This January there are more than a dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year. 

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Pacific University Master of Fine Arts in Writing Residency Writers Conference. January 4 - 14, 2025 (?): Seaside, Oregon. Writers seeking to deepen their craft and expand their professional community are invited to attend the Residency Writers Conference together with MFA students, faculty and guest speakers. Join us for 10 full days of craft talks, workshops, panels, classes, readings and more featuring some of the best minds of the literary world. This residency is a rare opportunity to engage in sustained and meaningful conversation with others who share your passion for the art of writing. Application deadline: December 1, 2024. If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year.

Key West Literary Seminar. January 9–12, 2025: Key West, Florida. Each year, the Key West Literary Seminar explores a particular literary theme. This year the theme is: Family.

Aspen Winter Words. January 11 - March 14, 2025: Aspen, CO. The 2024 Aspen Words Winter Words lineup once again features acclaimed book club selections, bestselling authors, stunning stories of triumph and a world champion athlete. All winter long, explore these memoirs and works of fiction in person alongside the minds that conceived of them. Winter Words kicks off on January 11 with Ann Patchett and Elizabeth McCracken in conversation and runs through March 14 concluding with Abraham Verghese.

Writing By Writers DRAFT. Application deadline: January 15, 2025: Boulder, CO. DRAFT is an intensive program for 15 writers who are committed to completing a novel, memoir, short story, or essay collection over the course of two years. Whether starting a first draft, or working through a new revision, this program is appropriate for writers who want a rigorous and supportive community throughout their process. 

Writing By Writers GET THE LEAD OUT! January 17 - 19, 2025: Online. Th Each day will feature a craft talk by one of our faculty members and participants will split into small groups where they will dissect the art and craft of writing through lectures, writing exercises and class discussions. We won’t be reading and critiquing manuscripts, but rather closely examining elements of craft with the intention of allowing participants to see their work with deeper insight while also generating new material. Each participant will have the opportunity to work in a small group setting with all three faculty members. Whether you are just getting started or have projects that need new life, this workshop will offer inspiration and insight to take you to the next level.

Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway. January 17 - 20, 2025, Atlantic City, New Jersey. A participant-focused writers’ conference. Advance your craft and energize your writing at the 30th annual Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway. Enjoy challenging and supportive workshops, insightful feedback and an encouraging community. Choose from workshops in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, memoir, songwriting, playwriting and more.

Colrain Classic. January 17 - 20, 2025: Online. "The Colrain Manuscript Classic is a highly focused, 3.5 day conference designed for poets with manuscripts in progress. The Classic features in-depth pre-conference work and candid, realistic evaluation and feedback from nationally-known poets, editors and publishers. In preparation, participants work at home on pre-conference assignments and then, in the workshop, review, arrange, and winnow their work based on the pre-conference work. In addition to the manuscript preparation workshop and editor sessions, there will be an editorial Q&A, and an after-conference strategy session." Will be conducted online.

TMW January Jumpstart. January 18 - 19, 2025: Oak Ridge, TN. “We will have a “Meet and Greet” session Friday from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. Eastern. On Saturday there will be concurrent Poetry and Fiction morning sessions from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Eastern, and afternoon sessions from 1:30 – 4:30 Eastern." Registration $150. Application deadline December 29. If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year.

Eckerd College Writers in Paradise Conference. January 18 -25, 2025: St. Petersburg, FL. Workshops, roundtables, panel discussions, manuscript consultation, Q&As, readings book signings, and receptions. Application deadline: November 1, 2024. If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year.

The Stowe Vermont Winter Writing Adventure. January 26 - 31, 2025: Stowe, VT. The Stowe Vermont Winter Writing Adventure is a week-long workshop with Pam Houston and CMarie Fuhrman where writers will work with both faculty members to generate new work while snowshoeing, XC skiing, and exploring the beauty of New England in the wintertime. The workshop is limited to 20 participants to ensure an intimate setting, plus plenty of time to write and explore all the outdoor wonders Stowe has to offer.

Jaipur Literature Festival. January 30 - February 3, 2025. Presentations, panels, readings, and music performances. In an uplifting celebration of the mind and heart, authors from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe will take part in provocative conversations about life and society, economics and the arts, equity, freedom, and the care of our planet. In these critical times, the penetrating, intercultural dialogue exchanged speaks deeply to individuals and gives rise to the joy of community.

Sunshine State Book Festival. January 31 - February 1, 2025: Gainesville, Florida. "Authors from around Florida and the nation will gather at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center on January 27th, from 10 am to 5 pm to sell books and talk about their work. Festivities include guest speakers, giveaways, storytelling, and more." Admission is free.

SCBWI In-Person Winter Conference 2025. January 31 - February 2, 2025: NY, NY. Come and be inspired by renowned authors and illustrators, learn about the state of the children's book publishing industry from panels of agents, editors and art directors, dive deep into your craft with TWO three-hour Creative Labs, and get your work in front of industry professionals!

Conferences with application deadlines in January 2025
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Wild Seeds Writers Retreat. February 20 - 23, 2025. The Wild Seeds Writers Retreat (formerly the North Country Institute & Retreat for Writers of Color), a collaboration with the Center for Black Literature, the English Department at SUNY, Plattsburgh, and the Paden Institute and Retreat for Writers, provides a writing community where established and newly discovered writers of color can focus on the craft of writing and create cross-cultural conversations around the literature created by writers of the African diaspora. Deadline: January 10, 2025.

This December there are more than six dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!

Note: I update this list continually throughout the month HERE, so check back frequently for new submission calls. 
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Tales from the Nightside. Genre: Car Wars GameLit Fiction. Theme: Ride along with illegal street teams and see the criminal underbelly of the Autoduelling world. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Interstellar Flight Press. Genre: Speculative poetry from poets who are both queer/trans and disabled. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Griffith Review. Genre: Poetry. See theme. Payment: AUD $200. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. See themes. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Fantasy is a Drag! Anthology. Genre: Fantasy stories that are, first and foremost, drag from members of the drag community. Payment: $50 + royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Never Whistle at Night, Part II: Back for Blood Anthology. Genre: Horror stories from emerging Indigenous writers in North America only. “Our anthology aims to showcase fresh, original voices in Indigenous Horror, and we encourage submissions that explore new and innovative themes.” Payment:  $1,500. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Burial Books: Inanimate Things – Volume Two. Genre: Horror about inanimate things that are living. It could be a doll, the dead flesh of zombies, or your Ford F-150. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Wallstrait. Genre: Flash fiction, longer stories, and hybrid experimental work. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Ninth Letter. Genre: Fiction, CNF, Poetry. Payment: $25 per poem and $100 for prose. Deadline: Opens December 1, 2024. Closes when they reach cap.

Sundog. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 1, 2024. 

Little Moa. Restrictions: Open to New Zealand writers. Genre: Children's books. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. Theme: Fortune and Luck. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: December 1, 2024. See themes.

Serving House Books. Genre: Nonfiction essay collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 2, 2024.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories, poetry, nonfiction. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. $1 a line for poetry. 2 - 8 cents/word for nonfiction. Deadline: December 2, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Broken Tribe Press. Genre: Memoirs. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 2, 2024.

Humour Me. Genre: Humor stories and cartoons on the Christmas theme. “We are happy to accept all types of humour, from sharp satire to slapstick.” Payment: £20. Deadline: December 2, 2024.

Meetinghouse. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, art. Payment: $40 for digital content, $100 for prose published in print, and $40 for each poem published in print. Deadline: December 3, 2024.
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Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 4, 2024. 

Geist. Restrictions: Canadian connection required. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. Payment: $100 - $1000.  Deadline: December 4, 2024. Geist offers no-fee general submissions for Black writers, Indigenous writers, and writers of color.

Anodyne. Genre: Fiction, CNF, Poetry, Art, Photography, Video on theme of Health. Payment: Revenue sharing. Deadline: December 7, 2024.

The Pedestal Magazine. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 8, 2024.


Samjoko Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, play, screenplay. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 10, 2024.

Dawn Hill Publications: In Every Way We Love. Restrictions: Open to submissions from UK-based writers, with a special focus on underrepresented voices. Genre: Short stories on theme of Love. Payment: £75. Deadline: December 12, 2024.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected. No payment for online publication. Deadline: December 13, 2024.
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Buckman Journal. Restrictions: Open to Portland and Pacific Northwest creatives. Genre: Fiction and creative non-fiction. See theme. Payment: $100. Deadline: December 14, 2024.

Vivid Worlds. Genre: Solar punk. Payment: 1p a word to a maximum of £50. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

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: December 15, 2024.

Propagule. Genre: Short stories that are intrepid with regard to experimentation and oddity; the strange, the surreal, the atypical, the unexpected. Payment: Up to $30. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. See theme. $0.04/word, up to $25. Deadline: December 15, 2024. 

Brazenhead Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $200. Deadline: December 15, 2024. Note: Closes when cap is reached.

Baffling Magazine. Genre: Speculative flash fiction. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

Copper Nickel. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and translation folios. Payment: $30 per printed page + two copies of the issue in which the author’s work appears + a one-year subscription. Deadline: December 15, 2024. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fees.

