Money for writing: magazines that pay.

Here are a list off magazines that pay for selected write ups;

Split Lip Magazine

This magazine publishes online monthly and in print annually – flash fiction, short stories, memoir, poetry, and art. For short stories, they accept literary, mainstream or experimental writing – no genre fiction. November is one of the months when they are open for general fee-free submissions. Free submission periods sometimes close sooner than planned due to overwhelming response; they recommend submitting early. For Black writers, submissions are fee-free till the end of the year.

Deadline: 30 November 2020 (for general fee-free submissions)

Length: Up to 3,000 words for fiction, 2,000 words for memoirs, one poem

Pay: $50 per author for web issues; payment for print is $5 per page.

Weird Horror Magazine

They want pulpy dark fiction in the weird fiction and horror genres. “Monsters, ghosts, creatures, fiends, demons, etc. Dark crime. Suspense. Mutants. Killers. Ghouls. Golems. Witches. Pulpy goodness!

"We are hoping to bring some fun (and terror) to our readers”, according to their guidelines.  

Deadline: 30 November 2020

Length: 500-5,000 words

Pay: $0.01/word

The New Southern Fugitives

They publish work that “challenges our comfortable perspective of the South. We strive to promote diversity, reach a broad audience, and cultivate the new Southern voice of the New Millennium”, according to their website. They publish fiction (micro/flash, short), essays, book reviews, poetry, and visual art/photography. They nominate their writers for various prizes. They can only pay writers by mailed US checks, so writers should keep that in mind while submitting.

Deadline: 30 November 2020

Length:  Up to 1,500 words for flash fiction, up to 5,000 words for short fiction, up to three poems, 1,500-5,000 words for essays, up to 1,500 words for book reviews

Pay: $15/page of prose up to $105, $50 per book review, $40 per poem and per piece of visual art (new rates as of February 2020)

The Iowa Review

This prestigious literary magazine accepts poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and translations. There is no fee for mailed submissions.

Deadline: 30 November 2020

Length: Up to 25 pages for prose, 8 pages for poetry (query for longer poems)

Pay: $0.08/word for prose ($100 minimum), $1.50/line for poetry ($40 minimum)

Green Inferno: The World Celebrates Your Demise.

This is a quarterly 120-page trade paperback anthology of original short comics and fiction centered around terrestrial horror – stories that take place on or involving our planet, often (but not always) with an environmental or ecological bent. They love Weird Horror, atmosphere, dread, and slimy things, and are also keen on Splatterpunk, moody Gothic creepiness, throwback-y and uber-contemporary. Sci-Fi and Fantasy angles welcome, but please keep it Earthbound (terrestrial) for now. They also like horror comedy sometimes.

Deadline: 30 November 2020

Length: Flash fiction up to 1,000 words, short fiction up to 8,000 words

Pay: $25 for flash fiction; $0.04/word for short fiction.

The Fiddlehead

This Canadian magazine is open to writing and translations into English from all over the world and in a variety of styles, including experimental genres. They read short fiction, excerpts from novels, creative nonfiction, and poetry. The deadline is for Submittable submissions only – mailed submissions are accepted all year round.

Deadline: 30 November 2020 (for Submittable only)

Length: Up to 6,000 words for fiction or creative nonfiction, up to six poems

Pay: CAD60/page; CAD200 for cover artwork.

Jaggery

This magazine “connects South Asian diasporic writers and homeland writers; we also welcome non-South Asians with a deep and thoughtful connection to South Asian countries, who bring their own intersecting perspectives to the conversation. (By South Asia we mean Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.)  Our hope with Jaggery is to create a journal that offers the best writing by and about South Asians and their diaspora”, according to their guidelines. They publish fiction, art, essays & interviews, poetry, and reviews.

Deadline: 15 December 2020

Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction, but will consider longer pieces

Pay: $100 for fiction, $25 for non-fiction, poetry, art, reviews.

Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing: Lost Contact.

This is a horror fiction anthology. Their guidelines say,

“To lose contact…does that bring to mind something physical, something intangible? Does it give you a sense of isolation? Does it bring to mind…aliens, maybe? Being stranded? Lost? I think, in the times we live in right now, the phrase “Lost Contact” might mean a whole heck of a lot to all of us, and we want to see what you make of it.”

Writers are free to interpret the theme as they like, though they will benefit if they include technology of some kind. Stories should be deeply rooted in the horror genre.

Deadline: 31 December 2020

Length: 1,000-7,000 words

Pay: $0.05/word.

