All of these literary magazines pay, and none charge submission fees. Make sure to follow submission requirements carefully. Editors get cranky when writers don’t follow their submission rules.
If you want to get a jump on next month’s calls for submissions, check the page Calls for Submissions, which is where I post new calls as they come up.
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Smash Medical Paternalism. Genre: Personal accounts of experiences with medical paternalism, including forced treatment, confinement in prisons and institutions, societal pressure to “recover” from one’s identity, hiring and housing discrimination, gatekeeping access to medical treatment, and social ostracism. Also analytical, philosophical or scientific pieces that explore issues of medical paternalism, healthism and cognitive liberty from an academic or critical perspective. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: September 1, 2018.
Apt. Genre: Fiction, poetry essays. The print journal is open to long-form only, 10,000 words and up. Online journal accepts lower word counts. Payment: $50. Deadline: September 1, 2018.
Hysterical. Restrictions: Open to submissions only from writers who are women, femmes or non-binary people. Genre: prose, poetry, and hybrid/cross-genre writing. Payment: $50. Deadline: September 1, 2018.
Release the Virgins. Genre: Short stories that include, somewhere in the story, the phrase “Release the Virgins.” Length: Up to 5,000 words. Payment: 5 cents a word. Deadline: September 1, 2018.
Contrary. Genres: Fiction, poetry, commentary. Payment: $20. Deadline: September 1, 2018.
SubTerrain Magazine. Genre: Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, essays, and commentary. Payment: Poetry: $50 per poem; Prose: $.10 per word (to a maximum of $500.) Canadian dollars. Deadline: September 3, 2018. Charges fee for online submissions; no fee for snail mail.
Hallmark Publishing Genre: Romance, and cozy mystery, full-length novels (65,000–85,000 words). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: September 3, 2018.
Overland Literary Journal: Tribulations of the Digital Frontier. Genre: Poetry about the Internet. Payment: AUD $150 per poem. Deadline: September 10, 2018.
Spirit’s Tincture. Genre: Poetry of the supernatural. Payment: $10 per poem. Deadline: September 15, 2018.
Understorey. Restrictions: Open to writers in Canada who identify as women or non-binary Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry on theme of Age. Payment: $30-$60. Deadline: September 15, 2018.
Eye to the Telescope: Witches. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $0.03/word. Deadline: September 15, 2018.
Arsenika. Genre: All; flash fiction and poetry. Payment: $60 USD for fiction and $30 USD for poetry. Deadline: September 15, 2018.
Cricket: Curtain Call. Genre: Short stories, nonfiction and poetry about music, theater, and the performing arts for 9–14-year-olds. Payment: Up to $0.25/word for prose, $3/line for poetry, $75 for activities and recipes. Deadline: September 15, 2018.
Hinnom Magazine. Genre: Weird fiction. Payment: 3001 to 5000 words, $55. 250 to 3000 words, $30. Art, $75-$150. Deadline: September 15, 2018.
Corpus Press: Horror Anthology. Genre: Horror short stories. Payment: $0.03/word, capped at $150. Deadline: September 15, 2018.
Enchanted Conversation. Genre: Spooky, spellbinding, and creepy stories in fairy tale, folktale or mythic settings. Payment: $10. Deadline: September 20, 2018.
Splickety: Christmas Abroad. Genre: Flash fiction between 300 and 1000 words. “Give us young adult stories that embrace the holiday spirit in faraway lands. What does Christmas look like in high summer when the family goes to visit their grandfather in Australia? Can an army brat find the Christmas spirit on her third overseas base in three years? What happens when an exchange student in Ecuador finds romance under the mistletoe? We want to see compelling characters, evocative settings, and a hearty dose of Christmas magic.” Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: September 21, 2018.
The Puritan. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 per nonfiction piece, $50 fiction, $15 per poem. Deadline: September 25, 2018.
Every Day Fiction. Genre: Flash Fiction. Payment: $3. Deadline: August 26, 2018.
Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 6 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: September 28, 2018.
