These magazines and websites publish reviews of books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Many also publish other genres, like fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and art. Some of these magazines pay. Many, but not all, are open for submissions now. They’re listed in no particular order.
The Los Angeles Review of Books
They publish new reviews, essays, and interviews online every day, as well as a print journal, The LARB Quarterly, and also publish a collection of independent sister magazines; you can read more about them here. You can email pitches, or send those via a form – details here (see ‘To Pitch Our Editorial Board’). They pay.
Room Magazine
They publish fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art by folks of marginalized genders, including but not limited to women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people. For reviews, they say, “We review fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, published by smaller Canadian publishers, in an effort to suggest intriguing and original new work for our readers. For funding reasons, we have to fill these pages with “Canadian” content; interested book reviewers who were born or reside in Canada can send their pitches” — see more about reviews here, and their general guidelines and submission portals for other genres are here and here. They pay CAD50/page, up to CAD200 for print, and CAD75 for reviews and work accepted for online publication.
Reckoning
They publish creative work on environmental justice. They accept reviews and review pitches, and have separate guidelines for fiction reviews (pays $50) and for nonfiction reviews (pays $25). They want reviews of works on environmental justice – “The majority of our … reviews will cover books published in the last year; however, we will consider reviews of older titles that either didn’t get the attention they deserved when they were published or are freshly relevant.” They also accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, translations, and art – pay is $0.10/word for prose, and S50/page for poetry. They’re reading submissions for Issue 9, and the deadline is 22 September 2024. Details here and here.
The Masters Review
They accept book reviews for their blog, which are unpaid – “Book Reviews (700-1,200 words) must be of books scheduled for a 2024 or later release. We recommend submitting your review at least one month before the scheduled publication date.” They also accept fee-free submissions of interviews and craft essays for the blog, fiction for their ‘New Voices’ series, as well as a fast response option for BIPOC voices. They pay for these. Details here.
HyphenPunk
“We want to publish your speculative fiction with some type of -Punk aesthetic.” They publish fiction (including graphic stories), art, and reviews — they want “short (less than 500 word) reviews of any books, movies, games, conventions, cosplayers, artists, or any other media as long as the subject matter is some type of -punk. Reviews will only be about media that has been released in the past three months (i.e. since the last issue of HyphenPunk was released).” Pay is $25 for fiction, reviews are unpaid. Details here.
Reactor
This science fiction and fantasy publisher was formerly called Tor.com. They accept pitches for essays, think pieces, list posts, reaction pieces, and reviews in the 1,000-2,500 word range for their blog (open to longer). All original content for blogs is paid. They have occasional calls for novels and novellas on their website. Details here.
Aniko Press
They accept submissions from Australia and around the world – reviews (and review pitches), fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They also accept more experimental work. For reviews, “We mainly focus on literary and contemporary fiction, short story collections, poetry, interesting/experimental nonfiction and exciting graphic novels. We include both Australian and international authors. We prioritise recent releases, but will also consider fresh takes on ‘forgotten’ classics or contemporary books you loved that didn’t get enough time in the spotlight. Book reviews should be between 600-900 words, and contain a mix of literary criticism and personal opinion.” Pay is AUD50 for reviews, and AUD125 for other genres. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
Amsterdam Review
They publish nonfiction (essays and reviews) of up to 3,000 words, as well as fiction, poetry (including poetry translations), and art. Details here.
London Review of Books
This well-regarded magazine accepts unsolicited submissions as well as proposals. “The best guide to what we might like is what we usually publish, including poems, reviews, reportage, memoir, articles for our Short Cuts and Diary slots, and blogposts.” Details here.
Aromatica Poetica
“Aromatica Poetica loves thoughtful, idiosyncratic, intelligent, personal, humorous, passionate reviews of books, perfumes, essential oils, food, booze, and pretty much any product that has anything to do with smell or taste. We also love reviews of art and performance that incorporate aromas or olfaction.” They also want other works that engage with smell and taste – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art–images, video, and audio. Their reading periods are January-March and July-September. Details here.
