Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: Calls for Submissions

Literary journals and publishers put out calls for submissions when they are seeking new material.

If you have a completed story, essay, poem, or piece of creative nonfiction, these are good opportunities. A journal is more likely to publish what you submit if they are looking for it.

These are all my posts that list calls for submissions. They are arranged in descending order, with the most recent posts first. All are paying markets.

Even if the deadlines on the older calls have passed, it is worth looking at them as most journals will be open to submissions periodically. If you find a journal that is a good fit for your writing, you can submit during their next reading period.

Here are some good sites to check for submission calls.

(Scroll down for the current month.)

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Write Jobs

Freelance Writing

Writing Career

New Pages

Poets & Writers

Cathy's Comps and Calls

Places for Writers

Trish Hopkinson

The Poetry Kit

Funds for Writers

Calls for Submissions (Facebook group)

Erika Dreifus posts calls for submissions and contests every Monday on her site.

Submittable Discover

Also see:

217 Paying Markets for Short Stories, Poetry, Nonfiction

36 Paying Markets for Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction

Speculative Fiction Magazines Accepting Submissions

163 Literary Magazines Accepting Reprints

Here is a spreadsheet with 300 places to submit - both paid and unpaid:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RQpwe31zRjYv9Fstg1A2KYhqQ2stTF1BKKMK01eYvpI/edit#gid=0

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UPCOMING (AUGUST CALLS)

Body Parts: Issue #11: A is for Aliens, Apocalypse and Armageddon. Genre: Horror. Themed issue. Payment: $5 for flash fiction and $10 to $20 (depending on length) for short stories and nonfiction to authors, and $5 to $20 for artwork and photography. Deadline: August 1, 2018.

The First Line. Genre: Short story with the first line: "The window was open just enough to let in the cool night air." Also, critical essays about your favorite first line from a literary work. Length: 300-5,000 words for fiction, 500-800 words for nonfiction. Payment: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $5-10 for poetry. Deadline: August 1, 2018.

Blood Bath Litzine. Genre: Horror. Length: Up to 2,500 words. Poetry up to 15 lines. Payment: £10 per 1,000 words for prose, and £10 per poem. Deadline: August 1, 2018.

Don't Cry to Mama. Genre: Horror short stories. Length: Between 2,500 and 6,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 1, 2018.

Cricket. Genres: Middle Grade (9 - 14) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, recipes, and activities on theme of Make a Splash. Payment: Fiction: up to 10¢ per word, Nonfiction: up to 25¢ per word, Poems: up to $3.00 per line; $25.00 minimum. Deadline: August 15, 2018.

Outlook Springs is a literary journal "from another dimension." Genres: Fiction, poetry, and non-fiction tinged with the strange. Payment: $25 for fiction, $10 for poetry. Deadline: August 15, 2018.

Punk Rock Future. Genre: Speculative fiction. Length: 350-500 words. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: August 15, 2018.

Psychopomp. Genre: Short story, up to 5,000 words. Payment: 2 cents a word up to $100 (and starting at a minimum of $5). Deadline: August 15, 2018.

Spark: Lab Coats and Love Letters. Genre: Flash fiction between 300 and 1000 words. "Send us your stories featuring broken bones, mishaps, and long nightshifts. As long as there is a happily ever after, we want to see them." Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: August 24, 2018.

Alien Dimensions. Genre: Speculative short stories, “Set it in space, in the far future, and include some friendly non-humanoid aliens helping to solve a pseudo-scientific problem.” Payment: US$10.00 for 3500+ words. Deadline: August 24, 2018.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: "Grandparents". Genre: True stories about grandparents. "The moment a grandchild is born, grandparents are born too. Just seeing your baby hold his or her baby is an unbelievable experience. Everyone has a great story about the unconditional love between grandparents and their grandchildren. We are looking for true heartwarming, insightful and humorous stories celebrating grandparents and grandchildren; written by grandmothers and grandfathers about being grandparents and written by grandchildren about their grandmothers and grandfathers. Stories about or by step-grandparents and honorary grandparents are welcomed too." Payment: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2018.

Geek Out! Genre: All genres: "Where queer meets geek. Whatever you geek out about, we want to read it!" Payment: $5 per printed page. Deadline: August 31, 2018.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme of Diversion. Payment: $0.01 per word, minimum of $10. Deadline: August 31, 2018.

