These magazines / anthologies are open, or will open soon, and they pay for fiction. Some also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry. A few calls are themed. – S. Kalekar
Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores
They’ll soon open their regular submission window. They publish fiction (science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form), as well as non-fiction and poetry. They accept both serious and humorous work. They also accept reprints. Their submission period is the 1st-2nd of every month (see guidelines). They have detailed guidelines, please read them carefully.
Reading period: 1-2 December 2023
Length: Anywhere from 1,000 words and up for fiction (see guidelines); poetry up to 40 lines
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $0.02-0.08/word for non-fiction, $1/line for poetry
Details here.
Northern Gravy
They only accept submissions from UK & Ireland writers – “of any background, including first-time writers. We welcome work from members of groups or communities typically under-represented within literature, whether or not the work addresses this.” They publish fiction, poetry, and kid lit (writing for middle grade and young adult audiences).
Deadline: 10 December 2023
Length: Stories up to 2,000 words, up to 4 poems
Pay: £100
Details here.
Funicular Magazine
This Canadian magazine accepts short and flash fiction, as well as poetry. They do not want genre fiction. They do have some fee-free submission slots – “We don’t want to be a barrier to anyone submitting their work to us, so we make sure to leave some free spots open if you can’t afford it.”
Deadline: 11 December 2023 (see guidelines)
Length: Up to 1,000 words for flash, up to 3,000 words for short fiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: $10/page of short fiction, up to $100; $25/poem or flash fiction piece
Details here.
On Spec
This is a Canadian magazine of the fantastic. They publish speculative fiction and poetry. They want “Speculative writing of all kinds, but nothing derivative. Try to avoid what you think are trends, because by the time we’d publish them, they won’t be.” They have detailed guidelines.
Deadline: 15 December 2023
Length: Up to 6,000 words for fiction
Pay: CAD100 for short-shorts (under 2,000 words) and poetry, CAD0.05/word for fiction up to 6,000 words
Details here.
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.
Deadline: 15 December 2023
Length: Up to 600 words
Pay: $50
Details here and here.
Strange Horizons
Strange Horizons is scheduled to reopen on 18th December for speculative fiction submissions — see the announcement here – they usually remain open until they hit a submission cap. Various other genres are open for submissions.
Open for fiction on: 18th December 2023
Length: Up to 10,000 words for fiction (up to 5,000 words preferred)
Pay: $0.10/word for fiction, varies for others
Details here and here.
The Cincinnati Review
They accept fiction, fiction translations, non-fiction, and poetry for the print magazine. They publish works (including hybrids) for their online feature, miCRo, for most of the year, and for their print magazine thrice a year – December, May, and September. There is a cap on print submissions; submissions open on the 1st of these months, and close when a cap is reached.
Reading period: 1-30 December 2023, or until filled, for print
Length: Up to 40 pages for fiction, up to 20 pages for non-fiction, up to 5 poems for print; up to 500 words for the online feature
Pay: $25/page for prose and $30/page for poetry in the print journal and $25 for miCRo posts or special features.
Details here (general guidelines), here (what the editors look for), and here (submission manager)
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.”
Deadline: 31 December 2023
Length: 500-5,000 words
Pay: $5-50
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.)
Manawaker Studio: Rattus Futura
Rattus Futura is an anthology focused on stories about the future which feature rodents. This volume will contain stories, poetry, and visual art. “Submitted works should be of any genre, as long as the work depicts a world that is noticeably in the future. Hard and Soft Sci-fi, (Post-)apocalyptic, Solarpunk, Slipstream, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Alternate (future) History, Supernatural, Retro-futurism etc. are all fine names for genres that often take place in the future, but your story doesn’t have to fit into one of those. … All works must also prominently feature at least one rodent. It does not have to be a rodent of the genus Rattus. Other members of the rodent family, like mice and beavers, are also acceptable, as are non-biological minks, metaphorical hamsters, robots with the acronym S.Q.R.L., and so on.” This is a sequel to their earlier Felix Futura anthology.
Deadline: 31 December 2023
Length: No hard word limit for fiction, but novellas and above might be hard to find room for (see guidelines), up to 5 poems
Pay: $10/poem, $0.01/word for fiction
Details here.
Hiraeth Books: Here There be Dragons Anthology
Their guidelines say, “Dragons are icons of fantasy and legends about them abound. Found in novels, poetry, and art, they stir the imagination as helpers, heroes, villains, and symbols of love, fear, and wealth. We are looking for renderings of dragons in writing and art that capture the essence of these fascinating creatures.”
Deadline: 1 January 2024, or until filled
Length: 3,000-6,000 words for fiction; up to 5 poems
Pay: 8 cents/word for the first 3000 words and 3 cents/word thereafter for fiction; $1/line for poetry
Details here.
Ninth Letter
They publish fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry for their print journal, and they have occasional themed calls for the online magazine. During December, they accept a limited number of fee-free fiction submissions via their online submission system for print, and fee-free submissions of creative nonfiction and poetry. There is no charge for mailed submissions.
Reading period: 1-31 December 2023, or until filled for fee-free submissions (see guidelines)
Length: Up to 8,000 words for prose, 3-5 poems
Pay: $100 for prose, $25 for poetry
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
