FINAL STATS for Writing Submissions in 2024

I've been meaning to post an update on my 2024 writing progress. Here it is.

Overall, 2024 was disappointing. I expected more success. In the past two years (2023-2024), I have more than doubled my number of submissions made each year compared to 2022, and yet, I have not seen an increase in my accepted pieces. In 2023, 470 submissions and 4 accepted, and in 2024, 428 submissions and 3 accepted. Compare that to 2022, with 129 submissions and 3 accepted. Yeah, certainly not an easy industry...

I can say that I’ve been happily surprised by the massive increase in my submissions made during 2023. And that has consisted of exciting content that I can't help but send out. While part of that is just my own addiction to submitting my work to markets in the hopes of furthering my fledgling career, another part of that comes down to the only writing group I’m engaged with these days (Fireside Quills). I already thanked them in our private discord, but I really am grateful to all of them. Keeps me motivated when I often feel like I have lost all motivation in this irritating industry.

For those interested in my stats from 2024, read below for a brief overview. Otherwise, if you have read any of my work and enjoyed it, do let me know. I’ll try to figure out a better way to share my work with readers moving forward. Just submitting to markets as I have been is clearly not enough.

Until I figure that out, I’ll keep sending my work out (I’ve already submitted at least 33 pieces and more soon). Despite the number of rejections, I'm still full of stories that need sharing with readers, and I wouldn't be able to stop them if I tried.

As of now, I have three publications coming out this year.

-My flash fiction piece that was going to be published on New Year’s Eve in Myriad: Kinship will still be coming out on January 14^th. This month!

-I have a story in Alternative Leadership to be published by B Cubed Press (not sure when, but soon).

-I also have that horror story coming out in June in Don’t Ask, Ghosts Tell to be published by Tundra Press. I posted a sneak peak at the final cover of that here.

Please give these stories a read when you can and let me know what you think. I’ll keep you all posted with other news in the future.

Good luck to everyone this year! - RJK LEE

* after posting my stats on Substack, I decided to add more stats on 2015 to now, so see below for both last year's stats and those from 2015 on

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FINAL STATS for Writing Submissions in 2024

Quick look

Total submissions: 428. Accepted: 3. Pending:84. Rejected: 460.

See further breakdowns below.

TOTAL

Submissions made in 2024: 428 total, including 3 acceptances, 84 drabbles or flash pieces, 258 short fiction or novelettes, 1 novella, 73 poems, 4 reprints, 5 pitches, and 1 collection

ACCEPTED

Pieces accepted in 2024: 3 total, including 2 short stories and 1 flash piece.

NEW WORK

29 new pieces written and completed (not including the countless revised, re-expanded, or revamped work), including 21 short stories and 8 flash fiction pieces.

PENDING

Submissions still pending from 2024: 84 total, including 6 drabble or flash pieces, 46 short stories or novelettes, 23 poems, and 1 reprint.

REJECTIONS

Total rejections received in 2024: 460 total, including 109 drabble or flash pieces, 263 short stories or novelettes, 1 novella, 77 poems, 5 pitches, 4 reprints, and 1 collection.

Rejections of submissions made in 2024: 343 total, including 73 drabble or flash pieces, 210 short stories or novelettes, 1 novella, 50 poems, 5 pitches, 3 reprints, and 1 collection.

Rejections of submissions made in 2023: 117 total, including 36 drabble or flash pieces, 53 short stories or novelettes, 27 poems, and 1 reprint.

WOTF

Submissions to Writers of the Future 2024: Q1 rejection, Q2 rejection, Q3 honorable mention, Q4 honorable mention

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2015-2025

2015-2017 included a lot of novel drafts and an attempt to pitch a few at an Oregon writers conference. 2018-2019 consisted of recovery from a major life disaster. Since then, my primary goal has been to reach 100+ rejections a year (of short stories, poetry, etc.) to keep myself motivated and take the inevitable struggle for acceptances more positively.

As you can see below, the number of acceptances per year have plateaued at about 3, despite the significant uptick in submissions and rejections. I’m hoping to do more about that this year, perhaps reducing submissions and bringing my focus back to novels.

2025: 34 submissions so far, and no acceptances yet (but three stories due for publication)

2024: 428 submissions, 3 acceptances, 460 rejections

2023: 470 submissions, 4 acceptances, 392 rejections

2022: 129 submissions, 3 acceptances, 126 rejections

2021: 162 submissions, 3 acceptances, 138 rejections

2020: 140 submissions, 2 acceptances, 115 rejections

2019: 5 rejections

2018: 0

2017: 8 rejections

2016: 7 rejections

2015: 5 rejections

Final Statistics Report on Submissions during 2023

Hi there. I'd like to share my final statistics for work submitted in 2023. For comparison's sake, the total submissions for 2022 came to 129. This year was a bit more...

Total times work was submitted in 2023: 477 (108 flash/drabble, 248 short/novelettes, 3 novella, 102 poem, 10 reprint, 2 pitch, 4 acceptance)

Accepted pieces: 4 (2 short stories, 1 poem, 1 reprint)

Writers of the Future results: Q1 R, Q2 R, Q3 HM, Q4 SHM 

Pending submissions at end of 2023: 100 (23 drabble/flash, 57 short story/novelette, 0 novella, 20 poem, 0 reprint, 0 pitch)

Rejections (total received in 2023): 392 (85 drabbles or flash, 204 short stories or novelettes, 3 novella, 87 poems, 10 reprints, 2 pitches)

Rejections (for subs made in 2023): 374 (85 drabbles or flash, 191 short stories or novelettes, 3 novella, 82 poems, 10 reprints, 2 pitches)

Rejected (for subs made in 2022): 18 (13 short stories or novelettes, 5 poems)

I don't track new stories and poems written each year, nor the time spent brainstorming, researching, reading, writing fragments, revising or expanding stories started in previous years. But I took a glance at my folders to check and the stats for new work written and finished (as much as a piece is ever finished) appears to be about as follows:

New work (written and finished in 2023): 22 (11 drabble/flash, 9 short stories/novelettes, 2 poems)

As you can see, submissions have become an addiction, a habit I hope to continue while getting more work done. Here's to more publications forthcoming.

R.J.K. Lee

My Writer Friends are Snagging Some Major Wins! (September 2021 Update)

Happy September! I'm enjoying the cooler weather here in Japan, though I'm not enjoying the continued covid-19 situation. Fingers crossed for no more lost work due to sudden covid-19 related cancellations, and here's hoping for financial recovery on the horizon.

In the meantime, I'm not letting up on my submissions. August has been a bit of a lull in my writing obsession, but I'm still at, and wrapping up some new stories, while sending more out. As noted in my August post, I signed the contract to have my short story published in the Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging anthology. This will be published either in late 2021 or early 2022, depending on how quickly the publisher, Improbable Press, manages to put everything together.

This was very exciting for me, as it is my first respectable sale to an anthology. I'm considering a respectable sale to be 5 cents or above. Improbable Press also sent me a crisp one-dollar bill to mark my first sale, a symbol of the start to my writing business, as it were. This is in addition to the pay, which will come closer to the publication date. I have since framed the dollar bill and put it up on my wall alongside my honorable mentions and silver honorable mention from Writers of the Future. My writing area is feeling more dedicated of late, even if it isn't quite closed off from the rest of the house as a "proper" writer might like.

Another bit of excitement for me was that the week following my contract signing, the editor recommended me to an editor at their partner publishing house in Australia, and that editor invited me to write a story for her anthology. The theme was a perfect fit for some of the creative exploration I've been doing, so I was happy to accept the invite. This doesn't promise publication, but it is exciting. My first time to be invited to write a story for a paying anthology. I'll have until December to wrap up the story and send it to the editor for consideration, but I have already sent my preliminary pitch in terms of character focus, and the editor liked it. So here goes. In the meantime, I'm waiting on a few other stories, to see if they succeed, one waiting in the second round for two months now (fingers crossed I hear good news soon) and another about to be sent to editor with the hopes they like my requested revision.

Enough about my news, some writing friends of mine have much bigger news to share. I expect most readers of this blog have already congratulated them, but some of the news I'm aware of includes the following:

1. Two writers in my writing group placed in the top three for the Mike Resnick Memorial Award. Z.T. Bright snagged 1st place and Chris Henckel got 3rd place. So proud of them both. I was able to read their works and help a tiny bit as a reader of earlier drafts. Wonderful to see our team of writers helping each other succeed. They will both be published in Galaxy's Edge and win prize money and respectable pay for their stories. Z.T. Bright also got the beautiful 1st place trophy. Oh, and they had their speeches read at Dragon Con as well, and while I couldn't attend Dragon Con, both writers shared their speeches privately with our writer's group and they were excellent speeches indeed.

2. Wulf Moon who has been a wonderful teacher, beastmaster, drill sergeant, and all-around inspiration, also made two excellent sales recently. He sold a story to Third Flatiron Publishing's Fall/Winter 2021 anthology, with the tentative title, "Things with Feathers: Stories of Hope." He also managed to sell a story to Galaxy's Edge, same magazine Z.T. Bright and Chris Henckel will be published in.

3. Another writer friend from my group, Emily Dauvin, was also accepted into Third Flatiron Publishing's Fall/Winter 2021 anthology, with the tentative title, "Things with Feathers: Stories of Hope." . This is her first respectable sale, too! Great place for a first sale. And she'll be sharing TOC with Wulf Moon!

4. Ari Officer and M. Elizabeth Ticknor, two writers who have been or currently are in Moon's challenge group, were finalists for the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award. M. Elizabeth Ticknor won the Grand Prize!

5. Candice Lisle just signed the contract for her first pro sale! Her short story "Invasion" will be published in Daily Science Fiction.

6. There's more too, such as a writer friend making a sale to a magazine's anthology I'm still hoping to make a sale to (been waiting two months in the second round so we shall see). I don't think I can name this one publically yet, so I shall wait on that.

EDIT: 7. I just found out a third writer friend, Alicia Cay, made a sale to Third Flatiron's Things with Feathers. So Emily Dauvin, Alicia Cay, and Wulf Moon will be published in that anthology. I'm so excited to read it!

I think we're all so dedicated to not only our craft but also just to helping each other out that we're all seeing wins. It really helps to work with other writers. I will try to do a round-up of the wins and sales from my writers groups again in a later post, as I've almost certainly forgotten some.

Onward to the submission deadlines, windows, and other such. I hope the update below helps you keep your stories in the game. Nice to have them circulating in the markets, but remember to let them go and focus on your other work in the meantime. Reminder to myself to do that as well!

I will be updating this again throughout the month, adding more in as I notice them. For now, I need to hit publish and get back to revising my own stories.

EDIT: A conference to check out! Fyrcon 2021 will be held online again from November 18 to 21. I had a wonderful experience at it last time. The online aspect worked smoothly and there was an excellent mix of workshops and Masterclasses to choose from. Learned a lot and found plenty of inspiration. The Master Workshops from Wulf Moon, M. Todd Gallowglas, and David Farland would packed with great energy and meaningful lessons. Their general programming of classes had countless topics of interest, and I was taking a frenzy of notes all weekend, not to mention drafting tons of new stories and poems. Super duper recommended. They're still welcoming more presenters for sign up (deadline closing on 9/15 for that) and finalizing the schedule, but it appears they do have a tentative schedule up here, and they are open to registration for the conference here.

Note: always check the info provided at the source itself before you submit. I update this when I notice any issues, or when my writer groups point them out to me, but it is always best to check and check again before submitting your creative work. Oh, and if you want to cry along with me a bit, go visit the closed publications section. I'm missing Deep Magic. Had also hoped to sub more to Departure Mirror and Hybrid Fiction. Arsenika's also been closed. I wonder what other publications haven't survived of late... Even so, there is still a lot out there for us to be subbing to, and I am wishing you the best of luck!

