74 Calls for Submissions in April 2026 - Paying markets

This April there are more than six 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: Wikimedia]

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West Branch. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation. Payment: $50 per submission of poetry, and $.05/word for prose with a maximum payment of $100. Deadline: April 1, 2026.

Foglifter. Genre: Foglifter is a biannual compendium of queer and trans writing. It’s a space where LGBTQ+ writers celebrate, mourn, rage, and embrace. "Foglifter welcomes daring and thoughtful work by queer and trans writers in all forms, and we are especially interested in cross-genre, intersectional, marginal, and transgressive work. We want the pieces that challenged you as a writer, what you poured yourself into and risked the most to make. But we also want your tenderest, gentlest work, what you hold closest to your heart. Whatever you're working on now that's keeping you alive and writing, Foglifter wants to read it." Payment: $100. Deadline: April 1, 2026.

Rat Bag Lit. Genre: Short story. Payment:  1 cent/word. Deadline: Opens April 1, 2026.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: April 2, 2026. Opens April 1.

The Paris Review. Genres: Poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: Opens April 1, 2026, and closes when they reach capacity.

Utopia Science Fiction. Genre: Utopian science fiction. See theme. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $25 for poetry. Deadline: April 1, 2026.

The Cafe Irreal. Genre: Magical realism, Length: Up to 2000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: April 1, 2026.

Crimson Quill. Genre: Fantasy. Payment: $35. Deadline: Opens April 1, 2026.

Ninth Letter Web Edition. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. See theme. Payment: $25 per poem and $75 for prose. Deadline: April 1, 2026.

The Ex-Puritan. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 per nonfiction piece, $50 fiction, $15 per poem. Deadline: April 1, 2026.

Raconteur Press: For Want of a Nail…. Genre: Short stories.An alternate history anthology for all you rivet counters out there! Divergence from history, but with hard clear lines to keep it from being confusing. Counterfactual stories of those pivotal moments in history. Length: 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 3, 2026.

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

Daikaijuzine. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $10.00 for each short story, and $5.00 for each poem and flash fiction piece. Deadline: April 4, 2026.

Varnish. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 - $250. Deadline: April 4, 2026.

Cast of Wonders. Genre: Speculative YA stories, Holidays theme. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: April 5, 2026.

Mslexia. Genre: 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: April 6, 2026.

Affirm Press Restrictions: They only accept Australians. Genre: Affirm Press accepts all literary and genre fiction. For non-fiction, they are interested in most subjects that have an author 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 and twice yearly on their children’s & teen list. Read their submission guidelines here. Deadline: April 6, 2026.

Black Inc. Restrictions: Accepts proposals from Australian writers only. Genre: General non-fiction, including history, current affairs, biography and memoir, and for fiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 7, 2026.

University of Queensland Press Genre: Adult non-fiction submissions that address environmental sustainability and the climate crisis. We are looking for potential new books that engage with current science, with themes of hope, resilience and innovation. Full or partial manuscripts (minimum 15,000 words) will be accepted. They do not publish books in the following categories: Genre fiction (including romance, science fiction, fantasy, and erotica), travel guides, cookbooks, self-help books, plays/scripts/music scores, textbooks, unrevised theses or conference proceedings. Read their submission guidelines here. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 7, 2026. Open the first seven days of every month.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See theme. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: April 10, 2026.

Variant Lit. Genre: Poetry, fiction, flash fiction, art. Payment: $10. Deadline: April 14, 2026.

The Threepenny Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $400 per story or article, $200 per poem or Table Talk piece. Deadline: April 14, 2026.

Solarpunk Magazine. Genre: Solarpunk. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $40/poem, and $75/essay, $100 for reprint cover art, $200 for original unpublished cover art, $50 for reprint interior art, $100 for original unpublished interior art.  Deadline: April 14, 2026.

OTHERSIDE. Genre: 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: April 14, 2026.

