Publishing your work is wonderful. Even though my work has been published hundreds of times, I still get excited every time a new publication containing my work gets released.
However, once you have published a short story or a poem, most literary journals are not interested in publishing it again. After all, it has already been published elsewhere. That is OK because most manuscript publishers want your manuscript to contain at least a few poems and short stories that have been published before. It gives your work more credibility.
Still, the more a poem or short story is published, the more exposure it gets. A number of my poems have been published three times. This is because I often will submit to journals that accept reprints. I particularly like to do this if my poem was initially published in print. Print journals are not read as often and it is harder to share your work in them with others.
The following literary journals accept reprints. The list is in no particular order. Not all of these journals are open to submissions at this time, but most are. Some of the markets define reprints differently than others. We’ve tried to make the markets definition clear in the list itself.
Luna Station Quarterly publishes speculative fiction written by women. Reprints must be at least three years past their initial publication date to be considered. They close to submissions on February 15th.
Fixator Press is an online poetry journal that bills themselves as a “home for free-verse/experimental/off-beat poetry”. They are happy to receive submissions containing reprints “as long as they have not appeared anywhere in the last 12 months”.
Empty House Pres describes themselves as “looking for writing that addresses the way narrative and presence adhere to place and the way they vanish. We encourage broad interpretations of what the idea or image of an empty house might evoke. This includes but is not limited to writing about home, landscape, place, memory, and of course, the atmosphere of previously inhabited spaces.” They are open to publishing work that appeared on an author’s personal site or blog or at an online venue that has closed, as long as that the work is otherwise no longer available and appropriate acknowledgements are included.
The Lake is an online poetry journal. They are open to previously published poems as long as the author retains copyright and that they were published at least one year prior to submitting.
Zooscape is a magazine that publishes stories that prominently feature an anthropomorphic animal figure (or figures). They pay $0.08/word for original stories, and $20 for reprints. They reopen to submissions at “some point” in 2024.
Craft publishes literary fiction and essays. Pay is $100-200 for original fiction and creative nonfiction. They consider reprint fiction, but they do not pay for reprints.
Doubleback Review “only publishes previously-published work from journals that no longer exist; we do not publish previously unpublished work nor previously published work that is still available online or in active print circulation.” They are part of the larger Sundress Publishing family.
Haiku Commentary publishes haiku, senryu, tanka, haiga, haibun, or shahai. Not only is submitting previously published work acceptable, they encourage it as long as you cite the previous publication(s).
Lotus Eater Magazine publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, literary reviews, and photographs. They publish reprints as long as they were originally published at least three years ago.
Radon Journal welcomes short story and poetry submissions containing elements of anarchism, transhumanism, dystopia, and/or science fiction. They pay for reprints, as long as the author owns the rights, as well as previously unpublished work.
Remington Review is an established online publisher of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They’re looking for the best up-and-coming authors in each genre. They accept reprints as long as your submission contains information about past publications.
The Dread Machine is a publisher of futuristic dark fiction, speculative fiction, slipstream, literary science fiction, and cyberpunk. They also like magical realism, dystopias and utopias, unconventional societies, and diverse protagonists. They accept reprints, but also stress the following: “If your story already appears online, it will only appear in our print edition, as publishing it on our site would negatively impact both our SEO and that of the other publisher. We have very few reprint slots, so we tend to prioritize reprints originally published in anthologies and now-defunct magazines.”
Escape Pod is a science fiction podcast, and they also publish stories online. Pay is $100 for reprints.
Fractured Lit publishes flash and micro work. They don’t pay for previously published work but will consider these pieces as long as the writer retains the rights
After Dinner Conversation is a journal that publishes only stories with an ethical question at the core of them, they go into further details about what they are seeking as part of their submission guidelines. They are open to reprints as long as all the rights belong to you. They charge submission fees for some periods, and “fast pass” submissions with a quicker return time.
Pod Castle is an audio + online magazine of fantasy fiction. They accept reprints of stories. They pay a flat rate for reprints that varies based on the length.
Cast of Wonders is an intersectional feminist young adult podcast, and they also publish stories online – fantasy, science fiction, and horror. They accept reprints, including those previously published on Patreon, and those previously published in audio format. They pay $20-100 for reprints, and $0.08/word for original stories.
Abstract publishes poetry and flash fiction as well as photography. They allow submissions of previously published work if the work appeared in small-circulation journals, websites, or blogs. The first publisher must be cited when submitting.
PseudoPod is an audio + online magazine of horror. They accept and pay for reprints.
Witcraft is a site dedicated to skillfully written stories that are brief, humorous and engaging. They allow reprints as long as you disclose where your piece was previously published, the date of publication, and if possible, a link.
Braided Way is a magazine published by the non-profit Spiritual Quest Foundation, with the goal of showcasing the faces and voices of spiritual practice. They are open to a poetry, fiction, and personal essays, as well as articles. They consider select reprints, please make it clear where your work was published before when submitting.
Literally Stories in an online journal only publishes short stories and they are open to publishing previously published work as long as you inform them that it was previously published and where it appeared.
The Galway Review considers poetry, prose, essays, translations, and book reviews, in English and Irish, including previously published work.
Sybil‘s tagline is “(not quite) a literary journal”. They accept submissions of fiction, essays, poetry, comics, and visual/hybrid art, including previously published work, as long a you currently have the right to the work.
Short Story is a Substack that publishes one short story a month. They are open to previously published work as long as you own the rights. They are a paying market.
WordSwell is a bi-annual journal that publishes poetry, prose, video poetry, and artwork/photography. They are open to reprints as long as you hold the rights, disclose that is a reprint and share the name of the original publisher.
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.