Table of Contents (scroll down to each section for clickable links)

1. Submission Deadlines/Windows (9/2021 and beyond; 5¢/word USD and above)

2. Publications Open for Submission (no specified deadline; 5¢/word USD and above)

3. Submission Deadlines/Windows (9/2021 and beyond; 1-4¢/word USD)

4. Publications Open for Submission (no specified deadline; 1-4¢/word USD)

5. Closed Publications

6. Search for More Markets

7. Advice, Motivation, and Workshops

8. More Links

1. Submission Deadlines/Windows (9/2021 and beyond; 5¢/word USD and above)

7/5-9/5, A Woman Built by Man, 2000-5000 words, 5¢/word, Genre: Horror (any subgenre), Theme: short stories written by women and femme-identifying individuals that explore the ways in which women are shaped by the men around them, submit to awbbmsubmissions@gmail.com

9/1-9/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is only open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors

9/1-9/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

9/1-9/7, Micro Madness (Cosmic Horror Monthly), ~500 words, three winners/month ($100 for 1st, $50 for 2nd, $25 for 3rd), Genre: cosmic horror/dark SF/weird, submit with cover letter to flashfiction@cosmic-horror.net

9/5-9/11 (this window only open to BIPOC writers), Nightmare Magazine, 1500-7500 words (~1000 words for Horror Labs subs), 8 cents/word ($40/poem), Genre: Horror / Dark Fantasy, Multiple Subs: one short story and one sub to Horror Lab (either one flash, one creative essay, or five poems)

9/5-9/12, Cemetery Gates Society's monthly flash fiction contest, 500-1500 words, Genre: Horror, September Theme: “Cathedral In Flames: stories inspired by Coil” (see link on website), winner receives $50, submit one story/contest, no rejections sent

9/12, Los Suelos, CA (call for story pitches for a multimedia project from Surface Dweller Studios), submit up to three ~500 word pitches for stories of ~3000 words, 8¢/word, Genre/Theme: pitched stories must take place in Los Suelos (see description on site), "also looking for ideas for alternative or found-form pieces, such as a Community Event Calendar, an employee manual for a grain elevator operator, case files for a resident’s medical evaluation, whatever can tell a story through another medium," submit pitches to surfacedwellerstudios@gmail.com

9/1-9/13, PseudoPod, ~6000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: horror (dark, weird fiction; spectrum from grim realism or crime drama, to magic-realism, to blatantly supernatural dark fantasy), Simultaneous OK (with disclosure), Multiple (one original and one reprint), Reprints OK ($100 for 1500-6000 words, $20 for ~1500 words)

7/31-9/15, Silence in the City (anthology), 2500-5000 words, 6¢/word, Genre/Theme: speculative stories "asking what happens when a city--and all of modern civilization--is plunged into darkness"

9/15, Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre/Theme: Horror, Theme: Isolation Island, must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Maria Tissot, maria@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story, note: every month will be a different genre and there will only be one prompt according to their September 2021 newsletter

9/12-9/18 (open to all writers), Nightmare Magazine, 1500-7500 words (~1000 words for Horror Labs subs), 8 cents/word ($40/poem), Genre: Horror / Dark Fantasy, Multiple Subs: one short story and one sub to Horror Lab (either one flash, one creative essay, or five poems)

9/1-9/21, Flash Fiction Online, open 1st-21st (closed Dec.), 500-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any, Multiple (only 1 original and 1 reprint story concurrently), Reprints 2¢/word, anonymous submissions

9/22, Reckoning 6: environmental justice, ~20,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any (especially solarpunk, biopunk, and hopepunk), Theme: about environmental justice that addresses the intersection between social upheaval and environmental changes, Poetry OK (3-5 poems, $30/poem), Nonfiction OK, Art OK (a negotiable $25 or more)

9/6-9/25, Frozen Wavelets, ~750 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F/H, Theme: anything (wants writers to "push boundaries in format and topics" and see more likes mentioned at the link; also "especially interested in speculative poetry and in East Asian themes submitted by Asian and non-Asian authors, just to be clear), Anonymous submissions, .DOC or .RTF files only, Poetry OK (max 10 lines, $1/line, 1-5 poems/haiku subbed in same document), Reprints OK (500-1500 words, 1¢/word), Multiple OKish (no multiple in same category; one original and one reprint allowed at same time for fiction)

9/1-9/30 (may close earlier if reach submissions cap), The Cincinnati Review, ~10,000 words, about 10¢/word (specifically $25/page), Genre: general/literary, Poetry OK ($30/page), three submissions windows (opening the 1st of September, December, and May and closing at the end of the month or when they reach a cap on submissions) 

9/1-9/30, Nashville Review, ~8000 words, a flat $100/story (so about 1-10¢/word), Genre: general/literary, may submit short stories and novel excerpts up to 8000 words or submit three flash pieces in one document up to 1000 words each, Simultaneous OK, Creative Non-fiction OK (~8000 words), Poetry OK (1-3 poems within one document per submission; $25/poem), Art OK (see site for details), three submissions windows (9/1-9/30, 1/1-1/31, 5/1-5/31)

9/1-9/30, Split Lip Magazine, ~3000 words, flat rate of $50 for flash/short stories/poetry/memoirs/art (so 5¢/word for ~1000 word stories; longer than that and the rate isn't as good), Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (only send one per sub period), free submissions months include the following: January, March, May, August, September, November

9/30, WotF Q3, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1^st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website

7/1-10/1, Bleeding Edge Books, 10,000-30,000 words (query for over 30k), 5¢/word, Genre: dark fiction ("everything from crime, science fiction, horror, suspense, adventure, and thriller to mystery, dark fantasy, urban fantasy, literary, etc."), Simultaneous OK

10/1-10/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

10/1-10/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors

10/1-10/7, Micro Madness (Cosmic Horror Monthly), ~500 words, three winners/month ($100 for 1st, $50 for 2nd, $25 for 3rd), Genre: cosmic horror/dark SF/weird, submit with cover letter to flashfiction@cosmic-horror.net

8/10-10/11, Dream Foundry Contest, ~10,000 words, prize money (1st = $1000, 2nd = $500, 3rd = $100), Genre: any speculative, only open to new writers (published less than 4000 words of paid speculative writing, earned less than USD320 from that, never nominated for a major speculative award, not a previous winner of this contest), Art OK (separate contest but same deadline), anonymous submissions, writing contest judges are Vajra Chandrasekera and Premee Mohamed, also note that winners are not published

10/5-10/12, Cemetery Gates Society's monthly flash fiction contest, 500-1500 words, Genre: Horror, October Theme of “Halloween Party”, winner receives $50, submit one story/contest, no rejections sent

8/30-10/15, MIRROR, MIRROR: Modern Myths (anthology from Kevin J. Andersen), ~5000 words, 6¢/word, Genre: F/SF/H/magical/romance, Theme: mirrors, reflections, new and fresh once upon a time stories (no copyrighted characters), PG-13

10/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: varies (the newsletter at the start of every month will provide the new prompt and new genre, previously Horror and SF), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Maria Tissot, maria@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story, note: every month will be a different genre and there will only be one prompt

10/7-10/21, Diabolical Pots (themed anthology from Diabolical Plots), ~3500 words), 10¢/word, Genre: speculative, Theme: any speculative centered around food, Editor: Kel Coleman (especially interested in lush descriptions, immersive world-building, sf high on emotional resonance and low on unexamined imperialism, any kind of prose that is intentional and serves the story)

10/1-10/21, Flash Fiction Online, open 1st-21st (closed Dec.), 500-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any, Multiple (only 1 original and 1 reprint story concurrently), Reprints 2¢/word, anonymous submissions

10/22, Flash Fiction Online (100th Issue Special Call), 500-1000 words, $80/story (2¢/word for reprints), Genre: any, Theme: One Hundred (must involve the number 100 in some way integral to the story), anonymous submissions, Multiple OK (can also submit to normal monthly window), Reprints OK

9/1-10/31, Death in the Mouth: an anthology of original horror from people of color, 1000-6000 words, 8¢/words, Genre: horror (though mixing in other genres is fine), submit with brief bio to deathinthemouth@gmail.com, Simultaneous OK, Reprint OK, Art OK (send portfolio)

10/1-10/31, khoreo, ~5000 words, 8¢/word, any speculative, Note: only open to subs from authors identifying as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms (see their website), Non-Fiction OK, Art OK

9/1-10/31, Escape Pod: Joy, 1500-6000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF, Theme: Joy (joyful stories that celebrate positive futures or positive alternate pasts; especially love to see stories that embrace joy for demographics where we often see pain centered), Reprints OK (1500-18,000), open stories not specific to this theme from 11/1-5/31/2022 

11/1 (very tentative date; states fall 2021 on website and last year was November), Metastellar, ~1000 words, 8 cents/word, Genre: F/SF/H

11/1 Weird Christmas Flash Fiction Contest (4th annual), ~350 words, prize money (1st at $75, 3 prompt prizes at $50, 10-12 HMs at $5) and winners read on the podcast (preferably by the author), Genre: any genre but must be strange or odd, Theme: must relate to any winter holiday, 3 prompt categories to submit to, Reprints OK( query), Multiple OK, Poetry OK (narrative poetry only)

11/1-11/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is only open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors

11/1-11/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

11/1-11/7, Solarpunk Magazine, 500-7500 words, 8¢/word ($80 min), Genre: any (prefers solarpunk/SF/F/slipstream/magical realism/urban fantasy; not strict about genre), Theme: solarpunk (specifically any work that "speculates about a better world in an equitable future where humanity and technology have either achieved a healthy balance with nature, or have adapted to climate change in creative ways"), (Poetry OK (up to 5 poems or 5 pages of poems, whichever is shorter; $40/poem), Simultaneous OK, Multiple (one submission per category of flash, short story, and poetry), Nonfiction OK (1000-1500 words, $75/piece), Art OK ($100/reprint cover, $300 original cover, $50 reprint inside, $150 original inside), Note: this window depends on their September/October Kickstarter success

9/7-11/14, One Story, 3k-8k words, $500/story, Genre: any literary, Simultaneous OK, also open to submissions 1/15-5/31

11/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: varies (the newsletter at the start of every month will provide the new prompt and new genre, previously Horror and SF), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Maria Tissot, maria@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story, note: every month will be a different genre and there will only be one prompt

9/15-11/15, Lamplight Magazine (Special Call for New Writers), ~5100 words, 6¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary, Reprints (1¢/word), simultaneous OK, Note: limited to 300 subs/month (closes each month after limit reached so sub near the start of each month!)