A Public Space. Genre: Fiction, essays, poetry, as well as graphic and hybrid work. Payment: Honorarium. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

Book Worms. Genre: Horror: fiction, poetry, and essays. See theme. Length: Up to 1,500 words. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

Radon. Genre: Short stories and poetry containing elements of anarchism, transhumanism, dystopia, and/or science fiction. Payment: 1 cent per word for original work, half a cent per word for reprints. $20 per original poem and $10 for reprints. $100 for issue cover art, $30 for back cover art, and $20 for art used on their website. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

The Brothers Uber: Once Upon a Moonless Night – Tales of Betrayal, Revenge, and Redemption. Genre: Dark fiction. "These are the tales whispered in dark corners. Of good people pushed too far. Stories of revenge and redemption for past wrongdoings. Stories that excite the mind where what seems to be true isn’t always the case. Dark, foreboding, full of suspense, can you weave the story of what happens during the moonless night?” Length: 250-15,000 words. Payment: $0.05/word, capped at $400. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

Bellevue Literary Press. Genre: Narrative nonfiction books. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

Book XI. Genre: Personal essays, memoir, fiction, science fiction, humor, and poetry with philosophical themes. See theme. Payment: $200 for prose; $50 for poetry. Deadline: December 15, 2024. Closes when cap is reached.

Flame Tree: Latin American Shared Stories. Genre: Speculative stories highlighting the many voices, mythologies, folklore and storytelling prowess of authors from Latin American countries or writing in the traditions of the Latin American diaspora. Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

Utter Speculation Novella Series. Genre: Speculative fiction novellas explaining or exposing the root of a real life supernatural mystery, urban legend or folklore. Payment: Royalty split. Deadline: December 16, 2024.

The Offing. Genre: Creative nonfiction (usually personal essay) that centers one’s personal experience against the backdrop of art, literature, and culture.. Length: 7,500 words max. Payment: $25 - $100. Deadline: December 16, 2024.

The Margins. Genre: Poetry by emerging and established Asian American and diasporic poets. Payment: $50 – $90 for a single poem. Deadline: December 18, 2024.

Made in Appalachia. Restrictions: Open to writers from Appalachia, who have lived in or visited Appalachia,  and/or whose writing is set in Appalachia. Genre: Fiction, short story. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 22, 2024.

ZO Magazine. Genre: Fiction and art. See theme. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 29, 2024.

Sonder Magazine. Genre: Fiction, CNF and poetry on theme of Madness. Payment: €300. Deadline: December 30, 2024.

Jackleg Press. Restrictions: JackLeg only publishes U.S.-based writers. Genre: Full-length fiction, CNF. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 30, 2024.

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: December 31, 2024. Opens on the first day of the month and closes once they hit the submissions cap.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Dancing Star Press. Genre: Speculative fiction novellas. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2024.
The Theatre Phantasmagoria. Genre: Horror flash fiction up to 2,000 words. Payment: £10. Deadline: December 31, 2024. This is a monthly call. See themes.

Workers Write!. Genre: "We're looking for fiction and poetry about the people who clean up after everyone, such as maids, janitors, custodians, waste management workers, crime scene cleaners, and even laundromat owners." Payment: $5 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

OwlCrate Press: Future States of Stars. Genre: Speculative fiction. "We are specifically seeking stories in the dystopian sci-fi genre with a Black Mirror or Twilight Zone vibe. Authors are encouraged to explore themes of the near-to-far future of states, whether set here on Earth, in space, or in other dimensions. Consider exploring dystopian themes such as authoritarian regimes, environmental collapse, surveillance societies, loss of individual freedoms, or the impact of advanced technology on humanity.” Payment: $0.10/word. Deadline: December 31, 2024. (Extended deadline)

EastOver Press. Genre: Book-length nonfiction manuscripts. "We are especially interested in collections of literary essays, but will consider essay-based memoirs, mixed genre works, and other hybrid works. We are interested in manuscripts that take a narrative approach to nonfiction." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Dracula Beyond Stoker. Genre: Fiction featuring characters and more from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. See theme. Payment: $0.05/word for stories of 1,500-5,000 words. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Meadowlark Reader. Genre: Personal essays, interviews, journalistic pieces. “True stories about Kansas written by Kansans." Payment: $10 plus one contributor copy. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

FIYAH. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to people of the African Diaspora. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry about African Diaspora. Length: Short fiction 2,000 – 7,000 words and novelettes up to 15,000 words. Payment: $150 per story. $50 per poem. $300 per novelette. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Arc Poetry Magazine. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50 per page. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Channel. Genre: Fiction, art, creative non-fiction, and poetry that engages with the natural world, and have a particular interest in work which encourages reflection on human interaction with plant and animal life, landscape and the self. Payment: €40/poem, and €50/page of prose up to €150. Deadline: December 31, 2024.
 
Dragon Soul Press: Between Realms. Genre: Speculative fiction. Theme – All stories involving dimension travel. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Silent Nightmares. Genre: Dark holiday horror. Payment: 10 cents/word capped at 5,000 words. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Poisoned Soup for the Macabre, Depraved, and Insane: Nostalgic Terrors. Genre: Horror. Payment: 8 cents/word for prose, $50 per poem or drabble. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Ofic. Genre: Short fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, art. "Send us your dead doves, your blorbos, your plinkos, your wretched meow meows yearning to be free; that thing you wrote that made you think, “I don’t know where this belongs”; the stuff you’d never show anyone you know IRL. Give us your shameless, self-indulgent smut; the manuscript to the video essay you dictated to your YouTube subscribers in your head; your thoughtful explorations of trauma and identity; your Pepe Silvia wall; your sci-fi, your fantasy, your romance, your realism. We want anything and everything. As long as you identify as a fan, we want to read your work." (Up to 12,000 words). Payment: Small honorarium. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Workers Write! Tales from the Cleaners. Genre: Stories and poems from the cleaner's point of view. Word count: 500 to 5,000 words. Payment: Between $5 and $50 (depending on length and rights requested) Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Freeze Frame Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction. "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.” Payment: $10. Deadline: December 31, 2024.
The New York Times: Modern Love. Genre: Essay on modern love. Payment: Not Specified. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Variant Lit. Genre: Poetry, fiction, flash fiction, art. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

EastOver Press: Rural Writers of Color. Restrictions: Open to BIPOC writers who live in or hail from rural or semi-rural locales in the U.S. and whose short stories feature characters living or working in rural or semi-rural spaces. Genre: Short stories. Payment: $100-$300. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Air and Nothingness Press. Genre: Speculative fiction. "We are seeking submissions for an anthology to be titled Our Dust Earth which will collect stories that take place within the Our Dust Earth mini-RPG." Payment: $0.08/word. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Best American. Genre: Published short stories, essays, food writing, mystery and suspense, nature writing, science fiction and fantasy. Payment: ? Deadline: December 31, 2024.
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We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2024. Genre: Queer Speculative Fiction. Submissions are open for all speculative work published in 2024 under 17,500 words that deals either implicitly or explicitly with queerness. Editors and authors may submit. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Spooky. Genre: Horror. "Cozy horror. Fun horror. Classy horror. Dare we say, wholesome horror?" Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Allegory. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

The Letter Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Length: Up to 5000 words. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Mayday. Genre: Short fiction, CNF, Poetry, Art, Interviews, Nonfiction. Payment: $20 - $50. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

The Deadlands. Genre: Fiction. "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: 10 cents/word for fiction. Deadline: December 21, 2024. Accepts reprints. 

Made in Appalachia. Restrictions: Open to writers from Appalachia, who have lived in or visited Appalachia,  and/or whose writing is set in Appalachia. Genre: Nonfiction essay. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: December 31, 2024. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.

AND A FEW MORE...

What If… Skunk Wurks Edition. Genre: "Who doesn’t know the black projects that rolled out of the Skunk Works like the famous SR-71, U-2, or F-117 stealth fighter? What do you think they aren’t telling us about? This anthology dives into the concept of other black projects, their uses, and outcomes. Maybe the crazies are right. What If… the UFO’s are actually ours… Anything from discovery and design to use in application of the Aircraft, Heavy Weapons, Power Armor, Sea Vessels, and more are welcome." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 1, 2025.

June Road Press. Genre: Poetry collection, full-length, 40 to 60 poems, preferably the author’s first or second book. "We’re particularly interested in work with strong ecological/environmental themes, or that engages in meaningful ways with nature or place, by writers who identify as women." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 1, 2025.
Cafe Irreal. Genre: Magical realism. Length: Up to 2,000 words. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: January 1, 2025.

Planet Black Joy. Restrictions: Open to women and non-binary folk who identify as Black, African, or of Afro-descendent heritage. Genre: Fiction exploring and celebrating Black joy and pleasure. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: January 1, 2025.

The Paris Review. Genres: Poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: Opens January 1, 2025, and closes when they reach capacity.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: January 1, 2025. See themes.