Kaleidoscope
They publish work on disability, and accept work from writers with and without disabilities. For reviews their guidelines say, “Reviews that are substantive, timely, powerful works about publications in the field of disability and/or the arts. The writer’s opinion of the work being reviewed should be clear. The review should be literary work in its own right – 5,000 words maximum each/two reviews maximum.” They also publish poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, articles, and visual art. Pay is $10-100. Details here.
The Barrelhouse
At the time of writing, they were open for book reviews only; submissions to other genres were closed. They have detailed guidelines for reviews, including, “We prefer reviews that focus on recent titles, meaning books that came out within the past six months or that are upcoming in the next six months. That guideline can stretch to about a year, but not much farther. (Our Reviews Editor has a pretty good record for response times.) We do not run retrospective reviews.
We have a strong taste for small-press titles, especially books that might not be reviewed anywhere else. We love weird books, hybrid work, and other rare birds. We are extremely unlikely to accept a review of a book by a major publisher (Harper, Random House, Riverhead, etc).
We’re interested in full-length or chapbook-length collections of poetry & prose. We’re open to memoirs and story or essay collections.” They pay $50 for general submissions. Details here and here.
The Acentos Review
They publish reviews, interviews, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translations, and cross-genre work by the Latinx community. “We love reviews and always need more of them. They can be approached as academic tangos with the text or intimate exchanges of anecdotes over candlelight. Reviews of 1000 – 1500 words are preferred about books by Latin@ authors or about issues concerning the Latin@ community.” They’re always open for submissions. Details here and here.
Black Lipstick
This Substack-based magazine is “Glamour forward with a punk ethos” and is “The internet boudoir of off-center beauty, literature and culture.” You can read more about them here. They want “Affecting personal essays/hybrid nonfictions, Creative, deep-divey reviews of books, beauty products, films, experiences, etc. Interviews with artists, writers and self-made icons” . They accept submissions as well as pitches. Pay is $150 for essays/hybrid creative nonfiction (1,500-3,500 words), and $100 for creative reviews and interviews (1,000-2,500 words). Do not send fiction, poetry, or extremely journalistic nonfiction. As with all magazines, please familiarize yourself with the works published here to see if your work is a good fit. Details here.
The Horn Book Magazine
They review children’s and YA books published in the US. “Articles submitted to The Horn Book Magazine should be of a critical nature on some aspect of children’s literature and should be no longer than 1600 words in length. Potential contributors are advised to have a solid familiarity with The Horn Book Magazine before submitting manuscripts. “Cadenza” submissions — witty commentaries, send-ups, poems, sketches, comics, cartoons, etc. — should be approximately 350 words (text) or fit on a 6-by-9-inch page (art).” They do not accept fiction, or work by children. They pay. Details here.
Event
This Canadian magazine accepts queries for reviews. “Read sample reviews on our website for an idea of our format and style, and please contact our Reviews Editor before writing or submitting.” They also accept fee-free submissions of fiction and poetry during their reading periods, and non-fiction via a contest, for which there is a submission fee. They pay $40/page for poetry and $35/page for fiction, up to $500. For fiction and poetry, “We generally have two open submissions periods during the months of August-September and December-January. Submission windows will close on the last day of the month, or when our allowable unpaid submission limit is reached (whichever comes first).” Details here and here.
The Columbia Review
This magazine is affiliated with Columbia University and their tagline is ‘The Oldest College Literary Magazine In The Nation’. They accept pitches for reviews, and submissions of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
The Rumpus
They publish work in various categories (and have reading periods with submission caps for those), and some of the work is paid. They publish fiction, poetry, literary humor writing, comics, essays, book reviews, and interviews. You can read about them here. Book reviews are open year-round. They have separate categories for prose book and for poetry book reviews. For prose books, they say, “We’re interested in thoughtful, engaging book reviews between 1,200-2,500 words.” For poetry books, reviews should be between 1,200–2,500 words for full-length collections, 1,000-1,500 words for chapbooks. Do not send review pitches. Details here.