11/1-11/21, Flash Fiction Online, open 1st-21st (closed Dec.), 500-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any, Multiple (only 1 original and 1 reprint story concurrently), Reprints 2¢/word, anonymous submissions

11/15-11/30, DreamForge Magazine, 200-4500 words (sweet spot: 2500-3750), 6¢/word (reprints: 3¢/word), Genre: SF and Fantasy, Theme: positive stories (wants "stories of hope and advancement" that "open up the universe," and to be shown the "better angels of our nature"; lots more direction provided on what they are seeking at the link), Poetry OK (~900 words)

11/30, ServiceScape Short Story Award 2021, ~5000 words, $1000 for one winner, any genre/theme (see website for previous winning stories)

9/1-11/30, Dark Recesses, 500-5000 words, 5¢/word, Genre: horror/dark fiction, four submission windows (9/1-11/30, 12/1-2/28 or 29, 3/1-5/31, 6/1-8/31, note variants from standard manuscript format (single-spaced, no indents), Nonfiction OK (but read specifics on their site)

11/1-11/30, Split Lip Magazine, ~3000 words, flat rate of $50 for flash/short stories/poetry/memoirs/art (so 5¢/word for ~1000 word stories; longer than that and the rate isn't as good), Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (only send one per sub period), free submissions months include the following: January, March, May, August, September, November

12/1-12/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors

12/1-12/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

12/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: varies (the newsletter at the start of every month will provide the new prompt and new genre, previously Horror and SF), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Maria Tissot, maria@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story, note: every month will be a different genre and there will only be one prompt

12/31, WotF Q3, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1^st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website

12/1-12/31 (may close earlier if reach submissions cap), The Cincinnati Review, ~10,000 words, about 10¢/word (specifically $25/page), Genre: general/literary, Poetry OK ($30/page), Simultaneous OK, three submissions windows (opening the 1st of September, December, and May and closing at the end of the month or when they reach a cap on submissions) 

8/27-12/31, Noir, ~7500 words, Genre/Theme: SF/Fantasy/Urban Fantasy with a detective/private investigator set-up and a noir atmosphere, 8¢/word, submit story to contact@zombiesneedbrains.com

8/27-12/31, Shattering the Glass Slipper, ~7500 words, Genre/Theme: fairy tales that have been upended, gender-bent, or twisted around (especially like non-European; also avoid doing same as anchor authors, see link on site), 8¢/word, submit story to contact@zombiesneedbrains.com

8/27-12/31, Brave New Worlds, ~7500 words, Genre/Theme: SF set along the pathway of us leaving Earth for the stars, 8¢/word, submit story to contact@zombiesneedbrains.com

1/15/2022 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: varies (the newsletter at the start of every month will provide the new prompt and new genre, previously Horror and SF), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Maria Tissot, maria@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story, note: every month will be a different genre and there will only be one prompt

1/1-1/21, Flash Fiction Online, open 1st-21st (closed Dec.), 500-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any, Multiple (only 1 original and 1 reprint story concurrently), Reprints 2¢/word, anonymous submissions

1/1-1/31, Nashville Review, ~8000 words, a flat $100/story (so about 1-10¢/word), Genre: general/literary, may submit short stories and novel excerpts up to 8000 words or submit three flash pieces in one document up to 1000 words each, Simultaneous OK, Creative Non-fiction OK (~8000 words), Poetry OK (1-3 poems within one document per submission; $25/poem), Art OK (see site for details), three submissions windows (9/1-9/30, 1/1-1/31, 5/1-5/31)

10/1-2/1 (tentative dates, listing based on last years details), Jim Baen Memorial Award, ~8000 words, grand prize (published at 8¢/word, engraved trophy, entry into International Space Development Conference, year membership in National Space Society, books and merchandise), 2nd and 3rd place (entry into International Space Development Conference, year membership in National Space Society, books and merchandise), Genre: SF, Theme: the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration 

2/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: varies (the newsletter at the start of every month will provide the new prompt and new genre, previously Horror and SF), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Maria Tissot, maria@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story, note: every month will be a different genre and there will only be one prompt

2/29 (my tentative assumption), Pseudopod (general submissions), 1500-6000 words (prefer about 4500; also flash under 1500 welcome), 8¢/word (reprints of flash at $20), Genre/Theme: any horror for audio, Simultaneous OK (but with disclosure!), Multiple OK (one original and one reprint)

3/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: varies (the newsletter at the start of every month will provide the new prompt and new genre, previously Horror and SF), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Maria Tissot, maria@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story, note: every month will be a different genre and there will only be one prompt

9/1-3/31, upstreet, ~5000 words, $50-$250 for short stories or essays (generally 5¢/word for ~1000 words), Genre: general/literary, Simultaneous OK, submissions window is September to March

4/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: varies (the newsletter at the start of every month will provide the new prompt and new genre, previously Horror and SF), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Maria Tissot, maria@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story, note: every month will be a different genre and there will only be one prompt

6/1-4/15, The Mike Resnick Memorial Award for Short Fiction (Annual Award for Best Unpublished Science Fiction Short Story by a New Author), ~7499 words, three winners (1st: $250, trophy, and paid publication in Galaxy's Edge; 2nd: $100; 3rd: $50), send anonymous submission with author/story info on title page to resnick@arcmanor.com, only for new authors (an author who has not had any work published that has been paid a per-word rate of 6 cents a word or more or received a payment for any single work of fiction totaling more than $50; if the author has self-published the piece then their total earnings from any single piece of fiction may not exceed $50 from all published venues)

2/14-4/30 (tentative dates based on 2020), Baen Fantasy Adventure Award, ~8000 words, grand prize, second and third prize, Genre: any fantasy

5/1-5/30 (may close earlier if reach submissions cap), The Cincinnati Review, ~10,000 words, about 10¢/word (specifically $25/page), Genre: general/literary, Poetry OK ($30/page), three submissions windows (opening the 1st of September, December, and May and closing at the end of the month or when they reach a cap on submissions) 

5/1-5/31, Nashville Review, ~8000 words, a flat $100/story (so about 1-10¢/word), Genre: general/literary, may submit short stories and novel excerpts up to 8000 words or submit three flash pieces in one document up to 1000 words each, Simultaneous OK, Creative Non-fiction OK (~8000 words), Poetry OK (1-3 poems within one document per submission; $25/poem), Art OK (see site for details), three submissions windows (9/1-9/30, 1/1-1/31, 5/1-5/31)

9/1-5/31, Escape Pod, 1500-6000 (reprints 1500-18000), 8¢/word (reprints $100), Genre/Theme: any SF (prefer high clarity and pacing to match their audio format; prefer to see a ray of hope even in darker stories) 

11/1-5/31, Escape Pod (general submissions), 1500-6000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF, Reprints OK (1500-18,000)

8/1/2022-8/7, Abyss & Apex, ~1000 words (8¢/word), 1001-10,000 words ($80), Genre: any speculative but no horror, wants good flash fiction of 1250 words or less, poetry welcome but has a different submissions window (Nov and May, listed under semi-pro)

2. Publications Open for Submission (no specified deadline; 5¢/word USD and above)

Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, ~12k words, 5-8¢/word, Genre: Mystery/Crime/Suspense /Thriller

Amazing Stories, 1k-10k words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF

Analog Science Fiction and Fact, ~20k (8-10 cents/word), 40k-80k serials (6 cents/word), poetry ($1/line), 4k-word fact articles (9¢/word), Genre: SF, Multiple Yes

Anathema: Spec from the Margins, 1500-6k words (if 1500-2k words pays 5¢/word), $100 CAD/story ($50/poem), Genre: SF/F/H, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (under 100 lines, Non-Fiction OK (1500-3000 words), Limited demographic: queer/two-spirit person of colour/Indigenous/Aboriginal, Note on Genre/Theme: "We are open to any form of genre or speculative content. We talk about what we do as "SF/F/H, the weird, slipstream, surrealism, fabulism, and more," elsewhere on the site. But we are not limited to those genres. Use them as a starting point and send whatever you want: as long as it's got some kind of speculative content we'll consider it. And we are also interested in seeing work that has been difficult to place because of content or perspective."

Apex Magazine, ~7500 words, 8 cents/word, Genre: F/SF/Horror

Asimov's, 1k-20k words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F

Baffling Magazine, ~1200 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F/Horror (especially interested in queer/trans/aro/ace; welcomes weird/slipstream/interstitial), Simultaneous OK

Beneath Ceaseless Skies, ~15k words, 8¢/word, Genre: literary adventure fantasy (no urban fantasy and nothing modern)

Boneyard Soup Magazine, 2k-6k words, 5¢/word, Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy, Reprints OK, Non-Fiction OK, Art OK

Clarkesworld Magazine, 1k-22k words, 10¢/word, Genre: SF/F

Cloud Lake Literary, ~3500 words, $50 CAD/per page to a maximum of $150 CAD, Genre: fiction/creative nonfiction/poetry/child lit/YA, Note: Canadian Writers only

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 8¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-8¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter

Craft Literary, ~1000 word flash ($100), ~6000 word short fiction or nonfiction ($200), Genre: general/literary, Simultaneous OK

Cricket, ~6000 words (best = 1200-1800 & 600-900), 25 cents/word, Genre/Theme: middle grade readers (realistic contemporary fiction, historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy, folk tales, myths and legends, and humor), also seeking poetry / nonfiction / puzzles / activities / art, Note: other magazines at the link include Babybug, Ladybug, Spider, Ask, Muse

Daily Science Fiction, 100-1500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F/slipstream, will consider flash series

Dark Recesses, 500-5000 words, 5¢/word, Genre: horror/dark fiction, four submission windows (9/1-11/30, 12/1-2/28 or 29, 3/1-5/31, 6/1-8/31, note variants from standard manuscript format (single-spaced, no indents), Nonfiction OK (but read specifics on their site)

Decoded, ~7500 words, 1-5¢/word ($25/flash, $100/short, $200/long, $75/comic, Genre/Theme: any queer SF/Fantasy/Horror, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (submit up to two pieces), Note: must be a queer identifying writer

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, 250-20,000 (2500-8000 best), 5-8¢/word, Genre: Mystery/Crime/Suspense/Thriller

Escape Pod, 1500-6000 (reprints 1500-18000), 8¢/word (reprints $100), Genre/Theme: any SF (prefer high clarity and pacing to match their audio format; prefer to see a ray of hope even in darker stories), opens from 9/1/2021-5/31/2022

Flame Tree Press, seeks 70k-120k word novels (SF/F/H/Crime), often announces short story anthologies (8¢/word), runs a monthly flash fiction contest (700-1000 words, 8¢/word, reprints 6¢/word, two categories of SF or Horror), sign up for newsletter to receive notice of monthly flash fiction contest prompts and upcoming anthology calls 

Flash Fiction Online, submission window open from the 1st to the 21st each month, 500-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any, Multiple OK (up to 3 submitted at a time), Reprints OK (2¢/word), note: remove all author identifying info from submitted files

Focus on the Family Clubhouse, 500-2000 words, 15¢/word, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Humor/General, Age/Theme: 8-12 year old and Christian values

Fractured Lit, 401-1000 words ($75), ~400 words ($50), Genre: general/literary, Multiple OK (up to 2 in same document), submit via Submittable with brief bio and optional cover letter 

Future Science Fiction Digest (UFO Publishing), 500-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF, Note: only open to translated submissions or stories by writers for whom English is not their first language and who reside outside of primarily English-speaking countries

Infinite Worlds Science Fiction Magazine, 1500-5000 words, $100/story, Genre: SF, also Art and Comics OK

Nanoism, ~140 characters (including spaces), $1.50/story, Genre/Theme: any (but most interested in literary stories with staying power), also open to serials (see details on site), submit one story/week 

Nashville Review, ~8000 words, a flat $100/story (so about 1-10¢/word), Genre: general/literary, may submit short stories and novel excerpts up to 8000 words or submit three flash pieces in one document up to 1000 words each, Simultaneous OK, Creative Non-fiction OK (~8000 words), Poetry OK (1-3 poems within one document per submission; $25/poem), Art OK (see site for details), three submissions windows (9/1-9/30, 1/1-1/31, 5/1-5/31)

Neon Hemlock Press (anthology), Opulent Syntax: Irish Speculative Fiction, ~6000 words (best: 1000-4000), 8¢/word, any speculative (SF/F/H/hybrid/alt-history/weird/slipstream/utopian/dystopian/less definable) exploring Irish identity (including immigrant, Irish Traveler/Minceir, queer/trans), submissions open to anyone resident on the island of Ireland and to Irish people living anywhere