This December there are more than four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $25,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

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Charlotte and Wilbur Award For Compassion for Animals. Genre: Picture book, chapter book, middle-grade book (or graphic novel), or young adult book traditionally or self- published in 2024. Books in translation are welcome. The Charlotte and Wilbur Award for Compassion for Animals will award one winning book and one honor book for their dedication to promoting compassion and respect for animals in their readers. Prize: The winning book will receive a prize of $2,500 and the honor book will receive $1,000. If the winning or honor book is a picture book, the prize will be split between the author and illustrator. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Weird Christmas Flash Contest. Genre: Weird flash fiction. 350 words max. Prize: $35 - $50. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

The David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction is offered annually to the best book in American historical fiction that is both excellent fiction and excellent history. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

The Pushcart Prize honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in small presses and literary magazines. Magazine and small press editors may nominate up to six works. Pushcart Press publishes yearly anthologies of the winning submissions. Prize: Publication and enormous prestige. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Poetry Center at Smith College Prize. Restrictions: Open to sophomore or junior high school girls in New England. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry. Restrictions: Open to African poets who have not yet published a collection of poetry. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1,000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

The Schneider Family Book Award is sponsored by the American Library Association. The award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Prize: Three annual awards each consisting of $5000 and a framed plaque, will be given annually in each of the following categories: birth through grade school (age 0-10), middle school (age 11-13) and teens (age 13-18). (Age groupings are approximations).  Genre: May be fiction, biography, or other form of nonfiction. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Ezra Jack Keats Children's Book Award. Genre: Published or self-published picture books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing. Restrictions: Open to published writers who are writing from the region. Genres: All. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 1, 2024. 

The Association of Jewish Libraries Jewish Fiction Award. Genre: All works of fiction with significant Jewish thematic content written in English–novels, short story and flash fiction collections–by a single author published and available for purchase in the United States during 2022 are eligible for the award. Jewish thematic content means an extended grappling with Jewish themes throughout the book, including Judaism, Jewish history and culture, Jewish identity, etc. Prize: The award will include a $1,000 cash prize as well as support to attend the AJL conference to receive the award. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Subnivean New Writers Award: CNY High School Writing Scholarship Competition. Restrictions: Open to high-school-aged writers in Oswego County, Onondaga County, Oneida County, Herkimer County, Madison County, Cayuga County and Cortland County. Genre: Short stories and poetry. Prize: $100 bookstore gift certificate, $1,000 scholarship to attend SUNY Oswego as a creative writing or English major. Deadline: Opens December 1, 2024.

One Teen Story. Restrictions: Open to writers age 13 -19. Genre: Short story between 2,000 to 4,500 words. Prize: $500 upon publication and 25 copies of the magazine. Deadline: December 2, 2024.

J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award. Genre: Nonfiction book. Applicants for the award must already have a contract with a U.S.-based publisher to write a nonfiction book. Award: $25,000. Deadline: December 5, 2024.

RSL Christopher Bland Prize. Restrictions: Writers must be a citizen of, or resident in, the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. Books must have been published for the first time in the UK or RoI within the 2023 calendar year. Books must be entered by trade publishers or agents based in the UK or RoI; each publisher, imprint of a publisher, or agent may enter two books only. Genre: Debut novel or non-fiction book first published by a writer aged 50 or over. Prize: £10,000. Deadline: December 6, 2024. 

Kim Wall Memorial Fund. Restrictions: Open to "journalists whose work embodies the spirit of Kim’s reporting. The grant will fund women or non-binary reporters covering subculture, broadly defined, and what Kim liked to call “the undercurrents of rebellion.” Kim wanted more women to be out in the world, brushing up against life, and the Kim Wall Memorial Fund honors this legacy.” Genre: Journalism. Prize: $5,000 grants. Deadline: December 8, 2024.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 8, 2024. Opens December 6.

Jane Martin Poetry Prize (UK). Restrictions: Open to UK residents between 18 and 30 years of age. Genre: Poetry. Prize: First prize £1000, second prize, £500. Deadline: December 9, 2024. 

Smokelong Fellowship for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: All writers previously unpublished in SmokeLong Quarterly and who do not have a published chapbook or book-length work in any genre (or are not under contract for such) are eligible to apply. Genre: Flash fiction (1000 words max). Prize: $500. Deadline: December 12, 2024. For writers who cannot afford an application fee, there is a free submission option in Submittable.)

International Booker Prize. The International Booker Prize for fiction translated into English is awarded annually by the Booker Prize Foundation to the author of the best (in the opinion of the judges) eligible novel or collection of short stories. The work must be published by a UK or Ireland publishing house. Authors are not permitted to enter their own works. Prize: £50,000 divided equally between the author and the translator. There will be a prize of £2,000 each of the shortlisted titles divided equally between the author and the translator. Deadline: December 13, 2024 for works published between December 31, 2024 and April 30, 2025.

Friends of American Writers. Restrictions: The author must be a resident (or previously have been a resident for approximately five years) of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin; or the locale of the book must be in a region identified above. The author must not have published more than three books under his/her own pen name. Genres: Books can be fiction or creative non-fiction and published in 2024. Self-published and e-Books are not eligible. Prize: $500 - $2000. Deadline: December 14, 2024.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction up to 1000 words on theme. Prize: $30. Deadline: December 14, 2024. See themes.

Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition. Restrictions: The Competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel (except that authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work) and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. Genre: Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

Massachusetts Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to Massachusetts residents. Genre: (1) fiction, (2) nonfiction, (3) poetry, (4) children’s picture books/early readers, (5) middle-grade/young adult literature, (6) translated literature, and (7) graphic novel/memoir published in 2024. Additionally, the Notable Contribution to Publishing award recognizes the exceptional output of the Massachusetts publishing community. Prize: Prestige. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

Fabuly Writer's Challenge. Genre: 2,000-word (max) story on the theme of "An Unexpected Encounter."  Prize: $500. Deadline: December 15, 2024. Note: submissions are capped at 200.

Lit Fox Award. Genre: Full-length poetry collection. Prize: $1500 and publication. Deadline: December 15, 2024.

RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Candidates must be: A Canadian citizen or permanent resident; Under the age of 35; Unpublished in book form and without a book contract. Genre: Poetry and fiction. Prizes: Up to C$10,000. Deadline: December 16, 2024.

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships are awarded in fifteen different disciplines over a three-year period. Prize: $8,000 cash awards are made to individual originating artists living and working in the state of New York for unrestricted use. These fellowships are not project grants but are intended to fund an artist’s vision or voice, regardless of the level of his or her artistic development. Deadline: December 17, 2024.

Love Letters to London Writing Competition. Genre: Poetry and "open." The theme this year is “Dreams for London”What are your passions, hopes and dreams for this incredible city? Just let your imagination run wild. It can be reportage, an historical essay, a ‘think piece’, a spot of futurology, a work of fiction, a poem." Prize: £150 - £500. Deadline: December 20, 2024. Open to all ages. Some reprints accepted.

VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Genre: First novel published in 2024. No self-published books. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 30, 2024.

Griffin Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry. To be eligible for the prize, a book of poetry must be a published first-edition collection (i.e. not previously published in any country), written in English, or translated into English, by a poet/translator from any part of the world, including Canada. Entries must come from publishers only. Inquiries about entries must also come from publishers only. Prize: The winner will receive C$130,000 and the other shortlisted poets will each receive C$10,000. Deadline: December 20, 2024, for books published between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is held four times a year. Restrictions: The Contest is open only to those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment of at least six cents per word, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits. Genre: Short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy. Prizes: $1,000, $750, $500, Annual Grand Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award.  Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $15 entry fee. Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Chapter House Indigenous Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to Indigenous writers. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $250. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

PEN Prison Writing Contest. Restrictions: Anyone incarcerated in a federal, state, or county prison is eligible to enter. Genres: Poetry, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction. Prize: $25 - $250. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Lilith Magazine Fiction Competition. Genre: Fiction. Short story of interest to Jewish women. Prize: $300. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Restrictions: Emerging African American writers. Genres: Short story collection or novel published in the current year. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Elizabeth Alexander Creative Writing Award. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Prize: $500 and publication in Meridians Journal: feminism, race, transnationalism. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to students enrolled in M.D. and D.O. programs in the US, Puerto Rico, or Canada, and a physician category, open to any rank of physician (M.D. or D.O.) at any career stage, from residency to retirement, in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or Canada. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Hooks Institute National Book Award. Genre: Nonfiction book that best furthers understanding of the American Civil Rights Movement and its legacy. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

The Four Quartets Prize. Genre: Unified and complete sequence of poems published in America in a print or online journal, chapbook. Poems in the sequence may have been published in different journals provided that they were brought together and they form a complete sequence. Prize: Three finalists will receive $1,000 each. The winner will receive an additional $20,000. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

The W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction. Genre: Military fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

The Caribbean Writer Prizes. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays or one act plays which explore the ideas resonating within the region and its diaspora, written by a US or UK Virgin Islands resident accepted for publication by The Caribbean Writer during the deadline year. See theme. Prize: $300 - $600. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

The Lyric College Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to undergraduates enrolled full time in an American or Canadian college or university. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

The Drabble Harvest Contest. Genre: Drabble on theme of "Hunting With the Wolves." A "drabble" is defined as a short story containing exactly precisely no more and no fewer than 100 words. It has a title, which can be from 1 to 15 words-- but no more than 15. Prize: $5. Deadline: December 31, 2024.

Maureen Seaton Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to persons who reside, either full or part-time, in South Florida. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2024. Closes after cap is reached.

