These magazines pay for literary fiction. They vary widely in terms of taste and the kind of stories they publish, so as always, please read the magazines, where possible, to see if your work is a good fit. Some of them also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry. Most of them are open now, or have said when they will open for submissions. – S. Kalekar
Want to get regular updates filled with opportunities to publish creative writing? Subscribe to Authors Publish Magazine (Free)
Matter Press: The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts
They publish fiction and creative non-fiction, as well as fiction and creative non-fiction prose poetry, as long as it is compressed in some way. Pay is $50 for works up to 600 words. The deadline is 15 December 2023. Details here and here.
Baltimore Review
They publish fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Some editor preferences are in the bios on their Staff page. Send up to 5,000 words for prose, up to 3 poems. Pay is $50 (via a gift certificate or PayPal, if preferred), and the deadline is 30 November 2023. Details here and here.
The Stinging Fly
They will open for fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry during November 2023 for the Spring 2024 issue. They pay €150 for flash fiction/shorter essays (1-2 pages) and for longer prose, they pay €45/page, with a minimum/maximum payment of €300/€1,200; for poetry, they pay €40/page, with a minimum payment of €60/poem. They also accept art. Details here.
The Ex-Puritan
This Canadian magazine publishes fiction (up to 10,000 words), non-fiction, experimental/hybrid work, interviews, reviews, and poetry. Pay is CAD200 per essay; CAD150 for fiction; CAD100 per interview or review; CAD35 per poem (or page, capped at CAD120); CAD50+ per experimental or hybrid work, at an increasing scale depending on the nature of the piece. The deadline is 25 December 2023, or until filled, for the next issue; they read submissions year-round, and accept a limited number of fee-free submissions every month. They also have fee-based submissions and contests. Details here and here.
West Branch
West Branch is affiliated with Bucknell University. They accept fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and translations. Send up to 30 pages of prose, or up to 6 poems. Pay has doubled, to $100 for poetry and $0.10/word for prose, up to $200. The deadline is 1 April 2024. Details here.
Split Lip Magazine
Split Lip Magazine is a voice-driven literary journal with a pop culture twist. They publish online monthly and in print annually – flash fiction, short stories, memoir, poetry, and art, as well as interviews and reviews (for interviews and reviews, query first via webform – see guidelines). Fee-free submissions for all writers are open during certain months, including November; these can close earlier by category, if their Submittable cap is reached. Fee-free submissions for Black writers are open till mid-December. Length guidelines are, up to 3,000 words for fiction; up to 2,000 words for memoir; one poem.
Pay is $75 for web contributions, $5/page for print, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews for their web issues. Details here and here.
Existere
This magazine is published biannually (Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer). It is affiliated with York University in Toronto, Canada. They accept fiction, non-fiction, and poetry of up to 3,500 words, and art. They pay $50 per submission, up to $250. Details here and here.
Channel Magazine
This Irish magazine accepts fiction, non-fiction, poetry; non-fiction is accepted through the year (for both print and online), and they will reopen for fiction and poetry for their tenth issue during November. “Channel’s aim is to provide a home for Irish and international writing that contributes to building rich, mutually sustaining relationships between human beings and the natural world. … This journal exists to provide a passage through which ideas about human relationships with our environment, expressed and embodied in creative work, can flow.” Non-fiction may include interviews and commentary on creative work or community-based environmental projects, as well as essays and narrative pieces, and also work for their blog. Submissions can be in English or Irish, and also works in translation (see guidelines). Length guidelines are: prose up to 6,000 words, up to 4 poems. Pay is €50 per poem, or per page of prose, up to €150. Details here.
One Story
This magazine publishes literary fiction, including translations and some reprints, of 3,000-8,000 words. They pay $500 and 25 contributor copies. Their Fall fiction submission window was open at the time was writing. Details here and here. (They are also open for the Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship and One Teen Story Contest; also see their Submittable.)
Fusion Fragment
Fusion Fragment publishes science fiction and SF-tinged literary fiction. They will open a very short submission window, 3rd to 5th November 2023. Send stories of 2,000-15,000 words; pay has increased to CAD0.04/word, up to CAD350. The submission portal will open during the reading period.
The Cincinnati Review
They will open for literary fiction, fiction translation, non-fiction, poetry, and poetry translation submissions for their print magazine on 1st December 2023, and will stay open until filled. They pay $25/page for prose and $30/page for poetry for the print magazine. They pay $25 for their online feature, miCRo, which publishes shorter works, and which is open now. Details here and here.
The Forge Literary Magazine
They accept fiction and creative nonfiction (up to 3,000 words, but can accept up to 5,000). They open on the 1st of most months for fee-free submissions, and close when the cap is reached. Their pay has increased, to $100. Details here.