Freefall. Restrictions: Canadians only. Genre: Prose and poetry. Prose: Maximum length 4000 words. Fiction: short story & novel excerpts, non-fiction, writing related or general audience topics, creative non-fiction, plays, postcard stories. Poetry: Submit 2-5 poems, any style. Length of any individual poem cannot exceed 6 pages. Payment: For prose, $10.00 per page in the magazine, to a maximum of $100.00 and one copy of issue that your piece is published in. For poetry, $25.00 per poem and one copy of issue that your piece is published in. Payment is made upon publication. Deadline: August 31, 2018.

Filling Station. Genre: Previously unpublished poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, critical non-fiction (about literature and occasionally about visual art), and visual art. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 31, 2018.

SEPTEMBER 2018

Smash Medical Paternalism. Deadline: September 1, 2018.

Release the Virgins. Genre: Short stories that include, somewhere in the story, the phrase “Release the Virgins.” Length: Up to 5,000 words. Payment: 5 cents a word. Deadline: September 1, 2018.

SubTerrain Magazine. Genre: Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, essays, and commentary. Payment: Poetry: $50 per poem; Prose: $.10 per word (to a maximum of $500.) Canadian dollars. Deadline: September 3, 2018. Charges fee for online submissions; no fee for snail mail.

Spirit's Tincture. Genre: Poetry of the supernatural. Payment: $10 per poem. Deadline: September 15, 2018.

Hinnom Magazine. Genres: Science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Payment: $0.005 cents per word with a minimum payment of $5.00 and a maximum cap of $25.00. Deadline: September 15, 2018.

Understorey. Restrictions: Open to writers in Canada who identify as women or non-binary Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry on theme of Age. Payment: $30-$60. Deadline: September 15, 2018.

Eye to the Telescope: Witches. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $0.03/word. Deadline: September 15, 2018.

Arsenika. Genre: All; flash fiction and poetry. Payment: $60 USD for fiction and $30 USD for poetry. Deadline: September 15, 2018.

Splickety: Christmas Abroad. Genre: Flash fiction between 300 and 1000 words. "Give us young adult stories that embrace the holiday spirit in faraway lands. What does Christmas look like in high summer when the family goes to visit their grandfather in Australia? Can an army brat find the Christmas spirit on her third overseas base in three years? What happens when an exchange student in Ecuador finds romance under the mistletoe? We want to see compelling characters, evocative settings, and a hearty dose of Christmas magic." Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: September 21, 2018.

The Puritan. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 per nonfiction piece, $50 fiction, $15 per poem. Deadline: September 25, 2018.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 6 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: September 28, 2018.

An anthology of Dieselpunk and Decopunk Fairy Tales. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Dieselpunk and decopunk are alternative history reimaginings of the WWI and WWII eras beginning with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ending before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I’m looking for tales with the grit of roaring bombers, rumbling tanks, of 'We Can Do It', the Great Depression and old time gangsters or the glamour (real or imagined) of flappers, Hollywood starlets, smoky jazz, elegant cars and Radio City Music Hall." Payment: $50. Deadline: September 30, 2018.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: "More Messages from Heaven". Genre: True stories. "When our loved ones leave this world, our connection with them does not end. Death takes away their physical presence, but not their spirit, and we often sense them after they have gone. Sometimes we see or hear from them after they've passed, giving us signs and messages from beyond. We want to hear your story if you have experienced the other side or received a sign or signal from a loved one who has passed. If you submitted a story for a previous book title and we DID NOT publish it, please do submit it again if you think it will fit in this title. " Payment: $200. Deadline: September 30, 2018.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: "Stories about Angels". Genre: True stories. "Angels are all around us. Have you encountered or been helped by an angel? How did your angel manifest himself or herself? How did your angel help you or someone you know? We are looking for stories from people who believe that they have been helped by angels. If you submitted a story for a previous book title and we DID NOT publish it, please do submit it again if you think it will fit in this title. Please do not send stories about people who are "angels" because they do nice things, and also please do not submit eulogies where you say that your loved one is now an angel." Payment: $200. Deadline: September 30, 2018.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: "Stories about Miracles". Genre: True stories. "Everyone has experienced events in their lives that cause wonder and astonishment and give them hope for a better future. Why did these things happen? We are looking for true stories in this multi-faith book that will awe you with examples of amazing events. Miracles do happen every day. Share your inspirational true stories with us to remind us that each day holds hope and that a miracle can happen at any time. If you submitted a story for a previous book title and we DID NOT publish it, please do submit it again if you think it will fit in this title." Payment: $200. Deadline: September 30, 2018.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: "Stories about My Mom". Genre: True stories. "We are collecting stories and poems written by sons and daughters of all ages about their moms, step-moms, grandmoms or someone that is "like a mom" to you. Tell us what this special person has done for you. Is she always right? Do you still turn to her for advice? Does she annoy you with her advice? Have you become your mom even though you swore you never would? How has your relationship changed as you've gotten older? Share your best stories - ones that will make us laugh, cry, or nod our heads in recognition. We are not looking for general tributes (we know your mom is terrific) nor are we looking for biographies. We are looking for specific anecdotes about you and your mom or stepmom or grandmom." Payment: $200. Deadline: September 30, 2018.