Lex:lead Essay Competition. Restrictions: Candidates must show citizenship in an eligible country and be enrolled in studies with at least one law class in an eligible country at the time of the award. Genre: Essay: How can laws regulating climate change and the environment support economic development?Prize: $500 scholarship. Deadline: December 31, 2024. (Registration deadline October 31)

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Micro fiction or essay on theme. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: December 31, 2024. This is a monthly contest.

Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poem inspired by artwork. (See site for image.) Prize: $100. Deadline: December 31, 2024. This is a monthly contest.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: December 31, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

Here are eight new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.
Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.
 
NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")
​
You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 
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Connor Smith of Hesperides Literary

I’ve spent time as a ghostwriter in a multitude of genres, edited numerous manuscripts that later secured representation and publishing deals, managed several businesses, served as Chief Editor and Client Success Coach at major copywriting companies, have published award-winning short stories, delivered lectures and keynote addresses at various universities and conferences, and currently guide narrative efforts as the Lead Writer for Inevitable Studios, where our narrative-driven game Always in Mind is set to release next year. Now, as a literary agent and member of the AALA, I leverage my extensive experience as a professional writer, ghostwriter, and editor to routinely hop into the trenches with writers to help them produce the polished work necessary to secure publication. Because writing is fun.

What he is seeking: Seeking Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Magical Realism, particularly those that have a literary bent. Powerfully written Horror, Speculative, Romance (all subgenres except fantasy), YA, Humor, and Meta-Fiction. In these genres, I am looking for fast-paced plots penned with style and verve.

Nonfiction that expands a reader’s understanding of the world, Please have a well-structured proposal for nonfiction queries.

How to submit: Use the submission form HERE.
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Jennifer Pien of Hesperides Literary

Jennifer brings her years of editorial and advisory experience working with agents and publishers to Hesperides Literary. She has worked with authors through her role as a Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford University and Director of Pegasus Physician Writers, an organization of creative physician authors whose members include Dr. Daniel Mason, Dr. Seema Yasmin, and Dr. David Eagleman. In addition to her faculty leadership role in Stanford Medical Humanities and Arts, she is the Founder of The Pegasus Review, and serves as a founding faculty editor for the Oxford Review of Books x Stanford collaboration. Jennifer also serves on the Advisory Board for The Bellevue Literary Press and the Stanford School of Medicine Medical Humanities Fellowship.   Jennifer's writing is represented by Amy Collins of Talcott Notch. She is the author of Healing the Healers, Johns Hopkins University Press, forthcoming 2025. 

What she is seeking: Seeking Literary and Upmarket Women's Fiction including Magical Realism and Speculative Fiction. Science Fiction and Fantasy that appeals to a cross-sectional audience. I especially gravitate towards dark academia, science fantasy, space opera, and narratively driven nonfiction. Nonfiction with emphasis on creative narrative nonfiction or essays. Medical, Nature, Science, Psychology/Self-help or travel books.


How to submit: Use the submission form HERE.

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Emily MacDonald of 42 Management & Production (UK)

​Emily MacDonald joined 42 in 2019, working with Eugenie Furniss across her clients. She is now an agent in the Books Department, and is building her own list.

What she is seeking: Bring me a story with characters that never leave you and a narrative that pulls you in, keeping you in the world well after you’ve finished reading. I read across a wide-range and have a particular interest in; book club, high-concept crime/thriller, upmarket and literary fiction (with a real soft spot for witty romcoms with an unassailable hook!) In both fiction and non-fiction, I love stories woven into their surroundings, where the setting is as central a character as those who drive the narrative.

I’m also looking for narrative non-fiction which immerses the reader into an untold true story (personal or historical), exploring a new point of view, and providing a compelling social commentary, with an investigative twist! Think the obsessive vein of Kirk W. Johnson or personal/political dispatches of Aidan Hartley. I want to have my horizons expanded when I read. Please note, I am not currently accepting submissions for Children's lit/YA and SFF.
In both spheres, I’m keen to hear from Scottish and regional voices with stories to tell.

How to submit: Please email all relevant submissions to - emilymacdonald@42mp.com
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John Meils of DeFiore & Company

John Meils joined DeFiore & Company in 2024 after five years as an editor at Workman Publishing. Previously, he held editor roles at Macmillan, Sterling/Union Square, and award-winning book packager Melcher Media. John has acquired and edited national bestsellers, including most recently Smart Brevity. Other titles of note that John acquired as an editor include: You Are What You Watch, Murderabilia, Brave New You, Patient Zero, How Sex Changed the Internet, and the forthcoming Whiskey Bible. John has also worked as a journalist in Washington, DC, where he covered national politics as well as local issues including cannabis regulation, corruption, and climate change.

What he is seeking: John is looking to build a wide-ranging non-fiction list that includes: how-to of all sorts, health & wellness, science (pop, space, biological, and psychological), technology, nature/outdoors, true crime, quirky histories (medical, adventure, offbeat), investigative journalism, international relations, sports, parenting, and business. For prescriptive how-to, John is particularly keen to see books with a clear promise and message, a programmatic approach, and a strong author platform.

John has a deep history of producing illustrated books as an editor and will consider author-artist and visually driven projects with a clear and unique focus. He has also worked extensively helping brands (Nike InStyle, Harley Davidson, Axios) translate their messages to books and is open to guiding established and emerging brands interested in launching book programs.

How to submit: John accepts only email queries. Send a brief email describing yourself and your project to john@defliterary.com. Please be sure to include the word “QUERY:” at the beginning of your subject line, followed by your book title. Attachments will not be opened unless expressly requested. John’s response time is usually less than two weeks and you need not query him exclusively. If you have not received a response within a month, please check that the defliterary.com domain name is on your email server whitelist, as the response may have been rejected by your server. John does not consider fiction queries of any kind or hard copy submissions.
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Edwina de Charnacé of MMB Creative (UK)

Edwina joined Mulcahy Sweeney Associates (literary agency of MMB Creative) after completing an English Language and Literature degree at Oxford University and an MA in East Asian Art History at SOAS.

What she is seeking: At the top of her present wishlist are family sagas, stories spanning multiple generations, horror amplified (rather than lightened) by dark humour, fantasy with romance (rather than romance with fantasy), socially-inflected psychological thrillers, expert-led non-fiction in self-help/personal development, investigative journalism on topics related to the beauty industry (like plastic surgery) and writing by academics on art history and non-canonical literature. 

How to submit: Follow the agency's guidelines HERE. Note: Accepts UK authors only.

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Mason Rowlee of DeFiore & Company

Originally from rural Upstate New York, Mason Rowlee holds a BA in English, with a concentration in creative writing and journalism from Fordham College at Rose Hill. While in college, he interned at DeFiore & Company, as well as McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency, Gotham Writers Workshop, CBS Television Production and Farrar, Straus & Giroux. He previously worked as an assistant literary scout at Jenny La Plante, Inc., where he developed an eye for the types of literary and upmarket fiction and narrative nonfiction that also appeal to international publishers as well as film production companies. 

What he is seeking: Mason loves innovative, boundary-pushing literary fiction, engrossing upmarket fiction, and nonfiction that amplifies traditionally underrepresented voices in publishing, particularly those by queer authors.

How to submit: Mason accepts only email queries. Send a brief email describing yourself and your project to mason@defliterary.com with the first five pages of your manuscript or proposal pasted in the body of an email. Attachments will not be opened unless requested. Submissions do not need to be exclusive, and response time is generally no more than two weeks. If you have not received a response within four weeks, please check that the defliterary.com domain name is on your email server whitelist; the response might have been rejected by your server.
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Lydia Caudill of Andrea Hurst Literary Management

Originally from a small town in Eastern Kentucky, Lydia developed a passion for literature early on, often seen toting around a book and seeking any opportunity to read. She is a graduate of NC State University, where she earned her B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. When she’s not editing or reviewing submissions, you can find her attending live music events, tutoring Spanish, working on her own writing, or spending quality time outdoors with her dog, Rocky.

What she is seeking: Lydia is primarily looking for YA and Adult contemporary fiction, YA and Adult fantasy (she can appreciate both an urban setting or an immersive new world, and bonus points if there’s a romantic element, but the plot must shine regardless), light and cozy science fiction, mysteries with a strong and innovative protagonist, domestic suspense, and historical fiction that is not war-based or rooted in medical/medicinal history.
She is also an enthusiast of lyrical prose, atmospheric writing, emotionally complex and diverse characters, high-conflict stories with an unforgettable and witty heroine, and stories that explore deep and resounding themes. After she finishes a story, she wants it to linger in her head for days after.

As a hopeless romantic at her core, Lydia holds the romance genre close to her heart and is always on the lookout for raw and intimate depictions of love—all kinds by all voices. She also appreciates rom-coms with a good trope or two, and any period piece that provides a much-needed escape from reality. A few of her favorites include Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas, and Normal People by Sally Rooney.
A few more of Lydia’s favorites include: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, Go As a River by Shelley Read, and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.

