These magazines accept fiction of 7,000 words or longer. Most of them accept shorter works as well. They are a mix of literary and genre magazines. Most of them also accept other genres, like nonfiction and poetry. Many, but not all, are open for submissions now. Some of these pay writers.
Chatterbox!
Their About page says, “Chatterbox! is a rebellion against the shortening attention span of readers, as well as the current pacing trends of popular short fiction. We love maximalism, pertinent rambling, and stories that build to a crescendo, even if they take a while to get there.
Every month, we publish one work of fiction—a story or novel excerpt—accompanied by an interview with the author. We aim to publish work that is consistently exceptional, occasionally odd, and always between 4,000 and 10,000 words.” Their sweet spot is stories between 5,000 – 8,000 words. You can read the journal to get a taste of the kind of stories they want, and also see the Venn diagram here about what they like, and they also list the kind of work they do not like. They pay $20. Details here.
Apocalypse Confidential
Their tagline is ‘Low Lives. High Strangeness’. Their About page says this is “a web magazine of edgy extrapolations, fringe fascinations, occult obsessions, risky ruminations, and aberrant associations. We are a literary journal obsessed with the underworld, both demonological and criminological – the collision of crooks in coats wielding machine guns and creeps in cloaks wielding jagged daggers. We are fascinated by the way parapolitics is to history and current events as urban exploration is to architecture. We are turned on by the synthesis of low lives and high strangeness.” That page also lists their interests / the kind of stories they’re interested in. They are open for fiction, nonfiction, and visual art for their magazine; poetry is closed, as are manuscript submissions. “For fiction, we have no word-count maximum for general submissions, but our recommended cap is 10k-15k words.” Details here.
Kaleidotrope
They want predominantly speculative fiction and poetry; “science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but also compelling work that blurs the lines between these and falls outside of neat genre categories. (Man does not live on space ships, elves, and ghostly ax murderers alone, after all.)” And, “We have no minimum or maximum word count for fiction but strongly prefer stories over 250 words and under 10,000.” Very short poems are a hard sell. They pay $0.01/word for fiction and $5 for poetry. They have brief submission periods for fiction and poetry, all listed on their website; the upcoming deadline is 24th October 2026. Artwork is open on an ongoing basis. Details here.
The Courtship of Winds
“The Courtship of Winds publishes poetry, fiction, short dramatic pieces, essays, photography, art, and short pieces of music.” “We are open to anything from very short fiction (aka “flash fiction,” though we don’t love that term) to substantial short stories or excerpts from novels. Length shouldn’t exceed 10,000 words as a rule.” Details here and here.
adventitious
“Adventitioushopes to be an intelligently mischievous literary magazine for the curious and unclassifiable. … We love speculative, surreal, and literary fiction. We admire its reach, its weirdness, and its refusal to color inside any lines. We believe in the work of the magazines and writers already making noise in that space, and we want to join in the ruckus: to publish fiction that’s as thoughtful as it is surprising, and to do it with style, respect, and a great sense of nonsense.” You can read about them here. “We want stories that offer a sense of wonder through their language, characters, plots, or all of the above. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and all speculative/surreal will always be welcomed, but we’re also happy with stories that shock and delight right here on this plane of existence.” They accept stories from micro to novelette length (up to 17,000 words), and pay $0.08/word. They open for fiction submissions on the 1st of every alternate month (February, April, June, August, October, and December) and close on the 5th or when they reach their submission cap, whichever is earlier. Details here and here.
StarShipSofa
This is a science fiction magazine. “From the soft, social science fiction to the weird pulpy stuff to the vigorous hard SF and YA adventure. We welcome all sub-genres and all variety of punks in all their colours. From high-octane action to quiet philosophical stories, we’re after it all. Science fiction is a rich and diverse genre, push its boundaries as far as you can go.
We welcome translations and are very interested in stories that take place/written by authors outside the US/Anglo-sphere, as well as alternative movements and styles.” They also accept some reprints (see guidelines). And, “Paid story length runs from 3,000 words up to 7,000 words. Most of the stories we accept are between 3500 and 5000 words.” Do not send fantasy or supernatural horror stories. They pay $50. Details here.
