If you are just starting to submit your work to literary journals, or perhaps you just want to avoid rejection, this list is for you.
All of the literary journals in this list accept between 20 and 80% of what is submitted to them, and a few have a higher acceptance rate. So the odds of your work being accepted just went up.
These are not the most prestigious journals; publication in them, in all likelihood, will not change your writing life in any way, but they are not a bad place to start if you are new to submitting your writing.
Make sure to read the guidelines before submitting to know if your work fits. Just because they are approachable, doesn’t mean that they will accept angry poetry when they only publish nature poetry. They will not.
Not all literary journals in this list are currently open to submissions, but most are. It is also important to note that this information is subject to change. Sometimes a journal that was once easy to get into no longer is, so if you are seeing this list long after it was published, please keep that in mind. This list is in no particular order.
All of the information used to ascertain if the market is approachable or not was found through research done at the websites Duotrope and The (Submission) Grinder.
50-Word Stories
As their name suggests, they publish only 50-word stories. They read submissions every month between the 1st and the 15th. They publish around 30% of what is submitted to them.
Witcraft
A journal currently focused on publishing brief, humorous and engaging prose. They have an acceptance rate of about 40%.
Short Beasts
A newer flash fiction magazine that accepts a little over half of what is submitted to them.
Children, Churches and Daddies
They bill themselves as “The UN-religious, NON-family oriented literary and art magazine”. They publish poetry, prose, and art work online.
Academy of the Heart and Mind
Their mission is to help emerging writers. They accept over 60% of what is submitted. They publish poetry, art, fiction, and creative nonfiction online.
Writing in a Woman’s Voice
An online poetry journal that publishes over 50% of what is submitted to them. They do not respond if they are not interested.
Down in the Dirt
Down in the Dirt publishes fiction and poetry. They have an acceptance rate of 80%.
CafeLit
A UK-based fiction journal that publishes almost 30% of what is submitted.
Last Leaves Magazine
A journal that publishes poetry and art. They reopen to submissions on December 1st.
Grand Little Things
A journal of mostly formal poetry. They accept about 25% of what they receive.
Autumn Sky Poetry Daily
This journal has a very different approach. You are to submit one poem only, and if it is accepted you will know because it will be published online within seven says of submitting it. If it does not appear, it was not chosen. They reopen to submissions on October 20th.
Rat’s Ass Review
As the editor of this journal states, “Rat’s Ass Review is an online poetry journal whose editorial fancies are no more arbitrary than any other; they are simply more overtly so. I publish what I like”. They have two reading periods a year. They are not open to submissions at this time.
The New Verse News
A journal that publishes politically progressive poetry on current events and topical issues on a daily basis. Their acceptance rate is around 40%
The Last Girls Club
They only accept submissions from writers 18+. They publish nonfiction, poetry and fiction. They have rotating submission windows and often have themed calls. They largely publish horror from a feminist perspective and are a paying market. Please follow their guidelines carefully before submitting. Their next theme is ‘Clones, Drones, and Ready Made Meals’, and they open to submissions October 1st. They close to submissions early if they hit their quota.
Flash Fiction Magazine
An online magazine focused on publishing flash. They pay authors if their work is chosen for the annual anthology.
Creepy Podcast
A paying market that publishes horror in an audio format. They accept about 30% of what they receive.
101 Words
They publish flash fiction stories that are exactly 101 words in length. They publish about 30% of what they receive.
Green Ink Poetry
This UK based electronic publisher is open to submissions till the 15th of October on the theme of ‘Forage’. They accept about 60% of what is submitted to them.
Instant Noodles
The one journal on this list that has a limited demographic, they are only open to submissions from adults that are 40 or older. Each issue has a theme and they are reading on the ‘Cooold Turkey’ theme until 15th October.
The Chamber Magazine
The Chamber Magazine publishes short works in the horror and dark genres.
Star*Line
Star*Line is the official print journal of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association. They publish a wide variety of poems within these two genres.
Book of Matches
An online journal with great covers, they publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and works in translation.
Panoply
They publish a wide variety of creative work and allow multi-genre submissions.
Cosmic Daffodil
They publish flash fiction and nonfiction as well as poetry and art. They are currently open only to submissions on the theme of ‘Lights out’ — they want horror genre work with three subcategories, see more here.
Dark Horses
A magazine for “weird fiction”. Do not submit work that is not “weird fiction” (which they define in detail on their site). They only send out acceptances. If you haven’t heard from them in 90 days, assume rejection. They accept over half of their submissions.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2023 Guide to Manuscript Publishers. She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.
