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Flash fiction is shorter than the normal range of short stories, which are generally 3,000 words or more. The precise length remains somewhat elusive. Some literary journals ask for 2,000 words or less, others set maximum word counts in the hundreds. Each publication has its own style, its own format, and its own needs, so whether your 1,953-word short story qualifies as "flash" is entirely up to the editors.
Flash fiction is very popular. There are dozens of sites where you can read flash fiction on a daily basis. This is perfect for people who are commuting on a train, waiting to see a doctor, or have other brief, potentially interrupted periods of time to fill.
Below is a list of paying markets for flash fiction. I have included links to submission guidelines, payment information, and word counts where available. Make sure you follow their guidelines carefully. (Editors don't consider submissions that fail to follow guidelines.) None of these magazines charge submission fees.
For my excellent list of paying markets, nicely organized by genre and form, see Paying Markets.
Flash fiction is very popular. There are dozens of sites where you can read flash fiction on a daily basis. This is perfect for people who are commuting on a train, waiting to see a doctor, or have other brief, potentially interrupted periods of time to fill.
Below is a list of paying markets for flash fiction. I have included links to submission guidelines, payment information, and word counts where available. Make sure you follow their guidelines carefully. (Editors don't consider submissions that fail to follow guidelines.) None of these magazines charge submission fees.
For my excellent list of paying markets, nicely organized by genre and form, see Paying Markets.
| Journal | Submission Guidelines | Payment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confrontation | https://confrontation-magazine.org/submit/ | $150-$200; more for commissioned work. | See reading period 500 words max |
| ergot | https://www.ergot.press/ | $25 | Experimental horror |
| Fabula Argentea | http://www.fabulaargentea.com/ index.php /submissions/ | $5 up to 1000 words | Accepts all genres |
| Flash Fiction Online | https://www.flashfictiononline.com/submission-guidelines-flash-fiction/what-were-looking-for-and-not/ | $100 for otiginals; reprints $.02 (two cents) per word | 500 to 1000 words |
| The Orange & Bee | https://theorangebee.substack.com/p/submission-guidelines | $80 | Has submission periods Also accepts poetry and nonfiction |
| Every Day Fiction | https://everydayfiction.com /submit-story/ | $3 | Up to 1,000 words |
| The Fifth Corner | https://thefifthcorner.ca/submissions/ | Payment unspecified | original, unpublished short fiction that explores dark, unsettling, and psychologically resonant themes |
| Cahava | https://cahava.com/submit | 5 cents/word | Short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and prose poetry |
| Adi Magazine | https://adimagazine.com/submissions/ | $200 | We are looking for pieces about practices, ideas, and movements that were/are suppressed by economic, socio-cultural, religious, or (neo)colonial powers. |
| Manawaker Studios | http://www.manawaker.com/ffp-submissions/ | 1 cent/word | Flash fiction podcast ideal length is around 800 words, but stories as short as 250 or as long as 1500 may be considered |
| Craft | https://www.craftliterary.com/submit/ | $100 | Reprints also accepted (no pay) |
| Baltimore Review | http://baltimorereview.org/index.php /submit | $50 | You can submit up to 3 pieces of flash fiction See submission periods |
| The Cafe Irreal | http://cafeirreal.alicewhittenburg.com/ | 1 cent/word | Magical realism 2000 words max |
Dream Theory | https://www.dreamtheory.media/submission-guidelines/ | $30 | Speculative and literary flash fiction 300 - $1000 words |
| The Cincinnati Review | https://www.cincinnatireview.com/submission-guidelines-2021/ | $25/page | 500 words maximum Submit up to 3 pieces |
| Electric Lit | https://electricliterature.com/submit-ebdd3b73083a | $100 | Electric Lit has short, infrequent submission periods |
| Hollow Oak: Acorns | https://hollowoakpress.com/submissions/ | $5 | Speculative flash fiction. Length: 1,000-1,500 words Monthly call |
| Chestnut Review | https://chestnutreview.submittable.com/submit | $120 | All genres 1,000 words max |