Plenitude Magazine, ~5000 words, $80 CAD/story (so about 5¢/word for ~1000 words), Genre/Theme: queer literary, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK, Poetry OK (up to five pages; $35 CAD/poem), limited to LGBTQ2S+ writers, also from May 1 until October 1 limited to Canadian writers

PodCastle, ~6000 words (3000-4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy, Simultaneous & Multiple OK, Reprints ($100 for >1500 words, $20/flash)

Pseudopod, 1500-6000 words (prefer about 4500; also flash under 1500 welcome), 8¢/word (reprints of flash at $20), Genre/Theme: any horror for audio, Simultaneous OK (but with disclosure!), Multiple OK (one original and one reprint), Open 3/1-8/31 for Anthologies and Collections, Open 8/10-8/31 for Flash Fiction Contest, Open to general submissions 9/1-9/13 (opening again after 2/28/2022)

Pulp Literature, ~40000 (~5000 best), 5-8¢/word (up to 7000 words), Seeking: any genre or between-genre, poetry, comics, illustration, and open to novel queries in Jan/July, Poetry (up to 3 poems or 5 pages w/ $25-$50)

Reckoning, ~20,000 words, 8¢/word ($30/page for poems), Genre: SF/F/General, Theme: enivironmental justic, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (prefer multiple 3-5 poems <10 pages, but send only one if longer)

Smokelong Quarterly, ~1000 words, $50/piece, Genre: Literary, Simultaneous OK, Notes on what they want: language that surprises and excites, narratives that strive toward something other than a final punch line or twist, pieces that add up to something, often (but not necessarily always) something profound or emotionally resonant honest work that feels as if it has far more purpose than a writer wanting to write a story

Split Lip Magazine, ~3000 words, flat rate of $50 for flash/short stories/poetry/memoirs/art (so 5¢/word for ~1000 word stories; longer than that and the rate isn't as good), Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (only send one per sub period), free submissions months include the following: January, March, May, August, September, November

Strange Horizons (currently closed to fiction & poetry), ~10,000 words (~5000 best), 10¢/word, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Humor/Literary, Poetry (currently closed, $50/poem), Art OK (email, see website), Nonfiction OK (email, see website), closed to fictions subs until further notice (catching up on backlog), open to poetry after August

Terraform, ~2000 words, 20¢/word, Genre: SF, Theme: nearer future fiction any form welcome ("classic-style SF short stories, social media posts from beyond the horizon, fictive data dumps, experimental graphic narratives, and so on"), Note: send submissions to terraform.motherboard@gmail.com

The Antihumanist, ~1000 words, 5¢/word, Genre: any genre that fits the theme, Theme: fiction that "challenges human centred narratives" and "forces us to confront our place in the universe," Simultaneous OK

The Arcanist, ~1000 words, 10¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/SF/Horror, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (sub up to three at a time), Note: seeking great characters with complete stories

The Cincinnati Review, ~10,000 words, about 10¢/word (specifically $25/page), Genre: general/literary, Poetry OK ($30/page), Simultaneous OK, three submissions windows (opening the 1st of September, December, and May and closing at the end of the month or when they reach a cap on submissions) 

The Dark, 2000-6000 words, 6¢/word, Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy/Experimental

The Deadlands, ~5000 words (sweet spot = 3-4k), 10¢/word,Genre/Theme: speculative fiction that concerns itself with death–but also everything death may involve, Reprints OK (~5000 words, 1¢/word), Poetry OK during open periods (currently closed since June 14th; when open: 3 poems/submission, $50/poem), Nonfiction OK (1-4k words, $100/essay), Art OK ($100/cover art)

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine, ~25,000 words, 8-12 cents/word, Genre: F/SF/H (speculative element may be slight but should be present), send to Sheree Renée Thomas, Poetry OK (send 3-5 poems/submission), Art & Cartoons OK (send sample/queries to Gordon Van Gelder), note: do not submit another story or set of poems before 21-days after your last submission

The No Sleep Podcast, 1200-2000 words at 5¢/word (1200-2499 = $100; 2500+ words = $150), Genre/Theme: must be horror and generally prefer first person, should be written with audio format in mind

The Razor, ~2000 words, $100/story, Genre: general/literary, Simultaneous OK, anonymous submissions, Nonfiction OK

The Strand Magazine, 1000-2000 words at 5¢/word (1000-6000 words at $100-150), Genre/Theme: mysteries/detective/terror/supernatural

Thirteen, any word count, 1-5¢/word (~1000 words = 5¢/word; 1000-40,000 words = 1-2¢/word), Genre: horror (an audio-drama podcast specializing in "slow-burn atmospheric horror and ghost stories"), submissions formatted as a script have a better chance of selection, first person central narrator with supporting characters works best for their format, see more advice on the website

Three-Lobed Burning Eye, 500-1000 words or 1001-7500 (1000-2000=5¢/word), Genre: any spec especially horror/dark fantasy (prefers hybrid/weird), $100/short story or $30/flash

Triangle House Review, ~40,000 words, flat rate of $50 (so around 5¢/word for ~1000 words), Genre: general/literary, limited to "pieces by writers who have never been published in any capacity before"

Uncharted Magazine, 1000-5000 words, 4-10¢/word ($200/story), Genres: SF/Fantasy/Horror/Thriller, Simultaneous OK, Note: debuting on August 2021

Unreal Magazine / Unfit Magazine, ~5000 words, 20 cents/word up to 1000 words (1 cent/word over 1000), seeking imaginative/emotional/metaphors/original ideas, Simultaneous OK, SFWA members not eligible, Note: also see their Unfit Magazine (seeking same as Unreal), Note: this was delisted at Submissions Grinder (sub at your own risk)

upstreet, ~5000 words, $50-$250 for short stories or essays (generally 5¢/word for ~1000 words), Genre: general/literary, Simultaneous OK, submissions window is September to March

Vector, 1000-6000 words, Genre: non-fiction only, seeks: non-academic articles (1000-3500 words), academic articles (3500-6000 words), interviews/roundtables, conference reports, reviews, and queries from prospective guest editors and advertisers, Query: vector.submissions@gmail.com

Voyage, ~6000 words, $200/story, Genre: YA/General, Simultaneous OK

Zooscape, ~10,000 words, 8¢/word (flash and $80 for longer), Genre/Theme: anything furry/anthropomorphic animal figure, Multiple query, repoened on 6/1/2021

3. Submission Deadlines/Windows (9/2021 and beyond; 1-4¢/word USD)

8/15-8/30 (9/1-9/7 BIPOC-only), Apparition Literature, 1000-5100 words, 3¢/word, Genre: any speculative, Theme: Wonder, Poetry OK (~2 pages/poem; sub ~5 poems/submission, $30/poem)

8/1-8/31, Dark Moments (drabble monthly challenge, Black Hare Press), exactly 100 words(excluding title and pen name), 4¢/word, Genre: anything dark, Theme: underwater

9/1, Books and Bikes in Space, 1000-6000 words, profits split between contributors (minimum of $50 each + copies of the book), Genre: any speculative/fantastical, Theme: books and bikes must be elements intrinsic to the story, welcomes ownvoices and first-time writers

9/13, Koening zine, short stories and creative non-fiction of ~2000 words (also open to 1-3 poems/micros, 1-2 flash fictions pieces, or 3-6 pieces of artwork), $25 for print contributors and $15 for online contributors, Genre/Theme: swamp ("tell us what you find in the swamp. tell us what finds you. we’re interested in all sorts of swamps: living and dead; digital and physical; mental and spiritual; its ecosystem and its inhabitants. illustrate all the ways you can get lost in it. bring to us the ugly, the gore, the guts and the glory."), submit with cover letter to Ren and Jess and brief bio at koeningzine@gmail.com, note: open to asian creators only

9/15, 50-Word Stories monthly contest, exactly 50 words, $10 Canadian for a single winner, Reprints OK, Simultaneous OK 

10/31, War (Black Hare Press anthology), 5000+ words, $50+digital copy, Genre: any dark speculative, Theme: war/conflict, anonymous submissions, wants British spellings, anthology in print and digital formats, include in email real name, pseudonym, ~100 word bio w/ ~4 social links, 40-word blurb, ~500-word synopsis

9/15-11/15, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary, Reprints (1¢/word), simultaneous OK, Note: they are limited to 300 submissions/month and will close each month after that limit is reached

11/15 (reading period begins on 11/15 and ends when reaches goal of 80,000 words), Cthulu FhCon, 2000-6000 words, 2¢/word, Genre/Theme: any PG-13 dealing with the idea of Cthlu FhCon (see story prompt on website)

11/19, Steam vs Substance (Issue 3 of Mythulu Magazine), 500-2800 words, 4¢/word, Theme: Prove explicit moments can be both ethical and important or demonstrate why platonic gestures demonstrate superior love (seeking one erotica piece with extraordinary depth, one "mass appeal" intensity romance containing clever taboos made approachable, one PG-level romance focused on love that transcends personal ownership), Non-fiction OK (200-1200 words, 8¢/word, theme: on the business/non-fiction side, discuss how codependency impacts authors, especially the tug-of-war between personal expression and the need for acceptance, and consider the romance business, the genre's relationship with censorship, or another related topic you're passionate about), Art OK

11/1-11/30, Abyss & Apex (poetry window), prefers "lineated free verse with a limited amount of traditional form poetry with at least 9 lines or prose poems at least 50 words in length but we will publish brilliant shorter work", $5.50/poem, Genre/Theme: any speculative (seeks strong, emotionally resonant, literary-quality poetry with a clear speculative element), dark poetry welcome but not horror

12/31, We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2021 (Neon Hemlock anthology), ~17,500 words, 1¢/word, speculative exploring queerness/transness, reprints from 2021 only, simultaneous OK, multiple OK

2/16/2022, Maps & Biomes (Issue 4 of Mythulu Magazine), 500-2800 words, 4¢/word, Theme: innovative settings are the foundation for new genres (Why do readers care about maps and what makes a map legendary? Submit short stories that feature wildly original biomes or bizarre weather. Show us settings fundamentally at war with character needs), Non-fiction OK (200-1200 words, 8¢/word, theme: On the business side, how do you make your map earn an ROI? And most of all, what makes a world good enough to spawn a new genre?), Art OK

5/1-5/31, Abyss & Apex (poetry window), prefers "lineated free verse with a limited amount of traditional form poetry with at least 9 lines or prose poems at least 50 words in length but we will publish brilliant shorter work", $5.50/poem, Genre/Theme: any speculative (seeks strong, emotionally resonant, literary-quality poetry with a clear speculative element), dark poetry welcome but not horror

4. Publications Open for Submission (no specified deadline; 1-4¢/word USD)

Black Hare Press, 5000-17,000 words, $25 (5k-10k), $50 (10k-17k), Genre: anything dark, anonymous submissions, wants British spellings, anthology in print and digital formats, include in email real name, pseudonym, ~100 word bio w/ ~4 social links, 40-word blurb, ~500-word synopsis

Bourbon Penn, 2000-7500 words, 2¢/word, Genre: speculative (odd/imaginative ones), especially slipstream/cross-genre/magic realism/absurdist/surreal

Dark Moon Digest, opens on the 1st every month and closes when full 1500-7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Horror (complex, creepy, like Twilight Zone or Black Mirror, Simultaneous OK

D.L. Russell Books: The Noise of a Quiet House (anthology), 2500-5000 words, $50, Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy, Theme: our worst childhood fears (unique things that can terrorize a child), submit to dlrussellbooks@gmail.com

