By S. Kalekar
These magazines/anthologies pay up to about $450 for fiction. A few also accept other genres, like nonfiction and poetry. A couple of the calls are for a limited demographic, and a couple are themed.
Dark Moon Books: Horror Library Anthology
They want unthemed fiction for this anthology series. “Genre Suitability: Prose with a supernatural and dark element, such as Horror, Dark Fiction/ Dark Fantasy, Weird Fiction, etc. No poetry. No science fiction. No high fantasy. No reliance on humor.
Tone: Imaginative and/or harrowing adventure; beauty of darkness; horror (edgy or quiet); exploration through fears or discovery; original monsters and/or strange lands; life events turned slightly askew, etc.” About the series, they say, “Although we are looking for non-themed horror, we’re not interested in anything relying on common tropes such as zombies, vampires, or serial killers-run-amuck. Also no unnecessary gore or explicit scenes or anything else that would require a trigger warning. Ideal qualities for the stories that will be accepted include emotional resonance, story action (movement), unique/ thoughtful ideas, literary courage to push boundaries, etc.”
Deadline: 10 March 2025
Length: 1,500-5,000 words
Pay: $0.02/word
Details here.
(And, Cosmic Horror Monthly is open for a Shirley Jackson tribute issue until 7th March 2025; pays $0.03/word for fiction up to 5,000 words; details here and here.)
Eavesdrop
They want submissions from Canadian writers only – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, comics, art. “Eavesdrop is a queer-focused multimedia magazine. Our tone is inclusive, playful, and passionate. Eavesdrop accepts any and all genres. Space opera, niche cryptid horror, experimental formats, and anything in between. We love genre fiction, especially when it’s done well.” They want submissions on the ‘Echoes’ theme.
Deadline: 10 March 2025
Length: Up to 2,500 words for prose, up to 5 poems
Pay: CAD70 for prose, CAD30 per poem, CAD30 per comic
Details here.
(Another genre magazine that’s open now is Plott Hound Magazine; an “e-zine for speculative fiction starring animals”; they have detailed guidelines, and also accept speculative poetry and essays on these themes. They pay $0.08/word for fiction up to 5,000 words, $50 for poems, $100 for nonfiction; the deadline is 15 March 2025; details here and here.)
Thread
Thread is an alternative magazine from ChillSubs – it is hosted entirely on social media, and they publish micro fiction and poetry. They’re reading submissions on the ‘Stasis’ theme. They accept submissions of 500 characters (not words) or fewer; send them an Instagram direct message, or post on Threads and tag them.
Deadline: 12 March 2025
Length: Up to 500 characters
Pay: $85
Details here, here, and here.
Heroic Fantasy Quarterly
“Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is a quarterly ezine dedicated to publishing heroic fantasy — in both prose and poetry. We are unrepentant in our goal of elevating unapologetic sword and sorcery to a rightful high place.” And, “Tolkienesque (as in really long) poetry epics/sagas/vedas will most likely be treated — and paid — like fiction. Similarly, prose pieces of fewer than 1,000 words will be paid at poetry’s standard rate of $25.”
Deadline: 15 March 2025
Length: Up to 10,000 words (can serialize longer – see guidelines)
Pay: $25-100 for fiction, $12.5-25 for poetry
Details here.
Escape Artists: PodCastle
This is a fantasy podcast and online magazine. They accept all the sub-genres of fantasy, from magical realism to urban fantasy to slipstream to high fantasy. “Above all, we’re looking for stories that are fun to listen to. Humor is encouraged. … We’d particularly like to see more stories set outside America, and stories that feature characters who represent a range of backgrounds and ethnicities.” They also accept translations, as well as reprints.Deadline: 31 March 2025
Length: Up to 6,000 words (longer for reprints – see guidelines)
Pay: $0.08/word for original short fiction
Details here and here.
(– PodCastle is also open for a special call, Disability Pride & Magic, open to all writers, till 31st March 2025; see the call here.
— Another magazine from the Escape Artists suite of magazines, Cast of Wonders, which publishes young adult speculative fiction, is also open for seasonal stories until 14th March; see the call here.
Both magazines pay $0.08/word for original fiction.)
Profiles
This Dublin-based journal is reading submissions for Issue 4. Please note, “we cannot accept submissions of original writing from residents of the US or Canada (with the exception of Irish citizens). However, translators living in these countries are welcome to submit.” And, “Profiles welcomes character-driven fiction and non-fiction — both original works and works in translation.
We’re interested in publishing character studies. We love writing that channels the author’s insatiable curiosity about other people (or their talent for self-reflection), is empathetic without bordering on apologia, and shows human nature as it is, not necessarily as it should be.”
Deadline: 18 March 2025
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Pay: €200 for non-commissioned writers and translators (see here). Details here and here.
(Northern Gravy magazine is open, as well – they only want submissions from writers in UK and Ireland. They want fiction, poetry and writing for Middle Grade and Young Adult audiences; send prose up to 2,000 words or poetry up to 40 lines. They pay £100 and the deadline is 9 March 2025. Details here.)
Chestnut Review
They accept fee-free submissions of flash prose (Black and Indigenous authors can also submit longer prose fee-free – see guidelines), poetry, and art. “We are drawn to beautiful language, resonant images, and we crave narrative.” They read throughout the year, with cut-off dates for issues.
Deadline: 31 March 2025 (for the Summer issue)
Length: Up to 1,000 words for flash prose, up to 3 poems
Pay: $120
Details here and here.
Hearth Stories
They have detailed guidelines about the kind of stories they want, including, “Hearth Stories publishes slice-of-life stories with a focus on nature, forests, connection, family, romance/relationships, and comfort/kindness. We are primarily focusing on stories set in a pre-industrial-revolution time period (or a fantasy world resembling such), preferably not in city settings.”
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Length: 1,000-10,000 words (see guidelines)
Pay: $0.01/word
Details here.
MetaStellar
They pay for flash fiction. They accept science fiction, fantasy, and horror. They accept works of other works (reviews, essays, excerpts, reprints) too, but do not pay for any of these submissions.
Deadline: 31 March 2025 for flash fiction
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here and here.
Rustica
Their website says, “Rustica is a print and online literary and arts journal. We accept writing from any genre, including poetry, essays, literary criticism, fiction, dramatic writing, and translation. For visual art, our tastes are similarly broad but rigorous; accepted work will be able to communicate with our readers from within the confines of a trade paperback-sized piece of paper.” They’re reading submissions for Issue 4 now, to be released in Summer 2025.
Deadline: Open now
Length: Unspecified
Pay: $50
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.