Pseudopod: Artemis Rising. Genre: Horror. "Escape Artists podcasts featuring stories by women and nonbinary authors in genre fiction." Audio format. Payment: 6 cents per word. Deadline: September 30, 2018. Reprints accepted.

GRIMM, GRIT, AND GASOLINE: An anthology of Dieselpunk and Decopunk Fairy Tales. Genre: Speculative fiction/alternative history. Payment: $0.01 per word + contributor copy. Deadline: September 30, 2018.

EVENT. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $25/page. Deadline: September 30, 2018.

Life After All — "an apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic/pastoral apocalyptic LGBTQIA+ anthology — The end of the world is a dark, bleak place. Life is full of grit, misery, and barely scraping by. But if humans excel at anything, it’s making the best of a bad situation, and the end of the world would be no different." Payment: $150.00. Deadline: September 30, 2018.

OCTOBER 2018

American Psychos. Genre: Dark crime, thriller, brutal horror. (This series is about serial killers.) Length: 3500-5500 words. (Word count is somewhat flexible). Payment: $100. Deadline: October 1, 2018.

The Last Line. Genre: Short stories. All stories must end with the last line “I will visit again if I am ever back this way.” Length: 300-5,000 words. Payment: $20-$40. Deadline: October 1, 2018.

Helios Magazine. Theme: “Songs of Yesteryear.” Genres: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. Payment: $0.03 USD per word for the first 1,500 words and $0.01 USD after for short stories, and $0.25 USD a line for poetry. Deadline: October 15, 2018.

Subprimal Poetry Art. Genres: Flash fiction and poetry. "We're looking for work that enables the reader / listener to experience something that they might not otherwise in their regular life and causes them to think. We like pieces that use language in new ways. We have a special fondness for prose poems. Voices outside of the status quo keep us awake at night." Payment: $20. Reprints $10. Deadline: October 16, 2018.

Star Maps & Planets’ Paths: An Anthology of Astrology & Celestial Myths. Genre: Poetry and fiction. Payment: Revenue sharing. Deadline: October 19, 2018.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: "Life Lessons from my Cat". Genre: True stories about cats. "We are working on another wonderful and entertaining collection of stories about cats the lessons that we have learned from our feline family members. We know that our cats can teach us things about life and we know that you have many great stories to share with us. Those stories can be serious or humorous... or both. If you submitted a story for a previous Cat book title and we DID NOT publish it, please do submit it again if you think it will fit in this title." Payment: $200. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

Pseudopod. Genre: Horror. Audio format. Payment: 6 cents per word. Deadline: October 31, 2018. Reprints accepted.

Wolfpack Press. Genre: Short stories. "We crave the wild, weird, wonderful, and witty." Length: Fiction, up to 6000 words, nonfiction up to 5,000 words, also accepts poetry (up to 3 poems per submission). Payment: $15. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

Tech Horror: Kill Switch. Genre: Horror. Length: 2,000-7,000 words. Payment: $10 + digital contributor copy. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

Robbed of Sleep. Genre: Horror. Length: 100 - 4,000 words. Payment: $10 short story, $5 flash fiction. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

The Realm of British Folklore. Genre: Stories and poems for a new anthology that involves British Folklore. Payment: One penny Sterling per word, with a minimum payment of £10 Sterling for poems and very, very short stories. For illustrations, £30 for ‘header’ illustrations to a story, £100 for full page illustrations and £200 for the cover illustration. Deadline: October 31, 2018. Reprints accepted.

Barking Sycamores is a literary journal entirely edited and operated by queer, neurodivergent people of color. Genres: Creative nonfiction. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: October 31, 2018.

NOVEMBER 2018

THEMA. Genre: Short stories, flash fiction, poems, art on theme of "The Critter in the Attic." Payment: short story, $25; short-short piece (up to 1000 words), $10; poem, $10; artwork, $25 for cover, $10 for interior page display. Deadline: November 1, 2018. Reprints accepted.

The First Line. Genre: Short story with the first line: "As she trudged down the alley, Cenessa saw a small _________________. [Fill in the blank.]." Also, critical essays about your favorite first line from a literary work. Length: 300-5,000 words for fiction, 500-800 words for nonfiction. Payment: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $5-10 for poetry. Deadline: November 1, 2018.

