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

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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New Pages

Poets & Writers

Trish Hopkinson

The Poetry Kit

Funds for Writers

Horror Tree

Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP)

Calls for Submissions (Facebook group)

Erika Dreifus - monthly newsletter with writing contests, calls for submissions, and more

Angelique Fawns publishes a very informative list of monthly submission calls, including tips for submissions. All are paying markets.

Angela Carr publishes calls for submissions every month on her blog, A Dreaming Skin.

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

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

Erika Krouse has an excellent ranked list of 500 literary magazines. http://www.erikakrousewriter.com/erika-krouses-ocd-ranking-of-483-literary-magazines-for-short-fiction/#ranking

TOP 1000 LITERARY MAGAZINES. This database includes more than 1000 literary magazines publishing fiction and/or creative non-fiction. Magazines publishing genre fiction and those with geographical restrictions tend not to be included.

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Also see:

325 Paying Markets for Short Stories, Poetry, Nonfiction

185 Literary Magazines Accepting Reprints

109 Paying Markets for Flash Fiction

65 Places to Publish Novellas and Long Short Stories - Paying markets

Mega-List of Paying Markets for Horror, Dark Fiction and Poetry

Mega-List of Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazines - Paying markets

Mega-List of University Literary Journals Accepting Submissions in Fiction, Poetry, Art, CNF

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NO DEADLINE

Short Story Substack accepts one short story every month. Genre: All genres. Word count 6,000 - 10,000 words. Payment: Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Reprints accepted.

Poetry Substack accepts one poem every month. Genre: Poem. Must have a rhyme scheme or a rhythm scheme. No blank verse or free verse. Payment: Base Pay of $10 for the chosen poem + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Reprints accepted.

Rattle: Poets Respond. Rattle publishes a poem online each Sunday that responds to a news story or public event from the previous week, and has been written in the time since.Selected poems will appear as the Sunday poem at Rattle.com, with occasional extra poems Tuesday or Thursday, which are fed to over 10,000 people via our RSS feed and daily email service. Payment: Poets will receive $100 and a complimentary subscription to the print magazine. Deadline: The deadline for each week is Friday at midnight PST. The poems must respond to news that occurred in the previous week, and have been written in the time since.

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. They only accept Australians.

Strange Horizons is open to speculative fiction submissions between Monday 1600 UTC and Tuesday 1600 UTC, every week of the year except during the month of December.

The Hungur Chronicles. Genre: Horror. Vampires or creatures with vampiric themes. Payment: The pay for original stories is $25.00; for reprints, $12.00. Payment for poems is $5. The pay for illustrations is $8.00. The payment for articles is $10. The pay for cover art is $25.00.

The Dark The Dark publishes dark fantasy and horror. "Don’t be afraid to experiment or to deviate from the ordinary; be different—try us with fiction that may fall out of “regular” categories. However, it is also important to understand that despite the name, The Dark is not a market for graphic, violent horror." Length: 2,000 – 6,000 words. Payment: 6 cents/word for original fiction up to 6,000 words on publication for first world rights; and 1 cent/word for reprint fiction up to 6,000 words on publication for nonexclusive reprint rights. Deadline: Open now.

Et Sequitur. "We are open to all genres, from literary to speculative and everything in between. Our only requirement is that your submission in some way connect with the latest Et Sequitur story, be that in character (minor, major, protagonist, antagonist), setting (neighborhood, world, workplace, house -- even a certain object could work, if it's featured prominently), or theme. Be creative! Continue the story, tell a side-character's story, take the theme and twist it in a new way. In the submission form, you'll be asked to identify which element of the previous story you've chosen to incorporate in your own." Submissions for the next issue will open once the previous issue is published (expected to be the first day of every-other month). They will temporarily close when a story has been chosen for the next issue. Payment: $25.

Assemble Artifacts is looking for stories of wonder and suspense. "We prefer stories of at least 5,000 words, but are open to longer and shorter works. Please include a one to three sentence pitch of your story, and an author bio with your submission. We are open to writers of all levels of experience." Payment: 8-10 cents per word for short fiction.

Backyard Earth is a "round the world" series of books. The idea is that they will make five books - one for each continent (more or less). Each book will contain one story for every country on that continent. Submissions will stay open until they have a full complement. Short fiction only. Payment: $25.

Starry E yed Press: 224-Verse. Genre: Space opera, 2,000 words to novel length. Payment: Royalty split. Read guidelines here.