How to submit: To query Lydia, submit by email only to Lydia@andreahurst.com. Please include a query letter and paste the first five pages into the email. Due to the high volume of queries received, Lydia will only respond to those she is interested in. Check her socials for updates on her current query status.
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Keith Stillman of Sobel Weber Associates

Keith is a former writing teacher and bookseller. He graduated from the NYU Summer Publishing Institute and the Writer’s House Internship Program, and holds a Master of Arts in Professional Writing from Kennesaw State University. He has a diverse taste in books, but tends to lean toward upmarket crime and horror fiction with a tilt toward the bizarre and fantastic. 

What he is seeking: Keith is open to crime fiction, mystery, light speculative fiction, and horror. 
​
How to submit: Please send your pitch, first ten pages, and bio to kstillman@sobelweber.com. 

This November there are more than six dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!

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​

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, micro-fiction. Length: Under 3,000 words preferred. Payment: $75. Deadline: Opens November 1, 2024. They open to fee-free submissions on the first of each month and close when they reach their quota.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Fiction, 15 cents/word. Poetry, $10. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Broken Tribe Press. Genre: Poetry books 60 pages +, short fiction collections 90 pages+, novellas 90+ pages, and novels under 100,000 words, all excluding front and back matter. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Ninth Letter Web Edition. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. See theme. Payment: $25 per poem and $75 for prose. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

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: $25. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Olit. Restrictions: Strong preference for Orlando based writers/submissions about Orlando and surrounding areas. Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Hybrid, Artwork, Photography. "Send us all kinds of stuff. We love the artfully weird." Payment: $10. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Poetry Ireland Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: €50, or a year's subscription to the review. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Antiphony Press. Genre: Poetry collection. Payment: $500 plus 10 copies of your book. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: November 1, 2024. See themes.

Cutleaf. Genre: Poetry Payment: $50 to $100. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Iron Horse. Genre: Poems, stories, and essays that center around deception: false pretenses, fraud, sleight-of-hand tricks, the Big Lie, poker faces, academic dishonesty, infidelity, AI, spin jobs, any type of monkey business. "We'll be especially happy to receive manuscripts about the lies that save people."
Payment: $100 per essay or story, and $50 per poem or flash piece. Deadline: Free day November 1, 2024.

Wyld Magick. Genre: Fantasy. Theme: Forest Fae. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Thema. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: Maybe Next Time. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: November 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

The First Line. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Skull and Laurel. Genre: Weird Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Science Fiction. Short Fiction, Narrative Poetry. They also encourage things like comic strips, mixed media, found footage, puzzles, games, experiments, and other weird forms, as long as they tell a story. Translations welcome. Word count: 100 to 4999 words. Payment: 3c/word (USD) originals; $25 (USD) reprints. Deadline: November 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: November 2, 2024. Opens November 1. This is a monthly call.

Adroit Journal. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $50 - $100. Deadline: November 2, 2024. 

Griffith Review. Genre: Poetry. See theme. Payment: AUD $200. Deadline: November 3, 2024.

Saros Speculative Fiction. Genre: Speculative fiction between 1,500 and 5,000 words, and drabbles of exactly 100 words. Payment: CAD36 for short stories, and CAD4 for drabbles. Deadline: November 4, 2024. 

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: November 4, 2024. 

Write or Die. Genre: Short fiction. Length: Up to 4000 words. Payment: $200. Deadline: November 7,  2024. No fee to submit the first week of the month.

Skull and Laurel. Genre: Weird Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Science Fiction. Short Fiction, Narrative Poetry. They also encourage things like comic strips, mixed media, found footage, puzzles, games, experiments, and other weird forms, as long as they tell a story. Translations welcome. Word count: 100 to 4999 words. Payment: 3c/word (USD) originals; $25 (USD) reprints. Deadline: Extended window for marginalized writers: October 15th to November 7th 2024. Accepts reprints.

Typehouse. Restrictions: November 1-7: In honor of Native American Heritage Month, no-fee submissions are open for all Native/Indigenous/First Nations creators, not limited to those from the US. Genre: Poetry, prose, art. Payment: $5. Deadline: November 7, 2024. 

Black Ink Books. Restrictions: Open to Australian writers. Genre: Full-length general, literary and commercial non-fiction – including history, current affairs, memoir and biography. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 7, 2024. Note: Open to submissions the first week of every month.

Hexagon. Genre: Speculative fiction short stories, flash fiction, poetry, graphic stories, and visual art, in English or French. Payment: $5 for accepted poetry and cartoons, 0.01$ per word for all short stories up to 7,500 words, $40/page for comics and $150 for cover art pieces. (Payment in CAD). Deadline: November 7, 2024. Open to submissions the first week of every second month.

Ornithopter Press. Genre: Full-length poetry manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 12, 2024.
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Orange & Bee. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, experimental and hybrid work. Payment: Poetry: flat rate $US50.00 per poem. Flash: flat rate $US80.00 per story (max 1000 words) Short fiction/non-fiction: $US0.08 per word (max 4000 words) Deadline: November 15, 2024. 

The Blue Route. Restrictions: Only the work of current undergraduate writers will be considered. Genres: Fiction, or creative nonfiction totaling no more than 3000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: November 15, 2024.

Graywolf Press. Genre: Contemporary poetry in translations. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 15, 2024. Opens November 11. Only the first 500 submissions will be considered, after which the submission period will close.

Weird Horror Magazine. Genre: Horror. Payment: 2 cents a word. Deadline: November 15, 2024.
ellipsis… literature & art. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, drama, and creative non-fiction. Payment: $3 per page for prose. $10 for poetry. Deadline: November 15, 2024. (Only pays American writers.)

Crimson Quill Quarterly. Genre: Sword & sorcery, dark fantasy, and grimdark subgenres of fantasy fiction. Length: Up to 10,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: November 15, 2024. 

Full Bleed. Genre: Criticism, belle lettres, visual art, illustration, fiction, poetry, and graphic essays. "In this year marking the hundredth anniversary of the Manifesto of Surrealism, we look forward to featuring in our next issue a selection of new manifestos for our own time and poetry in the ars poetica vein. A separate section of Full Bleed 8 will explore the topic of censorship." Payment: Modest honorarium. Deadline: November 15, 2024. 

Philly Poetry Chapbook Review. Genre: Reviews of chapbooks coming soon or published in the past three years, essays on the crafts of poetry and chapbook making or publishing, and features about authors or publishers of chapbooks. Payment: $10. Deadline: November 15, 2024. 

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, essays, and art: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. Payment: 0.08/word for fiction, $100 for nonfiction, and $40-300 for art. Deadline: November 15, 2024.

Augur Magazine. Restrictions: Open to creators who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, Disabled, and/or Trans, who are also Canadian citizens/permanent residents and/or who are living within the settler-defined borders of the land colonially known as Canada. Genre: Speculative fiction short stories and poetry. Translations accepted. 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). Deadline: November 15, 2024. Opens November 1.

Tales and Feathers.. Genre: Cozy SFF fiction up to 2500 words. Payment: 14 cents CAD/word. Deadline: Deadline: November 15, 2024. Opens November 1.

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: November 15, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Tyche Books: Starship Librarians. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme: Librarians of tomorrow. Payment: CAD $50. Deadline: November 15, 2024.

Frost Zone. Genre: Dark literary fiction, 1800 - 3800 words. Payment: $15 CAD. Deadline: November 16, 2024.

Solarpunk Micro Mini. Genre: Solarpunk micro fiction, 250 words max. Payment: $25. Deadline: November 21, 2024.

Out There. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: €200. Deadline: November 21, 2024.

The Deadlands. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, 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: $100 per essay, 10 cents/word for fiction. $50 for poetry. Deadline: November 21, 2024. Accepts reprints. 

Flame Tree: Aphrodite. Genre: Short fiction on theme: Aphrodite. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: November 24, 2024.

Flame Tree: Loki. Genre: Short fiction on theme: Loki. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: November 24, 2024.

The Stinging Fly. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: Fiction and nonfiction: €30 per magazine page; Poetry: €50 per poem; Featured Poet: €250. Deadline: November 27, 2024.

Contemporary Verse 2. Genre: Poetry and critical writing about poetry, including interviews, articles, essays, and reviews. Payment: $30 - $150. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Renaissance: Choices – An Anthology of Reproductive Horror. Genre: Horror. "We are looking for stories of up to 6000 words about the horrors that occur when reproductive choices are threatened or taken away, written by people of marginalized genders." Payment: 8 cents/word CAD. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Dread Mondays. Genre: Workplace horror. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: November 30, 2024. Extended deadline for historically marginalized groups (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, etc.)

Dragon Soul Press: Be Mine. Genre: Romance. Theme – All love stories with a happily ever after. Valentine-themed preferred, but not required. All genres accepted. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Farenheit Books. Genre: Speculative short stories and poetry. Farenheit Books. Genre: Speculative stories. Length: Up to 7,500 words for fiction; up to 50 lines for poetry. See themes. Payment: $0.10/word for fiction, $2/line for poetry. Deadline: November 30, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors: Dying for an Answer. Genre: Murder mysteries, detectives noir, cozy, or humorous. Payment: Royalty share of D2D sales, or $20.00. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Quarter Press: Quarter(ly). Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Nimrod. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. Payment: $10 per page, with a $200 maximum. Deadline: November 30, 2024. Fee to submit online; no fee for postal submissions.