Consequence Magazine
They publish work “that addresses the human experiences, realities, and consequences of war and geopolitical violence through literature and art.” They accept fiction (including flash and excerpts), nonfiction (interviews, essays, and narrative non-fiction), poetry, translations, and art. All works will be considered for online and print. Length guidelines are, up to 5,000 words for fiction, up to 4,000 words for non-fiction, up to 5 poems. Pay is $30-50 for print prose, $60 for online prose, and $20-40 for poetry. The deadline is 15 October 2023.
Details here.
riddlebird
Their first issue was published July 2022. They publish literary fiction and personal essays, of 650-5,000 words. For fiction, they say, “Our favorite writers include authors like George Saunders, Souvankham Thammavongsa, and E.C. Osondu.” They publish online, and in print. They pay $100. They were open at the time of writing, and will close when their submission quota is reached. Details here and here.
The First Line Journal
They want fiction (all genres) and poetry that begins with pre-set first lines, one for each quarterly issue. For nonfiction, they want critical articles about your favorite first line from a literary work. For fiction and poetry, for the Winter issue, the first line is: ‘It was the farthest north they had ever been.’ Send 300-5,000 words for fiction, or 500-800 words for non-fiction. Pay is $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, and $10 for poetry (less postage fee for international writers – see guidelines). The deadline is 1 November 2023 for the Winter issue. Details here.
Twenty-two twenty-eight
Their tagline is, ‘For people who watch the world’. They accept fiction (500-2,000 words), non-fiction essays, poetry, visual art, music, and videos. Pay is $30. Details here.
Menagerie
They accept fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. “We believe in sentences so sharp they draw blood, the strange and inexplicable, the wild and weird and uncanny, words in thickets, clusters, and flocks, pieces that move us beyond caring what others think about said pieces.” You can read about them and the kind of work they like here. Length guidelines are up to 5,000 words for prose, and 3-5 poems. They pay $50. Details here and here.
The Mantlepiece
This is an Iceland-based journal. They are a new journal, you can read their previous issues here. They publish fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and translations. Payment is €0.1/word for the first 1,000 words and €0.04 for every subsequent word, with a minimum payment of €40. Details here.
Terrain.org
They welcome submissions on place, climate, and justice – fiction (up to 5,000 words – short story, flash fiction series, novel excerpt, radio play, or other fiction piece), non-fiction, and poetry. They also accept translations, and art. Payment is a minimum of $50. And, “All accepted submissions by writers of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, and/or other marginalized communities whose contributions explore place particularly in the context of social, environmental, or climate justice are considered for our annual Editor’s Prize of $500 per genre.” They have different deadlines, by genre; for fiction, it is 31 March 2024. Details here and here.
Agbowo
They publish work by African origin writers only. They accept fiction (1,500-5,000 words), non-fiction, poetry, plays, interviews/reviews, and art/photography. Pay is $25-50 for poetry, $50 for one-act plays, $60 for fiction and non-fiction, and $35 for art. There is also an editor’s prize for poetry, $100. Please send only one submission per reading period. The deadline is 30 October 2023. Details here.
The New Quarterly
They accept submissions from Canadian writers only – fiction, poetry, and art. They have two submission periods, March 1st to August 31st, and September 1st to February 28th – they have submission caps for each genre. Send fiction of up to 6,000 words. Pay is CAD275 for fiction, and CAD50 per Postscript and poem. Details here (click on the relevant category).
ShortStory Substack
This is a Substack-based project and they accept short stories of 6 words to 10,000 words. They accept one short story a month – send a story by the end of the month, and the winner is announced by the 15th of next month. Pay is $100 + 50% of the subscription revenue; you can see last month’s stats, including payout, here. Details here and here.
Epoch Magazine
This magazine is affiliated with Cornell University. They accept fiction, essays, poetry, and comics. There is no fee for mailed submissions; for these, the submission period is mid-August to mid-April (see guidelines). Online submissions follow a different reading schedule, and are charged. Pay depends on funding, and is currently $100-500. Details here and here.
Gray’s Sporting Journal
This is a magazine about hunting and fishing, and they publish articles on those topics. They also have a feature called Yarns, which is campfire tales – fact or fiction, of 750-1,500 words. They also publish some poetry. Pay is an average of $600 for Yarns, and poems pay $100. (Regarding articles – features for the magazine pay $600-1,250, and Expedition pieces pay $850 to $1,000.) Details here.
Chestnut Review
This is a print and online magazine. “We are drawn to beautiful language, resonant images, and we crave narrative.” They have fee-free submissions of poetry, flash, and art; also, “If you have work that doesn’t fit neatly into the below categories, that doesn’t mean we won’t want to see it. Choose the most appropriate and include a note—we’ll figure it out.” They also have fee-free prose submissions for Black and Indigenous authors. Contributors are paid $120. They read throughout the year, with cut-off dates for issues; deadline for the Spring issue is 31 December 2023. Details here.
The Pig’s Back
This Ireland-based journal publishes fiction and non-fiction. They do not publish poetry. They are reading submissions for Issue 5. Pay is €300 for works of 2,000-5,000 words, and the deadline is 15 October 2023. Details here.