MetaStellar Magazine
Their guidelines say, “We are interested in reviews covering any form of entertainment — books, movies, TV Shows, videogames, and so on — as long as it falls into the science fiction, fantasy or horror genres. We prefer a word count between 500 and 800 words, but also accept longer pieces if you are writing a listicle, such as “Ten Best Fantasy Novels Involving Dogs.”” Reviews (and review pitches), essays, excerpts, and reprints are unpaid and accepted year-round. They pay for flash fiction, for which they have reading periods. Details here and here.
Bookforum
Their website says, “Since its first issue in the summer of 1994, Bookforum has been staking out new territory in the world of book reviews, inviting authors to address books and cultural trends with curiosity, critical insight, and a distinctive personality. Contributors have taken on an array of topics, writing essays, columns, and reviews about fiction, history, fashion, feminism, current events, policy, bestsellers, fashion, film, music, pop culture, and personal obsessions.” You can read about them here. They also run a themed summer issue. There are no writers’ guidelines, but they do say where you can pitch them. Details here.
Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores
They publish science fiction, fantasy, myths, legends, & fairy tales; they also want fact-based articles, reviews, and humor that relate to the type of stories they publish. They also accept fiction and nonfiction reprints. They pay $0.02/word to $0.08/word for original fact-based articles, and $0.08/word for original fiction. They’re open on the first and second day of every month. Details here.
The Cortland Review
This magazine publishes poetry, translations, and book reviews. They will be open for submissions September 15 – November 15. Details here.
East Jasmine Review
Their website says, “Our first goal is to publish diverse voices that may not have mainstream access or traditional access to publishing. This includes but is not limited to LGBTQIA, ethnic minorities, women, lower socio-economic status, those who are older or younger, religious minorities, and non-American persons. We are looking to build an inclusive online community and audience for our voices.” They publish reviews of up to 1,200 words – “We are looking for insightful reviews of creative works that give us the heart of piece.” They also publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and articles. Details here and here.
Cleveland Review of Books
They publish reviews, essays, interviews, and excerpts. “While we are especially committed to publishing writing on, about, and from Cleveland and Ohio, as well as the Rust Belt and greater Midwest, regional connection is by no means a requirement. Our conception of what criticism is and can be is purposefully expansive, generous, and open. We publish writers at all stages of their careers, regardless of publication history.” They have detailed guidelines, please read them carefully. Web rates are $100, and print rates are $200. Details here.
Rain Taxi
This is a print journal, with an accompanying online edition. “Our literary quarterly provides a forum for the sharing of ideas about books, particularly those that may be overlooked by mainstream review media or marginalized for presumed strangeness, difficulty, or other othering. … While Rain Taxi focuses on reviews of current book releases (generally those published within the previous nine months), it also devotes space to interviews, essays, and critical reflections on older books that continue to resonate. Because we are focused on the kind of writing that has been historically underrepresented, we are especially interested in book coverage written by and/or about BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and women authors.” They accept both review submissions and pitches. Submissions are accepted year-round, except during June and December. They do not want original fiction or poetry. Details here.
The Ex-Puritan
This magazine publishes reviews of Canadian literature, as well as interviews, nonfiction, fiction, experimental/hybrid work, and poetry from writers around the world. “We publish reviews of CanLit books, especially by marginalized & debut authors. We love reviews of chapbooks; we love reviews both experimental and traditional. We are especially interested in work by LGBTQ2S+ writers, BIPOC writers, and writing from other marginalized folks. Reviews doesn’t require a full draft; a pitch is acceptable as long as it is fully thought out and justified.” Pay is CAD100 per interview or review; CAD200 per essay; CAD150 for fiction; CAD35 per poem (or page, capped at CAD120); CAD50+ per experimental or hybrid work, at an increasing scale depending on the nature of the piece. They read year-round, with cut-off dates for issues, and accept a limited number of fee-free submissions each month (see guidelines). Details here and here.