Pogue One. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Throughout human space, grunts in power armor get all the glory. Even in conventional armed forces, however, only 15% or so of those are infantry. We want stories about the other 85%. What are their adventures? The truck drivers, the bulk fuelers, supply sergeants, pay clerks, airframe mechanics, the guy who fixed the soft-serve ice cream machine on Seti-Alpha-Five (God bless that guy). Welcome to Pogue One." Payment: Royalty share. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Baltimore Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, videos (including poetry), and cross-genre work. Payment: $50. Deadline: November 30, 2024. May close early if they reach their cap.

Flash Point Science Fiction. Genre: Speculative fiction drabbles, 100 words in length. "Send us your science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and everything in between, so long as it’s short." Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

The Iowa Review. Genre: Nonfiction. Payment: $1.50 per line for poetry ($100 minimum) and $0.08 per word for prose ($100 minimum). Deadline: November 1, 2024. No fee for snail mail submissions. $4 fee for online submissions.

Broken Sleep Books. (UK) Genre: Poetry pamphlets (up to 40 pages). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Change your habits & attitudes / change your life Genre: True stories and poems. "Habits. Attitudes. Breaking bad habits and replacing them with good habits play an important role in self-care. Change your attitude and you can change your life. And self-care - including mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing - is vital to ensuring that your needs are met. It's probably what we neglect the most." Payment: $200. Deadline: November 30, 2024.


Poet Lore. Genre: Poetry translations. Payment: $50. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

The Hudson Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, essays, book reviews; criticism of literature, art, theatre, dance, film, and music; and articles on contemporary cultural developments. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: November 30, 2024. (Fiction only)

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.$6.00 for each poem. $20.00 for original articles, $6.00 for reprints. $7.00 for reviews and interviews. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Haven Speculative. Restrictions: Open to submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

The Fiddlehead. Genre: Fiction, including excerpts from novels, creative nonfiction, art, poetry. Payment: $60 CAD per published page. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: November 30, 2024. In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, there are no submission fees during the month of November for all Indigenous writers, not limited to those living in/born the US.

Fahmidan Publishing is a publisher for all POC & Women ardent in battle against subjugation. Genre: Poetry or fiction chapbook. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Typehouse. Genre: Poetry, prose, art. Payment: $5. Deadline: November 30, 2024. (No fee period: last week of November)

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, 2024. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early. 

Train Stories and Aliens Among Us. Genre: All genres of fiction and poetry on two themes: Trains and Aliens Among Us. Payment: 10 cents/word. $2/line of poetry. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Galactic Mindsea Empire Anthology. Genre: Stories set in the Galactic Mindsea Empire up to 10,000 words in length. "The Empire has already suffered one war over the status of bioids, but will the matter ever truly be settled? Bioids mimic living beings so perfectly that, if their warning marks are removed, no one except a mindsea can spot one without sophisticated scientific testing. Bioids are designed to be without self-will, but a mutation or a shifty bioid-maker could change that..." Payment: 4 cents/word. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Colp. Genre: Fiction on theme: On the Farm. Word count: 1,000 - 10,000 words. Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 2,500 words; AU$10.00 for anything above 2,500 words. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

QUEER JOY Quadrangle Collection. Restrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: Stories featuring LGBTQI2S+ characters with positive representation in a wide variety of genres and styles, including General Fiction, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, and most other genres imaginable. Length: Up to 7,500 words. Payment: $0.01 CAD per word. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Mayday. Genre: Translations. "Poetry and prose from any language translated to English will be considered. We are also interested in book reviews and essays relevant to the art of literary translation." Payment: $20 - $50. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

Flux is an imprint of North Star Editions, a Minnesota-based house specializing in trade fiction. Flux specializes in "alternative voices." The editors believe that young adult novels are a "point of view," not a reading level. Submissions: In addition to a query, and three chapters, Flux requires 3-5 comparative books published within the last 5 years with an explanation of how your book both ties into a trend in the Young Adult genre and offers something unique. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 30, 2024. Read their submission guidelines here.

Jolly Fish Press is an imprint of North Star Editions, Inc., based in Minnesota. They publish trade fiction and select nonfiction books in the national and international market. Right now they are seeking middle grade and young adult titles in science fiction and fantasy with an epic and visual scope; thrillers with strong, carefully crafted characters and a unique voice; and unconventional love stories. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 30, 2024. See their submission guidelines here.

Graveside Press: Monster Romance. Genre: Horror on theme: Monster Romance. 2,000 – 6,000 words in length. Payment: $0.02/word. Deadline: November 30, 2024.

AND A FEW MORE...

Tales from the Nightside. Genre: Car Wars GameLit Fiction. Theme: Ride along with illegal street teams and see the criminal underbelly of the Autoduelling world. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Burial Books: Inanimate Things – Volume Two. Genre: Horror about inanimate things that are living. It could be a doll, the dead flesh of zombies, or your Ford F-150. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

Ninth Letter. Genre: Fiction, CNF, Poetry. Payment: $25 per poem and $100 for prose. Deadline: Opens December 1, 2024. Closes when they reach cap.

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. Theme: Fortune and Luck. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 1, 2024.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: December 1, 2024. See themes.

Here are ten new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 
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Ms. Sandra Proudman of Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency

​Sandra Proudman (she/her/ella) is a literary associate at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, assisting Marietta Zacker and representing a small list of authors and author-illustrators. She is passionate about bringing underrepresented voices to the forefront and is also a committee member of #LatinxPitch. When not busily immersed in all things publishing, you can find her spending time with her amazing husband and adorable toddler, catching up on all her shows, and taking care of her vegetable garden. She is also the author of the YA fantasy, Salvación, ( Wednesday Books) and the editor of the Latinx anthology RELIT: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories (Inkyard Press). Connect with her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @SandraProudman.

What she is seeking: Sandra  represents adult, MG, YA and New Adult fiction authors and author-illustrators. She also represents juvenile nonfiction.

How to submit: Sandra is open to queries from the 1st to the 7th of every month. Use her querymanager HERE.
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Marit Versantvoort of Sebes & Bisseling

I started as an intern at Sebes & Bisseling after studying European Studies and finishing a master’s in editing, both at the University of Amsterdam. I am now a literary agent and represent Dutch authors as well as American and British clients. When I’m not reading you can usually find me trying out new recipe’s or at a new restaurant.

What she is seeking: I have special interest in cookery and romance, while also enjoying literary and commercial fiction, health and lifestyle books, music, art, politics and true crime. Any book that’s refreshing, new and beautiful will attract my attention and I look forward to working on many types of projects. The books that I love the most are ones that really take you into their world and make you feel like you belong there.

How to submit: Follow the guidelines HERE.
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Fatiha Panjwani of Sebes & BisselingMy name is Fatiha Panjwani and, after obtaining a BA in Literary and Cultural Analysis and an MA in Publishing at the University of Amsterdam, I started at Sebes & Bisseling as an intern. I now work as a junior literary agent, as well as support the contracts administration department. 

What she is seeking: Personally, I enjoy reading fiction, memoirs, and essays, but I prefer to look beyond my own taste when I’m at work. I find it important to highlight new voices, unique perspectives and anything that is innovative or special within its genre, regardless of what that genre may be.

How to submit: Follow the guidelines HERE.
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Mr. Mark O'Brien of Jennifer Azantian Literary Agency

Mark O'Brien joined Azantian Literary Agency in 2024 with nine years of experience in the book publishing industry. Prior to ALA, Mark interned at Entangled Publishing, Stonesong, Triada US Literary Agency, and Writers House, and worked as Sales Coordinator at NetGalley for three years. Mark has also worked as a freelance editor and sensitivity reader, as well as a volunteer with organizations like #DVpit, Tessera Editorial, and Quillers SWANA. Authors Mark has worked with in these roles include Becky Albertalli, Kelly Loy Gilbert, Victoria Aveyard, Ryan La Sala, Lydia Kang, J. Elle, Gabe Cole Novoa, Varian Johnson, Jessica Kim, Sayantani DasGupta, and many more.

What he is seeking: MG, YA, adult queer romance, as well as nonfiction. Across genres, age groups, and categories, Mark loves lyrical prose he can get lost in, wordplay, and a sense of humor. As a queer, neurodivergent person himself, Mark is especially excited about working with queer, neurodivergent, BIPOC, and disabled creators.

How to submit: Use his querymanager HERE.

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Ms. Lauren Liebow of Aevitas Creative Management

Based in New York, Lauren graduated with honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point, where she received a BS in English Literature. She served as a commissioned Army officer in El Paso, TX, and worked as an English writing tutor before joining Aevitas.

What she is seeking: Lauren Liebow is interested in representing authors across literary and upmarket fiction as well as non-fiction.

In fiction, she is drawn to projects that feature voice-driven narratives and is most fascinated by genre-bending novels written in beautiful prose. She’s looking for timeless stories that explore topics such as migration, family, socioeconomic inequality, and speculative worlds that also expose complicated truths about our own world.

She’s also interested in working on nonfiction projects, focusing on narrative nonfiction, memoir, and investigative journalism. Across all genres, she’s keenly interested in books that uplift historically underrepresented voices.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.  

