Short fiction markets

Last updated Aug 17, 2026

Leafmines tracks 773 magazines publishing short fiction — 473 open to submissions right now. Typical response time is 60 days. Filter by length, pay, and response time →

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Timber Ghost PressHorror · Fantasy · Science Fiction
Open for fiction · closes Aug 17 · responds in ~120 days
Timber Ghost Press is a publisher specializing in horror fiction, seeking novels, novellas, flash fiction, and poetry with a focus on cosmic and creepy horror.
Emerald City GhostsHorror · Fantasy
Open for fiction · closes Aug 20 · responds in ~14 days
Emerald City Ghosts is a digital magazine publishing flash fiction, short stories, and poetry with a paranormal or ghostly element, often themed monthly.
WayWords
Open for fiction · closes Aug 20 · responds in ~75 days
WayWords is a quarterly literary journal from The Writer's Workout, publishing themed fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction tributes from writers worldwide.
Headland JournalLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 24 · responds in ~92 days
Headland Journal is a New Zealand-based literary magazine publishing short fiction and creative nonfiction from emerging voices.
Crooked SpineHorror
Open for fiction · closes Aug 24 · responds in ~14 days
Crooked Spine is a quarterly horror magazine publishing themed issues and competitions for horror fiction.
A Dystopian Age AnthologyScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Aug 28
A Dystopian Age Anthology is seeking short stories set in the Armoured Clash universe, featuring alternate 19th-century warfare with speculative elements.
The Masters Review Short Story Award For New WritersLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 30 · responds in ~123 days
The Masters Review Short Story Award for New Writers is a bi-annual contest recognizing outstanding unpublished fiction or narrative nonfiction by emerging writers, offering publication, agency review, and cash prizes.
The Masters Review: New VoicesLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 30 · responds in ~84 days
The Masters Review: New Voices is an online and print publication focused on publishing and supporting new and emerging writers, especially in literary fiction and narrative nonfiction.
MicromanceRomance
Open for fiction · closes Aug 30 · responds in ~14 days
KissMet Quarterly is a magazine seeking sweet, clean, seasonal genre romance stories with happy endings, open to all writers.
Driftwood PressLiterary · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~7 days
Driftwood Press is an independent literary magazine and press publishing fiction, novellas, poetry, and more, with a focus on craft and language.
Passing Strange: Queer Weird Arthurian TalesScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~36 days
Passing Strange: Queer Weird Arthurian Tales is an anthology seeking queer speculative fiction, narrative nonfiction, and art reimagining Arthurian legends with LGBTQ+ characters and weird/speculative elements.
Elegant Literature
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~31 days
Elegant Literature is a monthly digital magazine publishing themed short fiction by new and unpublished writers in any genre.
Haven SpecScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~70 days
Haven Spec is a speculative fiction magazine publishing science fiction, fantasy, speculative horror, and related poetry and nonfiction, with a focus on diverse and underrepresented voices.
Radon JournalScience Fiction
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31
Radon Journal publishes science fiction, anarchist, transhumanist, and dystopian short stories and poetry with leftist social commentary.
Short Story (Substack)
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~45 days
Short Story (Substack) is a monthly publication that selects one short story of any genre for publication and pays the author a base fee plus a share of subscription revenue.
Rat Bag LiteraryScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror · Humor
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~60 days
Rat Bag Literary is a semi-pro paying magazine seeking weird, genre-blurring fiction, microfiction, drabbles, flash, poetry, and creative nonfiction with a focus on speculative and offbeat work.
Further Light MagazineScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~31 days
Further Light Magazine publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry exploring Latter-day Saint themes through speculative genres, seeking work that connects gospel principles with imaginative storytelling.
Pacifica Literary ReviewLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~120 days
Pacifica Literary Review is a literary magazine accepting poetry, fiction, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction year-round except for brief closures in September, January, and May, paying $25 per published piece.
ArtwifeLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~44 days
ARTWIFE is a magazine publishing literary art (fiction, creative nonfiction, flash), visual art, and video art, with seasonal submission windows and a mix of free and paid submissions.
