If you've written a longer piece of fiction, but not as lengthy as a novel, you may be wondering where to get it published. (As it happens, I am too, because I just wrote one.)
With so many literary journals preferring a "sweet spot" of about 3,000 words, a short story of 8,000 words can be a challenge to publish. Once you get over 10,000 words, finding a home for your work can be daunting.
Nevertheless it is not impossible. There are quite a few literary journals and publishers that accept longer short stories, novelettes, and novellas. In case you are wondering what the word counts are for these categories, Duotrope uses these guidelines:
Short story = 1000 to 7,500 words
Novelette = 7,500 to 15,000 words
Novella = 15,000 to 40,000 words
While guidelines can be useful, word counts are hardly fixed for short fiction. A novelette can be anywhere between 7,000 and 20,000 words. But while novellas usually have a top range of 40,000 words, there is no fixed bottom range. What's more, there is a no-man's-land between 40,000 and 60,000 words. Most novels under 60,000 words are deemed "unmarketable" by agents. So, what happens to works between 40,000 and 60,000 words? It's a question for the ages.
A word of advice: Resist the temptation to either pare down your work, or beef it up to meet someone else's word count. All literary works determine their own length. To thine own work be true.
Please note: Many of these journals have submission periods. Don't despair if some are closed right now. They will be open later.
Here is an excellent ranking of literary magazines that includes word counts:
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Length: No restrictions
Payment: $30 per printed (or printed-out) page
"At AGNI we see literature and the arts as integral to the broad, engaged conversation that underwrites a vital society. Our poets, storytellers, essayists, translators, and artists lift a mirror to nature and the social world. They not only reflect our age, they respond. We have no formula. We seek fresh vision and listen for dynamic voices that address our common reality." AGNI accepts manuscripts between September 1st and May 31st. Fee to submit online. No fee to submit by mail.
Length: Up to 80,000 words
Payment: 8-10 cents per word for short fiction (up to approximately 20,000 words), 6 cents per word for serials (40,000-80,000 words), 9 cents per word for fact articles, and $1 per line for poetry.
Payment: 8-10 cents per word for short fiction (up to approximately 20,000 words), 6 cents per word for serials (40,000-80,000 words), 9 cents per word for fact articles, and $1 per line for poetry.
"Analog will consider material submitted by any writer solely on the basis of merit. We are eager to find and develop new, capable writers. We publish science fiction 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. The science can be physical, sociological, psychological. The technology can be anything from electronic engineering to biogenetic engineering. But the stories must be strong and realistic, with believable people (who needn't be human) doing believable things–no matter how fantastic the background might be." Also accepts poetry.
Length: Up to 15,000 words
Payment: 8 cents/word
Beneath Ceaseless Skies publishes “literary adventure fantasy”: stories with a secondary-world setting and some fantasy feel, but written with a literary approach. "We want stories set in what Tolkien called a “secondary world”: some other world that is different from our own primary world in some way. It could be different in terms of zoology (non-human creatures), ecology (climate), or physical laws (the presence of magic)."
Length: 4,000 to 10,000 words
Payment: $20
Length: 1000 - 22,000 words
Payment: 14 cents/word
Clarkesworld Magazine is a Hugo, World Fantasy, and British Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine that publishes short stories, interviews, articles, and audio fiction. Issues are published monthly and available on their website, for purchase in ebook format, and via electronic subscription. All original fiction is also published in their annual anthology series from Wyrm Publishing.
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: $150
Length: Between 17,500 and 40,000 words
Payment: Royalties
Dancing Star Press publishes speculative ficion: space operas, solar punk, dark fantasy, and urban fantasy. Hard science fiction with an emphasis on biology or chemistry rather than physics. Fantasy based on non-Western cultures. Optimistic futurism. Polar Tesla pop and soft science fiction.
Length: Up to 18,000 words
Payment: 8 cents/word for original stories, $100 for reprints
Audio format
"Escape Pod is a science fiction market. We are fairly flexible on what counts as science (we’ll delve into superheroes or steampunk on occasion) and are interested in exploring the range of the genre. We want stories that center on science, technology, future projections, and/or alternate history, and how any or all of these things intersect with people." Accepts reprints.
Length: 2,000 to 15,000 words.
Payment: Both previously unpublished work and reprints pay 4 cents (CAD) per word, up to a maximum of $400 (CAD) per story.
"Although any science fiction subgenre is fair game, our tastes lean towards slipstream, cyberpunk, post-apocalypse, and anything with a little taste of the bizarre. FF prefers character-driven stories, and often skews towards quiet, reflective pieces. If the primary tone of your story is one of high adventure or humour, it’s probably not the right fit for FF. That said, quality always outstrips genre preference in terms of importance, so feel free to send us anything that even vaguely resembles science fiction." See submission periods.
