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Short Fiction Markets (SFF)

by nike, March 4, 2019

This page lists a range of markets for short fiction, with links and some basic info re: what they publish, etc. This page is dynamic, so I’ll update it semi-regularly.

Pro markets (5 cents per word or over)

Clarkesworld: science fiction and fantasy, well-written and suitable for on-screen reading and audio presentation.

  • What: Science fiction and fantasy. No horror, but dark SF/F is accepted.
  • Length: 1000 to 22000 words
  • Payment: $0.10 per word

Beneath Ceaseless Skies: secondary world adventure fantasy, multiple subs ok, no simultaneous subs

  • What: literary adventure fantasy: : stories with a secondary-world setting and some traditional or classic fantasy feel, but written with a literary approach.
  • Length: up to 15,000 words
  • Payment: $US0.06 per word

The Dark: online, no multiple subs, considers reprints

  • What: horror, dark fantasy
  • Length: 2000 – 6000 words
  • Payment: $0.06 per word

Nightmare Magazine: CURRENTLY CLOSED TO SUBS

  • What: Horror and dark fantasy
  • Length: 1500 to 7500 words
  • Payment: $0.06 per word

Strange Horizons: open to submissions 1600UTC Monday to 1600UTC Tuesday (that’s about 3am Tuesday to 3am Wednesday in Australia).

  • What: speculative fiction, broadly defined
  • Length: up to 10,000 words
  • Payment: $US0.08 cents per word

Flash Fiction Online: flash speculative fiction

  • What: Science fiction, fantasy, horror
  • Length: 500-1000 words
  • Payment: $60.00 per publication (aka equivalent of $0.06 per word)

Apex Magazine: science fiction, fantasy, horror, mash-ups

  • What: science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mash-ups of all three. Works full of marrow and passion, stories that are twisted, strange, and beautiful. Creations where secret places and dreams are put on display. No simultaneous submissions. No multi-submissions for short fiction. 
  • Length: up to 7500 words
  • Payment: $0.06 per word up to 7,500 words. Minimum of $60. Podcast = $0.01 per word, up to 7500 words.

Daily SF: speculative fiction stories from 100 to 1,500 words. They consider flash series (i.e.: three or more flash tales built around a common theme).

  • What: Science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, etc
  • Length: Maximum 1500 words
  • Payment: $0.08 per word

Flash Fiction Online: An open-genre publication / strives to publish fiction that presents the full variety of humanity in its pages. As such, we encourage submissions from writers of every stripe. No sim-subs. Multiple subs ok.

  • What: Fantasy, slipstream, science fiction, horror, mainstream, literary, humo[u]r, seasonal
  • Length: 500 to 1000 words
  • Payment: $60.00 per story (reprints = $0.02 per word)

Paying/non-pro markets (less than 5 cents per word)

Apparition Literary Magazine: Theme-based submissions for short stories and poetry. In 2019, monthly (again, thematic–check site for details) competition for flash fiction.

Apparition Lit is seeking original, unpublished speculative fiction that meet our quarterly theme. Speculative fiction is weird, almost unclassifiable. It’s fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and literary. We want it all. Send us your strange, misshapen stories.

Send us stories with enough emotional heft to break a heart, with prose that’s as clear and delicious as broth. We’re looking for proactive characters and beautiful language, all wrapped up in a complete story.

Diversity is as important in fiction as it is in real life. We want a mosaic of stories, from authors of all identities and walks of life.

  • What: Short fiction, poetry, flash fiction
  • Length: Short stories (1000-5000), poetry (no longer than 2 pages), flash (1000 or under)
  • Payment: Short stories ($0.03 pw), poetry ($15 per poem), flash ($10 per winner).

Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet: boutique, high quality speculative fiction market published by Gavin Grant and Kelly Link’s Small Beer Press. Print publication. Submissions by post only (tricky from AU, but not impossible!)

  • What: The fiction we publish most of tends toward but is not limited to the speculative. This does not mean only quietly desperate stories. We will consider items that fall out with regular categories. We do not publish gore, sword and sorcery, or pornography. We can discuss these terms if you like. There are places for them all, this is not one of them. Postal submissions.
  • Length: not specified
  • Payment: $US0.03/word, $25 minimum. Poetry: $10/poem, plus two contributor copies.

Timeless tales: calls for submission are ongoing, and theme-based. Each issue is a publication of stories and poems written in response to a traditional fairy tale or myth.

  • What: Retellings of traditional fairy tales and myths (set themes/tales per issue).
  • Length: 1500-2000 words (preferred)
  • Payment: $20.00 per publication

Metaphorosis Magazine: SF/Fantasy, prose (short stories, novellas)

  • What: beautiful writing showing engaging characters inscience fiction or fantasy settings. Bonus points for vegan narratives.
  • Length: 1 to 10,000 words
  • Payment: $0.01 per word

Bourbon Penn: highly imaginative stories with a healthy dose of the odd.  Odd characters, odd experiences, odd realities. We’re looking for genre / speculative stories and are quite partial to slipstream, cross-genre, magic realism, absurdist, and the surreal.

  • What: speculative stories; slipstream, cross-genre, magic realism, absurdist, and the surreal
  • Length: 2000 to 7500 words
  • Payment: $0.01 per word

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