The SFWA Blog is open to pitches for original nonfiction articles on topics that might be of interest to new and/or established creators of science fiction and fantasy. SFWA welcomes pitches from both members and nonmembers; Black, Indigenous, and other writers of color, as well as writers of other under-represented identities, are encouraged to submit article pitches. Payment: 10 cents/word.

Electric Literature's essays examine books and culture through a personal and critical lens. "We prefer full submissions on spec but accept detailed pitches as well. Instead, email a detailed pitch to editors@electricliterature.com with the subject line [ESSAY PITCH]. Pitches should describe the subject matter of the essay (which must be about books, writing, storytelling or narrative media like movies, games, and TV) and give a sense of the argument you plan to make or the story you plan to tell. We welcome thoughtful considerations of new releases, overlooked classics, childhood favorites—anything that can illuminate or be illuminated by the human experience. Requests for Electric Literature to cover your book or your client's book are not considered pitches. If your story is immediately time-sensitive or news-responsive, indicate this in your subject line; otherwise, please wait at least a week to follow up." Payment: $100.

Farrago Books is an imprint of Duckworth Press (UK). Farrago’s tagline is “fiction to make you smile”. All of the work they publish, from mysteries to science fiction, have humor at the core. They do not publish memoir.

Cornice. Genre: Stories about somebody doing something. "Struggle, challenge, and danger are at the heart of our favourite stories. We equally prize any work that is centred on oddball characters, or which makes us laugh." Payment: $40 USD.

Scorched Earth Press: Cars Against Humanity! Genre: Nonfiction pieces whose goal is to illuminate the many ways in which cars, and the infrastructure built to support them, constrict (human) life. "We want the essays in this volume to help readers understand the deadly automotive ecologies that have emerged around the world over the past century." Payment: $50.

The Mantelpiece. Genre: Fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Online and print. Payment: 0.1 EUR per word for the first 1000 words and 0.04 EUR for every oonsubsequent word, with a minimum payment of 40 EUR.

Pillow Talking (Podcast). Genre: First person, narrative/creative nonfiction stories of real-life bedroom conversations. Payment: $25AUD.

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

Sally Port Magazine: Making the Choice. Genre: Fantasy. Payment: 5 cents/word.

Masters Review: New Voices. Restrictions: Open to writers who have not published a full-length work (a short story collection is OK) Genre: Narrative nonfiction and fiction, book reviews, interviews, and craft essays. Payment: $50 - $100.

Flame Tree Press Newsletter. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: 8 cents/word for originals, 6 cents/word for reprints. Note: Those submitting must sign up for their newsletter.

Iterant. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50.

Jay Henge: Pharmacopeia Obscura: The August Doctor’s Notes. Genre: "We seek stories of speculative medicine: ancient treatments with unforeseen side effects, sentient diseases, experimental therapies, uncanny medical devices, or practitioners whose ethics and methods straddle the line between genius and madness. Think: surgical sorcery, pharmaceutical horror, future bioware, medieval apothecaries with secrets, or cosmic parasites only the Doctor understands. Tone can range from dark and eerie to surreal and satirical—but all submissions should have an edge of the uncanny. We are not looking for stories with excessive gore." Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words. Open until filled.

Clockwork Oceans and Lunar Dreams: A Vernean Odyssey. Genre: "We’re seeking tales of ingenious inventions, daring journeys, scientific marvels, and unforgettable discoveries—stories that celebrate curiosity, exploration, and the thrill of the unknown. From submarine voyages and aerial expeditions to hidden worlds and impossible machines, we want narratives filled with momentum, wonder, and imagination. Peril may lurk, but this anthology leans toward adventure rather than despair—awe over darkness, discovery over dread. Payment: $5 USD per 1000 words. Open until filled.

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Prose. They prefer stories under 3,000 words. Payment: $100. Deadline: Free submissions open on the 1st of each month and close when cap is reached.

Poetry Sango-Ota. Restrictions: Open to African poets. Genre: Poetry. "We are interested in poems with a keen connection to a sense of place, nature, or otherworldly geographies." Payment: N10,000 (ten thousand naira) per poem. Open from the 1st to the 10th of every month.

Frontier Poetry: New Voices. Restrictions: Submissions are open to new and emerging poets only (no more than one full-length published work forthcoming at the time of submission. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50.

Bad Day Book. Genre: Poetry and prose. See site for themes. Payment: $40 - $75, depending on length.

