Saturday, December 27, 2025

100 Calls for Submissions in January 2026 - Paying markets

This January there are more than eight dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

[Image: Pickpik]

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Acre BooksGenre: Full-length poetry manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: Open reading period in January.

The Bombay Literary MagazineGenre: Fiction, poetry, translated fiction/poetry and graphic fiction. Payment: Indian rupees 5,000 (approx. $61) per contribution. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2026.

Okay DonkeyGenre: One flash fiction OR one poem per author, per submission period. See website for detailsPayment: $20. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

Trollbreath MagazineGenre: Speculative fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. Payment: 4 cents/word. 1/2 cent/word for reprints. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing is accepting submissions of complete, previously unpublished manuscripts in the speculative fiction genre that have series potential. Speculative fiction encompasses horror, fantasy, and science fiction—and all of the niche categories under those large umbrellas. They are only considering full length novels between 40K and 100K words. See submission requirements HEREDeadline: Opens January 1, 2026.

The Paris ReviewGenres: Fiction, poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: Opens Janurary 1, 2026, and closes when they reach capacity.

Cafe IrrealGenre: Magical realism. Length: Up to 2,000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

Utopia Science Fiction: Weird Science FictionGenre: Utopian science fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. Theme: Weird Science Fiction. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $30 per poem. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

Butch Bait AnthologyGenre: Art, poetry, fiction, erotica, and photography. See theme. Payment: $10. Deadline: January 1, 2026.

Griffith ReviewPoetry. Theme: Post and Found. Payment: $200. Deadline: January 4, 2026.

Stone’s ThrowGenre: "We're looking for dark fiction, crime and noir, length between 1,000 and 2,000 words." Payment: $25. Deadline: January 4, 2026. Open to submissions the first three days of every month.

MslexiaGenre: Stories, poems and script on themes. Length: Stories up to 2,200 words, poems up to 40 lines, and short scripts up to 1,000 words (including character names and stage instructions).  Payment: £25. Deadline: January 5, 2026. 

All Worlds WayfarerGenre: Speculative fiction short stories and flash fiction. Payment: $10. Deadline: January 5, 2026.

DaikaijuzineGenre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $10.00 for each short story, and $5.00 for each poem and flash fiction piece. Deadline: January 5, 2026.

Affirm Press Restrictions: They only accept Australians. Genre: All literary and genre fiction. For non-fiction, they are interested in most subjects that have a mn authors or authors based in Australia, and only manuscripts that haven’t been previously published. They only accept submissions on the first Monday of each month. Read their submission guidelines hereDeadline: January 5, 2026.

Sunlight PressGenre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, photography, reviews. Payment: $20 - $50. Deadline: Opens January 5, 2026.

Cosmic Horror MonthlyGenre: Weird and cosmic fiction under 5,000 words. Payment: 3 cents (USD) per word. Deadline: January 7, 2026.

NotchGenre: Flash fiction. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: January 7, 2026.

HeadlandRestrictions: Open to Māori writers. Genre: Short fiction and nonfiction. Payment: $75. Deadline: January 9, 2026.

Little Ghost Books: Friday the Flirteenth – A Monsterotica ZineGenre: Monster Erotica. Length: 1,000-2,000 words. Payment: $30. Deadline: January 9, 2026.

Blanket Gravity MagazineGenre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art. "We are interested in moments of emotional intensity, and how their effects ring out in the bigger picture of our identities. We are looking for writing and art that explore mental health or emotional life. By "mental health," we mean art that tries to make sense of emotional struggle or uncertainty, as well as our thoughts about who we are, what other people mean to us, and the nature of the world." Payment: $40. Deadline: January 10, 2026. (?)

Book WormsGenre: Apocalypic horror. Payment: 8 cents a word for fiction (1500 words or less). $25 flat fee for poetry (20 lines or less). Deadline: January 10, 2026.

CorditeGenre: Poetry. See theme. Payment: Not specified. Payment is available for Australian contributors only. Deadline: January 10, 2026.