Flash Point Science Fiction, 100-1000 words, $15/story, Genre: any speculative (SF, Fantasy, Slipstream, other spec) 

Guilty Crime Story Magazine, 1000-6000 words (sweet spot = 3k-4k), $10/story, Non-Fiction OK (~1500 words w/ 500-750 preferred, $5/article, pitch first), Art OK ($15/cover art; $10/interior art), submit to guiltycrimemag@gmail.com

Hexagon Magazine, ~7500 words (poetry: ~30 lines), $10 CAD/story ($5/poem or art, $30/graphic story, $100/cover art), Genre: any speculative

Lady Churchill 's Rosebud Wristlet, any word counts, Genre: F/SF/general (tends toward but not limited to speculative), 3¢/word, only accepts paper submissions (no email), Poetry OK ($10/poem), Art OK

Mythic, 2000-6000 words, 4¢/word, SF/F, open to general submissions (6/1-7/31; 12/1-1/31)

Perpetual Motion Machine, ~1500 words, $25/story, Genre: Horror (same as Dark Moon above)

Star Ship Sofa (District of Wonders), 3000-9000, 1¢/word (less if 7500-9000 words), Genre: SF, Reprints OK, Simultaneous OK, Note: buying audio rights only

Sci-Fi Lampoon, ~7500 words, $5, Genre/Theme: humorous speculative, Simultaneous OK, also seeking art and lampoon ads, Multiple OK

Simultaneous Times Podcast (from Space Cowboy Books), $10/story, submit a high quality wav. file via wetransfer.com (or follow guidelines on their page if you cannot record your story)

The Colored Lens, ~20,000 words, 1-2¢/word, Genre: any speculative

The Common Tongue Magazine, 600-6000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: only high fantasy with a dark tone (dark fantasy, grimdark, sword & sorcery), Languages: English or Spanish (translations also accepted),  Poetry OK (up to 40 lines), Note: seeking original stories or stories set in their Arthuruin Shared Universe, Nonfiction OK (~2500 words, 3¢/word), Art OK ($200-400)

Three-Lobed Burning Eye, 500-1000 words or 1001-7500, Genre: any spec especially horror/dark fantasy (prefers hybrid/weird), $100/short story or $30/flash

Welkin: A Magazine of Fantastic Literature, any word count, 1¢/word (~1500 words unpaid, Reprints OK (flash only but no pay), Art OK ($50/issue), Simultaneous OK, Note: submission periods are March/July/October/January (open to flash fiction year-round)

5. Publications Closed

Addition Magazine, 1000-5000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: Rebuild, Genre: General/SF, Note: if no response in 14 days assume they rejected the story, opening date unknown (website states follow us on Twitter for updates)

Arsenika, ~1000 words, 6¢/word, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK, Poetry OK (~1000 words), submissions in English/Spanish/Chinese OK

Blood Knife, ~1200 words, 9¢/word, Genre: SF/F/H (especially likes dark fantasy, gothic fiction, cosmic horror, and cyberpunk), Theme: "emphasis on tone and style than on strict genre adherence," and "the decadent, the grotesque, the weird, the alienating, and the agonizing," and welcomes political content as well as sex/violence/gore, Simultaneous OK, Non-fiction OK ($60 for 800-word article), working through backlog and will reopen "sometime in the summer"

Curiouser Magazine, ~5000 words, $50-125/story (750-1000 words is about 6¢/word, otherwise 1-3¢/word), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (1 story or 3 poems or 2 flash of ~750 words), Poetry OK ($25/poem), temporarily closed on 7/1/2021, submissions now closed to Issue Two

Dark Matter, 1000-5000 words, 8¢/word, Genre:SF, scheduled to open in mid-Q4 of 2021

Deep Magic, 1000-40,000 words, 8¢/word up to 7499 words ($599.92 pay cap above that), Genre: SF and Fantasy, Note: PG-13, Reprints OK (2¢/word up to 10,000 words and capped at $200 for longer), Note: permanently closed to submissions; they have just released their Best Of anthology Vol. 2 and I highly recommend it grabbing yourself a copy, and they will also be releasing a summer issue with a gorgeous cover and great stories), permanently closed (they just released their final issue--what a beautiful choice for the cover; might be one of my favs; sad to say goodbye, especially as I enjoyed doing a little first reading for them)

Departure Mirror, ~12,000 words, 10¢/word ($300/story above 3000 words), Genre: SF/F, Poetry OK (up to 30 lines, $10/poem), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK, permanently closed

Hybrid Fiction, 500-5000 words (or serialized novellas), 6¢/word, Genre: speculative hybrid/cross-genre (blend of 2+ genres, such as dark fantasy, steampunk western, historical fantasy, weird western, crime fantasy, etc.), "on hiatus until further notice due to the pandemic," website expired which likely means they have closed for good

Orion's Belt, ~1200 words, 8¢/word, Genre: literary speculative, closed September 1st, opens March 1st

Strange Horizons, open Mon. 1600 UTC - Tue. 1600 UTC (closed Dec.), ~10,000 words (~5000 best), 10¢/word, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Humor/Literary, Poetry ($50/poem), closed to fiction subs until further notice (catching up on backlog), poetry closed through August, still open to Art and Nonfiction

Third Flatiron, 1500-3000 words, 8¢/word, various themed anthologies, temporarily closed (recently opened for a themed anthology and will do so again)

6. Search for More Markets

The Submission Grinder: a submission tracker and market database that is free to use for all, helps provide data on publications and submission windows

Duotrope, same as above, a submission tracker and market database that requires a paid subscription for full usage, may go into a bit more depth than Grinder though not by much based on my brief trial subscription

Ralan.com: up-to-date listings for the speculative market and advice

Publisher's Marketplace

Locus Magazine: Resources

Moksha Listing of Open Publications

Horror Tree: recent markets, articles, interviews, and fiction

Literarium (login/sign-up)

Literarium flash fiction listing

Dark Markets: free resource for horror writers

Horror Writers Association: Markets for Horror Writers and Poets

Speculative Poetry Markets

Write Jobs: good and bad jobs, markets, contests, etc.

50 Magazines and Anthologies That Pay for Horror Fiction, a decent list with speculative focus

Where to Submit Short Stories: 30 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work, a decent list with a literary focus

28 Themed Submission Calls for August by S. Kalekar, submission possibilities including a few good ones I haven't had time to add to the lists above

Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: plenty of updated lists of agents, calls for submission, contests, conferences, recipes, and more

7. Advice, Motivation, and Workshops

Shadowspinners often has a wonderful assortment of blog posts from various writers, such as Eric M. Witchey.

M. Todd Gallowglas does some fun and engaging classes that really inspire you to produce meaningful new work; check out his shows on Twitch or his workshops

Wulf Moon's Super Secrets: a ton of great advice on writing short stories that win (he runs a workshop that you can peek in on and learn from as it goes)

Wulf Moon also has great workshops at Fyrecon, and is available as a professional editor and voice actor; check out his website for more info

Charlie Jane Anders' advice: chapters from her forthcoming non-fiction book Never Say You Can't Survive with new chapters released every Tuesday

Delilah S. Dawson's page of links, including her advice on how to get published

Cat Rambo's Website: lots of good resources and classes

Submitting Short Fiction: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Genre Edition by Holly Lyn Walrath, a useful guide on playing the submission game written in 2019

Submission Tetris: An Analytic Approach by Laurence Raphael Brothers, a brief but useful consideration of what and where to submit in the submissions game from SFWA

8. More Links

This is a listing of speculative award winners. Go read, study, and improve yourself.

Here are grants to apply for with the Speculative Literature Foundation

This is a listing at critter.org that shows general response times of various publications

Publisher's Pick Free Ebook of the Month (Maintained by Arc Manor of Galaxy's Edge)

On writing cover letters for submissions to the short fiction market by Christie

Personally, I use ProWritingAid to help revise my writing. It's not always right, but it's another helpful tool for wading through revisions. If you want to try it out, use this link to sign up for a free account: https://prowritingaid.com/en/Account/Register?rafid=xNnjM. If 10 of my friends use the link, supposedly I'll get a one-year license. Yay!

June Jitters Over Market Closures

Hi Everyone. Happy June, usually my favorite month as it's my birthday, and many of my friends have birthdays as well. My daughters were very creative thanks to encouragement from my girlfriend, and the three of them secretly prepared art and cute little presents to surprise me after we came back from a birthday lunch of all-you-can-eat shabushabu. Now to stay motivated despite the humid weather that's moved in on Japan. I've been piecing together enough paying work to carry on, and writing new stories. My story revisions and readings kept me busy enough that I have not submitted a ton and have not updated the blog until now. Lots to do! I hope everyone is making it through their struggles and doing well enough. I'll jump straight to the deadlines list this time around after noting two recent closures.

Closures: Deep Magic announced their permanent closure. They just released their Best Of anthology Vol.2 and I highly recommend getting your hands on it. Their Vol. 1 was recently on sale, and you can also look forward to their Summer Issue. Yes, part of me still hopes they'll open again, but it doesn't look that way. The board members have other priorities they need to focus on moving forward. This was disheartening, as they have found some wonderful stories and artwork in every issue. I also had a good experience working as a First Reader with their team. I wish them all the best of luck with their other projects.

The other closure is Departure Mirror Quarterly. I'm not sure if they have publicly announced it, but I was contacted by them as I had submitted a story and a collection of poetry to them. Very sad news as well, since they seemed to be an excellent place to submit mixed genre or slipstream works. Edit: I really didn't want them to close apparently; still had them listed. Have now moved it to the closed category *tears*.

Edit: also wanted to mention that Clarion West is doing their Write-a-thon this year. Registration started on June 7th, and signups for classes/events begins on June 14th. I loved the little bit I participated in last year.

Thank you, Victoria, for notifying me of a few more markets I needed to include. There are always more places to consider subbing, even as we lose some excellent ones...

Some updates to every section, especially to the lists of deadlines in both general pay grades. Note: added further updates on 6/20/2021; more updates after meeting my own June deadlines.

Good luck all with the writing and subbing!