Thinking Ink Press. Genre: Speculative fiction novels and novellas and nonfiction. "We’re most interested in speculative fiction relating to our mission: To amplify disabled, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, and other historically under-recognized voices." Payment: Advance and royalties. Open to submissions in the months of January, April, and July.

Another Jane Pratt Thing. Genre: "It Happened to Me" Your Turn. What Happened to You, Sweetie?
We want to hear your stories, no matter how mundane, no matter how unhinged. Payment: $50.

Dark Moments Patreon Monthly Challenge. Genre: Dark fiction flash fiction (Word count: 100 to 2000). Payment: 4 cents/word. Monthly call.

Hollow Oak: Acorns. Genre: Speculative flash fiction. Length: 1,000-1,500 words. Payment: $5. Monthly call.

University of Queensland Press has launched the careers of many celebrated Australian writers, such as David Malouf, Peter Carey, Kate Grenville, Doris Pilkington and Nick Earls. Originally founded as a traditional university press, UQP has since branched into publishing books for general readers in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, Indigenous writing and youth literature. UQP publishes books across the following categories: non-fiction (history, politics, current affairs, biography and memoir, environmental issues), literary fiction, including short stories, children’s and young adult (YA) books (fiction and non-fiction), poetry. 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. Open the first seven days of every month.

Environmental Holocaust. Genre: Speculative fiction. "We are looking for stories about the future if the environment continues to decay. For the most part, we want stories that look at the grim aspects of our environmental future, but we will also consider stories that look at us overcoming our difficulties and creating a better planet." Payment: Stories between 2,500 and 10,000 words will receive $25 on publication. Stories over 10,000 words will receive $40 on publication.

Cozy in the Apocalypse. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry "hoping to create contrasting emotions with apocalyptic settings, we require pieces that capture the interplay of two specific different themes in this call: cozy and apocalypse." Payment: $20 per poem and $25 per short story or flash. Open until filled.

Shacklebound Books. Genre: Dark speculative fiction anthologies, various calls. Payment: $10. Open until filled.

Rotting Leaf Mag. Genre: Eco-fiction, all genres. Payment: $0.06/word ($30 minimum) + contributor copy of annual anthology. Length: 1500 words max. Opens the first seven days of the month and closes when they reach capacity.

No Cause For Alarm Anthology. Genre: Fiction. "Write us a story in which catastrophe has been absorbed into the fabric of ordinary life. Not catastrophe as plot, but as background." Payment: Flash: £10 flat fee. Short fiction: £25. Paid on publication. Open until filled.

The Slush Pile. Genre: Fiction. We want the works that you love unashamedly despite the fact that they have been ignored or rejected far too many times. Send us your stories with at least fifty rejections." Payment: Flash: £10 flat fee. Short fiction: £25. Paid on publication. Open until filled.

Pinko Press. Genre: Novels, all genres. 40,000 words minimum. Payment: Royalties. Open until filled.

JUNE 2026

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: 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 cap is reached.

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.

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.

Flame Tree: The Book of Demons. Genre: Horror on theme: Demons. Payment: 8 cents/word. 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.

Texas Review. Genre: Adventurous, experimental, cutting edge prose. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 15, 2026.

In a Flash: Recipes. Genre: Creative nonfiction of 500 words or less. See theme. Payment: $25. 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.

Crooked Spine. Genre: Horrror. Payment: $20 for fiction of 1,500-3,500 words, and $5 for poetry. Deadline: June 17, 2026.

Occult Detective Magazine: Folk Horror Special #1. Genre: Folk Horror. Length: 5,000-10,000 words. Payment: £25 for reprints, £0.01 up to £50 for originals. Deadline: June 19, 2026. Accepts reprints.

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

Barrelhouse. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 21, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

The Ghastling. Genre: Ghost stories. Payment: £15. Deadline: June 22, 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.