34 OrchardGenre: Fiction, poetry. "We like dark, intense pieces that speak to a deeper truth. We’re not genre-specific; we just like scary, disturbing, unsettling, and sad." Payment: $50. Deadline: January 10, 2026. Opens January 1.

Your Body is a Fever DreamRestrictions: Open to Trans, NB, agender, intersex, GNC, and generallyany gender identity other than binary cisgender. Genre: Fiction and narrative poetry. See themePayment: $0.03/word for stories up to 4,000 words. Deadline: January 10, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Cupid’s Misfire. Genre: "We want the weirdest tales of times when Cupid’s arrow goes astray." Length: Drabble (100 words). Payment: $1. Deadline: January 10, 2026.

Ampersand ReviewRestrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, reviews. Payment: Poetry: $50 per poem/page to a maximum of $100. Fiction: $100 per story. Non-fiction: $100 per piece. Reviews: $100 per piece. Deadline: January 11, 2026.

The Fantastic OtherGenre: Fiction, flash fiction, poetry, art on theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 12, 2026.

OTHERSIDEGenre: Speculative fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by self-identified members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Payment: $0.08/word for prose. $50 per poem. $100 for nonfiction and reprints. Deadline: January 14, 2026.

Flame Tree: Black Horror, Then & Next: Short StoriesGenre: Black (American) literary horror. "We seek stories that recognize the legacy of Black horror, its literary milestones, cultural roots, and innovative voices, while pushing the genre into new, daring territory." Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word. Deadline: January 14, 2026.

The Orange & BeeGenre: Original works of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction that engage in a significant way with the long history of fairy tales. Payment: Poetry: flat rate $US50.00 per poem; Flash fiction/non-fiction: flat rate $US80.00 per story (max 1000 words); Short fiction/non-fiction: $US0.08 per word (max 4000 words). Deadline: January 14, 2026.

Inner Worlds ZineGenre: Science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror prose with a strong emotional or psychological focus. "We are mainly interested in fiction, but we’re open to speculative memoir or creative non fiction, as long as it has speculative elements.” Payment: £0.02 per word for each piece accepted, with a minimum £20 payment. Deadline: January 14, 2026 for members of marginalised groups only.

Rattle: A Tribute to Invented FormsGenre: Poetry. "Our Summer 2026 issue will be dedicated to invented forms—poetic structures created by the poets themselves. These might include entirely new formal constraints, creative spins on traditional styles, or intuitive methods developed to suit a single poem. Invented forms offer a chance to blend play and precision, and we’re excited to showcase the wide range of possibilities poets are exploring. The poems may be on any subject and of any length, as long as they demonstrate a form that you’ve invented or substantially modified yourself." Payment: $100. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Last Girls ClubGenre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Fiction, 1.5 cents/word. Poetry, $10. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Women Artists DatebookRestrictions: Open to women. Genre: Poems and art. Theme: Peace and Justice. Payment: $200 for art, $70 for poetry. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

River Glass Books: Writes of NatureGenre: Chapbook manuscripts (20-30 pages). All genres. Payment: $75. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Philadelphia StoriesRestrictions: Open to authors living in, or originally from, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or New Jersey. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. Payment: $50. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Electric SpecGenre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20 per piece. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Eye to the TelescopeGenre: Speculative poetry. See themePayment: $0.05/word, up to $25. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Two Lines Press: Calico Series – Call for Animal Stories in Translation. Genre: fiction in translation that largely feature one or more animals. Length: 2,000-10,000 words. Payment: $200 for the first page, $25 for each subsequent page. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Dancing Griffin Press: VERY SPECIAL EPISODES – A 90s Stranger Danger PSA Anthology. Genre: Horror. "We’re looking for stories that recapture the magic of some of the most disturbing “very special episodes” of the 90s." Length: 2,000 to 4,000 words. Payment: $25 for selected stories, $40 for our absolute favorite. Deadline: January 15, 2026.
 
