July 21, 2025

35 Magazines Accepting Book Reviews

These magazines accept reviews of books. Most of them also accept other genres, like fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of them pay writers. Many, but not all, of them are open for submissions now. Frivolous CommaThey publish speculative fiction (closed now) and nonfiction (1,000-2,500 words), including reviews; “Reviews/book round-ups through a personal/memoir lens (note: we…

July 18, 2025

The Final Girl Review: Now Seeking Submissions

The Final Girl Review is a new online journal of horror: “Whether it’s gothic lament, psychological unease, or poetic dread, I seek work that breathes (or un-breathes) new life into the horror genre.” They publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art, and they aim to create more spaces for, “truly chilling voices to be heard.”…

81 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (July 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….

How and Why to Bring Novelty into Your Writing

By Ratika Deshpande Often, when I need inspiration or a reminders that I’ve dealt with my present insecurities a dozen times before, I turn to my blog to get some wisdom from my past self. Until recently, she always offered what I needed to hear. Lately, however, I started getting bored with her. I couldn’t…

July 14, 2025

How to Get Started With Writing Essays

By Ratika Deshpande The essay is a form that can take diverse appearances: travelogues, memoirs, lists, drabbles. As exciting as its variety feels, I’ve also found it frustrating that there are hardly any guides detailing how to work with the form. The following is a sort of beginner’s guide I wish I’d had when I…

July 10, 2025

5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in July 2025

These magazines pay for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They are a mix of literary and genre magazines. Not all of them are open through the month. Slugger: Stories that hit you in the mouthThis is a new horror magazine. “In general, we are open to all subgenres of horror (dark fantasy, sci-fi, noir all accepted…

The Marrow: Now Seeking Submissions

The Marrow is an online poetry journal helmed in Australia. They publish a broad range of forms and styles, from free verse to formal poetry, written by both emerging and established authors from around the world. Overall, they’re looking for innovative, skillfully crafted poetry that’s accessible to a broad audience. You can get a sense…

The Art of Rewriting: Where Good Writing Goes to Die (and Get Resurrected)

By Sabyasachi Roy First drafts are liars. They tell you you’re brilliant, only to let you down when you read them the next day and wonder if your cat walked across the keyboard. But that’s okay—because the magic happens when you rewrite. Writing is a romantic affair, but rewriting? That’s where you grab your manuscript…

July 7, 2025

39 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for July 2025

These are calls and contests for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the call themes are: games; phantom worlds; work; solarpunk; soilpunk; food (and fairy tales); of love & dragons; ghost stories; personal histories; regret; and obsession. THEMED CALLS Graywolf Press: Graywolf Lab – Games“Graywolf Lab is an online platform for interdisciplinary conversations and new…

July 3, 2025

Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in July 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…

SQUID Online: Now Seeking Submissions

SQUID is a new literary journal of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, artwork, media reviews, and more, established earlier this year. They publish a wide range of writing for a broad audience: “Our vision is to provide a thoughtful, inclusive, accessible, and well-designed space for emerging creatives to showcase their work.” You can get a sense of…

Plot Holes? I Prefer to Call Them “Opportunities for Interpretation”

By Sabyasachi Roy This article can come with an alternate title, Gaslighting Yourself into Believing Your Book Makes Perfect Sense. This is not without a rational outing. You spent years hammering out your novel, agonizing over every plot twist, ensuring airtight logic. And then some smug reader points out that your main character, locked in…