An anthology of Dieselpunk and Decopunk Fairy Tales. Genre: Speculative fiction. “Dieselpunk and decopunk are alternative history reimaginings of the WWI and WWII eras beginning with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ending before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I’m looking for tales with the grit of roaring bombers, rumbling tanks, of ‘We Can Do It’, the Great Depression and old time gangsters or the glamour (real or imagined) of flappers, Hollywood starlets, smoky jazz, elegant cars and Radio City Music Hall.” Payment: $50. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: “More Messages from Heaven”. Genre: True stories. “When our loved ones leave this world, our connection with them does not end. Death takes away their physical presence, but not their spirit, and we often sense them after they have gone. Sometimes we see or hear from them after they’ve passed, giving us signs and messages from beyond. We want to hear your story if you have experienced the other side or received a sign or signal from a loved one who has passed. If you submitted a story for a previous book title and we DID NOT publish it, please do submit it again if you think it will fit in this title. “ Payment: $200. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: “Stories about Angels”. Genre: True stories. “Angels are all around us. Have you encountered or been helped by an angel? How did your angel manifest himself or herself? How did your angel help you or someone you know? We are looking for stories from people who believe that they have been helped by angels. If you submitted a story for a previous book title and we DID NOT publish it, please do submit it again if you think it will fit in this title. Please do not send stories about people who are “angels” because they do nice things, and also please do not submit eulogies where you say that your loved one is now an angel.” Payment: $200. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: “Stories about Miracles”. Genre: True stories. “Everyone has experienced events in their lives that cause wonder and astonishment and give them hope for a better future. Why did these things happen? We are looking for true stories in this multi-faith book that will awe you with examples of amazing events. Miracles do happen every day. Share your inspirational true stories with us to remind us that each day holds hope and that a miracle can happen at any time. If you submitted a story for a previous book title and we DID NOT publish it, please do submit it again if you think it will fit in this title.” Payment: $200. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: “Stories about My Mom”. Genre: True stories. “We are collecting stories and poems written by sons and daughters of all ages about their moms, step-moms, grandmoms or someone that is “like a mom” to you. Tell us what this special person has done for you. Is she always right? Do you still turn to her for advice? Does she annoy you with her advice? Have you become your mom even though you swore you never would? How has your relationship changed as you’ve gotten older? Share your best stories — ones that will make us laugh, cry, or nod our heads in recognition. We are not looking for general tributes (we know your mom is terrific) nor are we looking for biographies. We are looking for specific anecdotes about you and your mom or stepmom or grandmom.” Payment: $200. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
Pseudopod: Artemis Rising. Genre: Horror. “Escape Artists podcasts featuring stories by women and nonbinary authors in genre fiction.” Audio format. Payment: 6 cents per word. Deadline: September 30, 2018. Reprints accepted.
GRIMM, GRIT, AND GASOLINE: An anthology of Dieselpunk and Decopunk Fairy Tales. Genre: Speculative fiction/alternative history. Payment: $0.01 per word + contributor copy. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
EVENT. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $25/page. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
Life After All — “an apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic/pastoral apocalyptic LGBTQIA+ anthology — The end of the world is a dark, bleak place. Life is full of grit, misery, and barely scraping by. But if humans excel at anything, it’s making the best of a bad situation, and the end of the world would be no different.” Payment: $150.00. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
CONSEQUENCE is an independent, non-profit literary magazine published annually. Genre: Short fiction, poetry, non-fiction, interviews, visual art, and reviews primarily focused on the culture of war. Payment: Poetry: $25 per page; Prose: $10 per page ($250 maximum); Translations:$15 per page ($250 maximum). Deadline: September 30, 2018.
New Writing Scotland. Restrictions: Open to writers resident in Scotland or Scots by birth, upbringing or inclination. Genre: All forms of writing. Payment: £20 per published page. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
Feral Cat Publishers: Bubble Off Plumb Anthology. Genre: Odd, unsettling stories. Payment: $0.03/word. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
Nashville Review . Genres: Fiction, poetry. Payment: $100 for fiction, $25 for poetry. Deadline: September 30, 2018.
Writer’s Chronicle. “The editors look for articles that demonstrate an excellent working knowledge of literary issues and a generosity of spirit that esteems the arguments of other writers on similar topics.” Genre: Nonfiction. Payment: $18 per 100 words. Deadline: September 30, 2018.