ONE. Genre: Horror, which can be blended with sci-fi, fantasy, romance, comedy. Payment: $.05/word (CAN), 2,000 to 4,000 words. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Chthonic Matter Quarterly. Genre: Tales from the darkside. Payment: $10 per 1K words, and one contributor copy. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: $100 for each original story. $36 for reprints. Deadline: June 30, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

Short Story, Long. Genre: Short stories, 2k-8k words long (3,000-5,500 range preferred). Payment: $150. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Bruce Boston Tribute Poetry Anthology. Genre: Poetry. Poems should be in the style, theme, atmosphere, context, etc. of Bruce’s writing. Payment: $4 for original poems and $2 for reprints. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Jurassic Ghosts. Genre: Dinosaur ghost stories. "Paranormal hauntings plague our province of Alberta. When a life ends in violence, ghosts are sure to wander the land looking for justice and revenge. Some of these ghosts are not human but rather the giant beings and beasts of a prehistoric era. What unfinished business do they have?" Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

The Lavender South. Restrictions: Open to queer and trans Southerners. Genre: Personal essay, poem, or art piece. Payment: $150. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Tractor Beam. Genre: Soilpunk speculative fiction. See theme. Payment: $1,000 for stories and graphic novellas up to 6,000 words. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Fear in Dust: Ghosts. Genre: Horror poetry. See theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 30, 2026. (Or until filled)

Belanger Books: The Detective And The Ghost Finder – The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes And Carnacki. Genre: Short fiction tales which must feel like traditional Holmes and Carnacki stories. The stories should have the canonical Holmes and Carnacki working together to solve a mystery, set in their natural late Victorian/Edwardian period. Payment: $100. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Escape Pod. Genre: Science fiction (Audio and written format). Theme: Democratic Futures. Payment: USD $0.08 per word for original fiction. USD $100 per story for reprint fiction. Deadline: June 30, 2026.

Migrant Voices in Horror. Restrictions: First- and second-generation migrant poets identifying as women, trans, and/or non-binary are invited to submit work that offers an inclusive, expansive, and feminist perspective on the horror genre. Genre: A chapbook of work by migrant poets from and living around the world. Payment: $50 per poem. 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.

Prairie Fire. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction. Payment: CAD0.10/word up to CAD250 for prose. 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.

JULY 2026

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.

A Public Space. Genre: Fiction, essays, poetry, as well as graphic and hybrid work. Payment: Honorarium. Deadline: July 1, 2026.

Monstrously Misguided Anthology. Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Speculative, Dark Humour, Weird Fiction, Slipstream, Light Sci‑Fi. Theme: Creatures, legends, and monsters… but not as you’ve ever seen them before. Payment: 2.5 cents per word. Deadline: July 1, 2026.

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.

Dark Ink: Movie Horror Themed Anthology. Genre: Horror centered on movies, filmmaking, and the act of watching films—where cinema itself becomes the doorway to terror.” Payment: $20. Deadline: July 1, 2026.

Raconteur Press: Buck Yeah!. Genre: Short stories. Buck Rogers enters the public domain this year! We’re looking for new tales from the Buck Rogers universe. Rocket ships! Astonishing adventures 500 years into the future! Anti-gravity belts, rocket guns, disintegration beams! Length: 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 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: July 4, 2026. Open to submissions the first three days of every month.

Liars’ League. Genre: Short stories. Length: 800-2,000 words. See theme. Payment: £20, reading of your story by a professional actor, as well as podcast, video and online publication of your work. Deadline: July 5, 2026.

Thirty West Publishing. Genre: Full-length poetry, fiction, short story collections, essay collections, CNF, novellas. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 5, 2026.

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

Anodyne. Genre: Fiction, CNF, Poetry, Art, Photography, Video, Music on theme of Health. Payment: Revenue sharing. Deadline: July 7, 2026. (Submissions are free the first seven days of the month.)

Space & 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: July 7, 2026.

Baneberry. Genre: Literary horror. Length: 500 - 7000 words. Payment: $500. Deadline: July 8, 2026.

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

The Orange & Bee. Genre: 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: July 14, 2026.

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

Strange Pilgrims. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction. “We’re not married to any genre, structure, or subject. We love surreal, speculative, and fabulist stories; unhinged, lyric, and fragmented essays; voice-driven experimental narratives and slow-burn realism; cultural and literary criticism; hyper-intellectual riffs and children’s stories — so long as they move." Payment: $50 for flash prose, $200 for longer works. Deadline: July 15, 2026.

In a Flash: Recipes. Genre: Creative nonfiction of 500 words or less. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: July 15, 2026.

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

Augur Magazine. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $0.14 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (1000+ words), and a flat fee of $112.00 per flash fiction piece (1000 words and under); $100 per poem. Deadline: July 15, 2026.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. See theme. Payment: 5 cents/word, up to $25. Deadline: July 15, 2026.