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Ms. Hunter Strickland of Focused Artists

Hunter joined Focused Artists as a junior agent in 2024 after completing an apprenticeship with Co-founder Kristina Sutton. She previously held assistant roles at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord Pickens Museum for publishing and editing. During her time there she developed a background working with historical non-fiction. 

What she is seeking: Hunter’s list of interests are just as extensive as her background. While she has previous experience in the sports world and historical nonfiction, she is also drawn to fantasy worlds with unique elements.
Titles Hunter is currently seeking include:

• Fantasy
• Romance
• Historical Fiction
• Women's fiction 
• Young Adult
• New Adult

Hunter is particularly drawn to anything mythology based or inspired. 

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.
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Helen Masvikeni of Megibow Literary Agency

Helen’s unique background brings an interesting and fresh perspective to the publishing  world. She has an extensive background in the arts having been an internationally-performing musician and photographer as well as having worked in video, theater and film. Before COVID, she worked in marketing both in  the non-profit sector and for the Denver Center for Performing Arts. Originally from Harare, Zimbabwe and now residing in Colorado, Helen is passionate about storytelling and artistic expression. As a literary agent, she is focused on combining her own experience as an artist with the business side of publishing to support authors from creation through publication and beyond.

What she is seeking: I represent authors who write adult thriller, adult mystery, adult crime, adult non-fiction and memoir, anything "folklore", picture books (fiction and nonfiction/ all sub-genres), and adult romance (all sub-genres).

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.
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Mr. Matthew Valdez of Megibow Literary Agency

Matthew holds a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education from the Metropolitan State University of Denver, and is currently attending The University of Central Florida to obtain his Master’s in Educational Leadership. He lives in sunny Florida where he teaches High School English and hopes just a sliver of his passion for books rubs off on his students.

What he is seeking: Matthew Valdez represents storytellers who write for both adults and young adults. He is looking for horror, science fiction, upmarket commercial fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, psychological thriller, contemporary YA, adult contemporary romance, and graphic novels in any genre. He longs to champion stories from all marginalized backgrounds, and especially voices from the LGBTQ+ community. 

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.
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Anna Clark of Wordlink Literary Agency

Anna’s passion for a good story started as a child on the theatre camp stage and was nurtured throughout her life by a love of reading and performance. She is a proud Filipino-American born and raised in southern Georgia by her first generation mother and southern grown father. She attended Belmont University, earning a degree in English, Theatre, and Education. She now resides in Nashville where she has worked as a high school teacher and Teaching Artist for a local theater.

What she is seeking: Anna is looking for dark fiction such as psychological, gothic, southern gothic, paranormal, and literary horror, as well as new adult fiction about immigrant diaspora, interracial identity, and multi-generational conflict. As a lover of the stage and all things dramatic, she appreciates cinematic writing that paints clear pictures of complex worlds and characters in the reader’s mind. She celebrates own voices, particularly those that are usually overlooked or ignored in traditional spaces.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.
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Ally Gelber of Waxman Literary 

Ally Gelber joined Waxman Literary in 2024 after completing an internship at Writers House. She began her career in publishing as a bookseller at Powell’s legendary bookstore, and moved to New York in 2024 to pursue agenting. 

What she is seeking: She gravitates towards contemporary literary fiction—specifically autofiction and literature in translation—and appreciates Gen Z perspectives with polished, witty flair.
​
How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.

This October there are more than seven dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

I post upcoming calls for submissions shortly before the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!

Note: I update this list continually throughout the month, so check Calls for Submissions frequently for new submission calls.
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​Sundog. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art. Payment: $50. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity.

Phano. Genre: Short stories and essays, 5000 words maximum. Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2024. 

Mudroom. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and essays in translation. Payment: $15. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2024. 

Over/Exposed. Restrictions: "We prioritize the work of graduate students, so please indicate in your submission if you are a graduate student, including your university, and department." Open internationally. Genre: Flash, short fiction, and non-fiction personal essays/memoir, poetry, reviews, experimental, art. "We are focused on the publication of works that are vulnerable, experimental, a little bit weird and sexy." Payment: CAD $15, Deadline: Opens October 1, 2024. 

Strange Horizons. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: 10¢/word USD. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity.

Polar Borealis. Restrictions: Open to Canadians only. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: 1 cent per word. $10 for one thousand words or less. $20 for two thousand words or less (but reasonably above one thousand). $30 for three thousand words or less (but reasonably above two thousand). Deadline: Opens October 1, 2024.

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, micro-fiction. Length: Under 3,000 words preferred. Payment: $75. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2024. They open to fee-free submissions on the first of each month and close when they reach their quota.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity.

Galaxy’s Edge. Genre: Fantasy or urban fantasy. Payment: $0.07/word for stories up to 10,000 words. Deadline: October 1, 2024.

White Stag. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays on theme: personal mythology & familial lore. Payment:  $5 per poem or $10 per flash fiction or lyrical essay piece + one copy of the printed anthology. Deadline: October 1, 2024.

Quist. Restrictions: Open to writers and artists between the ages of 14 and 21 and based in Quebec. Genre: Poetry and prose. Payment: $75. Deadline: October 1, 2024.

Toronto Journal. Genre: Short stories from anywhere in the world. No word limit. "We will also consider non-fiction pieces that are either set locally or explore some local history (Toronto, GTA, and surrounding)." Payment: $50 CAD per piece. All published writers will also receive two printed copies of the issue in which they appear. Deadline: October 1, 2024.

The Last Line. Genre: Fiction that ends with the last line provided. Payment: $20-$40. Deadline: October 1, 2024. 

The Iowa Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry. Payment: $1.50 per line for poetry ($100 minimum) and $0.08 per word for prose ($100 minimum). Deadline: October 1, 2024. No fee for snail mail submissions. $4 fee for online submissions.

The Paris Review. Genres: Fiction, poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: Opens October 1, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity.

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, 2024.

Cutleaf. Genre: Literary nonfiction. Length: Less than 6,000 words. Payment: $100 to $400. Deadline: October 1, 2024.

Bright Wall/Dark Room. Genre: Essays on film and TV. See theme. Payment: $100 per essay. Deadline: October 1, 2024.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: October 1, 2024. See themes.

Cogs and Cutlasses. Genre: Steampunk Adventure Fiction. Theme: A collection of piracy themed stories, set in a steampunk environment. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 1, 2024. 

Science Fiction Is a Drag! Genre: Science fiction stories that are, first and foremost, drag. Payment: $50. Deadline: October 1, 2024. 

Humour Me. Genre: Humorous short stories and cartoons. See themes. Payment: Flat fee of £20.00 per accepted submission for stories. Flat fee of £5.00 per accepted cartoon submissions. Deadline: October 2, 2024. 

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: October 2, 2024. Opens October 1. This is a monthly call.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: October 4, 2024. 

Gutter. Genre: Poetry and prose in Scotland and beyond. Length: Poetry submissions can consist of up to five poems, totaling no more than 120 lines. Prose, up to 3000 words. Payment: £30. Deadline: October 4, 2024.

Space Cowboys 6. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Cowboys have a certain reckless reputation and that doesn’t fade away when you move them into space and onto alien worlds. Men and women who face hardships and rope a living out of an unforgiving landscape without waiting for orders from a distant authority. They do what needs to be done and take care of their animals, their people, and themselves." Payment: Royalty share. Deadline: October 4, 2024. 

Ecotone. Genre: Poems in the French repeating forms: Especially rondeaux, rondels, rondelets, ballades, and the like.Flash fiction and nonfiction: Up to three works between 750 and 2,000 words Payment: $100 minimum for poetry and a $200 minimum for prose. Deadline: October 5, 2024. Fee-free peroid opens October 1.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: October 7, 2024. 

The Aesthete. Genre: Fiction, poetry. Payment: $5. Deadline: October 7, 2024. 

Affirm Press. Restrictions: They only accept Australians. Genre: All literary and genre fiction. For non-fiction, they are interested in most subjects that have a connection to Austria. authors 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. Read their submission guidelines here. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 7, 2024. 

Black Ink Books. Restrictions: Open to Australian writers. Genre: Full-length general, literary and commercial non-fiction – including history, current affairs, memoir and biography. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 7, 2024. Note: Open to submissions the first week of every month.

Tales from the Moonlit Path. Genre: Dark, eerie speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: $10 for fiction. Deadline: October 12, 2024. 

Flame Tree Publishing This Way Lies Madness. Genre: Horror on theme: Madness. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: October 13, 2024. 

Griffith Review. Genre: Short fiction and nonfiction up to 4,000 words. See theme. Payment: $500 (?) Deadline: October 13, 2024. 

Daikaijuzine. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Payment: $10.00 for each short story, and $5.00 for each poem and flash fiction piece. Deadline: October 13, 2024.

Seaside Gothic. Genre: Seaside gothic fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or a collection of photographs or illustrations. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: October 13, 2024.

Solarpunk Magazine. Genre: Solarpunk. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $40/poem, and $75/essay.  Deadline: October 14, 2024.

Inner Worlds Zine. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror prose with a strong emotional or psychological focus. "We are mainly interested in fiction, but we’re open to speculative memoir or creative non fiction, as long as it has speculative elements.” Payment: £0.02 per word for each piece accepted, with a minimum £20 payment. Deadline: October 14, 2024, for members of marginalised groups only.