Length: Not restricted
Payment: $50 per printed page. All contributors receive a one-year subscription to The Georgia Review.
Founded in 1947, The Georgia Review is the University of Georgia’s journal of arts and letters. The journal has twice taken a top prize in the annual National Magazine Awards competition, winning out over the likes of the Atlantic, Esquire, the New Yorker, and Vanity Fair, and has been a finalist twenty times in various categories. No fee to submit by regular mail.
Length: Up to 25,000 words
Payment: $200
GigaNotoSaurus accepts Science Fiction or Fantasy (or any combination thereof). "We could wax eloquent describing the kinds of stories we like, but it wouldn’t be useful; there are dozens of things we don’t know we like until we try them. Send us that story you really believe in–the one, maybe, that quickly ran out of places to submit it to because it’s so long. Don’t query to gauge our interest in a particular subgenre. Just submit the story. We actively seek to include stories told from and by a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, and genders. We are particularly interested in #ownvoices stories." Has submission periods.
Length: Up to 10,000 words; they will serialize at a maximum of 50,000 words over four issues
Payment: $100
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." Accepts poetry. See submission periods.
Length: 20,000 - 40,000 words
Payment: Royalties
"Luna Press Publishing™ is an award-winning independent UK press, founded in 2015 by author Francesca T. Barbini. We deal with Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Dark Fantasy, in both fiction and academia. We are also a proud member of Publishing Scotland." Has submission periods.
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
Length: Up to 25,000 wordsPayment: 8-12 cents per word on acceptance
"Fantasy & Science Fiction has no formula for fiction, but we like to be surprised by stories, either by the character insights, ideas, plots, or prose. The speculative element may be slight, but it should be present. We prefer character-oriented stories, whether it's fantasy, science fiction, horror, humor, or another genre. F&SF encourages submissions from diverse voices and perspectives, and has published writers from all over the world. Do not query for fiction; submit the entire manuscript."
Length: Up to 8,000 words
Payment: $70 CAD per published page
The Malahat Review welcomes submissions in English of previously unpublished work in any of these three genres in a broad range of forms and styles, and the Editorial Boards are pleased to receive submissions from all writers who wish to send their work for consideration, including writers from communities generally under-represented in literary magazines, in particular Indigenous writers, writers of colour, 2SLGBTQIA?+ writers, and writers with disabilities. Writers at all stages of their careers are welcome to submit their work to The Malahat Review. It publishes poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction by new and established writers mostly from Canada, reviews of Canadian books, and the best writing from abroad.
Length: Not restricted.
Payment: Up to $400
"There are no rules." Has submission periods. (But nobody seems to know when they are.)
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: $50
"We love narratives that challenge our perceptions of the world by opening up new ways of conceiving of what’s always been around us. We want to feel electrified by prose—to be taken in by sentence-level writing, where there’s a choreography to the language, the rhythm, the cadence. Most of all, we want to read the kind of work that could only have come from you—if it comes from the gut, it’ll likely hit us in ours." Accepts fiction and nonfiction. Has submission periods.
Length: Up to 12,000. They prefer under 9,000.
Payment: $100
"The Missouri Review, founded in 1978, is one of the most highly regarded literary magazines in the United States. For the past four decades we’ve upheld a reputation for finding and publishing the very best writers first. We are based at the University of Missouri and publish four issues each year. Each issue contains approximately five new stories, three new poetry features, and two essays, all selected from unsolicited submissions sent by writers throughout the world." Charges submission fee for online submissions. No fee for snail mail.
Length: 15,000 to 40,000 words
Payment: $1000
"Narrative accepts previously unpublished manuscripts of all lengths, ranging from short short stories to complete book-length works for serialization. Narrative regularly publishes fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, including stories, novels, novel excerpts, novellas, personal essays, humor, sketches, memoirs, literary biographies, commentary, reportage, interviews, and features of interest to readers who take pleasure in storytelling and imaginative prose. We look for quality and originality of language and content." Narrative charges for online submissions. They have a free open period during the first two weeks of April.
Length: 17,500–40,000 words
Payment: Advance+Royalties option or a Royalties Only option
Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural, Slipstream, & Weird. Hybrid work or difficult to categorize novellas are also welcome
Neon Hemlock is a Washington, DC-based small press publishing queer speculative fiction magazines and chapbooks, as well as queer speculative fiction novellas and anthologies. Novellas are distributed in paperback and ebook formats. They ask for exclusive Worldwide English rights. They do not ask for audio rights. See submission periods.