Table of Contents (scroll down to each section for clickable links)

1. Submission Deadlines/Windows (June 2021 and beyond; 5-20¢/word USD)

2. Publications Open for Submissions (No Specified Deadline; 5-20¢/word USD)

3. Submission Deadlines/Windows (June 2021 and beyond; 1-4¢/word USD)

4. Publications Open for Submission (No Specified Deadline; 1-4¢/word USD)

5. Other Submission Opportunities (Kickstarters, Advance/Royalties, Charities, etc.)

6. Publications Closed 

7. Search for More Markets

8. Advice, Motivation, and Workshops

9. More Links

10. Current submission stats on my writing

1. Submission Deadlines/Windows (June 2021 and beyond; 5-20¢/word USD)

6/1~, Zooscape, ~10,000 words, 8¢/word (flash and $80 for longer), Genre/Theme: anything furry/anthropomorphic animal figure, Multiple query, repoened on 6/1/2021

6/9, Martian magazine, exactly 100 words excluding title, 8¢/word, Genre: any SF, Reprints OK (4¢/word), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (up to 3, each in separate emails) 

5/15-6/12, Mermaids Monthly, Genre/Theme: anything loosely merfolk- or mercreature-related (specific themes include July's All Selkies, September's ecology/climate change, and November's All Ages), original fiction (1~5000 words, 10¢/word), reprints (1¢/word w/ minimum $20), poetry (any length, $50-$100/poem), nonfiction (~1500 words, 10¢/word), comics (~5 pages, $75-$100/page), Each to Each art ($25, closed this year), spot art ($50), reprint art/comics ($25-$150), simultaneous OK, multiple OK (one of each type)

6/1-6/15, Baffling Magazine, flash (~1200 words), 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F/Horror (especially interested in queer/trans/aro/ace; welcomes weird/slipstream/interstitial), Simultaneous OK, submissions open to all (particularly interested in queer stories and authors)

6/15, Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF (Astonishing Transformations) or Horror (Chilling Resurrections), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story

6/5-6/19, Neon Hemlock Press (call for speculative novellas by BIPOC authors), 17,500-40,000 words, advance + royalties, Genre/Theme: SF/F/H/Supernatural/Slipstream/Weird (welcomes hybrid or difficult to categorize), particularly interested in work that explores an element of queer experience, simultaneous submissions OK, note: opening to all authors in October

6/15 (9AM EST)-6/22 (9AM EST), Nightfire (Tor's Horror imprint), 17500~ words (seeking novellas and novels), advance + royalties, any horror (all subgenres and tropes welcome)

6/13-6/26, Cast of Wonders: Banned Books Week, ~6000 words (prefer 3000-4500), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA speculative, Theme: Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us (see further explanation on their website), simultaneous OK, reprints OK ($100/short, $20/flash)

6/21-6/27, Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas, 2500-3000 words (up to 35 lines for poetry), $250/story ($25/poem), Genre/Theme: dark tales rooted in place (short stories exclusively set in South America; poetry set in the Caribbean/Central America/Mexico/South America), setting should be essential 

6/1-6/30, If There's Anyone Left, ~1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/speculative, only open to marginalized authors (includes people of color, LGBTQ+, or disabled people), simultaneous OK

6/30, Curiousities anthology, ~7500 words, 5¢/word (reprints 1¢/word), Genre/Theme: weird/occult detective stories w/ retro-tech/vintage/alt-history settings, multiple OK (3 stories/author), simultaneous OK, submissions must be anonymous

6/30, WotF Q3, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢ /word, prize money (1^st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website

7/1, Curiouser Magazine, ~5000 words, $50-125/story (750-1000 words is about 6¢/word, otherwise 1-3¢/word), Genre: various/speculative ("Horror, magic realism, speculative fiction and streams of consciousness are welcome – but they must be somewhat grounded in real life"), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (1 story or 3 poems or 2 flash of ~750 words), Poetry OK ($25/poem)

6/23-7/3, Cast of Wonders: Seasonal Holidays/Special Events, ~6000 words (under 5000 preferred), 8¢/word, Genre: any YA speculative, Theme: see website for details ("stories that evoke a sense of wonder, have deep emotional resonance, and have something unreal about them"), simultaneous OK, reprints OK ($100/short, $20/flash)

7/1-7/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is only open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors

7/1-7/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

7/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story

7/15, Inclusive Future Magazine Issue 1, ~3000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: fictional non-fiction (op eds, reviews, ads, advice columns, etc; see info/examples on website), Reprints OK (4¢/word), Simultaneous OK, Collabs welcome, Poetry OK (up to 5 poems or 250 lines per contributor; $1/line and 50¢/word for reprints), Art OK ($100/full page; up to $300/project), Email subs to  inclusivefuturemag[at]gmail[dot]com, seeking pieces that "reflect how language, culture, science, and day-to-day life could change over the next 50-ish years to be gender-inclusive in various cultures" and "any type of article or other text you’d find in a culture magazine, but of course it’ll all be made up."

7/17, Catapult (Soft Skull Press), 500-4000 words, $200/story, Genre: literary/general, particularly interested in flash fiction ~1000 words (see examples at their site)

7/1-8/1(4AM EST), khoreo, ~5000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any speculative, Theme: Food, Note: only open to subs from authors identifying as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms (see their website), Non-Fiction OK, Art OK

7/1-7/7 (limited to BIPOC, trans, or disabled living in/from Canada) & 7/8-7/31 (everyone) Augur, ~5k words, CAD 11 cents/short story (1000+ words), CAD $110/flash story (~1000 words), Genre: speculative (SF/F/literary/dreamy realism/slipstream/fabulism/magical realism), Poetry OK (CAD $60/poem), Simultaneous OK (disclose in cover letter), Multiple OK (~2 stories/submission window; ~5 poems of ~5 pages each to a total of 10 pages/window; if subbing stories and poems then max of 4 pieces total), anonymous subs, will open for Fall/Winter issue & Joyful Imaginations themed issue

6/1-7/31, Spirit Machine (anthology from Air & Nothingness Press), 1500-3500 words (sweet spot = 1000-3000), 8¢/word, Theme: Seance Fiction (mashup of Spirtualism [seances, ouiji boards, kirlian auras, discarnated entities, ghost talking, etc.] and Science Fiction and/or Steampunk genres), Note: Stories must combine elements of both Spiritualism and SF/Steampunk (no fantasy, no ghost stories, no SF w/o Spiritualism), Reading/Review 8/1-9/30, Submit stories by email at info@aanpress.com

7/1-7/31, Mysterion, ~9000, 8 cents/word, Genre/Theme: speculative w/ Christian themes/characters/cosmology, Reprints OK (4 crnts/word), Art OK (accepted year-round, $100)

7/31, Pseudopod (Anthologies and Collections), 1500-6000 words (prefer about 4500; also flash under 1500 welcome), 8¢/word (reprints of flash at $20), Genre/Theme: any horror for audio, Simultaneous OK (but with disclosure!), Multiple OK (one original and one reprint), Note for this period they want "to purchase non-exclusive reprints from anthologies and collections released at any point in 2021" and this "does not have to be the final print version, ARCs are great."

8/1-8/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors

8/1-8/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

7/15-8/1, Constelación Magazine, Original Fiction (~6400 words, 8¢/word), Genre: any speculative in either English or Spanish, Theme: Love Needs No Translation / El Amor no necesita traduccion, Art (BIPOC creators only, send link to portfolio for consideration, $1000 for rights)

8/1-8/15 (tentative), Diabolical Plots, ~3500 words, 10¢/word, Genre: SF/F/H (must have speculative element, i.e. even horror must include a speculative element; welcomes mixing in other genres), anonymous submissions, simultaneous OK, only one submission/window (they do not accept multiple anymore), note: especially likes weird/wonder/strong character and plot arcs/worldbuilding/ philosophical food/readable/religion/platonic friendships

8/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story

7/1 (8AM UTC) - 8/20 (8AM UTC), Life Beyond Us (anthology), 1000-5000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF (preferably but not necessarily leaning toward hard SF), Theme: explore the unknown (unfamiliar life forms on Earth and beyond; strange life's discoveries and related ethical question), originals only, translations welcome, link to the successfully funded Kickstarter here

8/23, Friends Journal: Quaker Speculative Fiction Special Issue, 500-2000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any speculative (including SF, Fantasy, Alt History, Horror, Romance), Theme: how would the world and the way Quakers live in it be different if X were true?, Note: anonymous submissions; welcomes submissions from Friends and non-Friends alike

8/10-8/31, PseudoPod (Flash Fiction Contest), ~1500 words (500-1000 best), 8¢/word, Genre: any horror, Reprints OK, Simultaneous OK (if not an Escape Artists podcast)

9/1-9/2, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 8¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-8¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter, note: closed June-August 2021 and reopening in September with pay rates increased (!) to 8¢/word

9/1-9/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is only open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors

9/1-9/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

9/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story

9/1-9/31, Pseudopod (genreal submissions), 1500-6000 words (prefer about 4500; also flash under 1500 welcome), 8¢/word (reprints of flash at $20), Genre/Theme: any horror for audio, Simultaneous OK (but with disclosure!), Multiple OK (one original and one reprint)

9/30, WotF Q3, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1^st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website

10/1-10/2, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 8¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-8¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter, note: closed June-August 2021 and reopening in September with pay rates increased (!) to 8¢/word

10/1-10/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

10/1-10/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors

10/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story

10/1-10/31, khoreo, ~5000 words, 8¢/word, any speculative, Note: only open to subs from authors identifying as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms (see their website), Non-Fiction OK, Art OK

11/1-11/2, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 8¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-8¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter, note: closed June-August 2021 and reopening in September with pay rates increased (!) to 8¢/word

11/1-11/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is only open to Black, Asian, Latin, LGBTQ+ and other under-represented authors

11/1-11/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

9/7-11/14, One Story, 3k-8k words, $500/story, Genre: any literary, Simultaneous OK, also open to submissions 1/15-5/31

11/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story

12/1-12/2, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 6¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-6¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter, note: closed June-August 2021 and reopening in September with pay rates increased (!) to 8¢/word

12/1-12/7, Cossmass Infinities, 2000-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F, Simultaneous OK, Note: this window is open to all authors

12/1-12/7, Fantasy Magazine, ~7500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Poetry ($40/poem, send up to 6)

12/15 (tentative; see newsletter), Flame Tree (Monthly Flash Fiction Contest), 700-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF or Horror (the two specific prompts are listed in newsletter at the beginning of each month), must subscribe to their newsletter, submit entry to Newsletter Editor Molly Rosevear at molly@flametreepublishing.com w/ theme as subject heading and author details/bio at end of story

12/30, WotF Q3, ~17000 words (aim for 3000-10,000), 8¢/word, prize money (1^st $1000, 2nd $750, 3rd $500, annual grand $5000, plus Hollywood workshop; semi-finalists get feedback), Genre: F/SF, Note: contest for new writers w/o 4+ pro-level publications; the forum is very helpful, especially the Super Secrets thread; free workshop available on website

9/1/2021-5/31/2022, Escape Pod, 1500-6000 (reprints 1500-18000), 8¢/word (reprints $100), Genre/Theme: any SF (prefer high clarity and pacing to match their audio format; prefer to see a ray of hope even in darker stories) 

2/29/2022 (my tentative assumption), Pseudopod (general submissions), 1500-6000 words (prefer about 4500; also flash under 1500 welcome), 8¢/word (reprints of flash at $20), Genre/Theme: any horror for audio, Simultaneous OK (but with disclosure!), Multiple OK (one original and one reprint)

6/1/2021-4/15/2022, The Mike Resnick Memorial Award for Short Fiction (Annual Award for Best Unpublished Science Fiction Short Story by a New Author), ~7499 words, three winners (1st: $250, trophy, and paid publication in Galaxy's Edge; 2nd: $100; 3rd: $50), send anonymous submission with author/story info on title page to resnick@arcmanor.com

2. Publications Open for Submissions (No Specified Deadline; 5-20¢/word USD)

Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, ~12k words, 5-8¢/word, Genre: Mystery/Crime/Suspense /Thriller

Amazing Stories, 1k-10k words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF

Analog Science Fiction and Fact, ~20k (8-10 cents/word), 40k-80k serials (6 cents/word), poetry ($1/line), 4k-word fact articles (9¢/word), Genre: SF, Multiple Yes

Anathema: Spec from the Margins, 1500-6k words (if 1500-2k words pays 5¢/word), $100 CAD/story ($50/poem), Genre: SF/F/H, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (under 100 lines, Non-Fiction OK (1500-3000 words), Limited demographic: queer/two-spirit person of colour/Indigenous/Aboriginal, Note on Genre/Theme: "We are open to any form of genre or speculative content. We talk about what we do as "SF/F/H, the weird, slipstream, surrealism, fabulism, and more," elsewhere on the site. But we are not limited to those genres. Use them as a starting point and send whatever you want: as long as it's got some kind of speculative content we'll consider it. And we are also interested in seeing work that has been difficult to place because of content or perspective."