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: Deadline: October 14, 2024.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: October 15, 2024. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, there are no submission fees for Latinx writers from September 15th to October 15th.

Electric Spec. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20 per piece. Deadline: October 15, 2024.

QT: Queer Toronto Literary Magazine Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, book reviews, personal essays, reflections, memoirs, as well as artwork, drawings, comics, photographs, collages, and other visual media. "Here, queer literature is not limited to explicitly queer content, but rather works created by LGBTQ2SIA+ people. Individuals from underrepresented communities, especially women, trans people, and BIPOC artists and writers are encouraged to self-identify in their submission email. Creators based in, or content featuring Toronto will be given extra consideration, but QT welcomes all pieces and artists with a connection to Canada." Payment: Featured artists and authors will receive an honorarium of $15. Issue designers will receive an honorarium of $100. Deadline: October 15, 2024. 

Spring Into SciFi. Genre: Science fiction short stories. Payment: $15. Deadline: October 15, 2024. 

Speculative City. Genre: Speculative fiction set in the city.  Payment: $20-$55 according to the category and length of the submission. Deadline: October 15, 2024.

Winter Horrorland. Genre: Horror. Word Count: 1,500-4,000. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: October 15, 2024.

Midnight Meadow Publishing's goal is to publish engaging and unique LGBTQ+ stories while elevating marginalized voices. They are interested in a wide variety of genres. Read submission guidelines HERE. Deadline: October 15, 2024.

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 - $60 for prose and poetry, $150 for art. Deadline: October 15, 2024.

McClelland & Stewart is a division of Penguin Random House. Restrictions: Open to Black, Indigenous, and racialized writers, as well as those of other traditionally underrepresented communities. Genre: Full-length literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Payment: Advance and royalties. Deadline: October 15, 2024.

Painted Hearts Publishing. Genre: HOLIDAY short stories! Submissions should be between 15k and 25k words, be of a romantic nature, and contain a holiday/winter theme. All genres of LGBTQ+ romance and all heat levels are welcome. Payment: $100. Deadline: October 15, 2024.

Hub City Press. Genre: Books of literary fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, regional nonfiction, nature, and art. "We are seeking new and extraordinary voices from the American South." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 15, 2024. Fiction only.

Translunar Travelers Lounge. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $0.03 per word with a minimum of $20. Deadline: October 15, 2024. (Note: September 15-21 is reserved for writers of color)

Rattle: Tribute to the Haibun. Genre: Haibun. Payment: $200. Deadline: October 16, 2024.

Roxane Gay Books. Genre: Un-agented novels, short fiction collections, memoirs, narrative nonfiction books, and personal essay collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 16, 2024.

Roxane Gay Books. Genre: Novels, short fiction, memoir, essay collections, and nonfiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 16, 2024.

Shooter. Genre: Fiction, poetry, CNF, art on theme of Coming of Age. Payment: £25 per story and £5 per poem. Deadline: October 20, 2024.

Typehouse. Restrictions: October 14-21: In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, no-fee submissions are open for all Hispanic/Latino/a/e/x creators, not limited to those in the US. Genre: Poetry, prose, art. Payment: $5. Deadline: October 21, 2024.

Astrolabe. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography & art. Payment: $50. Deadline: October 22, 2024.

Off Topic Publishing: Poetry Box. Genre: Poetry. Payment $40 CAD. Deadline: October 25, 2024. This is a monthly call. Submit by the 25th of each month.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: October 25, 2024.

Riddlebird. Genre: Literary fiction, personal essays. Payment: $100. Deadline: October 26, 2024.

Flame Tree Press: Afrofuturism. Genre: Speculative fiction that is located in "the African point of view, experience, culture, themes, and history with technology based in Africa, not the diaspora." Payment: 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints. Deadline: October 27, 2024. Accepts reprints.

The Suburban Review. Genre: Prose, art, poetry. Theme: Disability. Payment: AUD150-275 for prose; AUD125-275 for poetry; comics and art AUD100-300. Deadline: October 27, 2024..
Mythaxis. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 30, 2024.

Deadset Press: Rebels and Rainbows. Restrictions: Open to all Australian and New Zealand authors who identify as LGBTIQA+, from any gender identity, and ally authors. Genre: Stories that feature LGBTIQA+ characters of any gender identity across the wide universes of speculative fiction. Swashbuckling pirates, mischievous necromancers, charming elder gods, dashing bounty hunters, anything goes! Payment: $25. Deadline: October 30, 2024.
​
Agbowo. Restrictions: Open to African origin writers only. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, book reviews and art/photography. Payment: Single Poems - $25; Suites of poems (2-4) - $50; One act plays -$50; Essays/Nonfiction - $60; Fiction - $60; Visual Art - $35. Deadline: October 30, 2024.

How2Conquer. Genre: Nonfiction books. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2024. 

Dread Mondays. Genre: Workplace horror. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Nine Arches. Genre: Poetry collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Brick. Genre: Nonfiction. Payment: $55–725, 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, 2024.

The Temz Review. Genre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

MetaStellar. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy or horror. 1000 words max. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Diet Milk: ‘In The Bleak Midwinter.' Genre: Gothic micro/flash fiction. Payment: $3 for micro fiction, $5 for flash fiction. Deadline: October 31, 2024. (Runs from October 1 - 31)

New Writing Scotland. Restrictions: Open to writers resident in Scotland or Scots by birth, upbringing or inclination. Genre: All forms of writing. Payment: £50 for the first published page and £25 for each subsequent published page. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Harbor Review. Genre: Poetry, art. Payment: $10. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Rebel Satori Press. Genre: Book-length nonfiction on the occult and esoterica. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Cozy Mysteries from the Rock. Restrictions: Open to Canadians. Genre: Cozy mystery. Length: under 10,000 words. Payment: $0.01 CAD per word. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Inner Worlds Zine. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror prose with a strong emotional or psychological focus. "We are mainly interested in fiction, but we’re open to speculative memoir or creative non fiction, as long as it has speculative elements.” Payment: £0.02 per word for each piece accepted, with a minimum £20 payment. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Midnight Menagerie. Genre: Stories that feature the strange and bizarre from around the cosmos and other dimensions. Payment: $15. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Dust & Dark. Genre: Horror. Payment: £0.07 per word. Deadline: October 31, 2024.
 
Flash Point Science Fiction. Genre: Speculative fiction stories from 100 to 1,000 words in length. "Send us your science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and everything in between, so long as it’s short." Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: October  31, 2024.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Parallel Universe Publications: Swords & Sorceries. Genre: Heroic fantasy. Payment: £25; and an additional £25 if a hardcover version is issued. Deadline: October 31, 2024. 

Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy. Length: 1500-7500 words. Payment: $0.005/word up to 7500 words. Minimum of $15. Reprints paid at full rate. Deadline: October 31, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Hub City Press. Genre: Books of literary fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, regional nonfiction, nature, and art. "We are seeking new and extraordinary voices from the American South." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2024. Nonfiction only.

Dragon Soul Press: Dragon Legends. Genre: "All dragon stories. All genres accepted." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

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: October 31, 2024.

Black Beacon Books: Steampunk Sleuths. Genre: Steampunk Sleuths will be an anthology of four novelettes (15 - 20,000 words) featuring detectives in a steampunk setting solving peculiar crimes. The only requirements for submission will be that the means of committing the crime (murder, theft, kidnapping...) must be clearly steampunk and the reader must be given the tools to crack the case before the solution is revealed.  Payment: $50. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

The Rumpus. Genre: Essays, comics. Payment: $400 divided among all contributors. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dog 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: October 31, 2024.

AND A FEW MORE

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, micro-fiction. Length: Under 3,000 words preferred. Payment: $75. Deadline: Opens November 1, 2024. They open to fee-free submissions on the first of each month and close when they reach their quota.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Fiction, 15 cents/word. Poetry, $10. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Ninth Letter Web Edition. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. See theme. Payment: $25 per poem and $75 for prose. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

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: $25. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Olit. Restrictions: Strong preference for Orlando based writers/submissions about Orlando and surrounding areas. Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Hybrid, Artwork, Photography. "Send us all kinds of stuff. We love the artfully weird." Payment: $10. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Nonbinary Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and art. See theme. Payment: $10 - $25. Deadline: November 1, 2024. 

Poetry Ireland Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: €50, or a year's subscription to the review. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Antiphony Press. Genre: Poetry collection. Payment: $500 plus 10 copies of your book. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: November 1, 2024. See themes.

Cutleaf. Genre: Poetry Payment: $50 to $100. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Iron Horse. Genre: Poems, stories, and essays that center around deception: false pretenses, fraud, sleight-of-hand tricks, the Big Lie, poker faces, academic dishonesty, infidelity, AI, spin jobs, any type of monkey business. "We'll be especially happy to receive manuscripts about the lies that save people."
Payment: $100 per essay or story, and $50 per poem or flash piece. Deadline: Free day November 1, 2024.

Wyld Magick. Genre: Fantasy. Theme: Forest Fae. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 1, 2024.

Thema. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: Maybe Next Time. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: November 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

The First Line. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: November 1, 2024.