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

Scrawl Place is part visitor’s guide, part literary journal. Genre: Work that explores places in Chicago. Payment: $40. Deadline: July 15, 2026.

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

Black Hare Press. Genre: Dark stories, in any genre. Length: 5,000 - 50,000 words. See theme. Payment: $20. Deadline: July 19, 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: July 21, 2026. Extended deadline only for BIPOC, trans, and/or disabled authors.

The Deadlands. Genre: Poetry. "The Deadlands exists in liminal spaces between life, death, and elsewhere. We are looking for fiction that concerns itself with death—but also everything death may involve." Payment: $50. Deadline: July 21, 2026. Accepts reprints.

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: July 25, 2026.

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

Raconteur Press: The Spy Who Conjured Me. Genre: Short stories. The Cold War was not just between the US and USSR, but literally between the side of angels and the side of demons. A spy planting a haunted listening device in an enemy embassy finds that the ghost inside it has his own ideas. Codewords that are also magic spells, assassins using curses, and undead drops. Espionage with magical elements. Length: 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

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

Whitaker Lyon Press: Meet Virginia – A Romance Anthology. Genre: Short romance fiction. Length: 1,500-7,500 words. See theme. Payment: $20. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

Exquisite Engines. Genre: Streampunk. See theme. Payment: $20. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

Scylla: The Monstrous & The Divine Sapphic Anthology. Restrictions: Authors must be female identifying or non-binary; and the main character/s must be sapphic/wlw. Genre: Short and flash fiction, poetry. See theme. Payment: AUD0.10/word up to AUD400 for original fiction; up to AUD100 for reprints. Deadline: July 31, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Only Poems: Poet of the Week. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $100. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

Locative Magazine. Restrictions: Open to Australian residents. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $30. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

Zine Machine. Genre: Mini zines. Payment: $20. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

Ink in Thirds. Genre: Poetry, prose (up to 600 words), art. Payment: $5. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

ECHO Small Press Books accepts full length novel submissions from teens (ages 13 - 19) and publishes one book a year. Genre: YA. Length: Between 40 and 100 thousand words. Payment: Advance and Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

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

Hellbound Books Anthology of Psychological Horror. Genre: Psychological Horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

Nine Pens. Restrictions: Open to people in the UK or Ireland. Genre: Poetry pamphlets. Payment: Royalies. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

parABnormal. Genre: Nonfiction, poetry on the paranormal. "For us, this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores." Payment: $25.00 for original stories, $7.00 for reprints. $10.00 for each poem. $20.00 for original articles, $6.00 for reprints. $7.00 for reviews and interviews. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

New Myths. Genre: Speculative fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: 3 cents/word with a minimum payment of $50 for all submissions, fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction and poetry; $50 for book reviews; $80 for art. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

A Midnight Kind of Place Anthologies. Genre: Horror. See themes. Payment: £30 for originals. Deadline: July 31, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Slashic Horror Press. Genre: LGBTQ horror manuscripts. Length: 30,000 to 90,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

khōréō. Restrictions: Open to writers who identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. "This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, transnational/transracial adoptees, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. We especially encourage BIPOC creators who identify as the above to submit their work." Genre: Stories and art: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. Payment: 0.10/word for fiction, $100 for nonfiction, and $40-300 for art. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

Dragon Soul Press: MIDNIGHT BITES. Genre: Horror across all genres. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2026.

The London Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: July 31, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

AUGUST 2026

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

Dark Waters. Genre: Dark fiction. See theme. Payment: Up to $25. Deadline: August 1, 2026.

IHRAM Press. Genre: Poetry, fiction, esssays, art. Theme:We are opening submissions for an issue dedicated to amplifying the voices of women of colour, including transgender women and women living across cultures as expats, migrants, or in diasporic communities. Payment: $50 for writing, $25 for art. Deadline: August 1, 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: August 4, 2026. Open to submissions the first three days of every month.

Abyss and Apex. Genre: Speculative fiction. No horror. Payment: USD $.08/word (eight cents a word) up to 1,000 words, and a flat payment of $80.00 for longer stories. Deadline: August 7, 2026.

Raconteur Press: Hold-My-Beer Heroes. Genre: Short stories. Hold-My-Beer Heroes plays with the "superiority theory" concept of comedy. The author and the reader are in on the joke of the overconfident everyman thrust into a situation they have no business surviving, but somehow manage to end up winning the day. The ever- predictable train-wreck unfolds in real time. Length: 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 14, 2026.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: August 14, 2026.