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles, messages from heaven, angelsGenre: True stories about miracles, angels, messages from heaven, premonitions, amazing coincidences and other unexplainable but good events! Payment: $200. DeadlineJanuary 15, 2026.

Horror Tree: Trembling With FearGenre: Horror short stories. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

ShenandoahGenre: Fiction and novel excerpts. Payment: $80 per 1000 words of prose up to $400. Deadline: Opens January 15, 2026, and closes when they reach capacity.

In a FlashGenre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. See themePayment: $25. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Tales from the CrosstimbersGenre: Science fiction, fantasy, splipstream, and horror. Payment:  $10 per story or 1 cent/word rounded to the nearest 100 words, up to a maximum of $50. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

Three-Lobed Burning EyeGenre: Horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Payment: $0.08/word. Deadline: January 16, 2026.

Full House LiteraryGenre: Prose, poetry, hybrid, photography and artwork. Payment: £5. Deadline: January 17, 2026.

Pink Hydra PressGenre: Genre fiction: novellas, novelettes, novels. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 18, 2026.

Seaside GothicGenre: Seaside gothic fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or a collection of photographs or illustrations. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: January 18, 2026.

Flame Tree Fiction NewsletterGenre: Scifi. See theme. Length: 700-1000 words. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: January 18, 2026.

Splinter JournalGenre: Poetry, fiction, memoir, nonfiction (pitches only). Payment: Profiles (pays AUD900), essays pays AUD900), writing about writing (pays AUD500), and criticism (pays AUD700), and completed submissions of poetry (pays AUD250/poem or AUD450/collection of up to four poems, fiction (pays AUD900), and memoir (pays AUD600). Deadline: January 19, 2026.

AstrolabeGenre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography & art. Payment: $50. Deadline: January 21, 2026.

Strange HorizonsGenre: Speculative fiction. Payment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: January 21, 2026.

The Fairy Tale MagazineGenre: Fairy-tale inspired stories/poems. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: January 21, 2026.

OTHERSIDEGenre: Speculative fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by self-identified members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Payment: $0.08/word for prose. $50 per poem. $100 for nonfiction and reprints. Deadline: January 21, 2026. Extended deadline only for BIPOC, trans, and/or disabled authors.

Raconteur Press: Mad Science! Bits & PiecesGenre: Stories exploring fringe science and its consequences. Unhinged researchers push the boundaries of our perception of reality. Clone armies! Eccentric experiments! Doomsday devices! Flip the switch! Push the button! It’s Alive! What have we done? 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 23, 2026.

Stygian Lepus MagazineGenre: Dark speculative fiction. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 25, 2026. This is a monthly call.

Eerie LullabyGenre: Horror, gothic, and dark fiction. 1000 words max. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 25, 2026.

NightmareRestrictions: Open to BIPOC writers. Genre: Dark fiction, CNF, poetry. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $40 for CNF and poetry. Deadline: January 26, 2026.

Baubles From BonesGenre: Science fiction and fantasy. Length: All stories must be between 1,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: $.01/word. Deadline: January 29, 2026.

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit. Genre: Your submission must include the word "rabbit" three times in your 100-word drabble. Payment: $1. Deadline: January 30, 2026.

After Happy HourGenre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, comics. Payment: $2.50 per printed page, with a minimum of $15 and a maximum of $50, on publication ($25 for the cover artist). Deadline: January 31, 2026. Free submissions are capped at 300, so submit early.

Double DutchGenre: Poetry, Music, Art. Payment: $50. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

FIYAHRestrictions: Submissions are restricted to people of the African Diaspora. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry about African Diaspora. Length: Short fiction 2,000 – 7,000 words and novelettes up to 15,000 words. Payment: 8 cents/word per story or novelette. $50 per poem. 10 cents/word for nonfiction. $400 for art. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

The FiddleheadRestrictions: Canadians only. Genre: Fiction, including excerpts from novels, creative nonfiction, art, poetry. Payment: $60 CAD per published page. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Inked in Gray: Defying DeathGenre: Science fiction, fantasy, or horror only. Theme: Defying Death. Payment: $45. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Event MagazineGenre: Poetry, fiction. Payment: CAD $40/page for poetry and $35/page for prose, up to a maximum of $500. Deadline: January 31, 2026. Closes when cap is reached, so submit early.