3Elements Review
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~4 days
3Elements Review is a themed literary journal requiring all prose and poetry submissions to incorporate three specific elements per issue, with art and photography needing at least one.
Amethyst Review
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~30 days
Amethyst Review publishes new writing engaging with spirituality and the sacred, including poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and reviews.
Anemone Magazine
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31
Anemone Magazine is a literary magazine publishing themed and general issues, currently open for submissions to its Summer 2026 general issue.
Four Way ReviewLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~90 days
Four Way Review is an online literary journal publishing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and translations from both established and emerging authors.
Indie BitesFantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~48 days
Indie Bites is a quarterly fantasy magazine publishing original short fiction by indie authors, with themed issues and a focus on fantasy as the core genre.
Locust Shells JournalLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~38 days
Locust Shells Journal is an online-only literary journal publishing work in PDF format with rolling submission periods and a small submission fee.
Miracle MonocleLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~73 days
Miracle Monocle is a university-affiliated literary journal publishing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, experimental/hybrid work, and art, with eclectic tastes and a focus on original, unpublished work.
Perseid PropheciesScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~90 days
Perseid Prophecies is a Canadian speculative fiction magazine seeking unpublished speculative fiction, flash fiction, original art, and topical nonfiction science articles.
Pithead ChapelLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~60 days
Pithead Chapel is a monthly online magazine publishing literary fiction, nonfiction, and prose poetry under 4,000 words, with a strong preference against genre fiction.
Press Pause Press
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~84 days
Press Pause Press is a literary magazine publishing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid work in themed volumes and online departments, with a focus on authentic, human-created art and writing.
Ps and Qs PublishingFantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~55 days
Ps and Qs Publishing is a small press producing themed anthologies of character-driven, all-ages speculative fiction with a focus on paranormal, supernatural, and adventure stories.
Reckoning
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~180 days
Reckoning is a magazine publishing creative writing on environmental justice, seeking work from a diverse range of writers worldwide.
Salt HillLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~180 days
Salt Hill is a literary journal publishing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translations, reviews, interviews, and visual art.
Starspun LitScience Fiction · Young Adult · Fantasy
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~31 days
Starspun Lit is a magazine publishing fantasy and science fiction stories for children and young adults, with a focus on adventure and other-worldly tales.
Tabula Rasa ReviewLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~65 days
Tabula Rasa Review is an independent literary journal seeking writing about the human condition, with a focus on realistic, character-driven work.
The Bookends Review
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~43 days
The Bookends Review is an online literary magazine seeking creative and intellectual work in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and related genres, with two annual reading periods.
The Words Faire
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~48 days
The Words Faire is an independent literary magazine based in Dayton, Ohio, publishing themed issues and running annual prizes for poetry and fiction with a focus on innovative, boundary-pushing work.
Toil & TroubleLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Aug 31 · responds in ~25 days
Toil & Trouble is a literary magazine publishing themed issues of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art/photography.
New Edge Sword & SorceryFantasy
Open for fiction · closes Sep 1 · responds in ~53 days
New Edge Sword & Sorcery is a magazine dedicated to original sword & sorcery fiction, emphasizing weirdness and avoiding standard fantasy tropes.
Eclectica Magazine
Open for fiction · closes Sep 1 · responds in ~75 days
Eclectica Magazine is a quarterly online journal publishing a wide range of literary and genre writing, including fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and hybrid forms.
Fabula Argentea
Open for fiction · closes Sep 1 · responds in ~21 days
Fabula Argentea is a quarterly magazine publishing quality fiction up to 8,000 words, with a focus on memorable, emotionally resonant stories and a clear aversion to certain themes.
Bulb Culture Collective
Open for fiction · closes Sep 1 · responds in ~14 days
Bulb Culture Collective publishes previously published poetry or prose (fiction, nonfiction, reviews, etc.) up to 5,000 words, with no submission fees or payment, and is temporarily closing to general submissions on September 1, 2026.