Luna Station Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to women writers only. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $10. Deadline: August 15, 2026.

Inkd Publishing: Cthulu: Awakens. Genre: Lovecraftian horror. Word Limit: 2,000 to 6,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 15, 2026.

In a Flash: Recipes. Genre: Creative nonfiction of 500 words or less. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 15, 2026.

The Lorelei Signal. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, and poetry with strong female characters. Payment: $15 for short stories, $5 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces, $5 for reprints. Deadline: August 15, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Nonbinary Review. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose; up to 3 pages for poetry. See theme. Payment: $0.01/word for prose, $10 for poetry. $25 flat fee for visual art, or $50 for pieces chosen as cover art. Deadline: August 31, 2026. Accepts reprints.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ stories, 5,000 - 9,500 words. See themes. Payment: $30. Deadline: August 31, 2026.

Escape Pod. Genre: Science fiction (Audio and written format). Payment: USD $0.08 per word for original fiction. USD $100 per story for reprint fiction. Deadline: August 31, 2026. Reprints accepted.

Passing Strange: Queer Weird Arthurian Tales. Genre: Queer Arthuran stories. Word count: Between 3,000 and 10,000 words. Payment: A rate of $0.05 USD per word to a maximum of $500 USD will be offered. $200 for art. Deadline: August 31, 2026.

Hellbound Books Anthology of Body Horror. Genre: Body Horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 31, 2026.

Hellbound Books Anthology of Found Footage Horror. Genre: Found Footage Horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 31, 2026.

Hellbound Books Anthology of Technological Horror. Genre: Technological Horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 31, 2026.

Propel Disability Poetry Book Series. Restrictions: Open to disabled poets. Genre: Poetry. Payment: Royalties. One poet wins a $2000 prize. Deadline: August 31, 2026.

Cast of Wonders. Restrictions: Open to young authors. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. 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: August 31, 2026.

Dragon Soul Press: ONCE UPON A TALE. Genre: Fairytale retellings across all genres. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2026.

Dragon Soul Press: CURSES & CRYSTALS. Genre: Witch-themed stories across all genres. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul. Genre: True humorous stories. "Share your funny stories about something that happened to you in your life – in your relationship with a partner or spouse, a parent or child, a family member or friend, at work or at home – that made you and the people around you laugh out loud. Did you mean for it to be funny? Did the other person mean to make you laugh? Did a situation just get out of control? Did a misunderstanding turn into a comedy of errors?" Payment: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2026.

Slapshots in Space & Magical Marathons: A Speculative Sports Anthology. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme: Sports. Payment: $50/story, flat rate. $20 per poem. Deadline: August 31, 2026.

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 August 24-31.

SEPTEMBER 2026

Philadelphia Stories. Restrictions: Open to authors living in, or originally from, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or New Jersey. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. Payment: $50. Deadline: September 1, 2026.

The Cincinnati Review. Genre: Literary nonfiction (up to 20 pages), fiction (up to 40 pages), poetry, poetry translations, drama, and art. Payment: $25/page for prose in the journal, $30/page for poetry, $25 for miCRo posts or special features. Deadline: Opens September 1, 2026. Note: Opens on the first day of the month and closes once they hit the submissions cap.

Pacific Northwest Gothic. Restrictions: Open to current residents of Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and British Columbia. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art "that explore the region’s shadowed forests, coastal fog, urban isolation, and the quiet unease that lingers beneath its natural beauty." Payment: $25. Deadline: September 1, 2026.

Teach. Write. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, flash fiction, poetry, CNF. "I prefer writing that is either written by composition teachers and writing students OR about teaching and learning." Payment: $15. Deadline: September 1, 2026.

University of Wisconsin Press. Genre: Novels, short story collections, and works in translation. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: September 1, 2026.

Raconteur Press: Giant Killer Kaiju. Genre: Short stories. “Daishikyuu hinan shite kudasai!” Take shelter, please! The kaiju are back and ready to rumble. See mankind’s desperate defenders pull out all the stops before there’s no planet Earth left! Wonder at the sheer size and power of all manner of giant beasts! Ponder the mysteries of time and space, like how do these things get around the inverse square law? Length: 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: September 4, 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: September 4, 2026. Open to submissions the first three days of every month.