Exacting Clam
This is an online and in print quarterly journal publishing short fiction, poetry, book, art and music reviews, essays, interviews, and visual art/illustrations. Their book review guidelines say, “We are open to reviews of both newly published and older, neglected works. The reviews that interest us most are stimulating and thought-provoking in themselves, showing where engagement with the book or books discussed may lead. We will consider both brief, one or two paragraph reviews, and longer, more essay-like articles. For forthcoming or recent books that may still be under promotion by authors or publishers, reviews (unless strongly negative) should be excerptible for such use.” They also accept other reviews – “We welcome reviews of other cultural developments: music, dance, art, etc.” Details here and here.
Boston Review
They’re open for essays and reviews; poetry and fiction are currently closed. “Please note that we are a general interest political and literary magazine…. We primarily publish long-form essays, substantial book reviews, and political and social analysis. We do not publish op-eds, and we do not accept unsolicited personal essays.” Details here and here.
Fiction Week Literary Review
The Fiction Week Literary Review accepts essays and book reviews. “We are looking for essays that are at least peripherally related to the art and craft of innovative writing. Book reviews about innovative books of fiction or poetry will also be considered.” They also accept innovative and/or postmodern fiction and innovative, leading-edge poetry. Details here.
Strange Horizons
This science fiction and fantasy magazine publishes in-depth reviews of speculative art and entertainment, especially books, films, and television. They prefer reviews of 1,500-2,000 words, and pay $60 for reviews of at least 1,000 words. They also accept review pitches. Apart from reviews, they publish speculative fiction, nonfiction, poetry, columns and roundtables. Pay varies. Details here and here.
Fresh Words: An International Literary Journal
They accept reviews of up to 500 words. They also publish poetry, fiction, essays, plays, diaries, excerpts, e-interviews, and travelogues. They’re also accepting submissions for a special one minute plays/monologues anthology titled ‘Rewriting Shakespeare’, the deadline for that is 12 August 2024. Details here.
West Branch
This literary magazine from Bucknell University publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. For reviews, “Book reviews are typically arranged by assignment, and we currently publish only poetry reviews. If you are interested in writing reviews, please query with a sample. Our pay rate for reviews is highly competitive.” Pay for other prose is up to $200 and for poetry, it is $100. Submissions will reopen on 1 August 2024. Details here.
Good River Review
This magazine is affiliated with Spalding University. They accept review pitches – “We welcome queries to review new books (no more than 2 years since publication) of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, hybrid and cross-genre forms, and writing for children and young adults. … We are particularly interested in reviews of work that speaks to the current urgencies of race, class, gender, and the environment, as well as titles from independent and university presses.” They also accept fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama/scripts, and writing for children and young adults. Details here.
Gramarye
Their website says, “The Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction seeks articles, book reviews and creative writing relating to literary and historical approaches to fairy tales, fantasy, Gothic, magic realism, science fiction and speculative fiction for Gramarye, its peer-reviewed journal published by the University of Chichester.” Reviews are approximately 1,000 words. They accept other genres also – fiction, poetry, and articles. The deadline is 21 September 2024. Details here.
Kyoto Journal
This print journal welcomes “Asia-related articles, essays, reportage, personal observations, interviews, poetry, reviews, fiction, humor, and translation (or various combinations of the above). We look especially for material with a long “shelf-life.” Our readers tend to keep back issues of KJ for reference; we’re concerned with building an accumulative body of material of lasting value. Our masthead states: “Insights from Asia” – submissions must have some clear connection with Asia.” They have detailed review guidelines, please read them carefully. Payment is a contributor copy. Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