Embark
Open for fiction · closes Sep 1 · responds in ~31 days
Embark is a literary journal publishing the openings of unpublished novels in any genre, accepting submissions year-round with no fee or payment.
Enchanted Living
Open for fiction · closes Sep 1 · responds in ~10 days
Enchanted Living is a magazine seeking enchanting, original writing, poetry, and art with a magical or whimsical theme, avoiding work that is too dark or overtly fantastic.
Split/Lip Press
Open for fiction · closes Sep 1 · responds in ~82 days
Split/Lip Press is an independent publisher of innovative and boundary-breaking fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid books.
SunSpot Lit
Open for fiction · closes Sep 1 · responds in ~14 days
Sunspot Literary Journal publishes a wide range of prose (including fiction, nonfiction, scripts, and screenplays), poetry, and translations, accepting both genre and literary work up to 49,000 words.
DogwoodLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Sep 5 · responds in ~122 days
Dogwood is an annual literary journal publishing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, with an annual contest awarding $1,000 in each genre.
Muleskinner Journal
Open for fiction · closes Sep 6 · responds in ~31 days
Muleskinner Journal is a literary magazine seeking unpublished poetry, flash/micro fiction, short stories, and creative nonfiction for themed issues, currently open for submissions on the theme 'Curio.'
InterrobangLit
Open for fiction · closes Sep 8 · responds in ~4 days
InterrobangLit is a magazine that publishes short fiction in response to bi-monthly character prompts.
Samjoko Magazine
Open for fiction · closes Sep 10 · responds in ~266 days
Samjoko Magazine is a content creator's magazine publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and scripts, with seasonal reading periods and a focus on original, non-AI-generated work.
The Icarus Writing CollectiveScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Sep 10
The Icarus Writing Collective is a themed literary magazine publishing short fiction and flash fiction with a speculative focus, offering a small honorarium.
Thimble Literary Magazine
Open for fiction · closes Sep 12 · responds in ~75 days
Thimble Literary Magazine is a quarterly online journal primarily publishing poetry and short prose, with no submission fee or payment.
Grain MagazineLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Sep 14 · responds in ~240 days
Grain Magazine is a Canadian literary journal publishing poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction, with regular and special submission windows and a focus on diverse voices.
Fahmidan JournalLiterary · Fantasy
Open for fiction · closes Sep 14 · responds in ~25 days
Fahmidan Journal is a quarterly online literary magazine publishing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and flash, with a focus on diverse, thought-provoking, and existential writing.
Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
Open for fiction · closes Sep 15 · responds in ~288 days
The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition is an annual contest for unpublished short fiction, offering cash prizes and publication to emerging writers.
BoudinHorror
Open for fiction · closes Sep 15 · responds in ~29 days
Boudin is an online literary magazine affiliated with McNeese State University, publishing original fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid work, with special themed issues and an annual chapbook contest.
Feels Zine
Open for fiction · closes Sep 15
Feels Zine is a Canadian publication seeking poetry, personal essays, and fictional stories for themed issues, currently open for Issue 27: Belonging.
Behind the Shadows Anthology SeriesScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Sep 15 · responds in ~62 days
Behind the Shadows Anthology Series is a series of themed speculative fiction anthologies from Inkd Publishing, focusing on genres like science fiction, fantasy, and horror, often with social or conceptual themes.
Penumbric Speculative Fiction MagazineScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Sep 15 · responds in ~28 days
Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine publishes edgy, genre-blurring speculative fiction and poetry, with a focus on diversity and the strange.
Philly Poetry Chapbook ReviewLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Sep 15 · responds in ~14 days
Philly Poetry Chapbook Review is a curated journal publishing original poetry, literary fiction, reviews, essays, and author features, with a focus on chapbooks and meaningful, well-crafted writing.
The Bitchin' KitschLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Sep 15 · responds in ~14 days
The Bitchin' Kitsch is a quarterly art and literature magazine prioritizing marginalized creators but open to all, publishing prose and poetry under 2,000 words or five pages, with token payment for marginalized writers.