Dark Dispatch: Redemption

This is a pop culture ezine devoted to all things dark: sci fi, fantasy, horror, and crime. The site will cover industry news related to these genres and publish reviews, interviews, commentary, and new fiction. They cover various forms of entertainment, including movies, television, books, and short fiction. Their intent is to begin publishing fiction in early 2021. They are currently reading on the ‘Redemption’ theme.

Deadline: 5 January 2021

Length: 1,000-2,750 words for fiction

Pay: $0.05/word for fiction.

Midnight & Indigo

This is a new platform for Black women writers, and they publish fiction and essays. They want submissions of character-driven speculative fiction/horror from Black women writers. They are also open for general submissions (character-driven short stories – all genres welcome; as well as narratives and personal essays). They accept book reviews year round, though these are unpaid.

Deadline: 10 January 2021

Length: At least 1,500 words for fiction; at least 1,200 words for essays

Pay: $75 for stories in print, $50 for stories on website; $50 for essays.

Belmont Story Review

They are reading submissions for Volume 6 – they aim “to surprise and delight readers through an eclectic mix of storytelling which includes fiction, personal essay, and poetry at the intersection of faith and culture.” They pay a check in US dollars only and do not offer any alternate form of payment.

Deadline: 1 February 2021

Length: Up to 12,000 words for prose; up to five poems

Pay: $50 for prose, $25 for poems.

The Dread Machine: 1986

They are reading fiction for their first annual anthology. The theme is 1986, and they want horror stories, and all submissions must inspire dread. Their guidelines say, “Do you remember a time before the internet? Before we each carried a lifeline in our pockets? Before security cameras documented everything? Back when parents didn’t worry about their kids until after the street lights popped on? Do you remember how it felt to step into the neon-lit arcade on a Friday night, your pockets heavy with quarters?

For our very first anthology, we’re seeking dread-inspiring stories that take place in 1986—either the 1986 of our reality or an alternate version. Bring us back to a simpler, scarier time. 

Deadline: 25 February 2021

Length: 3,000-10,000 words

Pay: $0.08/word.

B Cubed Press: Three themes

They are open for fiction, essays, and poetry submissions for three anthologies. They will also accept reprints.

— Protest Diaries: “Stories from the front lines of revolutions throughout history.”

— Alternative War: “War shapes the world through technology, boarders, and norms. What will come next?” Stories can take place anywhere in time and space.

— Alternative Deathliness: “Death brings so many options” – this anthology will be a “fun filled romp into the concept and nature of Death.”

Deadline: 1 March 2021

Length: “Story length for our books average about 2200 words but have ranged from 100 to 7500 words. However, we only use one or two stories over 5000 words and our advice is to keep it under 5K, unless we communicate in advance.” 

Pay: $0.02/word + royalties.

Epoch Magazine

­­­­­This literary magazine publishes fiction, poetry, essays, cartoons, screenplays, graphic art, and graphic fiction. They read work submitted by literary agencies year-round. The magazine is edited by faculty in the Department of English Program in Creative Writing at Cornell University. They accept mailed submissions only. 

Deadline: 15 April 2021 (for unsolicited submissions)

Length: No guidelines for prose; up to five poems

Pay: Up to $150 for stories, more for long stories and novellas, and those submitted by literary agencies; $50 per poem.

Legendary Tales

This is an online speculative fiction magazine. They are looking for science fiction, fantasy, horror, paranormal, and supernatural stories. They are interested in strong character-driven stories. Their first issue was in October 2020.

Deadline: Open now

Length: 1,000-7,500 words

Pay: $0.01/word.

D L Russell Books: The Noise of a Quiet House Anthology

They want horror, dark fantasy, and all its subgenres for a themed anthology on your worst childhood fears, real and imagined. “Not the monster under the bed or in the closet, but unique things and situations that can terrorize a child”, according to their guidelines.

Deadline: Open now

Length: 2,500-5,000 words

Pay: $50

The Masters Review: New Voices

For ‘New Voices’, they publish fiction and non-fiction online by new and emerging writers – that is, those who do not have a novel-length work of fiction or narrative non-fiction published, or forthcoming at the time of submission – published short-story collections do not count as a novel-length work and those authors are free to submit. They accept a variety of genres and styles.

Deadline: Ongoing

Length: Up to 1,000 words for flash fiction; up to 7,000 words for short fiction

Pay: $100 for flash fiction, $200 for short fiction.