| Agita | https://agitamag.com/submissions/ | 5 cents/word | Horror or dark science fiction flash stories 1,000 words max |
| The Fantastic Other | https://fantasticother.com/submissions/ | $5 | Fiction, flash fiction, poetry, art on themes See submission periods |
| Tales and Feathers | http://www.augurmag.com/submissions/ | 11 cents CAD/word | Cozy slice-of-life fantasy short stories 2,500 words max Has submission periods |
| Dark Moments Patreon Monthly Challenge | https://www.blackharepress.com/submissions/#toggle-id-1 | 4 cents/word | 100 - 2000 words Monthly call |
| The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts | https://matter.submittable.com/submit | $50 | "We accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, and even kitchen sinks" See reading periods |
| Funny Times | https://funnytimes.com/about/ submissions/ | $75 | Humor 500-700 words |
| Futures | http://blogs.nature.com/futureconditional/ 2015/04/19/how-to-write-for-nature-futures/ | $130 | Science fiction 850 - 950 words |
| Plott Hound | https://plotthoundmag.com/submission-guidelines/ | $20 for flash, 8 cents/word for original ficiton | Speculative fiction and poetry starring animals Up to 999 words for flash Has submission periods |
| Calliope Interactive | https://calliopeinteractive.com/open-call | 5 cents/word | Speculative fiction |
| Gotham Literature | https://www.gothamliterature.nyc/submit | $50 - $100 | Flash fiction, poetry, comics, and dialogue that can be read in under 5 minutes |
| Twenty-two Twenty-eight | https://www.twentytwotwentyeight.com/submissions | $30 | 500 - 2000 words Accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, non-fiction essays, visual art, music, and videos. |
| PseudoPod | http://pseudopod.org/submissions/ | $20 | Horror Podcast |
| THEMA | http://themaliterarysociety.com /submissions.html | $10 | Accepts reprints Each issue has a theme |
| The Temz Review | https://www.thetemzreview.com/submissions.html | $20 | If your pieces are fewer than 1000 words each, feel free to submit several pieces at once See submission periods |
| Carmen et Error | https://carmenerror.com/?page_id=19 | £5 | Poems, 40(ish) lines max. Fiction, 400(ish) words max |
| Wound Up Literary | https://woundupliterary.com/submissions/ | Payment not specified "Dream small" | 1000 words max |
| The Ex-Puritan | https://ex-puritan.ca/submissions | $150 | See submission periods Submissions are free on a limited basis |
| Terrazzo | https://www.terrazzoeditions.com/terrazzomagsubmissions | $25 | Submit up to 3 flash pieces |
| Gordon Square Review | http://www.gordonsquarereview.org/submit.html | $25 | 1,000 words max See submission periods |
| Slush | https://www.slushpress.com/submit | $100 AUD | Up to 5000 words Australian publication |
| Last Girls Club | https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/last-girls-club-lImp7 | $0.01 USD per word | Feminist horror See submission periods |
| Wyldblood Press | https://wyldblood.com/submissions-2/ | £0.01 per word for print and digital rights (to a maximum of £75) | 1000 words max for flash fiction See submission periods |
| New Myths | https://sites.google.com/newmyths.com/newmyths-com-home/submissions | 3 cents/word with a minimum payment of $50 | Speculative fiction (no horror) See reading periods |
| The Fabulist | https://fabulistmagazine.com/about/submissions/ | $100 | See reading periods Fantastical and speculative fiction up to 1,000 words |
| Intrepidus Ink | https://intrepidusink.com/submissions/ | $.02/word for flash fiction 300 – 1,000 words. $30 flat rate for short stories 1,500 – 2,500 words | Has themes See submission periods |
| Brilliant Flash Fiction | https://brilliantflashfiction.com/submissions/ | $20 | 1,000 words or fewer All genres |
| Three-lobed Burning Eye | http://www.3lobedmag.com/ submissions.html | $30 for flash fiction | Horror and dark fantasy, magical realism, slipstream, cross genre, or weird fiction |
| Paranoid Tree | https://www.paranoidtree.com/submit | $50 | Up to 400 words |
| Points in Case | https://www.pointsincase.com/submissions | $10 for lists, $35 stories under 1,000 words | Humor under 1000 words, lists |
| Okay Donkey | https://okaydonkeymag.com/submissions/ | $20 | They like the odd, the off-kilter, and the just plain weird 1,200 words max |
| Mithila | http://mithilareview.com/submission-guidelines/ | $10 | Under 2,500 words Speculative fiction See reading periods |
