These magazines and anthologies pay for fiction, and a few also accept other genres, like non-fiction and poetry. They are either open now, or will open soon for submissions. – S. Kalekar
Shenandoah
They reopened for fiction on 15th January, and will close when their cap of 250 submissions is reached, according to a notice on their Submittable page. Stories accepted now will be published in Fall and Winter 2025 issues. “Our editors love writing that stretches our imaginations and ways of thinking, surprises, makes us laugh, moves us, is formally interesting or challenging, defies genre, explores the confusing or uncomfortable, introduces us to new writers, thinks globally, has a distinctive voice, cares about the world, and does not assume white people are literature’s default characters.” They also accept novel excerpts (see guidelines). Comics are open on an ongoing basis. They’ve also listed their upcoming submission periods, by genre, on their website.
Deadline: Until filled, for fiction
Length: Up to 8,000 words for fiction
Pay: $80 per 1,000 words of prose up to $400
Details here and here.
(And The Shenandoah Fellowship for Emerging Editors will open on 1 March 2024 – see the announcement on their guidelines page.)
Old Moon
This is a fiction and poetry magazine. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Old Moon publishes character-focused, weird sword-and-sorcery: stories of a dark and transgressive nature, set in a secondary or historical-paranormal (“our” reality, but with a twist, if you will) world, with a focus on rounded characters undergoing some sort of conflict, resolved (though not always successfully!) by the might of their main or mind.
We love stories that combine that sense of action and adventure with well-rounded characters who make us question our own realities and perceptions. We love to see the gothic, the baroque, the eldritch, and we love to see it hit with an axe.”
Deadline: 30 January 2024 (see the announcement here)
Length: 1,000-6,000 words for fiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $50 for poetry
Details here.
Mythaxis Magazine (UK)
Their X (formerly Twitter) bio says, “Speculative fiction without distraction”. (They also published a crime issue recently – you can see more about their preferences in the editorial here.) They will be opening a short reading period soon. Please send your work only during the submission window. They have listed all the reading periods for the year on their website.
Reading period: 23-30 January 2024
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Pay: €0.01 per word, with a €20 minimum
Details here.
Dragon Gems Anthology
This is an unthemed speculative fiction anthology. Their guidelines say, “We are currently looking for speculative fiction from pretty much any genre, except for horror.”
Deadline: 31 January 2024
Length: 2,000-6,000 words
Pay: $0.02/word
Details here.
The First Line Journal
They want fiction and poetry that begins with pre-set first lines, one for each quarterly issue. They also accept 4-part stories (or 5-part, if also ending with the last-line prompt from The Last Line Journal – ‘I didn’t want to admit it, but Lee was usually right.’ – see guidelines) from writers who want to use all the 4 (or 5) prompts, but all of these must be submitted together by the 1 February 2024 deadline. (For non-fiction, they want critical articles about your favorite first line from a literary work.) For fiction and poetry, the first lines are:
— Spring: ‘Mr. Morton needed a new pair of shoes.’ Due date: February 1, 2024
— Summer: ‘“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.”’ Due date: May 1, 2024
— Fall: ‘When she was eight, Alice Henderson briefly held the world record for filling her mouth with marbles.’ Due date: August 1, 2024
— Winter: ‘The parking lot was empty.’ Due date: November 1, 2024
Deadlines: 1 February 2024 for the Spring issue, and for 4-part (or 5-part) stories; later for other issues (see above)
Length: 300-5,000 words for fiction; 500-800 words for nonfiction
Pay: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $10 for poetry (less postage fee for overseas writers – see guidelines)
Details here.
Escape Artists: CatsCast
CatsCast is part of the Escape Artists suite of podcasts/online magazines. They will soon open for speculative fiction stories about cats. “Cats” in this context are, well, cats — but since this is a speculative fiction podcast, they don’t have to be exactly the same species as the housecats we have here on Earth.“ They accept reprints, but not those that have appeared originally in other Escape Artists podcasts (see guidelines).
Reading period: 1-11 February 2024
Length: Up to 6,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
The Paris Review
They will open for prose submissions on 1st February, and will accept submissions via Submittable until they hit their submission cap, or end-February, whichever is earlier. They will continue to accept postal submissions of prose till end-February (postmarked). Translations are welcome. They have listed their open reading periods for poetry and prose on the website. (In January, they are open for poetry only – see guidelines).
Deadline: See above
Length: Unspecified
Pay: Unspecified
Details here.
The Suburban Review: Hype
This Australian magazine is accepting submissions on the Hype theme. “Put down the to-do lists and pull out the confetti—we’re feeling HYPEd to bring you the first TSR issue of 2024. TSR #33: HYPE is now open for submissions across fiction, poetry, essay, comics and art. … HYPE is whatever you make it—a gaggle of pre-teens in line at Sephora, a quiet knock at the door, a cup of tea and a bathtub. We want artworks that make us think twice about double tapping, and comics that defy the laws of the Tiktok trend.
We’re also hyped to share that we’re now publishing in a digital-first format straight onto our website, so you can send us your digital, animated, experimental or audio work to consider for this issue!”
Deadline: 11 February 2024
Length: Up to 2,500 words for prose, up to 3 poems
Pay: AUD150-275 for prose, AUD125-275 for poetry
Details here.
khōréō
You can submit to this magazine if you identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms (see guidelines). They’re just opened for fiction, as well as fiction translation pitches and submissions (see their submission portal). They accept “fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it — as long as there’s a speculative element. We’re especially interested in writing and art that explores migration. Examples include themes of immigration, diaspora, and anti-colonialism, as well as more metaphorical interpretations of the term.”
Deadline: 15 February 2024
Length: Up to 5,000 words for original fiction, up to 3,500 words for translations
Pay: $0.10/word
Details here and here.
Kangas Kahn Publishing: Fear of Clowns – A Horror Anthology
This is a horror fiction anthology, and the theme is clowns. “As usual, we’re less concerned with theme than we are with entertaining stories. We’re not necessarily looking for a clown-murdering-people story–if that’s your story, it better bring something new to the table. Ask yourself, does this story belong in a book called Fear of Clowns? If the answer is yes, send it!”
Deadline: 1 April 2024
Length: 1,000-4,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