#EnbyLife Journal: Tribute, Restrictions: Open to non-binary and gender diverse creatives only. Genre: Poetry, microfiction (under 100 words), and art. See theme. Payment: $30 AUD. Deadline: September 7, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: September 11, 2026.

Penumbric. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art, animation, and music. Payment: $10. Deadline: September 15, 2026.

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

The Green Sheaf. Restrictions: Open to female and gender-fluid writers over 50. Genre: Flash fiction and poetry on theme: The Crone. Payment: $50. Deadline: September 18, 2026.

Translunar Travelers Lounge. Restrictions: September 15 - 21 is reserved for writers of color. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $0.03 per word with a minimum of $20. Deadline: September 21, 2026.

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

DILIM Press: Sirena's Song. Genre: Tales of thalassophobia, oceanic terror, underwater kingdoms, origins of the Yonaguni monument, creatures from Lemuria, musical echoes in the depths, or the dance of the stars in the heavens. See theme. Payment: $0.07/word for originals. Deadline: September 30, 2026.

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: 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: September 30, 2026. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early.

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

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ stories, 5,000 - 9,500 words. See theme. Payment: $30. Deadline: September 30, 2026.

Cast of Wonders. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. 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: September 30, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Married/couples stories. Genre: Nonfiction. Married? In a long-term relationship? We know you have stories! Share the ups and downs, the funniest moments, the most romantic moments, and all your tips and advice for other couples. We want to know how you got together and how you stay together! Payment: $200. Deadline: September 30, 2026.

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

Myths and Legends. Genre: Stories based in the world and legends of Robin Hood. Payment: $50 for original fiction, $20 for reprints. Deadline: September 30, 2026.

The London Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: September 30, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

The Haiku Shack Anthology. Genre: Haiku. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: September 30, 2026.

OCTOBER 2026

Sundog. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art. Payment: $50. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2026, and closes when they reach capacity.

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

The Last Line. Genre: Fiction that ends with the last line provided. Payment: $20-$40. Deadline: October 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: October 1, 2026.

Gordon Square Review. Genre: Poetry, short stories, personal essays, and hybrid prose works. Payment: $25 per prose piece and $10 per poem. Deadline: October 1, 2026.

Delirious Doubles. Genre: Science fiction of at least 5,000 words that have pirates as their main characters. Payment: $30. Deadline: October 1, 2026.

Raconteur Press: The Wyrd, Wyrd, World of Sports. Genre: Short stories. Take me out to the ballgame, take me up through the clouds… Put a cursed jersey upon my back, I don’t care if it turns my soul black! It’s a friendly game or a death match. Magic is part of the dream. You have one, two, three wishes left for the Wyrd Sports team! Length: 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 2, 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: October 4, 2026. Open to submissions the first three days of every month.

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

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

Rattle: Tribute to Youth Poet Laureates. Genre: Poetry. "We invite previously uncurated poems from current or former Youth Poet Laureates at any level. The poems may be any length or subject, but together they reflect how this growing cohort is writing and shaping contemporary poetry." Payment: Contributors to the print magazine receive $200 and a complimentary one-year subscription. Poems for "Online" categories receive $100. Deadline: October 15, 2026.

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: October 15, 2026.

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

Indie Novella. Genre: Debut works that align with our mission to amplify underrepresented narratives, with particular focus on: Working-class writers and narratives. Writers from marginalised communities - LGBTQ+, neurodiverse, Black, Asian, and diaspora voices in the UK. Stories addressing mental health. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 16, 2026.

Seaside Gothic. Genre: Seaside gothic fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or a collection of photographs or illustrations. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: October 18, 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: October 21, 2026. Extended deadline only for BIPOC, trans, and/or disabled authors.

Neon Hemlock Novella Series. Genre: Speculative fiction novellas. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 30, 2026.

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

Glass Poetry Press. Genre: Poetry chapbook. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2026.

Nashville Review. Genre: 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: October 31, 2026.

Zine Machine. Genre: Mini zines. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 31, 2026.

Lucky Jefferson: Awake. Restrictions: Open to Black Writers and Artists. Genre: Poetry, prose, essays, art on theme. Payment: $25 - $50. Deadline: October 31, 2026.

SpecPoVerse. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $5. Deadline: October 31, 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: October 31, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

Trollbreath Magazine. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. Payment: 4 cents/word. 1/2 cent/word for reprints. Deadline: October 31, 2026. Accepts reprints.

Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series. Restrictions: Open to any individual living in the U.S. who identifies as an immigrant and who either (i) was born in another country, (ii) has at least one parent who was born in another country (iii) is a refugee, or (iv) lives in the United States under Asylum or a Protection Program, such as TPS or DACA. Genre: Books of poetry, prose (fiction or nonfiction), and hybrid texts of poetry and prose. Payment: In addition to publication, marketing, and a standard royalties contract from Black Lawrence Press, authors chosen for the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series will receive a travel stipend of $500, which can be used for book tours or in any manner chosen by the authors. Deadline: October 31, 2026.

NOVEMBER

Alocacia is now seeking new unpublished queer-authored creative writing for our upcoming EcoFutures issue, to be published December 2026. We are looking for poetry and prose that engages with environmental futures, futurisms, and aesthetics toward new ways of surviving and thriving alongside our natural worlds and natural relations. We’re interested in liberatory systems, anti-colonial lenses, and infinite possibilities." Payment: $50. Deadline: November 11, 2026.

Raconteur Press: Deep Blue. Genre: Short stories. Hard science. The cutting edge of technology: that’s what humanity will need to explore what lies in the depths of the ocean. The blue waters give way to the black the deeper you go, and the pressure will kill you faster than the lack of oxygen. Length: 5,000 to 8,000 words. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 12, 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: November 4, 2026. Open to submissions the first three days of every month.

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

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

The Fiddlehead. Restrictions: Canadians only. Genre: Fiction, including excerpts from novels, creative nonfiction, art, poetry. Payment: $60 CAD per published page. Deadline: November 30, 2026.

The London Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: November 30, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

Black Fox Literary Magazine. Genre: Fiction, CNF, poetry, art. Payment: $20. Deadline: November 30, 2026.

Nimrod. Genre: Fiction poetry. Payment: $20 per poem and page of prose, with a $300 maximum. Deadline: November 30, 2026. Closes when cap is reached.

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: 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: November 30, 2026. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early.

DECEMBER 2026

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

Ninth Letter. Genre: "We are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work." Payment: $25 per printed page, with a maximum payment of $150. Deadline: No submission fee during December.

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

Delirious Doubles. Genre: Science fiction stories of at least 5,000 words that are set in a dystopia. Payment: $30. Deadline: December 31, 2026.

Workers Write! Genre: Fiction and poetry from the point of view of rideshare drivers; seasonal agricultural, warehouse, or retail workers; independent contractors and freelancers; consultants; office or school temp workers - basically any nonpermanent employee who works outside full-time employment. Payment: $10 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2026.

Afterimages. Genre: Literary fiction, flash fiction, reviews, memoirs, CNF. Payment: $5 - $15. Deadline: December 31, 2026.

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: December 31, 2026. Submit early to avoid submission fee.

2027

Ink in Thirds. Genre: Poetry, prose (up to 600 words), art. Payment: $5. Deadline: January 31, 2027.

Zine Machine. Genre: Mini zines. Payment: $20. Deadline: January 31, 2027.

DILIM Press: Under the Volacno. Genre: "We look for pieces from the perspective of the natural world, of those living under the mountain, of phantasms made of ash, of the aftermath of Pinatubo, of what might happen when we use volcanic energy to transform it into something new." See theme. Payment: $0.07/word for originals. Deadline: February 28, 2027.

foofaraw anthology. Genre: Speculative and literary fiction. See theme. Payment: Fiction: $0.01 per word. Poetry: $5.00. Deadline: March 31, 2027.

Dragon Soul Poetry Anthology. Genre: Poetry. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2027.

Zine Machine. Genre: Mini zines. Payment: $20. Deadline: April 30, 2027.

Dragon Soul Drabbles. Genre: Horror Drabbles. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 31, 2027.

2028

foofaraw anthology. Genre: Speculative and literary fiction. See theme. Payment: Fiction: $0.01 per word. Poetry: $5.00. Deadline: March 31, 2028.

Dragon Soul Poetry Anthology. Genre: Poetry. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2028.

Dragon Soul Drabbles. Genre: Horror Drabbles. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 31, 2028.

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. See theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2028.

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2026

92 Calls for Submissions in April 2026 - Paying markets

120 Calls for Submissions in March 2026 - Paying markets

77 Calls for Submissions in February 2026 - Paying markets

102 Calls for Submissions in January 2026 - Paying markets

2025

92 Calls for Submissions in December 2025 - Paying markets

89 Calls for Submissions in November 2025 - Paying markets