| Daikaijuzine | https://daikaijuzine.org/guidelines | $5 | See reading periods Up to 1,000 words |
| Timber Ghost Press | https://www.timberghostpress.com/submissions.html | $5 | 1000 words max Horror Opens from the 1st to the 10th of every month |
| The Arcanist | https://thearcanist.io/a-call-for-submissions-244f646d25a4 | $50 | Medium-based publication, weekly 1000 words max Speculative fiction Has reading periods |
| Smokelong | https://smokelong.submittable.com/submit /128/smokelong-general-submissions | $50 | 1000 words max Has free submissions windows |
| Flash Fiction Magazine | https://flashfictionmagazine.com/submissions/ | $40 Only pays for stories selected for anthologies | 300–1000 words |
| The Archive | https://www.sanspress.com/submissions | €50 | We want the weird, the unexpected, the completely new. No theme, no genre, no need to be previously unpublished 2000 words max Has submission periods |
| Fractured Lit | https://fracturedlit.com/submit/ | $50 for original micro fiction and $75 for original flash fiction | 400-1000 words See submission periods |
| Middle House Review: Height Chart | https://middlehousereview.submittable.com/submit | $25 | Up to 1000 words See submission periods |
| Baffling Magazine | https://www.bafflingmag.com/submissions | 8 cents/word | Under 1,200 words We are looking for speculative stories that explore science fiction, fantasy, and horror with a queer bent. We want queer stories and we want trans stories and we want aro/ace stories. We want indefinable stories. We welcome weird, slipstream, and interstitial writing. See submission periods |
| Short Circuit | https://short-edition.com/en/contest/short-circuit-short-circuit-02/guidelines | 100 euros for short stories, 50 euros for poems | Short stories and poems of maximum 7,500 characters (spaces included) or children's works of maximum 7,000 characters. |
| Banshee | https://bansheepress.org/submit | "small" | Poetry, essays, flash fiction, short stories See submission periods |
| Variant Lit | https://variantlit.com/submit/ | $10 | Poetry, fiction, flash fiction, art Has submission periods |
| Litmag | https://litmag.com/submit/ | $100 | "We are drawn to big minds, large hearts, sharp pens" |
| Quotidian Bagatelle | https://qb.foofaraw.press/submissions/ | $1 | Micro stories under 250 words and short poems |
| Flash Point Science Fiction | https://flashpointsf.com/submissions/ | 2 cents/word | Speculative fiction stories from 100 to 1,000 words in length Has submission periods |
| Orion’s Belt | https://www.orions-belt.net/submissions | 8 cents/word | Speculative fiction up to 1,200 words Has submission periods |
| The Masters Review New Voices | https://mastersreview.com/submissions/ | $100 | Open to new or emerging author who has not published a work of fiction or narrative nonfiction of novel length. 1,000 words max |
| Split Lip | https://splitlipthemag.com/submit | $50 - $75 per author (via PayPal) for web issues. Payment for print is $5 per page, minimum of $20, plus 2 contributor copies and a 1-year subscription | Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Submit early to avoid submission fees. See submission periods |
| Flash Frog | https://flash-frog.com/submit/ | $25 | 1,000 words max |
| The Forge Literary Magazine | https://forgelitmag.com/submit/ | $75 | Open to all genres and voices "We love flash and micro prose." Opens to free submissions on the first of the month until they hit their quota |
| Scrawl Space | https://scrawlplace.com/submit/ | $35 | CNF, Fiction, Poetry, Hybrids Must be connected to a specific place No length requirements |
| Havok | https://gohavok.com/submission-guidelines/upcoming-themes/ | $10 for each story published in an anthology | Mystery, scifi, comedy, thriller, and fantasy 300 - 1000 words See themes |
| Aphabet Box | https://alphabetbox.com/submissions/ | $20 | Fiction, poetry 900 words max See submission periods |
| Cast of Wonders | https://www.castofwonders.org/submissions/ | $20 | Open to young authors YA Speculative fiction podcast See submission periods |
| Tales From Between | https://talesfrombetween.wordpress.com/submissions/ | £15 | 2000-to-6000 words. "Not strict, we’re flexible." Accepts reprints Has submission periods |
| MetaStellar | https://www.metastellar.com/write-for-us/flash-fiction-story-submission/ | 8 cents/word | Science fiction, fantasy, horror up to 1000 words See submission periods |