Carmina MagazineHorror · Fantasy
Open for fiction · closes Sep 15 · responds in ~62 days
Carmina Magazine publishes poetry and short fiction inspired by myth, welcoming all styles and genres as long as the work is rooted in mythological tradition.
Eleventh Hour LiteraryLiterary · Science Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Sep 15
Eleventh Hour Literary is a journal seeking previously rejected and revised literary prose, poetry, and hybrid work from writers worldwide.
Passager Journal
Open for fiction · closes Sep 15
Passager Journal publishes poetry, memoir, and short fiction by writers age 50 or older, with an annual winter issue submission window and a $5 fee for online submissions.
C&R Press Poetry Book Award
Open for fiction · closes Sep 21 · responds in ~365 days
C&R Press is an independent publisher offering annual book prizes and open reading periods for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction manuscripts.
GramaryeFantasy · Horror · Science Fiction
Open for fiction · closes Sep 21 · responds in ~5 days
Gramarye is a peer-reviewed journal from the University of Chichester focused on literary and historical approaches to fairy tales, fantasy, Gothic, magic realism, science fiction, and speculative fiction, publishing articles, fiction, poetry, reviews, and art.
Literary Heist
Open for fiction · closes Sep 21 · responds in ~41 days
Literary Heist is a quarterly online magazine based in Ottawa, Canada, publishing poetry, short stories, interviews, book reviews, and articles on literary or art topics.
Acta Victoriana
Open for fiction · closes Sep 26 · responds in ~73 days
Acta Victoriana is a literary magazine publishing poetry, short fiction, and visual art, offering a $20 honorarium per accepted piece.
First Page Challenge
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~9 days
The First Page Challenge is an annual contest for novelists, accepting the first page of fiction or narrative nonfiction for a chance to win cash prizes and publication.
The New QuarterlyLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~210 days
The New Quarterly is a Canadian literary magazine publishing short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction exclusively by Canadian writers.
AurealisScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~120 days
Aurealis is an Australian-based magazine publishing speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror with supernatural elements) and nonfiction related to those genres, with specific submission windows and eligibility rules.
Henshaw Press Short Story Competition
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30
Henshaw Press runs a quarterly short story competition for writers over 16, accepting original unpublished fiction up to 2,000 words on any subject, with a £6 entry fee and cash prizes.
Chestnut ReviewLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~30 days
Chestnut Review is a quarterly literary magazine publishing poetry, flash (fiction and nonfiction), and prose (fiction and nonfiction), with a focus on beautiful language and narrative.
FreefallLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~180 days
FreeFall is a Canadian literary magazine publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, open to Canadian writers from June 1 to September 30 each year.
The Fiction Desk
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~42 days
The Fiction Desk publishes regular anthologies of new short fiction, accepting original short stories from 1,000 to 15,000 words, with a submission fee and payment per word.
The Whumpy Printing PressScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~47 days
The Whumpy Printing Press seeks book-length whump fiction (novelettes, novellas, novels, and short story collections) with a focus on hurt/comfort themes, especially in speculative genres, for its 2027 publication year.
death kit
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~16 days
death kit is a literary magazine accepting fiction, essays, and reviews during three annual reading windows, paying £40 per accepted piece.
Aromaticapoetica
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~183 days
Aromatica Poetica is an arts and culture magazine seeking fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that engages with smell and taste.
Audience Askew
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~7 days
Audience Askew is a literary journal accepting short stories, poetry, and artwork on a themed, quarterly basis, as well as chapbooks and novels.
Black Warrior ReviewFantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~180 days
Black Warrior Review is a literary magazine published by graduate students at the University of Alabama, seeking innovative fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and hybrid work, with a focus on bold, boundary-pushing writing.
Breakwater ReviewLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~37 days
Breakwater Review is a biannual online literary magazine publishing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, with regular reading periods and a small submission fee.
Red Rock Review
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~19 days
Red Rock Review is a biannual print and online literary journal publishing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from emerging and established writers.
The Garlic Press
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~120 days
The Garlic Press is an online literary magazine seeking 'extra pungent' poetry and prose, with quarterly reading periods and no fees or payment.