The Temz ReviewGenre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Inner Worlds ZineGenre: Science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror prose with a strong emotional or psychological focus. "We are mainly interested in fiction, but we’re open to speculative memoir or creative non fiction, as long as it has speculative elements.” Payment: £0.02 per word for each piece accepted, with a minimum £20 payment. Deadline: January 31, 2026 for members of marginalised groups only.

Split Lip MagazineGenre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $75 for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews web issues. Deadline: January 31, 2026. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early.

Alocacia is a monthly mini journal of queer at-home nature writing. "We appreciate both traditional work, as well as the weird, erotic, explicit, anti-colonial, and whatever you can come up with. This is a journal about plants, gardening, and indoor horticulture. Please don’t send us work that isn’t about plants, gardening, or indoor horticulture." Payment: $50. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Nashville ReviewGenre: Fiction, poetry, art, and nonfiction. Payment: $25 per poem & song selection; $100 per selection for all other categories, including featured artwork. Translators receive $25 per poem & $100 for prose selections. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

PhylumGenre: Fiction, CNF, Poetry, Art. See themePayment: $10. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Parsec Ink: 23rd Triangulation Anthology — Bad RomanceGenre: speculative fiction and poetry. See theme. Payment: $0.03/word for original fiction, 25 cents per line for original poetry. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Summer in the CityGenre: Short fiction. Length: 3,000 to 7,500 words. See themePayment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Dragon Soul Press: Thread of the PastGenre: Time travel stories. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 31, 2026. 

Dragon Soul Press: EliteGenre: Warriors that have mastered their trade. Assassins, mercenaries, guilds, clans, etc. All genres are welcome. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 31, 2026. 

Cozy Fantasy AnthologyGenre: Cozy fantasy. Payment: $30. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Fourteen Poems Genre: Poetry. "We want to represent all that's thrilling about the new wave of LGBT+ poets. If you’re a poet, even if you’ve never been published before, we want to read your work. Every issue we publish 14 of the best queer poems we’ve found, and we want to include you! We publish 4 times a year, but take submissions all year round.  To be considered, email up to 5 poems, preferably in a pdf format, with a small paragraph about yourself to hello@14poems.com. Payment: £30 for each poem published. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Space and TimeGenre: Speculative fiction. "We welcome poetry, art and fiction that bend rules, transcend genre and break stereotypes." Submissions accepted in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French or Italian. See theme. Payment: 1 cent/word for prose, $5 for poetry. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

SouthwordGenre: Poetry. Payment: €50 per poem. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Haven SpeculativeRestrictions: Open to submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Dark Peninsula Press: Negative Space 3: The End of All SanctuaryGenre: Survival horror. Specifically looking for horror stories with a siege (or isolation) sub-theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Inkd Publishing: Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors IIIGenre: Murder mysteries, detectives noir, cozy, and humorous Payment: Minimum $10. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Violet Lichen Books: ECO25 – The Year’s Best Speculative EcofictionGenre: Speculative Ecofiction published in 2025. Payment: $0.01/word. Deadline: January 31, 2026. Reprints only.

