Trying to discover a sense of neighborhood comes with the territory of being a author. Whether you’re in search of the appropriate writing contests or residencies, it’s laborious to know the place to start and easy methods to discover the appropriate residence on your private work.
But right here’s the excellent news: You can lastly cease stressing about the place and easy methods to submit your quick tales — we compiled an inventory for you.
In this information, you’ll discover 30+ magazines and literary journals that publish quick fiction (and nonfiction). Our listing contains a mixture of publications throughout numerous genres and types, starting from prestigious, extremely aggressive choices to these particularly in search of new and rising voices.
Plus, worldwide writers, a whole lot of these are open to you, too!
30 Outlets that Publish Short Stories
While we’ll provide you with a quick concept of the flavour of every journal and website, you’ll positively need to spend a while studying your goal publications earlier than submitting to turn into conversant in the form of items they like.
Many of those submissions settle for authentic submissions which might be concurrently submitted elsewhere. Just ensure that to withdraw your submitted submissions when you get your story revealed!
Ready to get began? Here’s the place to submit quick tales:
1. The New Yorker
Might as nicely begin with a bang, proper? Adding publication in The New Yorker to your portfolio places you in an entire new league, although it gained’t be simple. Author David. B. Comfort calculated the percentages of acceptance at 0.0000416 %!
It accepts each customary quick fiction in addition to humorous quick fiction for the “Shouts & Murmurs” part. No phrase counts are talked about, although a fast scan of the column reveals most items are 600 to 1,000 phrases.
Deadline: Open.
Payment: Huge bragging rights; pay for unsolicited submissions isn’t specified. As of this submit’s publication, no charges particularly for brief tales.
2. The Atlantic
Another extremely revered journal, The Atlantic publishes each huge names and rising writers in fiction and nonfiction. Submission pointers advise, “A common familiarity with what we have now revealed previously is the very best information to what we’re in search of.”
Deadline: Open. Fiction tales are submitted to [email protected].
Payment: Unsolicited submissions are typically unpaid.
3. The Threepenny Review
This quarterly arts journal focuses on literature, arts and society, memoir and essay. Short tales ought to be not more than 4,000 phrases, whereas submissions to the “Table Talk” part (pithy, irreverent and humorous musings on tradition, artwork, politics and life) ought to be 1,000 phrases or much less.
Deadline: January to June
Payment: $400 for brief tales; $200 for Table Talk items
4. One Story
One Story is simply what the title says: a literary journal that publishes one nice quick story each three to 4 weeks, and nothing extra.
Its fundamental standards for an incredible quick story? One “that leaves readers feeling happy and [is] robust sufficient to face alone.” Stories will be any fashion or topic however ought to be between 3,000 and eight,000 phrases.
Deadline: January 15 – May 31 | September 3 – November 14
Payment: $500 plus 25 contributor copies
5. The Antioch Review
The Antioch Review is at present on hiatus and never accepting submissions for future points. Check again sooner or later.
The Antioch Review hardly ever publishes greater than three quick tales per concern, however its editors are open to new in addition to established writers. Authors revealed right here usually wind up in Best American anthologies and because the recipients of Pushcart prizes.
To make the minimize, editors say, “It is the story that counts, a narrative worthy of the intense consideration of the clever reader, a narrative that’s compelling, written with distinction.” Word depend is versatile, however items are usually below 5,000.
Deadline: Open aside from the interval of June 1 to August 31, and no digital submissions.
Payment: $20 per printed web page plus two contributor copies
6. AGNI
Thought-provoking is the secret if you wish to get revealed in AGNI. Its editors search for items that maintain a mirror as much as the world round us and interact in a bigger, ongoing cultural dialog about nature, mankind, the society we dwell in and extra.
There are not any phrase limits, however shorter is mostly higher; “The longer a bit is, the higher it must be to justify taking over a lot house within the journal,” observe the submission pointers.
Deadline: Open September 1 to May 31
Payment: $10 per printed web page (as much as a max of $150) plus a yr’s subscription, two contributor’s copies and 4 present copies
7. Barrelhouse
Published by an impartial nonprofit literary group, Barrelhouse’s biannual print journal and on-line concern search to “bridge the hole between severe artwork and popular culture.” Its editors search for high quality writing that’s additionally edgy and humorous — as they are saying, they “need to be your bizarre Internet good friend.”
There’s no laborious phrase depend, however attempt to preserve your submission below 8,000 phrases.
Deadline: Currently open for e book opinions solely. Check the webpage to see all open classes and join the e mail listing to obtain updates on submissions.
Payment: $50 to print and on-line contributors; print contributors additionally obtain two contributor copies.
8. Cincinnati Review
The Cincinnati Review publishes work by writers of all genres and in any respect factors of their careers. Its editors need “work that has vitality,” that’s “wealthy in language and plot construction” and “that’s not simply ecstatic, however that makes its reader really feel ecstatic, too.”