Toasted Cheese Literary Journal
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~56 days
Toasted Cheese Literary Journal is a quarterly publication accepting poetry, flash, fiction, and creative nonfiction with a focus on quality writing and a diversity of voices.
Two Thirds NorthLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~44 days
Two Thirds North is an annual print journal of transnational literature published by Stockholm University, accepting poetry, short stories, essays, translations, and reviews.
UNSPLATTERPUNK! Anthology SeriesScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~14 days
UNSPLATTERPUNK! is an anthology series from Theaker’s Quarterly Fiction seeking short stories featuring extreme gore and grossness with a positive moral message, blending horror, science fiction, fantasy, and bizarro elements.
Your Impossible VoiceLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Sep 30 · responds in ~120 days
Your Impossible Voice publishes innovative fiction, poetry, nonfiction, flash, essays, reviews, and interviews from around the world.
Michigan Quarterly ReviewLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Oct 1 · responds in ~365 days
Michigan Quarterly Review is a prestigious literary journal publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations in both print and online formats, with regular themed issues and annual prizes.
Gordon Square ReviewLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Oct 1 · responds in ~62 days
Gordon Square Review is a biannual literary magazine published by Literary Cleveland, accepting poetry, fiction, and brief nonfiction with a focus on original, human-created work.
Cherry TreeLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Oct 1 · responds in ~92 days
Cherry Tree is a print literary magazine publishing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction with a focus on inventive, image-rich, and sonically adventurous work, including a 'Literary Shade' section for subversive critique.
Café Irreal (Cafe Irreal)Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Oct 1 · responds in ~120 days
The Cafe Irreal is a quarterly webzine publishing irreal, fantastic fiction in the tradition of Kafka and Borges.
About Place JournalLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Oct 1
About Place Journal is a biannual literary journal from the Black Earth Institute focused on art, spirit, earth, and society, seeking poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that engages with cultural and social change.
Reed MagazineLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Oct 1 · responds in ~140 days
Reed Magazine is a long-running annual literary journal publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, with open reading periods and genre contests.
Tales from the Moonlit PathHorror · Fantasy · Science Fiction
Open for fiction · closes Oct 1 · responds in ~31 days
Tales from the Moonlit Path is an online magazine publishing dark, eerie, and speculative fiction with a focus on horror and the human condition.
The Lindenwood ReviewLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Oct 1 · responds in ~53 days
The Lindenwood Review is an annual literary journal published by Lindenwood University, featuring fiction, creative nonfiction, and prose poems.
The Iowa Review
Open for fiction · closes Oct 2
The Iowa Review is a prestigious literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, nonfiction, reviews, and interviews, with annual reading windows and payment for accepted work.
phoebeLiterary
Open for fiction · closes Oct 7 · responds in ~60 days
phoebe is a biannual literary journal publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, with both a winter print issue and a spring contest issue, and pays contributors.
LIMINAL.SPACESScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror · Literary
Open for fiction · closes Oct 10 · responds in ~5 days
LIMINAL.SPACES is a minimalist magazine focused on literature and visual art exploring environmental themes, accepting fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art with both speculative and realist elements.
Consequence Forum
Open for fiction · closes Oct 15 · responds in ~32 days
Consequence Forum publishes work addressing the consequences of war or geopolitical violence, accepting fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translations, and reviews during two annual reading periods.
Electric SpecScience Fiction · Fantasy · Horror
Open for fiction · closes Oct 15 · responds in ~135 days
Electric Spec is a long-running quarterly magazine publishing short works of science fiction, fantasy, the macabre, and speculative art.
KaidankaiHorror · Fantasy
Open for fiction · closes Oct 15 · responds in ~25 days
Kaidankai is a podcast and magazine seeking fiction stories featuring ghosts or the supernatural, with a December 2026 themed contest and ongoing general submissions.

Showing the first 100 of 473 open markets, closing soonest first. See all 473 with filters →

Some response-time data on this page, and part of the median above, comes from The Submission Grinder.

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