Some journals accept a lot more submissions than others. Acceptance rates change all the time, so realize that over time these journals may become harder to get into.

These are not the only publishers that are easy to get into, but they are a good place to start if your sole goal is to get published in a literary journal.

Make sure you 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!

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, and from feedback from students, subscribers, and editors. 

I will add that over the pandemic, Duotrope, which still has the most data, seems to have become less reliable in terms of the quality of that data, particularly in the last year, so I am relying more on additional sources.

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. If you are an editor of a journal with a high acceptance rate, please feel encouraged to send me an email at support@authorspublish.com.

If you’re new to submitting your work to literary journals, I encourage you to read this free book.

At the time of this update all the publishers on this list had a 25% acceptance rate or higher.

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 30%.

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%.

Last Leaves Magazine
A journal that publishes poetry and art. They accept over 60% of submissions

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.  

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, but will reopen in July.

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. If they hit submission quotas they will close to submissions early.

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 is a UK-based electronic publisher, and they have themed issues. 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. They have around a 50% acceptance rate.

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. They accept around 30% of what the receive.

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 ‘Future Visions’.

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.

Nixies Mate Review
A journal that publishes short and micro fiction as well as poetry and creative nonfiction. They accept about 50% of submissions.

The Last Stanza Poetry Journal
This print poetry journal publishes about 40% of the submissions they receive. They also award one of the accepted poems $100. That is the only payment they gave out. They do not give out contributor copies, so if that is a dealbreaker for you, don’t submit. They do have lovely covers.

Bewildering Stories
An e-zine devoted to experimental and speculative writing., based in Canada. They accept about 50% of their submissions. 

Bullet Points
They publish speculative military fiction that is sensitive to the complexity and tragedy of warfare. They accept around 25% of submissions 

FlashFlood Fiction
They are only open for submissions for one week a year and they accept about 30% of what they receive. They are sponsored by National Flash Fiction Day (in the UK).