Heartlines SpecRestrictions: "Since Heartlines Spec is primarily a Canadian magazine, we're looking to feature writers identifying as being from Canada/Turtle Island. This includes expats, new immigrants, and people who refuse/resist Canadian Identity. Our goal for each issue is to publish at least 50% Canadian content." Genre: Short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. "We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules." Payment: $0.08 CAD per word for short fiction and $80 CAD flat for poetry. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

JMS BooksGenre: LGBTQ stories, 12,000 words minimum. See themesPayment: Royalties. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Bonfire Books welcomes submissions of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and children’s books, as well as original translations into English. For Fiction and Non-fiction our minimum word count is 12,000 with no maximum. We are open to literary fiction, historical fiction, short stories, memoir, essays, history, literary or cultural criticism and hybrid genres. Non-fiction with a particularly Australian focus will be looked upon favourably. For Poetry our minimum length is forty pages. Poetry submissions must be sent in pdf to preserve formatting. We appreciate both traditional and modern styles and value music and rhythm. For Children’s Books please include a sample of artwork as well as the complete text. Read their submission guidelines here. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Vine Leaves PressGenre: Novels and novellas (all genres accepted, but with a literary bent), memoirs/biographies/autobiographies, creative nonfiction, writing/publishing reference books, short story collections, and poetry and vignette collections. They will not accept anything shorter than 60 pages. Payment: 40% net royalty on all eBook and print sales. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Mud Season ReviewGenre: Poetry, Fiction, CNF, Art. Payment: $50. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

GarlandGenre: Poetry, prose poetry, short prose (<1500 words). See theme. Visual components and hybrid formats are welcome. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

The London MagazineGenre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: January 31, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

BrinkGenre: Hybrid, cross-genre fiction, nonfiction poetry. Payment: $25 Poem; $50 Work (less than 1500 words); $50 Art (1-3 Images); $100 Art (4+ Images); $100 Work (more than 1501 words). See theme. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

FictionGenre: Experimental fiction and translations of works previously unpublished in English. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Dark Moments Monthly ChallengeGenre: Dark fiction. Word count : 100 to 2000 words. Payment: 4 cents/word. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Fiction Series. Genre: Short stories in the lesbian historic fiction genre. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Flash Fiction OnlineGenre: Stories of all genres that explore resistance in all shapes and sizes, from actions that make a big impact to those tiny acts of rebellion. Reprints onlyPayment: $40. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Short Story, LongGenre: Short stories, 2k-8k words long (3,000-5,500 range preferred). Payment: $100. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

Capital Love. Restrictions: Open to all writers from DC, Maryland, and Virginia, and to all those who have a connection to the DMV (lived here, worked here, educated here). Genre: Poems up to 14 lines. Micro stories (fiction or nonfiction) up to 250 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: January 31, 2026.

LitmosphereGenre: Art, flash (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, and short prose (fiction and literary nonfiction). Payment: $50 per accepted poem, flash fiction and nonfiction; $100 per short fiction and literary nonfiction; $250 for non-exclusive online use of 15-30 images. Deadline: January 31, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

AND A FEW MORE...

SlushGenre: Previously unpublished short stories of up to 5000 words in length. This includes micro and flash fiction as well as comics, prose poetry and other forms. Payment: $100 AU. Deadline: February 1, 2026. 

The First Line JournalGenre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry using the line provided. (See theme) Payment: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $10 for poetry. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

Curated by CostiucGenre: Mysteries and crime stories. Length: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: February 1, 2026. 

June Road PressGenre: Poetry. "This anthology will be loosely organized as a cross-country road trip: a tour of new voices from different regions of the United States. In keeping with the spirit and orientation of our full-length collections, we’re particularly interested in work that engages in meaningful ways with nature or place—the more specifically place-based or regionally inflected, the better suited to this project." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: February 1, 2026.

NightmareGenre: Dark fiction, CNF, poetry. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $40 for CNF and poetry. Deadline: February 1, 2026. 

White Stag is looking for full length poetry manuscripts in the scope of their thematic elements, which can include themes of alchemy & the occult, mysticism & spirituality, folklore & mythos, the speculative or supranatural, or intersections of witchcraft & activism. These themes are not limited to any specific belief, culture, race, or region. Read guidelines here. Payment: $50 honorarium, 40% royalties based on total profit of each copy sold. Deadline: February 1, 2026. Note: US authors only.

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