Apex Magazine, ~7500 words, 8 cents/word, Genre: F/SF/Horror

Asimov's, 1k-20k words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F

Baffling Magazine, ~1200 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F/Horror (especially interested in queer/trans/aro/ace; welcomes weird/slipstream/interstitial), Simultaneous OK

Beneath Ceaseless Skies, ~15k words, 8¢/word, Genre: literary adventure fantasy (no urban fantasy and nothing modern)

Boneyard Soup Magazine, 2k-6k words, 5¢/word, Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy, Reprints OK, Non-Fiction OK, Art OK

Clarkesworld Magazine, 1k-22k words, 10¢/word, Genre: SF/F

Cloud Lake Literary, ~3500 words, $50 CAD/per page to a maximum of $150 CAD, Genre: fiction/creative nonfiction/poetry/child lit/YA, Note: Canadian Writers only

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, open 1st-2nd every month, 1000-40000 words (shorter preferred), 8¢/word (reprints 2¢/word), Genre: F/SF, Poetry ($1/line, ~40 lines, reprints 50¢/word), Articles (2-8¢/word, reprints 1-4¢/word), unedited feedback provided if requested in cover letter, note: closed June-August 2021 and reopening in September with pay rates increased (!) to 8¢/word

Cricket, ~6000 words (best = 1200-1800 & 600-900), 25 cents/word, Genre/Theme: middle grade readers (realistic contemporary fiction, historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy, folk tales, myths and legends, and humor), also seeking poetry / nonfiction / puzzles / activities / art, Note: other magazines at the link include Babybug, Ladybug, Spider, Ask, Muse

Curiouser Magazine, ~5000 words, $50-125/story (750-1000 words is about 6¢/word, otherwise 1-3¢/word), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (1 story or 3 poems or 2 flash of ~750 words), Poetry OK ($25/poem), temporarily closing on 7/1/2021

Daily Science Fiction, 100-1500 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF/F/slipstream, will consider flash series

Dark Matter, 1000-5000 words, 8¢/word, Genre:SF

Decoded, ~7500 words, 1-5¢/word ($25/flash, $100/short, $200/long, $75/comic, Genre/Theme: any queer SF/Fantasy/Horror, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (submit up to two pieces), Note: must be a queer identifying writer

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, 250-20,000 (2500-8000 best), 5-8¢/word, Genre: Mystery/Crime/Suspense/Thriller

Escape Pod, 1500-6000 (reprints 1500-18000), 8¢/word (reprints $100), Genre/Theme: any SF (prefer high clarity and pacing to match their audio format; prefer to see a ray of hope even in darker stories), opens from 9/1/2021-5/31/2022

Flame Tree Press, seeks 70k-120k word novels (SF/F/H/Crime), often announces short story anthologies (8¢/word), runs a monthly flash fiction contest (700-1000 words, 8¢/word, reprints 6¢/word, two categories of SF or Horror), sign up for newsletter to receive notice of monthly flash fiction contest prompts and upcoming anthology calls 

Flash Fiction Online, 500-1000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: any, Multiple OK (up to 3 submitted at a time), Reprints OK (2¢/word), note: remove all author identifying info from submitted files

Focus on the Family Clubhouse, 500-2000 words, 15¢/word, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Humor/General, Age/Theme: 8-12 year old and Christian values

Future Science Fiction Digest (UFO Publishing), 500-10,000 words, 8¢/word, Genre: SF, Note: only open to translated submissions or stories by writers for whom English is not their first language and who reside outside of primarily English-speaking countries

Infinite Worlds Science Fiction Magazine, 1500-5000 words, $100/story, Genre: SF, also Art and Comics OK

Neon Hemlock Press (anthology), Opulent Syntax: Irish Speculative Fiction, ~6000 words (best: 1000-4000), 8¢/word, any speculative (SF/F/H/hybrid/alt-history/weird/slipstream/utopian/dystopian/less definable) exploring Irish identity (including immigrant, Irish Traveler/Minceir, queer/trans), submissions open to anyone resident on the island of Ireland and to Irish people living anywhere

Orion's Belt, ~1200 words, 8¢/word, Genre/Theme: literary speculative

PodCastle, ~6000 words (3000-4500 best), 8¢/word, Genre: Fantasy, Simultaneous & Multiple OK, Reprints ($100 for >1500 words, $20/flash)

Pseudopod, 1500-6000 words (prefer about 4500; also flash under 1500 welcome), 8¢/word (reprints of flash at $20), Genre/Theme: any horror for audio, Simultaneous OK (but with disclosure!), Multiple OK (one original and one reprint), Open 3/1-8/31 for Anthologies and Collections, Open 8/10-8/31 for Flash Fiction Contest, Open to general submissions 9/1-9/13 (opening again after 2/28/2022)

Pulp Literature, ~40000 (~5000 best), 5-8¢/word (up to 7000 words), Seeking: any genre or between-genre, poetry, comics, illustration, and open to novel queries in Jan/July, Poetry (up to 3 poems or 5 pages w/ $25-$50)

Reckoning, ~20,000 words, 8¢/word ($30/page for poems), Genre: SF/F/General, Theme: enivironmental justic, Simultaneous OK, Poetry OK (prefer multiple 3-5 poems <10 pages, but send only one if longer)

Smokelong Quarterly, ~1000 words, $50/piece, Genre: Literary, Simultaneous OK, Notes on what they want: language that surprises and excites, narratives that strive toward something other than a final punch line or twist, pieces that add up to something, often (but not necessarily always) something profound or emotionally resonant honest work that feels as if it has far more purpose than a writer wanting to write a story

Strange Horizons, open Mon. 1600 UTC - Tue. 1600 UTC (closed Dec.), ~10,000 words (~5000 best), 10¢/word, Genre: SF/Fantasy/Humor/Literary, Poetry ($50/poem)

Terraform, ~2000 words, 20¢/word, Genre: SF, Theme: nearer future fiction any form welcome ("classic-style SF short stories, social media posts from beyond the horizon, fictive data dumps, experimental graphic narratives, and so on"), Note: send submissions to terraform.motherboard@gmail.com

The Arcanist, ~1000 words, 10¢/word, Genre: Fantasy/SF/Horror, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (sub up to three at a time), Note: seeking great characters with complete stories

The Dark, 2000-6000 words, 6¢/word, Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy/Experimental

The Deadlands, ~5000 words (sweet spot = 3-4k), 10¢/word,Genre/Theme: speculative fiction that concerns itself with death–but also everything death may involve, Reprints OK (~5000 words, 1¢/word), Poetry OK during open periods (currently closed since June 14th; when open: 3 poems/submission, $50/poem), Nonfiction OK (1-4k words, $100/essay), Art OK ($100/cover art)

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine, ~25,000 words, 8-12 cents/word, Genre: F/SF/H (speculative element may be slight but should be present), send to Sheree Renée Thomas, Poetry OK (send 3-5 poems/submission), Art & Cartoons OK (send sample/queries to Gordon Van Gelder), note: do not submit another story or set of poems before 21-days after your last submission

The No Sleep Podcast, 1200-2000 words at 5¢/word (1200-2499 = $100; 2500+ words = $150), Genre/Theme: must be horror and generally prefer first person, should be written with audio format in mind

The Strand Magazine, 1000-2000 words at 5¢/word (1000-6000 words at $100-150), Genre/Theme: mysteries/detective/terror/supernatural

Thirteen, any word count, 1-5¢/word (~1000 words = 5¢/word; 1000-40,000 words = 1-2¢/word), Genre: horror (an audio-drama podcast specializing in "slow-burn atmospheric horror and ghost stories"), submissions formatted as a script have a better chance of selection, first person central narrator with supporting characters works best for their format, see more advice on the website

Three-Lobed Burning Eye, 500-1000 words or 1001-7500 (1000-2000=5¢/word), Genre: any spec especially horror/dark fantasy (prefers hybrid/weird), $100/short story or $30/flash

Uncharted Magazine, 1000-5000 words, 4-10¢/word ($200/story), Genres: SF/Fantasy/Horror/Thriller, Simultaneous OK, Note: debuting on August 2021

Unreal Magazine / Unfit Magazine, ~5000 words, 20 cents/word up to 1000 words (1 cent/word over 1000), seeking imaginative/emotional/metaphors/original ideas, Simultaneous OK, SFWA members not eligible, Note: also see their Unfit Magazine (seeking same as Unreal), Note: this was delisted at Submissions Grinder (sub at your own risk)

Vector, 1000-6000 words, Genre: non-fiction only, seeks: non-academic articles (1000-3500 words), academic articles (3500-6000 words), interviews/roundtables, conference reports, reviews, and queries from prospective guest editors and advertisers, Query: vector.submissions@gmail.com

Voyage, ~6000 words, $200/story, Genre: YA/General, Simultaneous OK

Zooscape, ~10,000 words, 8¢/word (flash and $80 for longer), Genre/Theme: anything furry/anthropomorphic animal figure, Multiple query, repoened on 6/1/2021

3. Submission Deadlines/Windows (June 2021 and beyond; 1-4¢/word USD)

6/14, The Other Stories Podcast (Vol 72 Doppelgängers II), ~2000 words, 15 GBP/story (about 20 USD), Genre/Theme: stories that "terrify, scar and haunt," and match theme of dopplegangers, sub up to two stories/theme

6/15, The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, 600 words (20-75 lines poetry), $50/piece, categories include fiction/nonfiction/poetry/triptychs/visual arts, simultaneous OK, anonymous submissions 

6/15, Eye to the Telescope (Issue 41: Indigenous Futurisms Issue), SF/speculative poetry by indigenous authors around the world, 3¢/word, multiple (1-3 poems/author), translations OK

6/21-6/27, Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas (Hex Publishers anthology), 2500-3000 words for short fiction (~35 lines for poetry), $250/story ($25/poem), Genre/Theme: dark stories rooted in location (new takes/mashups on folkloric welcome) and with the short stories set in South America and poetry set in the Carribean/Central America/Mexico/South America

6/30, Field Notes from a Nightmare (Dread Stone Press), 1000-4000 words, 3¢/word, Genre/Theme: ecological horror (dark weird and horror-adjacent SF welcome, but no fantasy and no hard SF), happy endings a hard sell but a glimmer of hope is welcome, Simultaneous OK

6/1-6/30, Dark Moments: Drabble Monthly Challenge, exactly 100 words excluding title, 4¢/word, Theme: The Purge ("What happens when there are no consequences, no law enforcement, no judgements? Revenge and bloodthirsty fun.") 

