86 Calls for Submissions in June 2026 - Paying markets

This June there are more than seven 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: Sunflowers: Flickr]

_____________________

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles, messages from heaven, angels. Genre: True stories about miracles, angels, messages from heaven, premonitions, amazing coincidences and other unexplainable but good events! Payment: $200. Deadline: June 1, 2026.

Breath and Shadow. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama; these pieces do not have to be "about" disability. However nonfiction, academic, and similar articles (profiles, interviews, opinion pieces) do have to relate to disability in some way. Payment: The pay scale is $25 for poetry, $40 for fiction, and $40 for nonfiction. In addition to publication and payment, Breath & Shadow will post links to contributors' work on other sites. Deadline: June 1, 2026.

Tales from the Crosstimbers. Restrictions: "We welcome submissions from under-represented groups who bring their lived experience to their fiction. We also welcome submissions from first-time, unpublished authors. We welcome submissions from any location. However, our mission includes providing a market for authors from the region of the Crosstimbers Forest–which includes Oklahoma and surrounding states–so we especially encourage authors from this region to submit." Genre: Speculative fiction, some nonfiction and poetry. Payment: The larger of $10 per story or 1 cent/word rounded to the nearest 100 words, up to a maximum of $50. Deadline: Opens June 1, 2026.

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Prose. They prefer stories under 3,000 words. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens June 1, 2026. Closes when they reach their cap. 

Nachtljocht. Genre: Fiction and short plays, 3,000 minimum – 12,000 maximum words. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 1, 2026.

Brown Paper Fox. Restrictions: Open to Canadian writers. Genre: Children's books. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2026.

New Mundo. Genre: Poetry manuscripts and chapbooks, translations written by authors from North America, South America, or the Caribbean. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2026.

Okay Donkey. Genre: One flash fiction OR one poem per author, per submission period. See website for details. Payment: $20. Deadline: Opens June 1, 2026 and closes when cap is reached.

Green Writers Press is an independent, Vermont-based publishing company dedicated to spreading environmental awareness and social justice by publishing authors who promulgate messages of hope and renewal through place-based writing and environmental activism. Genre: Adult/juvenile fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Cat Stories. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for first-person true stories and poems up to 1200 words that highlight the unique personalities that cats have. Celebrate your cat, or a cat you know, with a wonderful story about what he or she does. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both." Payment: $200. Deadline: June 1, 2026.

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

Roses & Wildflowers: Anarchy and Harmony. Genre: Mythopoeic fiction, poetry, and art. See theme. Payment: $20 for fiction, $10 for poetry. Deadline: June 1, 2026. May close early if cap is reached.

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

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

Adventitious. Genre: Speculative, surreal, and literary fiction. Length: Flash Fiction (including Micro): Up to 1,000 words; Fiction: 1,000 – 6,000 words. Novelette: 6,000 – 17,000 words. Payment: $0.08 USD per word. Deadline: June 5, 2026.

Feminist Press. Genre: Novels, novellas, and short story collections that bring a literary depth and flair to genre fiction—specifically sci-fi, horror, fantasy/romantasy, and speculative fiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 5, 2026.

Space and Time. Genre: 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: June 7, 2026. Open the first seven days of every month.

University of Queensland Press Genre: Adult non-fiction submissions. 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: June 7, 2026. Open the first seven days of every month.

Black Inc. Restrictions: Open to Australians. Genre: Full-length general, literary and commercial non-fiction – including history, current affairs, memoir and biography. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 7, 2026.

Mslexia. Genre: Fiction, poetry. See theme. Length: Stories up to 2,200 words.  Payment: £25. Deadline: June 8, 2026.

One Story. Genre: Short story. Payment: $500. Deadline: Opens June 8, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

Samjoko Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, play, screenplay. Payment: $20. Deadline: June 10, 2026.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: June 12, 2026.

The Fantastic Other. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, poetry, art on theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 13, 2026.

beestung is a quarterly online micro-magazine for non-binary and two-spirit writers and readers, with an emphasis on intracommunity sensibilities. beestung resists the canon and all forms of bigotry. Genre: Beestung considers poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, hybrids, and art, by creators who fall under the non-binary umbrella or who are two-spirit. Multilingual work and work in translation is welcome. Payment: $20. Deadline: June 13, 2026.

side hustle: horror stories for late capitalism. Genre: Horror and dark science fiction stories about the extra work we do to stay afloat. Payment: 5 cents USD per word. Deadline: June 14, 2026.

