April 23, 2026

Notes from the Editor’s Desk: April 2026

This monthly column is published on the fourth Thursday of every month, and is a space to share information that doesn’t fit anywhere else in our publication. This includes a wide range of opportunities for writers, news and information, and subscribers’ recent success stories. Opportunities: ELA Literary Magazine is looking for work on the theme,…

Micromance Magazine: Now Seeking Submissions

Micromance Magazine is a Substack based publication focused on publishing “flash” Romance. Which is to say that they publish only stories firmly rooted in the Romance genre that are of varying lengths, but all under 1,200 words. They also publish Romance poetry. If you do not write Romance this is not the right literary journal…

Talk to Someone: How the Best Writing Is Born

By Itto and Mekiya Outini Despite the enduring popularity of the lone genius archetype, there’s no sound reason that writing should have to be a solitary vocation. Many artforms hinge on collaboration—music, theater, and dance come to mind—and while it’s true that a book can be written by one person alone, that doesn’t mean it…

April 20, 2026

Slashic Horror Press

Slashic Horror Press is an LGBTQ+ horror press. They welcome submissions from allies, but LGBTQ+ voices come first and foremost. They also state that “if you only have a gay character on page 50 and they don’t do anything except re-affirm stereotypes… then you aren’t an ally. ” They are only interested in work that feature…

Dreamsphere Books

Dreamsphere Books publishes fantasy, science fiction, horror, thriller, and mystery books. They focus on publishing genre work, but are not interested in YA romance or adult romance as other imprints, Deep Hearts YA and Deep Desire focus on these genres. Dreamsphere is an imprint of Story Perfect Books which you can learn more about here….

CKN Christian Publishing

CKN Christian Publishing is an imprint of Wolfpack Publishing. CKN is currently open to unsolicited manuscripts in Clean Fiction. They are open to the following clean genres but prefer series to stand-alone novels: Romance, Historical Fiction, Western (including romance and non-romance), Amish, Mystery (all sub-genres, including cozy), Post-apocalyptic, Thriller. They do not share their definition…

Wild Heart Books

This small press focuses on publishing “historical romance novels set prior to 1950 and woven with the truth of God’s love”. You can see their staff page here. They were founded by an established Christian historical romance writer. They really focus on their niche, and seem to be successful within that context. A number of…

50 Literary Journals Publishing Poetry

These journals / websites publish poetry of many kinds – rhymed and traditional verse, free form, video and audio poems, poem comics, as well as essays about poetry. Some also accept other genres, like fiction and CNF. A few of them accept themed work. Some magazines pay writers. Most, but not all, are open now….

April 16, 2026

The Metaworker: Now Seeking Submissions

The Metaworker is an online journal of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and writing that doesn’t fit within genre categories. They aim to be open-minded, and they love the unexpected: “we want you to surprise us, show us something we haven’t seen before. Send us your quirky, unconventional work”. You can read the journal online to get…

90 Publishing Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (April 2026)

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 I Published in 50 Litmags in Less Than a Year: A Strategy That Works

By Itto Outini How would you feel if someone were to send you a gift that doesn’t work for you at all: a piece of clothing that doesn’t fit, for instance, or a cookbook containing only meals that violate your dietary restrictions, or a piece of memorabilia that’s wildly out of step with your home…

April 13, 2026

A Quick Start Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Publishing

Writing for children and young adults is very different than writing for adults. Audience expectations are different. Picture books, for example, have completely different sub-genres than adult books. Whereas adult books have genres like science fiction and fantasy, picture books have sub-genres like fairy tale, alphabet, and bedtime books. There is a whole body of…

April 9, 2026

5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in April 2026

These magazines pay for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They are a mix of literary and genre magazines. Not all are open through the month. Translunar Travelers LoungeThey want fun speculative fiction; stories must have elements of science fiction or fantasy. “A fun story, at its core, is one that works on the premise that things…

Northern Spy: Now Seeking Submissions

Northern Spy is an online journal of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, produced and published by Finger Lakes Community College. They accept submissions from both new and established authors from around the world, and they also reserve space in each issue for undergraduate authors from the Finger Lakes and Rochester regions. They’re looking for “rich…

Constraint as Creative Engine

Every time someone tells me, “Just write whatever you want,” my brain goes blank. Whatever I want? That’s too many doors. I stand in the hallway like an idiot, turning the knob of each one, accomplishing nothing. Give me a lock. Give me a rule. Five hundred words. Hard stop. I remember thinking, that’s nothing….