Fiction and nonfiction submissions ought to be not more than 40 double-spaced pages.
Deadline: The evaluation accepts submissions throughout three time intervals, September, December, and May. Submit earlier within the month as a result of they are going to cease accepting submissions when their cap is reached.
Payment: $25 per web page for prose in journal
9. The First Line
This cool quarterly is all about jumpstarting that pesky author’s block. Each concern incorporates quick fiction tales (300-5,000 phrases) that every start with the identical pre-assigned first line.
If you actually need to get formidable, you may also write a four-part story that makes use of every of that yr’s first strains (which is due by the subsequent yr’s spring concern deadline). To discover every concern’s assigned first line, try the submission pointers.
Deadline: February 1 (spring); May 1 (summer season); August 1 (fall); November 1 (winter)
Payment: $25 to $50 (fiction); $25 (nonfiction) plus a contributor’s copy
10. The Georgia Review
Another one excessive on the status listing, The Georgia Review options all kinds of essays, fiction, e book opinions, and extra throughout a variety of subjects. You can learn particular necessities for every within the submission pointers, however the frequent theme amongst all of them is high quality, high quality, high quality.
Bear in thoughts submitting requires a $3 processing price when you’re not a subscriber.
Deadline: Opens on August 15
Payment: $50 per printed web page; contributors additionally obtain a one-year subscription to the quarterly and a 50% low cost on further copies of that concern
11. Boulevard Magazine
Boulevard Magazine is at all times looking out for “much less skilled or unpublished writers with distinctive promise.” It accepts prose items (fiction and nonfiction) as much as 8,000 phrases (observe: no science fiction, erotica, westerns, horror, romance or youngsters’s tales).
There is a web based submission price of $3. Free if submitting by submit.
Deadline: Open November 1 to May 1
Payment: $100 to $300
12. Story
Story Magazine is, you guessed it, all in regards to the story, no matter form it takes. Each concern — printed tri-annually in February, June, and November — is “dedicated to the advanced and numerous world of narrative with a give attention to fiction and nonfiction.” Luckily, you don’t have to stay to any formal pointers with regard to fashion, content material, and even size; they take into account all “quick” narrative size work, from flash fiction to novellas. There is a $3 submission price.
Deadline: Open
Payment: Regular cost price is $10 per web page upon publication
13. Vestal Review
Prefer to maintain your quick tales extraordinarily quick? Vestal Review publishes flash fiction of not more than 500 phrases. Its editors are open to all genres aside from syrupy romance, laborious science fiction and youngsters’s tales, and so they have a particular fondness for humor. R-rated content material is OK, however avoid something too racy, gory or obscene.
There is a submission price of $2 for every submission.
Deadline: Submission intervals are February to May and August to November
Payment: The creator of an accepted print submission will get $25 and a print copy; $10 for accepted net submissions.
14. Flash Fiction Online
Flash Fiction Online permits for barely longer flash tales — between 500 and 1,000 phrases. Its editors like sci-fi and fantasy however are open to all genres (aside from nonfiction and poetry!). As with Vestal, avoid the heavier stuff like erotica and violence. What they’re in search of is developed, empathetic characters and discernible, resolved plots. Unlike most of the different publications, they are going to settle for beforehand revealed work, which you’d submit within the reprint class.
Deadline: Open every month for submissions from the first to the twenty first of the month.
Payment: $80 per story; two cents per phrase for reprints
15. Black Warrior Review
Black Warrior Review publishes a mixture of work by up-and-coming writers and nationally identified names. Fiction items of as much as 7,000 phrases ought to be progressive, difficult, and distinctive; its editors worth “absurdity, hybridity, the magical [and] the stark.”
BWR additionally accepts flash fiction below 1,000 phrases and nonfiction items (as much as 7,000 phrases) that complicate western traditions of truth-telling, and “foregrounds the historical past of feelings somewhat than the historical past of info.” There is a $3 submission price.
Deadline: Submission intervals are December 1 to March 1 and June 1 to September 1
Payment: A one-year subscription to BWR and a nominal lump-sum price (quantity not disclosed in its pointers)
16. The Sun Magazine
The Sun Magazine affords a number of the largest funds we’ve seen, and whereas its pointers particularly point out private writing and provocative political/cultural items, in addition they say editors are “open to absolutely anything.”
Works ought to run not more than 7,000 phrases. Submit one thing the editors love, and you might get a pleasant payday.
Deadline: Open
Payment: $300 to $2,000
17. Virginia Quarterly (VQR)
A various publication that options each award-winning and rising writers, VQR accepts quick fiction (3,500 to eight,000 phrases) however shouldn’t be a fan of style work like romance, sci-fi and fantasy. It additionally takes nonfiction (3,500 to 9,000 phrases) like journey essays that look at the world round us.