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

fifth wheel press: motherboard. Genre: Poetry, prose poetry, short prose (<1500 words), and other experimental writing by queer, trans, and gender variant writers. Payment: $5. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Cutleaf. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, and literary nonfiction. Payment: $100 to $300 for published prose and from $50 to $100 per published poem. Deadline: April 15, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

The Pig’s Back. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. Payment: €300. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Quest Magazine: Power. Genre: Speculative fiction. See theme. Payment: $250 for prose (or per story instalment), $100 for poetry. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Cahava. Genre: Short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and prose poetry. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Whisper House Press: Doom Scroll Anthology. Genre: Social media horror fiction. Payment: $30. Deadline: April 15, 2026. Extended deadline for writers from diaspora communities, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or Autistic writers.

Consequence Magazine: The Culture of War. Genre: Short fiction, poetry, nonfiction, interviews, reviews, and visual art mainly focused on the culture of war. Payment: $20 - $50 for prose and poetry, $150 for art. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Electric Spec. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20 per piece. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Translunar Travelers Lounge. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $0.03 per word with a minimum of $20. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Horror Tree: Trembling With Fear. Genre: Horror short stories. Payment: $5. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Rattle: A Tribute to the Future. Genre: Poetry. "Our Fall 2026 issue will be dedicated to poems about the future—what it might look like, feel like, or become. Whether speculative, surreal, hopeful, or dire, we’re looking for poems that imagine what lies ahead, for the world or the self. The future can be political, ecological, technological, spiritual, or deeply personal. However you interpret the idea, we want to see how poetry can be a vehicle for foresight, fantasy, or reflection on what comes next." Payment: $100. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Foglifter. Genre: Foglifter is a biannual compendium of queer and trans writing. It’s a space where LGBTQ+ writers celebrate, mourn, rage, and embrace. "Foglifter welcomes daring and thoughtful work by queer and trans writers in all forms, and we are especially interested in cross-genre, intersectional, marginal, and transgressive work. We want the pieces that challenged you as a writer, what you poured yourself into and risked the most to make. But we also want your tenderest, gentlest work, what you hold closest to your heart. Whatever you're working on now that's keeping you alive and writing, Foglifter wants to read it." Payment: $100. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

In a Flash. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Neon Hemlock: What Elegant Stars: Queer Tales of Impossible Style. Genre: Space opera stories involving style, fashion and society. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. See theme. Payment: $0.05/word, up to $25. Deadline: April 15, 2026.

Raconteur Press: The Muse Within Us. Genre: Short stories. Stories where the act of creation itself becomes unearthly. Tales in which a painting, sculpture, song, manuscript, poem, or any creative impulse is touched—or possessed—by supernatural forces. Tell us about people whose inspiration springs from uncanny sources: muse spirits, cursed artifacts, spectral patrons, cosmic whispers, haunted landscapes, or otherworldly entities. Length: 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 17, 2026.

Seaside Gothic. Genre: Seaside gothic fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or a collection of photographs or illustrations. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: April 19, 2026.

Astrolabe. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography & art. Payment: $50. Deadline: April 20, 2026.

OTHERSIDE. Genre: 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: April 21, 2026. Extended deadline only for BIPOC, trans, and/or disabled authors.

Kaleidotrope. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry—science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but also compelling work that blurs the lines between these and falls outside of neat genre categories. Payment: For fiction, $0.01/word (1 cent a word) USD. For poetry, a flat rate of $5 USD per accepted piece. For artwork, a flat rat of $60 for cover art. Deadline: April 25, 2026.

American Poets Continuum Series. Genre: Poetry collection. "Poets who have previously published a full-length book of poetry with a traditional publisher are eligible to submit to the American Poets Continuum Series." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Massachusetts Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, hybrid, translations. Payment: $100. Deadline: April 30, 2026. Fee for online submissions. No fee for USPS.

Heartlines Spec. Restrictions: "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: Early submission period for equity-deserving groups April 23-30, 2026.