Savagery on the Salty Seas. Genre: Maritime-themed horror. Payment: $50/ story + 4 (minimum) Copies of Anthology. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

Smokelong. Genre: Flash narratives--fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid (somewhere between fiction and non-fiction)--up to 1000 words. Payment: $100/$150 with audio, upon publication. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

Bull City Press. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction Chapbooks. Payment: Royalties (?) Deadline: June 15, 2026.

Baffling. Genre: Speculative flash fiction. Length: Under 1200 words. See themes. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

Propagule. Genre: Short stories that are intrepid with regard to experimentation and oddity; the strange, the surreal, the atypical, the unexpected. Payment: $30 (max). Deadline: June 15, 2026.

Philly Poetry Chapbook Review. Genre: Poetry and fiction. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

 
Tundra Swan Press: Earth Resists and Reclaims. Genre: Eco-horror. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

Book Worms. Genre: Horror: fiction, poetry, and essays. See theme. Length: Up to 1,500 words. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

Cast of Wonders. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. Theme: Banned Books Week. Payment: $.08/word for original fiction up to 6,000 words. For reprints, a $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, "and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way.” Payment: $50. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

Poetry Magazine. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $500 per text and visual poem, $600 per video poem, $400 essays about poetry. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

Plott Hound. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry starring animals. Payment: 8 cents/word for original fiction. $20 - $100 for reprints. $50 for poetry. $300 for art. Deadline: June 15, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Off the Broken Path: Dark Tales of Enchanted Forests. Genre: Grimdark and horror tales featuring enchanted forests. Payment: $5.00 per story + ebook of anthology + audiobook of anthology. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

Farmer-ish. Genre: Nonfiction, CNF, poetry related to farming (including recipes). See themes. Payment: $25 for print journal. Deadline: June 20, 2026.

beestung is a quarterly online micro-magazine for non-binary and two-spirit writers and readers, with an emphasis on intracommunity sensibilities. beestung resists the canon and all forms of bigotry. Genre: Beestung considers poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, hybrids, and art, by creators who fall under the non-binary umbrella or who are two-spirit. Multilingual work and work in translation is welcome. Payment: $20. Deadline: June 20, 2026. Extended deadline for BIPOC writers.

side hustle: horror stories for late capitalism. Genre: Horror and dark science fiction stories about the extra work we do to stay afloat. Payment: 5 cents USD per word. Deadline: Extended window for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled authors June 15-21, 2026.

The Ex-Puritan. Genre: Poetry, fiction, reviews, interviews, essays, and experimental work. "The Ex-Puritan now seeks to publish the best in all forms of writing." Payment: $100 - $200 (CAD). Deadline: June 25, 2026.

foofaraw zine. Genre: Speculative and literary fiction. Payment: Fiction: $0.01 per word. Poetry: $5.00. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

[RECORDED] A Found Media Anthology. Genre: Stories (any genre, horror strongly preferred), told as found media; think stories written as emails, as transcripts from videos, as social media posts, forum threads, audio recordings, whatever. Payment: 500 -1,200 paid at a flat rate of $50USD per story.1,201 - 3,000 words paid at a flat rate of $150USD per story. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Codhill Press. Genre: Poetry manuscript. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Harbor Editions: Hybrid Chapbook Reading Period. Genre: Hybrid chapbook. Chapbooks should be around 20-50 pages. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2026. No submission fee for BIPOC writers.

Fun in the Dark: “SMALL TOWN WEIRDNESS.” Genre: Dark fiction. See theme. Payment: £20. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Mertails Anthology. Genre: Stories can be of any genre, so long as the primary characters are merfolk of some aspect. The stories can be urban fantasy, high fantasy, or for those bold enough, the editor would love to see some sci-fi takes. Payment: AU 1c/word + 1 contributor’s copy. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Modern Love. Genre: Personal essay about love. Payment: $300 - $500. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Inkd Publishing: Beyond the Red Line. Genre: Horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy short stories that are told from the other side of town, where haunted, million dollar mansions don’t exist. We’re not looking for hauntings behind ornate doors with gilded knobs. We’re looking for time traveling public transit. The failed gentrification of haunted halfway houses. The home loan that takes more than you bargained for in the fine print… Payment: $10 + Royalty share of Draft to Digital “D2D” sales. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Moocat le Meaux. Genre: Essays and narratives exploring the tension between the need to remain connected to the world online and the desire to stop “feeding the beast” of extractive social media and tech giants. Also poetry, fiction, travelogues. Payment: $10+. Deadline: June 30, 2026. 