Deadline: Submissions learn July 1 to July 31
Payment: Generally $1,000 and above for brief fiction and prose (roughly 25 cents per phrase) with larger charges for investigative reporting; $100 to $200 for content material revealed on-line.
Ploughshares’ award-winning literary journal is revealed by Boston’s Emerson College. They settle for fiction and nonfiction below 7,500 phrases and require a $3 service price when you submit on-line (it’s free to submit by mail, although they like digital submissions). You can even submit your considerably longer work (7,500 to twenty,000 phrases) to the Ploughshares Solos collection!
Deadline: June 1 to January 15 at midday EST
Payment: $45 per printed web page (for at least $90 per title and a most of $450 per creator); plus two contributor copies of the problem and a one-year subscription
19. Carve Magazine
Writers are in for a deal with! Carve Magazine accepts poetry, quick tales and nonfiction submissions, not exceeding 10,000 phrases. They settle for literary fiction solely and should not open to style fiction (i.e. thriller, horror, romance, and so forth.). They additionally settle for novel excerpts however solely these that may stand alone within the story. There’s a $3 submission price, however you possibly can subscribe to the journal to skirt previous it.
Deadline: Open all-year-round from wherever on the planet.
Payment: Pays $100 and affords suggestions on 5 to 10% of declined submissions.
20. Daily Science Fiction
Sci-fi and fantasy writers, this one’s for you. Daily Science Fiction is in search of character-driven fiction, and the shorter, the higher. While their phrase depend vary is 100 to 1,500 phrases, they could take into account flash collection — AKA three or extra flash tales constructed round a typical theme.
Deadline: Open aside from the interval between December 24 to January 2
Payment: Eight cents per phrase, with the potential of further pay for reprints in themed Daily Science Fiction anthologies
21. JMWW
This literary journal publishes fiction tales with as much as 300 phrases and flash fiction of not than 1.500 phrases, and it’s open to any style so long as the story is well-crafted. To up your possibilities of catching the editors’ eyes, observe that they like “robust characters whose motivations should not at all times identified to us however will be defined throughout the confines of frequent sense,” in addition to shock endings (nothing gimmicky).
Deadline: Open
Payment: No pay specified
22. Smokelong Quarterly
SmokeLong, a literary magazine dedicated to flash fiction, publishes flash narratives as much as 1000 phrases — and that’s a agency phrase restrict, so make sure you persist with it. The SLQ aesthetic stays “an ever-changing, ever-elusive set of rules,” nevertheless it almost definitely has to do with these sorts of issues: language that surprises and excites, narratives that try towards one thing aside from a remaining punch line or twist, and extra which you’ll see within the submission pointers. Think you possibly can deal with that?
Deadline: Open
Payment: $50 per story upon publication within the quarterly concern
23. Literary Orphans
Fiction comes first for this quick fiction and artwork journal. Editors need your fiction of any style, however they’ve a necessity for micro-fiction, flash, and quick tales which might be 2,000 phrases or much less (however 1,500 is their candy spot!). Creative nonfiction can be accepted for the bi-monthly Literary Orphans concern on the principle web site; simply preserve your story to five,000 phrases max. Plus, teenagers below 19, there’s a class for you, too. Submit a narrative of not more than 3,000 phrases to its “TEEN SPIRIT” part
Because they obtain a excessive quantity of submissions, editors ask that you just submit your *finest* piece. But right here’s the place it will get fascinating: If you possibly can’t select only one, ship each! (As lengthy as each tales mixed don’t surpass 2,000 phrases.)
Deadline: Currently no open requires submission, however examine again sooner or later!
Payment: Not specified
24. The Master’s Review
The Master’s Review’s New Voices class is open to any new or rising creator who has not revealed a piece of fiction or narrative nonfiction of novel size — not together with authors with quick story collections. Submit your flash fiction of 1,000 phrases or your piece of fiction or narrative nonfiction of as much as 7,000 phrases. Though, editors are sincere: There are not any submission charges, however they’re extremely selective.
Deadline: Open
Payment: A flat price of $100 for flash-length tales; $200 for brief fiction
25. Ruminate Magazine
Both rising and established writers are inspired to submit fiction or inventive nonfiction tales that “engages the contemplative spirit of our journal and embraces curiosity and discovery somewhat than decision.” Both genres are capped at a phrase depend of 5,500 phrases.
Want an alternative choice? There’s no pay for this one (simply contributor copies), however The Waking is Ruminate Magazine’s on-line publication house and so they’re in search of short-form prose, fiction and nonfiction that’s “holy, nutritious and essential.” Keep your submissions to 1,000 phrases or much less.