Spring Song Press: Steam and Lace Anthology. Genre: Speculative fiction,fantasy. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: November 1, 2018.

Hinnom Magazine. Genres: Science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Payment: $0.005 cents per word with a minimum payment of $5.00 and a maximum cap of $25.00. Deadline: November 15, 2018.

Lamplight. Genre: Dark fiction. Length: Up to 7,000 words. Payment: 3 cents per word. Deadline: November 15, 2018. Reprints accepted at 1 cent per word.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: "Life Lessons from my Dog". Genre: True stories about dog. "We are working on another wonderful and entertaining collection of stories about dogs the lessons that we have learned from our canine family members. We know that our dogs can teach us things about life and we know that you have many great stories to share with us. Those stories can be serious or humorous... or both. If you submitted a story for a previous Dog book title and we DID NOT publish it, please do submit it again if you think it will fit in this title." Payment: $200. Deadline: November 30, 2018.

Martian Migraine Press: Monstrous Outlines. Genre: Speculative fiction, "an anthology of horror and weird fiction with a focus on the theme of camouflage: people, entities, monsters, gods, even concepts, that masquerade as things other than themselves." Payment: .03CAD per word, via Paypal, as well as a contributor copy (paperback) of the anthology, and copies in all electronic formats (mobi, EPUB, and PDF). Deadline: November 30, 2018.

Twelfth Planet Press. Genre: Speculative fiction novellas. Payment: Advance of US$300 and royalties of 40% of all monies received by the publisher. Length: 17, 000 - 40,000 words. Deadline: November 30, 2018.

DECEMBER 2018

Eternal Haunted Summer: The Dark Spirits of Winter. Genre: Original poetry and short fiction about the Gods and Goddesses and heroes of the world’s many Pagan traditions. Also reviews, interviews, and essays. "We’re looking for poems about Father Frost, Jack Frost, the Snow Queen, and Old Man Winter. We want short stories about Boreas the Northern Wind, Cailleach Bheur, and Frau Holle. We want essays about Khione, Krampus, and Saturn. Alternatively, send us a piece about the “shadow side” of Deities and spirits associated with the holiday, such as Ganesh (Pancha Ganapati), Mithras, and Sol Invictus (Dies Natalis Sol Invictus)." Payment: $5. Deadline: December 1, 2018.

Copper Nickel. Genres: poetry, fiction, essays, and translation. Payment: $30 per printed page. Deadline: December 15, 2018.

Arsenika. Genre: All; flash fiction and poetry. Payment: $60 USD for fiction and $30 USD for poetry. Deadline: June 15, 2018.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 6 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: December 28, 2018.

Sigil House E-Shorts. Genre: Short stories, all genres. Length: between 2,000 and 15,000 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 30, 2018. Reprints accepted.

Year's Best Hardcore Horror. Genre: Horror. Length: Up to 6,000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: December 30, 2018. Reprints accepted.

Allegory. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: December 31, 2018.

Red Room Press: Year's Best Hardcore Horror. Genre: Horror. Payment: 1 cent a word for reprint rights ($60 max). Deadline: December 31, 2018.

Don't Cry to Mama. Genre: Horror short stories. Length: Between 2,500 and 6,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 31, 2018.

3288 Review. Restrictions: Open to current or former residents of West Michigan, or people who have some significant connection to the West Michigan region. Genres: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Payment: $25 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2018.

Pink Triangle Rhapsody. This is an anthology open to gay male writers only. The Pink Triangle Rhapsody series is a non-themed anthology series, with the exception of the required genre and inclusion of one or more of Lycan Valley’s required elements. The series is intended to be a collection of stories written with “effusively rapturous or emotional expression. Each story must include a supernatural, paranormal or occult element (horror may include psychological horror with or without one of the other elements).” Payment: $0.04 per word based on final published word count. Deadline: December 31, 2018.

Workers Write! More Tales from the Classroom. Genre: Stories and poems from educational settings. "We're looking for fiction about teachers, counselors, admins, school librarians, principals, janitors - anyone who works in a school or classroom setting." Length: 500-5,000 words. Payment: $5-50. Deadline: December 31, 2018, or until filled.

JANUARY 2019

The Children of Clark Ashton Smith. Genre: Fantasy inspired by CAS. Payment: One penny Sterling per word, with a minimum payment of £10 Sterling for poems and very, very short stories. For illustrations, £30 for ‘header’ illustrations to a story, £100 for full page illustrations and £200 for the cover illustration. Deadline: January 31, 2019. Reprints accepted.

EVENT. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $25/page. Deadline: January 31, 2019.

JUNE 2019

Allegory. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 30, 2019.