January 20, 2025

30 Magazines Publishing Literary Fiction

These magazines publish literary fiction. Many also accept other genres, like nonfiction and poetry. Some pay writers. Many, but not all, are open for submissions now. They’re not listed in any particular order. Two Hawks QuarterlyThey accept flash (up to 1,200 words), short fiction (1,200-5,000 words), nonfiction, poetry, experimental/cross-genre work, and art. They want “exquisitely…

January 16, 2025

Steam Ticket: Now Seeking Submissions

Written by Ella Peary Steam Ticket is an established, nationally distributed print journal of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The journal is produced by students at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, and they publish a wide range of new, emerging, and well-known writers. You can get a sense of what they like by reading a…

73 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (January 2025)

This list of publishers meet our guiding principles, but are only open to free submissions from historically underrepresented writers or focus on publishing content produced by historically underrepresented writers. Some of these publications are open to a wide range of writers including writers of color, gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ writers, and those living with disabilities….

RESEARCH: What To Look for and Where to Find It

Nancy Burkhalter, PhD Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, regardless of genre or topic, research will probably be on your agenda; for historical novelists, it is de rigueur. So, where to start? The acronym PERSIA may help. Each letter stands for a category of analysis: Political, Economic, Religious, Social, Intellectual, and Artistic. Facts drawn from…

January 13, 2025

How to Find the Right Literary Agent for Your Book

Researching agents can be a time-consuming process, but you should never submit to an agent without first doing significant research. To me, research is the most important step of the submission process. It is vital because there is no point going through all the work of writing your manuscript and submitting, just to end up…

January 9, 2025

5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in January 2025

These magazines accept fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They’re a mix of literary and genre magazines. Not all are open for submissions through the month. Three-Lobed Burning EyeThis magazine publishes horror, fantasy, and science fiction. “We’re looking for short stories from across the big classifications and those shadowy places between: magical realism, fantastique, slipstream, interstitial, Weird…

wildscape. literary journal: Now Seeking Submissions

wildscape. is a new online journal of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art. They love both whimsical and story-driven writing that evokes deep feeling: “Our goal is to blend whimsy with chaos, ethereal with truth, gentle with wild. We want to make you feel.” You can get a sense of what they like by reading the…

The One Simple Tool that Helped Me Sustain a Writing Practice

Over the last few years, I have found it harder and harder to carve time for myself to write. While sometimes I was able to sneak in a poem (or 30 during April, due to a supportive poetry month writing group), I particularly struggled with focusing in on longer manuscript length projects. As someone who…

January 6, 2025

41 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for January 2025

These are themed calls and contests for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the themed calls are: paranoia; short (b)reads; seaside gothic; fairy tales; sleeping beauty; food; underappreciated or overlooked writers; Queer tales of untold adventure; witch craft; speculative mysteries; carnival of horror; and lost at sea. Fraidy Cat Quarterly: ParanoiaFraidy Cat Quarterly is a…

January 2, 2025

10 Manuscript Publishers Open to Submissions in January 2025

This list focuses on ten publishers that we are excited about that are open to submissions this month. Some are only open for a short period of time, others will be open the whole month and beyond. At least four of these are presses we have not covered previously. Please note that if a publisher…

Frivolous Comma: Now Seeking Anthology Submissions

Frivolous Comma is an online space intended to inspire creators of speculative writing of all kinds: science fiction, fantasy, horror, and “any other genre that puts a twist on how we perceive the world and everything in it.” They publish speculative stories and articles about speculative fiction, and they also have a podcast. Now through…

9 Reasons Why I Love Having My Newsletter on Substack

By Isha Jain Fed up with the long waiting periods and numerous rejections, I started publishing stories that couldn’t find a home elsewhere on Substack. What started as a way of publishing my work has now become a full-time focus for me due to the various advantages Substack provides to the creators. Here are some…