Deadline: July 2, 2020; fiction studying intervals are April 1 to June 30; January 15 to June 30 for nonfiction
Payment: $20 per 400 phrases, plus contributor copies
26. Asimov’s Science Fiction
Have you ever puzzled the place George R. R. Martin’s Daenerys Targaryen first appeared on the printed web page? Well, that is it! An established marketplace for science fiction tales, Asimov’s Science Fiction journal has gained quite a few Hugo and Nebula Awards, and the writers they’ve revealed have led profitable careers.
They need you to submit your character-oriented, “severe, considerate, but accessible fiction,” however there’s room for humor as nicely. While science fiction dominates what the journal publishes, you’re welcome to submit borderline fantasy, slipstream and surreal fiction — avoid sword and sorcery, express intercourse or violence. While there’s no particular phrase depend, ASF seldom buys tales shorter than 1,000 phrases or longer than 20,000 phrases.
Deadline: Open
Payment: 8 to 10 cents per phrase for brief tales as much as 7,500 phrases; 8 cents per phrase for every phrase over 7,500
27. Slice Magazine
Got a contemporary voice and a compelling story to share? This one’s for you. To bridge the hole between rising and established authors, SLICE affords an area the place each are revealed side-by-side. In every concern, a particular cultural theme turns into the catalyst for articles, interviews, tales and poetry from famend writers and lesser-known voices alike. Short fiction and nonfiction submissions ought to be 5,000 phrases max.
Deadline: Slice revealed their remaining concern within the fall of 2021 and are not in search of submissions.
Payment: $400 for tales and essays; $150 for flash fiction items; $100 for poems
28. Cricket Media
Cricket Media needs to publish your most interesting high quality writing for kids of all ages in one in every of its 4 literary magazines — you may have choices! Open to submissions from writers of each stage of expertise, CM’s mags are all in favour of a whole lot of issues, it doesn’t matter what style: life like modern fiction, historic fiction, science fiction and fantasy, folks tales, myths and legends, humor, and even westerns. Their recommendation? Focus on telling an excellent story that’s well-plotted, character-driven and has a satisfying conclusion.
Most tales are 1200 to 1800 phrases in size; nonetheless, they sometimes serialize longer tales of as much as 6,000 phrases.
Deadline: Varies; examine the rules to study the deadlines for every lit magazine
Payment: Up to 25 cents per phrase
29. The Dark Sire
Horror writers, you’re up! A reasonably new literary journal, The Dark Sire is a quarterly on-line and print journal that “explores speculative fiction works for fans” of gothic, horror, fantasy and psychological realism in brief fiction, poetry and artwork. Subjects of specific curiosity embrace: vampires, monsters, outdated castles, dragons, magic, psychological sickness, hell, illness and decay of society. No phrase depend.
Deadline: Open
Payment: None, however they promote writers by way of creator occasions, social media outreach and the (in growth) TDS podcast
30. The Common
Based at Amherst College, The Common is an award-winning print and digital literary journal revealed biannually within the fall and spring. They search fiction and nonfiction tales and dispatches (800-word notes, information and impressions from all over the world) that “embody a robust sense of place: items during which the setting is essential to character, narrative, temper and language.” Stick to a ten,000 word-count and also you’re strong. There is a $3 submission price.
Deadline: Reading intervals are March 1 to June 1 and September 1 to December 1; subscribers can submit at no cost year-round
Payment: $100 for fiction and nonfiction submissions; $50 per dispatch
30. Kindle Vella
Rather than in search of {a magazine} or journals editorial approval, you possibly can publish on to Kindle Vella’s quick story program. Here, your work will go on to market and its success shall be decided by most of the people, not by an editorial workforce. You additionally don’t have to attend months on a response as as to if your quick story shall be revealed. You can add and be revealed on Kindle Vella in below 48 hours. For a full evaluation of Kindle Vella, learn this text.
Deadline: None
Payment: Royalties on KDP reads.
Submission Tips
With laborious work and persistence you possibly can see your quick tales revealed!
Here are just a few ideas to bear in mind:
- Take time to learn by way of the literary magazines earlier than you submit. You may have a greater concept of what they’re wanting and know which magazines match finest together with your writing fashion.
- Read the submission particulars earlier than you submit. Each publication has completely different specs for submissions – be sure to fulfill their necessities.
- Be affected person. Many of those publications have a small workforce and a whole lot of submissions. It is regular to attend a number of months earlier than listening to whether or not an article shall be revealed or not.
- Keep monitor of which articles you may have submitted to which publications. Because can submit the identical quick story to a number of publications, you’ll need to withdraw that article if it will get revealed. You don’t need to by accident publish the identical piece in a number of locations.
- Don’t give up!. While you would possibly obtain a number of rejections earlier than you get your first piece revealed, with laborious work it will likely be well worth the wait when you get your first piece in print!
The authentic model of this story was written by Kelly Gurnett. We up to date the submit so it’s extra helpful for our readers.
Photo by way of Nito/ Shutterstock
