The following is a list of 9 magazines that pay up to $350 for short stories, and sometimes more.
Note that most of these publishers pay for science fiction, speculative fiction, or fantasy. These continue to be the short story genres with the most opportunities for payment.
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine publishes all kinds of mystery short stories. The preferred length of their stories is 2,500 to 8,000 words. However, they sometimes use stories of up to 12,000 words and feature one or two short novels (of up to 20,000 words) every year. They also consider shorter stories that are as little as 250 words. They pay 5 to 8 cents per word and at times more to established writers. To find out more, read their writer’s guidelines.
The Dark is an online magazine published every month. They publish horror and dark fantasy pieces of 2,000 to 6,000 words. They ask their writers to not “be afraid to experiment or to deviate from the ordinary.” It is important to remember that despite its name, The Dark is not a magazine for “graphic, violent horror.” They pay 6 cents per word for original fiction of up to 6,000 words and 1 cent per word for reprint fiction of up to 6,000 words. For further information, read their submission guidelines.
Pantheon Magazine is “intrigued with Greek Mythos.” They look for myth in their stories- “contemporary, weird, horrific.” Each issue of the magazine is themed around a deity. They accept stories of up to 7,500 words, but prefer the shorter ones. They also accept poetry. The writers are paid 6 cents per word and $10 per poem. For reprints, they are paid 3 cents per word. To get more details, visit their submission guidelines page.
Crossed Genres is a small publisher of “progressive speculative fiction.” They publish a monthly magazine, novels, and anthologies. Their mission is “to give a voice to people often ignored or marginalized in SFF.” They pay 6 cents per word for their magazine, with a word count of 1,000 to 6,000 words. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
InterGalactic Medicine Show publishes sci-fi stories of “any length.” They pay 6 cents a word. Writers who exemplify what they’re looking for include Asimov, Tolkien, Yolen, and Hobb. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
Nightmare magazine is an online horror and dark fantasy magazine edited by bestselling anthologist John Joseph Adams. They accept “all types of horror and dark fantasy” and pay 6 cents per word for original fiction (or 1 cent a word for reprints), up to 7,500 words. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
Analog is the magazine of “science fiction and fact.” They publish stories in which some “aspect of future science or technology is so integral to the plot that, if that aspect were removed, the story would collapse. ” They pay 8-10 cents a word, up to 7,500 words. That means payment up to $750. They also publish serials and novellas, up to 80,000 words, at 6 cents per word. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
Apex Magazine publishes science fiction, fantasy, and horror. They publish stories directly on their website, so you can easily get a sense of what they publish. They pay 6 cents a word, up to 7,500 words.$nbsp; Submission guidelines.
Uncanny is a magazine of sci-fi and fantasy. They want “intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs.” They pay 8 to 10 cents a word, up to 20,000 words. To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