| A Velvet Giant | https://www.avelvetgiant.com/submit | $20 | "We are open to work that takes the shape of basically any format: words, recordings, visual art, hybrid forms, etc. We are open to translated original work." See submission periods |
| The Lorelei Signal | https://www.loreleisignal.com/guidelines | $5 | Fantasy with strong female characters 1000 words max |
| Factor Four | http://factorfourmag.com/submissionsinfo/ | 11 cents/word | Science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, super hero, or any combination up to 1000 words |
| Adventitious | https://www.adventitious.net/submission-guidelines/ | 8 cents/word | Speculative, surreal, and literary fiction. Length: Flash Fiction (including Micro): Up to 1,000 words |
| Aquila | https://www.aquila.co.uk/contributors-guidelines.htm | £105 | Short stories between 1,000 and 1,150 words; Nonfiction articles of 800 words for children |
| Moonstruck Books Anthologies | https://www.moonstruck-books.com/submissions | $0.10 per word | Dark fiction short stories, fairy tales, flash fiction, and novellas of 500-10,000 words Anthologies |
| The Colored Lens | http://thecoloredlens.com/?page_id=137752 | $10 | Speculative fiction 500 words and up |
| Teach. Write. | https://heymrswinkler.com/about/teach-write/teach-write-submission-guidelines/ | $15 | Fiction, nonfiction, flash fiction, poetry, CNF. "I prefer writing that is either written by composition teachers and writing students or about teaching and learning." |
| The Fabulist | https://fabulistmagazine.com/about/submissions/ | $100 | Fantastical flash fiction See submission periods |
| In a Flash | https://inaflashlitmag.substack.com/p/submission-guidelines | $25 | CNF only! See themes |
| Ink in Thirds | https://inkinthirds.org/submissions/ | $5 | Flash fiction, poetry, art See submission periods |
| Memezine | https://www.memezinelit.com/submit | $5 | Maximum of three (3) pages Send any work (traditional or hybrid) that engages with our participation in the digital landscape. Send us your best…oh screw it, send us your worst too. Has submission periods |
| Rough Cut Press | https://roughcutpress.com/submit/ | 650 words max; $25 | Experimental poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art LGBTQIA writers only Themed issues |
| Interstellar Flight Press | https://www.interstellarflightpress.com/submissions.html | 8 cents/word | Speculative flash fiction. See submission periods |
| The Good Life Review: "Micro Monday" (online) | https://thegoodlifereview.com/submissions/ | $25 | Flash fiction and CNF (500 words) and poetry See submission periods |
| Rat Bag Lit | https://ratbaglit.com/submission-guidelines/ | Drabbles, $1, Micros, $3, Flash (1000 words max) up to $10, reprints $5, CNF, $10 | Accepts flash, micros, drabbles, poetry, short stories, CNF Accepts come reprints Has free submissions periods |
| The Bureau Dispatch | https://www.bureaudispatch.com/submissions | $50 | "Our stories often contain a hint of the speculative, a dash of the intriguing." 500 - 1,500 words See submission periods |
| The Offing | https://theoffingmag.submittable.com/submit | $25 - $100, depending on length and department | Back of the envelope seeks writing of any length which relates to, or draws on, science and the natural world The offing also publishes art, fiction, CNF, poetry, micro-fiction, translations, and humor |
| 101 Words | https://101words.org/submit-your-stories/ | $10 for flash fiction anthologies | Stories of exactly 101 words |
| Podcastle | http://podcastle.org/guidelines/ | $0.06/word for original; $100 for reprints, $20 for flash fiction reprints | Podcast Fantasy |
| Thinking Ink Press | https://www.thinkinginkpress.com/keikos-calls/ | $20 | Poems or flash stories you wish someone would send you in the mail. Story length is about 100 to 300 words. Poetry length is 30 lines or fewer. |
| Etherea Magazine | https://ethereamagazine.com/submissions/ | $25 for flash fiction (1000 words max) | Australian publication Fantasy and science fiction, 500 to 1000 words for flash fiction |
| Midnight and Indigo | https://www.midnightandindigo.com/write-for-us/ | $100 - $200 | Short Stories, Speculative Fiction, and Personal Essays written by Black women writers 1500 words minimum |
| The First Line | http://www.thefirstline.com/submission.htm | $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction | Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided 300 - 5,000 words - all genres |