Grave Empire. Genre: Horror novellas and novels. Payment: Royalties (?). Deadline: June 30, 2026. (Note: This publisher has no published books on its website.)

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Random Acts of Kindness. Genre: Nonfiction. We are looking for true stories about random acts of kindness that have happened to you or stories about a kindness that you performed for someone else. Stories can be serious or funny but they should definitely inspire our readers to look for ways in which they can perform kind acts. Payment: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings. Genre: Nonfiction. One of the most important keys to contentment and happiness is the ability to count your blessings. Even during the toughest times, if we can find gratitude and count our blessings we feel better. Each day holds something to be thankful for and it could be just as simple as having the sun shine or having food on the table. Payment: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Positive Thinking. Genre: Nonfiction. We are looking for stories of optimism, faith and strength to encourage our readers to use positive thinking. What was the situation that inspired you to use positive rather than negative thinking? How did you change your attitude -- from negative to positive? How did that turn your life around? These inspirational stories will remind readers to use positive thinking, focus on hope and show them that each day holds something to be grateful for. Payment: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Green Bottle Press. Genre: Poetry collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

105 Meadowlark Reader. Restrictions: You must be a Kansas resident or have lived in Kansas at some point in your life. Genre: True stories about Kansas written by Kansans. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: June 30, 2026. Submit early to avoid submission fee.

Neon Hemlock Novella Series. Restrictions: Open to trans women and writers of color. Genre: Speculative fiction novellas. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

The New Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to Canadian writers. Genre: Nonfiction. Payment: $400 Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Poet Lore. Genre: Poetry translations. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Malahat Review. Restrictions: Free submissions for Canadians only. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as translated work in any of these three genres.  Payment: CAD $70/page. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Black Hare Press. Genre: Dark stories, in any genre. Length: 5,000 - 50,000 words. Payment: $20 - $50, depending on length. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Dancing Star Press. Genre: Speculative fiction novellas. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Galactic Mindsea Empire Anthology. Genre: Stories set in the Galactic Mindsea Empire up to 10,000 words in length. "The Empire uses wonderdomes for many purposes. The float pool can heal the injured and restore the (recently and not too damaged) dead to life. It can reform criminal minds and return balance to disturbed minds. It can change a person's gender and alter their appearance in countless other ways, even adding non-human organs and appendages. What can't a wonderdome do?" Payment: 4 cents/word. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

The Hudson Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Dracula Beyond Stoker. Genre: Fiction based on Stoker’s characters. See theme. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Allegory. Genre: Speculative Fiction and nonfiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Midnight and Indigo. Genre: Short Stories, Speculative Fiction, and Personal Essays written by Black women writers. See theme. Payment:  $0.07 per word for Short Stories and $150 for personal essays. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

SpecPoVerse. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Truth We Carry. Restrictions: We aim for ~75% of published work to be from Maine survivors. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Works of flash and micro lengths are welcome. The anthology is focused on publishing creative work from survivors of domestic abuse and sex trafficking. Payment: $100. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ stories, 12,000 words minimum. See themes. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Dragon Soul Press: SINISTER DREAMS. Genre: Horror across all genres. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Hellbound Books Anthology of Horror. Genre: Horror. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Hellbound Books Anthology of Folk Horror. Genre: Folk Horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Anvil Press. Restrictions: Open to writers living in Canada. Genres: Full-length books per year in the following genres:
• literary fiction (short story collections, novels, uncategorizable prose)
• creative nonfiction
• memoir
• essay collections
• poetry
• books about Vancouver history (preferably off-beat or little-known history)
Read submission guidelines here. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2026. In celebration of Pride, there are no submission fees for LGBTQIA2+ writers in June. We are especially interested in trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming voices.

AND A FEW MORE...

Thema. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: Waiting in Line. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: July 1, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Fusion Fragment. Genre: Science fiction or SF-tinged literary fiction stories and novelettes ranging anywhere from 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. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2026.

Cordite. Genre: Poetry. Payment: Not specified. Payment is available for Australian contributors only. Deadline: July 1, 2026.

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

Dirty Magick Magazine. Genre: Short fantasy fiction, from 2,000 to 12,500 words. Payment: $50. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2026, and closes when they reach capacity.

It Came from the Trailer Park. Genre: Horror/Comedy. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2026.