Length: Up to 20,000 words
Payment: $20 per page ($50 minimum)
"NER accepts submissions in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, translation, and NER Digital’s “Confluences” series. We welcome and encourage submissions from writers of every nationality, race, religion, and gender, including writers who have never been affiliated with an MFA program and whose perspectives are often underrepresented in the literary world." Has submission periods.
Length: Up to 8,000 words
Payment: $100
"Ninth Letter is published semi-annually in print at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work." Has submission periods. Charges for online submissions except during December.
Length: Up to 8,000 words.
Payment: $500 and 25 contributors copies.
One Story is seeking literary short stories. "They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone." Single stories are sent to email subscribers every month. See reading periods.
One Story is seeking literary short stories. "They can be any style and on any subject as long as they are good. We are looking for stories that leave readers feeling satisfied and are strong enough to stand alone." Single stories are sent to email subscribers every month. See reading periods.
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: $50
"Savage Realms Monthly is a new sword and sorcery magazine for fans of R.E. Howard, Karl Edward Wagner, and Michael moorcock, featuring heroic tales of savage barbarians, evil wizards, and beautiful maidens. We aim to revitalize the Sword and Sorcery genre with brand new tales of adventure from some of today’s most talented authors. Our first issue is scheduled to land in January and will be available in Kindle and print formats."
Length: Up to 8,000 words
Payment: $100 for every thousand words of prose—for a maximum honorarium of $500 per author)
"Shenandoah aims to showcase a wide variety of voices and perspectives in terms of gender identity, race, ethnicity, class, age, ability, nationality, regionality, sexuality, and educational background (MFAs are not necessary here). We love publishing new writers; publishing history is not a prerequisite either. Checking out our current issue is another great way to get a sense of the kind of work we like." See reading periods.
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: $20
The /tƐmz/ Review is a literary journal based in London, Ontario that publishes fiction, poetry, and reviews. They publish 4 issues per year (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter), from a diverse range of emerging and established voices. Their goal is to reflect a wide variety of editorial perspectives and publish an eclectic mix of writing. Has reading periods.
Length: Up to 15,000 words
Payment: 8 cents a word for stories up to 2,500 words. Stories longer than this are capped at $500 payment. Reprints are 2 cents/word.
Accepts reprints
Good stories don’t just come in all shapes and sizes, but in all genres, too (fiction and nonfiction). Although some genres naturally lend themselves to certain feelings, by no means do we expect authors to follow preordained paths. We like stories that cross genres, experiment, and push the boundaries of literature while maintaining the utmost quality in literary technique and storytelling, which is why we're open to just about anything.. Has reading periods.
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: 10 cents/word
"Uncanny Magazine is seeking passionate, diverse SF/F fiction and poetry from writers from every conceivable background. We want intricate, experimental stories and poems with gorgeous prose, verve, and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs. Uncanny believes there’s still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel." Has submission periods.
Length: Up to 8000 words
Payment: $1000
"VQR strives to publish the best writing we can find. While we have a long history of publishing accomplished and award-winning authors, we also seek and support emerging writers." Only opens for submissions in July.
Length: No upper limit
Payment: Token to semi-pro.
ZYZZYVA is a print journal based in San Francisco. "We have established a vigorous tradition of finding and fostering new talent, in our backyard and beyond. For over thirty years ZYZZYVA has nurtured emerging writers, many of whom go on to spectacular careers (Haruki Murakami, Po Bronson, F.X. Toole, Kay Ryan, Sherman Alexie) and whose work in ZYZZYVA is recognized by the Pushcart Prize, the Best American series, the O. Henry Prize Stories, and other awards organizations." They publish fiction, poetry, essays, and artwork. Has submission periods. Snail mail submissions only.
Length: Up to 40,000 words for novellas
Payment: $500 advance + 30% Royalties
See deadlines
Android Press is a small independent press that publishes science fiction, fantasy, light horror, and specializes in the various -punk subgenres. We love stories that are full of hope and optimism, as well as stories that hold up a mirror to our society, forcing us reexamine our past and our values in order to move forward and build a better future. Android Press publishes punk-themed science fiction/fantasy Adult, New Adult, and YA manuscripts. Length: Up to 100,000 words for novels, 40,000 words for novellas. They also publish anthologies and short story collections.
Length: 2,000 – 10,000 words
Payment: $0.02 per word + access to ten (10) digital contributor copies upon publication.
See submissions periods.
They are interested in inspirational & transformative non-fiction, including memoirs and short essays. Your work:
They are interested in inspirational & transformative non-fiction, including memoirs and short essays. Your work:
- should be inspirational non-fiction.