| Short Story Substack | https://shortstory.substack.com/p/coming-soon?s=r | $100 | 6 words - 10,000 words, any genre |
| Trampset | https://trampset.org/submissions-6e83932b0985 | $25 | 3,000 words max - any genre Free submissions for broke writers |
| Loft | https://loftbooks.square.site/ | £30 | Up to 500 words All work must be free of violence Also accepts poetry and short stories (up to 3000 words) |
| Stanchion | https://www.stanchionzine.com/submissions | $10 | Stanchion is looking for original, never-before-published short stories (3000-ish word max), flash fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, prose poems, stray thoughts, short screenplays, monologues, experimental work, interviews with inanimate objects, reviews of everyday items and moments, comics, black & white photography (vertical, portrait-oriented images are preferred), black & white drawings, black & white collage art, and other evocative images of mixed media artwork (you guessed it, also in black and white). Has short submission periods |
| The Suburban Review | https://thesuburbanreview.com/submit/ | 1000-2000 words (payment $200) 500-1000 words (payment $150) AUD | Poetry, prose and art on themes |
| Aothen Magazine | https://aothenmagazine.com/#work | $10 | Ancient Greece/Roman/Egyptian related poetry, fiction (1000 words max), nonfiction (2500 words max), art, translations Quarterly submission schedule |
| Book Worms | https://rsaintclaire.com/ | 8 cents/word | Horror Short fiction 500 – 3000 words |
| Sasee | https://sasee.com/submissions/#writer-guidelines | Varies | Essays, humor, satire, personal experience, and features on topics relating to women 500-1000 words |
| Freeze Frame Fiction | https://freezeframefiction.com/write/submission-guidelines-faq/#query | $10 | "Any genre, no content restrictions. We want your science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, drama, literary works, satire, bizarre fiction, or anything else you can come up with or mix together. The more original, the better. The weirder, the better.” |
| Abandon Journal | https://abandonjournal.submittable.com/submit | $15 | Flash - up to 1000 words |
| Sci-fi Shorts | https://www.scifishorts.co/write-with-us | Percentage of pooled royalties | Up to 1000 words Science fiction |
| Air and Nothingness Press | http://aanpress.com/submissions.html | 8 cents/word | Exactly 1000 words Has submission periods Speculative fiction anthologies |
| Goatshed Press | https://www.goatshedpress.co.uk/submito | £25 | All genres Also accepts short stories, poetry, novels, novellas, graphic novels |
| Dream Theory | https://www.dreamtheory.media/submission-guidelines/ | $30 | Speculative and literary flash fiction See submission periods |
| The Aurora Journal | https://www.theaurorajournal.org/submit | $12 | Poetry and prose 1000 words max for prose |
| Small Wonders | https://smallwondersmag.com/submissions/ | Original flash fiction: $0.10/word Reprint flash fiction: $0.01/word or $10, whichever is more Poems: $60 Art: $125 for reprint rights | Speculative fiction and poetry with elements not of this world: fantasy, science fiction, horror 1000 words max for prose Accepts reprints |
| Notch | https://notch.ink/submissions/ | Payment not specified | We accept all mediums–from operatic scores to tattoos. For writing: Pieces up to 1500 words are preferred. Translations accepted. |
| Stone's Throw | https://www.rockandahardplacemag.com/stones-throw-submissions | $25 | Noir stories Themed issues 1000 - 2000 words |
| The Cosmic (Microwave) Background | https://www.thecosmicbackground.com/ | 8 cents/word | Slipstream 1000 words max |
| Flash Digest | https://www.hiraethsffh.com/flash-digest-guidelines | 1 cent a word | Science fiction, fantasy, and spooky horror Art accepted 1500 words max |
| Flame Tree Press Newsletter | https://www.flametreepress.com/submissions/ | 8 cents/word for originals, 6 cents/word for reprints | Those submitting must sign up for their newsletter. |
| Matchbook | https://www.matchbooklitmag.com/guidelines | $20 | Up to 1000 words |
| Afterimages | https://www.thirtywestph.com/submit | $5 | Up to 1000 words |
| Night Shades | https://www.nightshadesmag.com/submissions/ | $75 | Speculative fiction Up to 500 words |
| Neon & Smoke | https://www.neonandsmoke.com/submissions | $20 | Up to 1000 words Has submission periods |
| Table Cell | Table Cell | Table Cell | Table Cell |