7/1, Curiouser Magazine, ~5000 words, $50-125/story (750-1000 words is about 6¢/word, otherwise 1-3¢/word), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (1 story or 3 poems or 2 flash of ~750 words), Poetry OK ($25/poem)

6/20-7/3, Generation X-ed, 3000-6000 words, 1¢/word, Genre/Theme: any horror with elements specific to Gen X, Note: only open to writers of Gen X (born 1965-1980), submit to GenX(at)AMInkPublishing.com (with short bio, word count and genre, summary of story, simultaneous status, social media links)

7/9 (midnight EDST), Dark Dispatch Issue #2 Deadly Love, two-sentence stories ($10/story), flash (300-999 words, $25), short (2000-5000, $50), Genre: dark fantasy/SF/horror/crime, Theme: stories should focus on love gone wrong and include an element of romantic horror, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK (up to 2 pieces)

7/1-7/31, Welkin: A Magazine of Fantastic Literature, any word count, 1¢/word (~1500 words unpaid, Reprints OK (flash only but no pay), Art OK ($50/issue), Simultaneous OK, Note: submission periods are March/July/October/January (open to flash fiction year-round) 

7/31, Mythic, 2000-6000 words, 4¢/word, SF/F

8/2, The Dead Inside (a Dark Dispatch anthology), flash (300-999 words, $25), short (1000-7499, $50), Poetry ($25/poem), Non-fiction ($50/piece), Genre/Theme: identity horror ("explorations of what happens when our core identities are stripped, altered, suppressed, or denied to us, whether by choice or not," with more info on their website) 

8/15-8/30 (9/1-9/7 BIPOC-only), Apparition Literature, 1000-5100 words, 3¢/word, Genre: any speculative, Theme: Wonder, Poetry OK (~2 pages/poem; sub ~5 poems/submission, $30/poem)

9/1, Books and Bikes in Space, 1000-6000 words, profits split between contributors (minimum of $50 each + copies of the book), Genre: any speculative/fantastical, Theme: books and bikes must be elements intrinsic to the story, welcomes ownvoices and first-time writers

9/15-11/15, Lamplight Magazine, ~7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Dark/Literary, Reprints (1¢/word), simultaneous OK, Note: they are limited to 300 submissions/month and will close each month after that limit is reached

11/15 (reading period begins on 11/15 and ends when reaches goal of 80,000 words), 2000-6000 words, 2¢/word, Genre/Theme: any PG-13 dealing with the idea of Cthlu FhCon (see story prompt on website)

12/31, We're Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2021 (Neon Hemlock anthology), ~17,500 words, 1¢/word, speculative exploring queerness/transness, reprints from 2021 only, simultaneous OK, multiple OK

4. Publications Open for Submission (No Specified Deadline; 1-4¢/word USD)

Bourbon Penn, 2000-7500 words, 2¢/word, Genre: speculative (odd/imaginative ones), especially slipstream/cross-genre/magic realism/absurdist/surreal

Dark Moon Digest, opens on the 1st every month and closes when full 1500-7000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: Horror (complex, creepy, like Twilight Zone or Black Mirror, Simultaneous OK

D.L. Russell Books: The Noise of a Quiet House (anthology), 2500-5000 words, $50, Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy, Theme: our worst childhood fears (unique things that can terrorize a child), submit to dlrussellbooks@gmail.com

Flash Point Science Fiction, 100-1000 words, $15/story, Genre: any speculative (SF, Fantasy, Slipstream, other spec) 

Guilty Crime Story Magazine, 1000-6000 words (sweet spot = 3k-4k), $10/story, Non-Fiction OK (~1500 words w/ 500-750 preferred, $5/article, pitch first), Art OK ($15/cover art; $10/interior art), submit to guiltycrimemag@gmail.com

Hexagon Magazine, ~7500 words (poetry: ~30 lines), $10 CAD/story ($5/poem or art, $30/graphic story, $100/cover art), Genre: any speculative

Mythic, 2000-6000 words, 4¢/word, SF/F, open to general submissions (6/1-7/31; 12/1-1/31)

Perpetual Motion Machine, ~1500 words, $25/story, Genre: Horror (same as Dark Moon above)

Star Ship Sofa (District of Wonders), 3000-9000, 1¢/word (less if 7500-9000 words), Genre: SF, Reprints OK, Simultaneous OK, Note: buying audio rights only

Sci-Fi Lampoon, ~7500 words, $5, Genre/Theme: humorous speculative, Simultaneous OK, also seeking art and lampoon ads, Multiple OK

Simultaneous Times Podcast (from Space Cowboy Books), $10/story, submit a high quality wav. file via wetransfer.com (or follow guidelines on their page if you cannot record your story)

The Colored Lens, ~20,000 words, 1-2¢/word, Genre: any speculative

The Common Tongue Magazine, 600-6000 words, 3¢/word, Genre: only high fantasy with a dark tone (dark fantasy, grimdark, sword & sorcery), Languages: English or Spanish (translations also accepted),  Poetry OK (up to 40 lines), Note: seeking original stories or stories set in their Arthuruin Shared Universe, Nonfiction OK (~2500 words, 3¢/word), Art OK ($200-400)

Three-Lobed Burning Eye, 500-1000 words or 1001-7500, Genre: any spec especially horror/dark fantasy (prefers hybrid/weird), $100/short story or $30/flash

Welkin: A Magazine of Fantastic Literature, any word count, 1¢/word (~1500 words unpaid, Reprints OK (flash only but no pay), Art OK ($50/issue), Simultaneous OK, Note: submission periods are March/July/October/January (open to flash fiction year-round)

5. Other Submission Opportunities (Kickstarters, Advance/Royalties, Charities, Requires fee to enter, etc.)

Novellas/Novels:

Cursed Dragon Ship, 40K-100K, speculative, nothing aimed at younger than high school age, send queries to submissions@curseddragonship.com (subject: {Category} – {Author Name}

Worthwhile submissions for charity:

6/20 (11:59 PM Mountain Time), A Hero of a Different Stripe (Hemelein Publications and LTUE Press), ~17500 words, no pay ("royalty proceeds go to support the symposium’s mission of education, training, and inspiring authors, artists, and editors in producing the next generation of amazing speculative fiction works"), Genre: SF/F/light horror, Theme: give supporting characters the starring role, up to two submissions per author

Poetry Contest with fee:

2021 SFPA Speculative Poetry Contest (guest judge: Sheree Renee Thomas), three categories (dwarf: 1-10 lines [prose poems 0-100 words]; short: 11-49 lines [prose poem 101-499 words]; long 50+ lines [prose poem 500+ words]), top 3 winners receive publication on SFPA website and prize money for each category (1st: $150, 2nd: $75, 3rd: $25), Genre: all speculative sub-genres, Entry Fee: $3/poem (contest fundraiser for SFPA)

Chapbook competition:

4/15-6/15, Outwrite's 2021 Chapbook Competition, 20 pages - 40 pages (not including title page or table of contents), each winner receives 25 copies of chapbook/publication offer from Neon Hemlock Press/opportunity to read their work at OutWrite 2021, three categories for entry (nonfiction, fiction, poetry), collection must be unpublished but individual pieces may be previously published, no fee for entry, one entry per category, simultaneous OK, encourages works exploring LGBTQ culture/identity

6. Publications Closed

Addition Magazine, 1000-5000 words, 8¢/word, Theme: Rebuild, Genre: General/SF, Note: if no response in 14 days assume they rejected the story, opening date unknown

Augur, ~5k words, 8¢/word, $60CAD/poem, Genre: SF/F/literary/dreamy realism/slipstream/fabulism/magical realism, Poetry OK, Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK Note: submit up to 2 short stories per window or 4 across genres and poetry of 5 pages or less with 5 poems or 10 pages total per window, next submission window "TBA Mid 2021" for Winter 2021 issue (opens in July)

Blood Knife, ~1200 words, 9¢/word, Genre: SF/F/H (especially likes dark fantasy, gothic fiction, cosmic horror, and cyberpunk), Theme: "emphasis on tone and style than on strict genre adherence," and "the decadent, the grotesque, the weird, the alienating, and the agonizing," and welcomes political content as well as sex/violence/gore, Simultaneous OK, Non-fiction OK ($60 for 800-word article), working through backlog and will reopen "sometime in the summer"

Deep Magic, 1000-40,000 words, 8¢/word up to 7499 words ($599.92 pay cap above that), Genre: SF and Fantasy, Note: PG-13, Reprints OK (2¢/word up to 10,000 words and capped at $200 for longer), Note: permanently closed to submissions; they have just released their Best Of anthology Vol. 2 and I highly recommend it grabbing yourself a copy, and they will also be releasing a summer issue with a gorgeous cover and great stories), permanently closed

Departure Mirror, ~12,000 words, 10¢/word ($300/story above 3000 words), Genre: SF/F, Poetry OK (up to 30 lines, $10/poem), Simultaneous OK, Multiple OK, permanently closed

Hybrid Fiction, 500-5000 words (or serialized novellas), 6¢/word, Genre: speculative hybrid/cross-genre (blend of 2+ genres, such as dark fantasy, steampunk western, historical fantasy, weird western, crime fantasy, etc.), "on hiatus until further notice due to the pandemic"

Third Flatiron, 1500-3000 words, 8¢/word, various themed anthologies, temporarily closed

7. Search for More Markets

The Submission Grinder: a submission tracker and market database that is free to use for all, helps provide data on publications and submission windows

Duotrope, same as above, a submission tracker and market database that requires a paid subscription for full usage, may go into a bit more depth than Grinder though not by much based on my brief trial subscription

Ralan.com: up-to-date listings for the speculative market and advice

Publisher's Marketplace

Locus Magazine: Resources

Moksha Listing of Open Publications

Horror Tree: recent markets, articles, interviews, and fiction

Literarium (login/sign-up)

Literarium flash fiction listing

Dark Markets: free resource for horror writers

Horror Writers Association: Markets for Horror Writers and Poets

Speculative Poetry Markets

Write Jobs: good and bad jobs, markets, contests, etc.

50 Magazines and Anthologies That Pay for Horror Fiction, a decent list with speculative focus

Where to Submit Short Stories: 30 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work, a decent list with a literary focus

28 Themed Submission Calls for August by S. Kalekar, submission possibilities including a few good ones I haven't had time to add to the lists above

Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: plenty of updated lists of agents, calls for submission, contests, conferences, recipes, and more

8. Advice, Motivation, and Workshops

Eric Witchey has some excellent workshops this month to check out, all leading up to his year-long intensive year-long fiction fluency series I'd highly recommend based on my experience speaking with him on fiction-related topics and reviewing his work in the past

M. Todd Gallowglas does some fun and engaging classes that really inspire you to produce meaningful new work; check out his shows on Twitch or his workshops

Wulf Moon's Super Secrets: a ton of great advice on writing short stories that win (he runs a workshop that you can peek in on and learn from as it goes)

Wulf Moon also has great workshops at Fyrecon, and is available as a professional editor and voice actor; check out his website for more info

Charlie Jane Anders' advice: chapters from her forthcoming non-fiction book Never Say You Can't Survive with new chapters released every Tuesday

Delilah S. Dawson's page of links, including her advice on how to get published

Cat Rambo's Website: lots of good resources and classes

Submitting Short Fiction: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Genre Edition by Holly Lyn Walrath, a useful guide on playing the submission game written in 2019

Submission Tetris: An Analytic Approach by Laurence Raphael Brothers, a brief but useful consideration of what and where to submit in the submissions game from SFWA

9. More Links

Personally, I use ProWritingAid to help revise my writing. It's not always right, but it's another helpful tool for wading through revisions. If you want to try it out, use this link to sign up for a free account: https://prowritingaid.com/en/Account/Register?rafid=xNnjM. If 10 of my friends use the link, supposedly I'll get a one-year license. Yay!

This is a listing of speculative award winners. Go read, study, and improve yourself.

Here are grants to apply for with the Speculative Literature Foundation

This is a listing at critter.org that shows general response times of various publications

Publisher's Pick Free Ebook of the Month (Maintained by Arc Manor of Galaxy's Edge)

On writing cover letters for submissions to the short fiction market by Christie

10. Current Submission Stats on my Writing

Accepted (2021): 1 (1 short story w/ request for revision)

Pending (2021): 20 (0 novella, 8 novelettes or short stories, 3 flash stories, 9 poems)

Rejections for subs made in 2020-2021: 83 (1 novella, 36 shorts, 19 flash, 27 poetry) 

Rejections for subs made in 2021: 65 (1 novella, 28 shorts, 12 flash, 24 poetry)

Personal Rejections received in 2021: 2 (1 flash, 1 short story)

Total submissions made in 2021: 87 (1 novella, 38 novelettes/short, 15 flash, 33 poems)

Writers of the Future Results for 2021: Q1 SHM, Q2 Pending, Q3 revising, Q4 to be written