acceptance percentage: 4.55%
The First Line does something I think is unique in literary journals. Each issue’s prompt is a sentence that starts every piece published in that issue. They announce all of the year’s themes at the start of each calendar year. They same press also runs The Last Line, which is the same concept but the final line is provided, which has a deadline of 10/1 (It was after midnight when we finally made it home.)
Deadline: 7/31 Genres: Sci-fi and literary sci-fi Fiction wordcount: 2,000-15,000 Pays: .04/word (CAD) up to $400 Duotrope acceptance percentage: 0.68%
This online sci-fi journal is open to a range of subgenres, but across them tends to favor character-driven stories and is more drawn to work that focuses on things like voice, language, and emotion than ones that are primarily built around an adventurous plot. They’re especially interested in getting work from underrepresented voices in sci-fi.
Deadline: Rotating theme deadlines (next one 7/10) Genres: sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, thriller, comedy Fiction wordcount: 300-1,000 Pays: No payment for online; $25-$50 if picked for an anthology ChillSubs acceptance percentage: 8.33%
Havok publishes a story every weekday in a rotating set of genres: Mystery Monday, Techno Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday, Thriller Thursday, and Fantasy Friday. They also have occasional seasonal themes that stack on top of those, so make sure to check on that before submitting
Deadline: 8/1 Genres: Literary Fiction wordcount: up to 6,000 Pays: $25/page Duotrope acceptance percentage: 0.75%
The focus of Image is on work that engages with religion, specifically the religions of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. It can be in a critical or a slant way, but they’re looking for work that somehow engages with those faiths. They’re currently reading on a theme of “trash” in all possible meanings and interpretations.
Deadline: Currently open (no deadline stated) Genres: sci-fi Fiction wordcount: up to 5,000 Pays: .02/word Duotrope acceptance percentage: 0%
Even though this is a newer journal, just founded in 2024, it’s quickly shot up to become a highly regarded publisher of literary science fiction. They are the best home for near-future sci-fi that makes realistic use of technology but doesn’t focus only on that, but also has deep emotion or explores deeper philosophical themes.
Deadline: Always open Genres: Fantasy Fiction wordcount: 1,000-13,000 (sweet spot 6,000-7,000) Pays: .05/word Duotrope acceptance percentage: 10.45%
The mission of Sally Port is very cool: it’s a truly all-ages fantasy magazine, publishing middle grade and young adult work alongside stories intended for adults. Because of that, this isn’t the best market for especially violent or vulgar stories, though they do publish stories that have deep ideas or “grown-up” themes. Speaking of themes, they have those for their issues and you can see the calendar here.
Deadline: 7/14 Genres: Solarpunk Fiction wordcount: up to 7,500 (sweet spot 1,500-4,000) Pays: .10/word Duotrope acceptance percentage: 3.03%
This journal is run by Android Press, which is a respected publisher of book-length fiction. As you might guess from the name, the journal is focused on solarpunk, along with adjacent genres like solarpunk horror. They also occasionally have themes, which you can see on the submission guideline site if there are any currently active.
Deadline: 7/31 Genres: Sci-fi, fantasy, horror Fiction wordcount: up to 10,000 Pays: $100 Duotrope acceptance percentage: 0%
This is another new one, though it’s riffing off an established formula. Similar to the Short Story Substack, The Submission Pit is a Substack-based journal that publishes one short story each month. The focus of this one is exclusively on speculative fiction, though it is tricky to narrow down what they’re looking for much more than that since they are so new.
Deadline: 8/7 Genres: Literary Fiction wordcount: up to 3,000 Pays: .10/word Duotrope acceptance percentage: 2.7%
Another Canada-based journal, subTerrain Magazine regularly publishes international contributors. Their emphasis is on literary fiction but they also publish work that’s around the fringes of genre, especially stories that have a surreal feel or exist in a slant reality.
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