Harbor Review. Genre: Poetry, art. See theme. Payment: $10. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Dragon Soul Poetry Anthology. Genre: Poetry. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Mythaxis. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: 0.01 per word, with a $20 minimum. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Strange Aeon. Genre: Cosmic Horror Fiction. Payment: $20 - $35. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

After Happy Hour. Genre: 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: April 30, 2026. Free submissions are capped at 300, so submit early.

Long Con. Restrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: Writing and art. "“art about art” means artworks created in direct response to other objects, artifacts, or performances that can be considered “art”—including all forms of writing; gallery & theatre arts; pop culture (fashion, sports, comics); infrastructure (monuments, architecture, tools); ephemera (ads, memes, user manuals); propaganda (parades, political speeches); and non-human creations (elephant paintings, bird nests, insect dances)." Payment: $20 CAD. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Mud Season Review. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, CNF, Art. Payment: $50. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

The Margins. Genre: Creative nonfiction by emerging and established Asian American and diasporic writers. Payment: $60 – $450 depending on length. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Texas Review Press. Genre: Nonfiction, poetry, both full-length collections and chapbooks. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

The Temz Review. Genre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Brick. Genre: Literary nonfiction. Payment: $65–$720, depending on the length of accepted work, plus two copies of the issue the work appears in and a one-year subscription to the magazine. Deadline: April 30, 2026.  Closes when cap is reached so submit early.

Terrain.org. Genre: Nonfiction, fiction on place, climate, and justice. Payment: $50. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Dragon Soul Survival Anthology. Genre: All apocalyptic stories are welcome. All genres are accepted. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Zero Street Restrictions: Open to LGBTQ+ writers. Genre: Full-length literary fiction. "Zero Street will be committed to LGBTQ+ literary fiction with commercial potential, providing marginalized authors opportunities for a wide readership in the trade fiction market. The series editors are Timothy Schaffert, bestselling author of The Perfume Thief, and SJ Sindu, author of Blue-Skinned Gods. The series seeks LGBTQ+ literary fiction of all kinds, from stories of modern life to innovations on traditions of genre and are particularly interested in BIPOC authors, trans authors, and queer authors over 50." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

The New Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to Canadian writers. Genre: Fiction, poetry. Payment: $400. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Xnital Books. Genre: Poetry Collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Haven Speculative. Restrictions: 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: April 30, 2026.

Bracken. Genre: Poetry and art. "Bracken is a literary magazine born of the love of the woods and its shadows." Payment: $30. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Engen Books. Genre: Full-length nonfiction manuscripts. "Engen Non-fiction is committed to sharing diverse narratives as well as shining a light on unique and unexplored stories from the people of Newfoundland and Labrador." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Plentitude. Restrictions:. LGBTQ2S+ writers only. Genre: Poetry, Fiction. Payment: $60 per poem, $125 for fiction and CNF. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

The Rabbit Hole Anthology. Genre: "Weird" poems and short stories. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

the other side of hope: journeys in refugee and immigrant literature. Restrictions: Open to refugee, asylum seeker, and immigrant poets worldwide. Genre: Poetry in any language other than English. Payment: £50 per published poet, and £25 for the English translation. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Dread House Publishing: Poisoned Folk Tales Anthology. Genre: Folk horror. Payment: $20. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

The Cookout. Restrictions: Open to to authors from Africa and the African diaspora. Genre: Speculative and mainstream stories on theme. Payment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Mad Creek Books: 21st Century Essays. Genre: Essays. Payment: Royalties (?) Deadline: April 30, 2026.

Shacklebound Books: Wired Hearts. Genre: Reprint stories of 500-2,000 words to the science fiction theme of “Robots and AI” for a digital and print anthology, titled Wired Hearts. Stories must be exactly 500-2,000 words. Payment: Flat fee of $5 for stories 500-1,000 words. Flat fee of $10 for stories 1,000-2,000 words. Deadline: April 30, 2026 (or until full). Reprints only.