- should not contain erotica, or excessive violence or gore.
- can be part of an ongoing series you might be writing.
- can have been previously published (with proof that you hold the current publishing rights).
- may be submitted simultaneously to other markets.
Length: Longer essays and fiction at least 3000 to 10,000 words.
Payment: Not specified.
“The best books give you the feeling that no one else on earth could possibly have written them.” Someone recently wrote this to me and it has stuck. I’m looking for prose like this, exemplified by the writers all the issues. See reading periods.
Length: 20,000 – 40,000 words.
Payment: Small advance + royalties.
"What we are looking to publish: sleaze, body horror, unhinged characters, oddball premises, anti-commercial, weirdo shit that’ll get you kicked out of any major NY publishing house should you even discuss it on their property." See reading periods.
Length: Up to 20,000 words
Payment: 8 cents a word for prose
Creative writing (poetry and prose) and art about environmental justice. "The fiction we publish is mostly, but not exclusively, speculative; the nonfiction is more creative than journalistic, the poetry tends towards the narrative, preferably with some thematic heft, the visual art leans away from the pulpy towards the surreal, subversive, political. The heart of what we want is your personal, visceral, idiosyncratic understanding of the world and the people in it as it has been, as it is, as it will be, as it could be, as a consequence of humanity’s relationship with the earth." Has submission periods.
Length: Novelettes up to 15,000 words
Payment: $300 per novelette
Submissions are restricted to people of the African Diaspora. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry about African Diaspora. Has submission periods.
Payment: $25/page for prose in their print journal
The Cincinnati Review publishes prose, poetry, and art. They accept submissions for the print journal generally during three time periods: September, December, and May. Those reading periods will open on the first day of the month and close once they hit the submissions cap for that period.
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: 2p a word up to a maximum of £180.00
Length: Up to 30,000 words
Payment: $25
What they want: Sword & sorcery, dark fantasy, and grimdark subgenres of fantasy fiction. "Original tales of nail-biting peril faced down by a fearless protagonists reliant upon their mental might as much as their physical prowess to achieve their goals and overcome their enemies in action packed tales told in no more than 10,000 words. We may be interested in serializing longer pieces in the future, but for our first issue we’re looking to keep it as simple as possible."
Length: Up to 10,000 words
Payment: $25
They accept horror and thriller short stories for publication in their monthly subscriptions and newsletters. No simultaneous submissions.
Length: 20,000 to 40,000 words
Payment: $750 advance and 25% of net net receipts
Genre: Speculative fiction or literary novellas that fall under one (or some!) of the following themes:
- stories where grief or loss play a leading role
- stories that feature the afterlife or the underworld
- stories that involve the journey through death/the journey of the dead
- stories that involve death personified (Death!)
- stories that take place in, or utilize a multiverse
- stories that involve time travel (esp. those that involve time travel + a previously mentioned theme)
- origin stories (especially as they relate to previously mentioned themes)
- stories where the characters slowly lose their sense of reality
- goth
- space, but make it goth
- a story within a story within a (within a story that’s [within a story] within a story) story….
- stories where things that are not usually personified ARE personified (planets? galaxies? time? …bones?)
- creepy meta-horror
- amazingly original ghost stories.
Length: 80 – 120 pages, or 20,000 to 30,000 words
Payment: Royalties
Hobby Horse Press accepts original, novella-length submissions of literary writing that can fit in your pocket. Hobby Horse is seeking fiction, poetry, and memoir/nonfiction, as well as comics/ graphic novels. "We are flexible about form, and excited to experiment and collaborate with different kinds of submissions." Read submission requirements here.
Length: Novellas (10K-40K words) or pairs of novelettes or sets of shorter prose writings (equaling 10K-40K words)
Payment: Royalties
What are we looking for? Work from any genre or none, Johanna is partial to stories that have some element of adventure in them. Characters that stick out catch her attention, as will strong author and character voice. A bit of surrealism or the unexpected never hurt.
Length: 20,000 to 40,000 words.
Payment: Advance and royalties.
Genre: Weird Fiction, New Weird, Eco-Speculative Fiction, Folk Horror, Surreal Fiction, and Literary Speculative Fiction novellas.
Length: 1,000-10,000 words.
Payment: USD $15 / GBP £15 / EUR €15.
Accepts reprints
Genre: Short stories.
- Funny stories - for when you need a laugh
- Creepy stories - to make your hair stand on end
- Fantastic stories - ghosts, swords, magic and fantasy
- Futuristic stories - many worlds of science fiction
- Criminal stories - crooks and detectives
- Real life stories - everyday life and relationships
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