Mslexia
They publish fiction, non-fiction, poetry, articles, and fun stuff by women. They ask for some mixed-genre submissions too. Some sections are only open to subscribers, but not all; they also run themed calls, and deadlines vary. The deadline for Issue 100 is 9th October 2023. Fees start at £30 for most pieces, while some pieces are unpaid (see here). Details here.
Prairie Fire
This Canadian literary magazine wants submissions on the ‘Burning Up / Burning Down’ theme. “This past summer, especially in Canada, we saw A LOT of fire. So much so that this year’s fire season saw the largest area burned in Canada’s history. Globally, the planet continues to heat up, and we saw a record number of heat related deaths, mostly in Europe. And, as temperatures rise, we’re seeing an increase in violence, war, crime and hate speech. In one way or another, we were all affected by fires. Some of us lived through evacuations, devastating losses, or knew and worried for those who had/have. There’s almost no one that wasn’t in some way affected by the smoke and air pollution. Our bodies, like the planet, can’t exist with too much heat, or too much cold. The underbelly of fire, is positive. …Fire brings, and holds us together. Fire helps us to cook and digest food, kills viruses and infection, forges metals, and heats our homes. …Yet, this year, seeing the fire element so out of balance, is disconcerting, frightening, and we wanted to do something in response. So, we are asking you to share your stories of fire, whether literal fires, metaphorical ones (lighting a fire under you, fanning the flames, acting in the heat of the moment), and spiritual ones (trial by fire, hearts aflame).” Rates are CAD0.10/word up to CAD250 for print prose, and CAD40/poem. The deadline is 10th November 2023 for the themed issue. Details here, here, and here.
SmokeLong Quarterly
They accept fiction, non-fiction, and hybrid works, of up to 1,000 words. They also have global flash series; at the time of writing, these were in French and German. As of January 2023, they pay $100. They accept some fee-free submissions. Details here.
Brilliant Flash Fiction
This is a quarterly magazine, and they are open through the year for submissions. They publish fiction of up to 1,000 words, and pay $20. They also run an annual fee-free fiction contest, which will reopen next year. Details here.
Ninth Letter
This literary magazine wants fiction, non-fiction, and poetry on the ‘Praise’ theme for its web edition – there is no submission fee for this section. “Robert Hass begins his 1979 book of poetry, Praise, with an epigraph:
We asked the captain what course
of action he proposed to take toward
a beast so large, terrifying, and
unpredictable. He hesitated to
answer, and then said judiciously:
“I think I shall praise it.”
What beasts do you praise? What monsters do you pay tribute to? How sharp are the objects of your veneration? We seek the flashlight pushing its beam through darkness; we seek the grin that bears the weight. Show us the reverence that glows like an ember in the ash. Show us your demons, and share with us the odes and hymns, the lullabies and incantations you sing to earn their peace. Show us your beasts, and give your beasts praise.” Length guidelines are up to 3,500 words for prose, and up to 3 poems. Pay is $75 for prose, and $25 per poem. The deadline is 1 November 2023. Details here and here. (There are also other sections on their Submittable, including those with a submission fee – please be sure to submit in the correct category.)
Yolk
This Canadian magazine accepts international submissions for its online magazine (print submissions, which can only be from Canadians, are closed). They accept prose submissions of up to 4,000 words, and up to 3 poems. Pay is CAD100 for work published online. Details here.
The Masters Review
Submissions for their New Voices section is fee-free, and they pay writers. For this section, they accept fiction and narrative non-fiction by writers who have not published a full-length work (a short story collection is ok – see guidelines). They pay $100 for works under 1,000 words, and $200 for longer works, up to 7,000 words; submissions are ongoing. They have two other fee-free sections: book reviews, interviews, and craft essays (craft essays are paid $50), and fast response for BIPOC and historically underrepresented writers. Details here.
Workers Write!
Their website says, “Issue 20 of Workers Write! will be Further Tales from the Cubicle and will contain fiction and poems from the office worker’s point of view – we’re especially interested to see how the home office has taken on a new meaning because of Covid and what it’s been like for those of us who have returned to the annoying commutes and communal bathrooms.” Pay is $5-50 for works of 500-5,000 words, and the deadline is 31 December 2023. Details here.
(Also see their Overtime! Series of chapbooks for longer workplace-related fiction; writers can send submissions or queries for works of 5,000-10,000 words, pay is $40-60, details here.)
Guernica
This magazine is dedicated to global art and politics. At the time of writing, they were open to fiction (2,000-7,000 words), non-fiction, poetry, and Global Spotlight series (fiction and nonfiction – “previously published work outside the Western corridors of literary taste-making and prestige”). Pay is $50 for poetry, $100 for original essays, and $150 for original fiction and for reportage/journalism. Global Spotlight pays $100 to the copyright holder. Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