The Berkeley Fiction Review
This print annual, affiliated with UC Berkeley, accepts stories up to 30 pages in length. “We look for innovative short fiction that plays with form and content, as well as traditionally constructed stories with fresh voices and original ideas.” They also accept art and photography. They pay $25 for fiction. They plan to reopen for general submissions in November. Details here.
Azure: A Journal of Literary Thought
“We publish lyrical philosophy, experimental fiction/poetry/non-fiction, dark humor, classical forms, and innovations in craft. We do not publish contemporary realist fiction.” And, “We accept fiction, creative non-fiction, excerpts, screenplays, stageplays, fragments, meanderings, philosophy and poetry. Your submission should not exceed 50 pages.
If your submission is part of a novel-length work or feature-length screenplay, there exists the possibility of publishing it in installments in future issues. In this case, please indicate your intentions in your cover letter.” They publish monthly online and annually in print. Details here and here.
Equator
Equator is a UK-based magazine of politics, culture and art, and “an antidote to global unraveling”; you can read what they stand for here. This is a new journal, established in 2025. They accept pitches of nonfiction, and submissions of fiction and poetry. “We welcome submissions of both short stories and excerpts from novels, all generally under 10,000 words. We actively seek to publish new work in translation; translated submissions should be accompanied by a copy of the original. All work must be previously unpublished in English and excerpts must be first serial rights.” Details here (click on Pitch us! for pitching and submission guidelines).
Short Story
This Substack-based magazine accepts fiction of 6 to 10,000 words. The deadline is the end of each month. They select one story a month to publish, and pay $100 + 50% of paid subscriber revenue. You can read their guidelines here and they post each month’s statistics (including payout) here.
Fins like Arms
They have a detailed About page, including, “Fins Like Arms is a journal of short stories focused on deconstructing the boundary between “literary” and “genre” fiction. … Our mission is to publish stories that offer the aesthetic inventiveness associated with great literature but which also eschew the monotony and tedium that modern high-brow fiction often wears as a badge.” They’ve also listed the works they like on that page. Their guidelines say, “Please read the About page and On Literary Fiction before submitting. These pages will tell you if your story is a right fit for Fins Like Arms.” They are open for fiction (1,000-40,000 words) and art. Details here.
Zooscape
They publish anthropomorphic fiction of up to 10,000 words; query for longer. “All stories must be furry. That means an anthropomorphic animal figure should be significantly featured in your story — it could be anthropomorphic in body or only intelligence. We’ll consider any type of furry fiction from secret life of animals to fox in Starbucks. We love science-fiction with animal-like aliens and fantasy with talking dragons, unicorns, or witch familiars.” They also accept reprints. They pay $0.08/word for original stories up to 1,000 words, and $80 for longer. They will reopen for submissions from 1st to 28th February 2027. Details here.
Press Pause Press
This is a print magazine and they accept fiction (up to 20-ish pages), as well as nonfiction, poetry, art, work on music. They also publish work by at least one writer under 18 in each issue. Payment is contributor copies for work published in the print magazine. Details here.
MENACE
They publish work that “encapsulates the dark, the transgressive, the gross. While not strictly a space for the speculative, M E N A C E seeks the “literary weird”—work that would be rejected from big literary magazines for being too genre.” They particularly want work from BIPOC speculative fiction writers, though they welcome work from all writers. You can read more about them here. They accept fiction (up to 10,000 words), creative nonfiction, poetry, hybrid, art, film, video, sound, as well as queries for (not completed submissions of) reviews and critique. They will reopen in Fall 2026. Details here.
Sink Hollow
This journal is affiliated with Utah State University. They accept fiction (up to 7,500 words), nonfiction, poetry, and art only from undergraduate students worldwide. The submission deadline is 24 November 2026. Details here and here.
One Story
This print magazine accepts literary fiction, and accepts some reprints (see guidelines). They pay $500 and 25 contributor copies for stories of 3,000-8,000 words. They will open for submissions in early December 2026, and will close when they hit their submission cap. Their submission portal will open during the reading period. Details here.
The /tƐmz/ Review
They publish fiction and creative nonfiction up to 10,000 words; “We will consider pieces longer than 10,000 words, but they need to earn their length.” They also publish poetry. Payment is $20. The deadline is 31st October 2026. Submission is via their Moksha portal. Details here.
Cold Caller Mag
Cold Caller is a Substack-based magazine; it is “a publisher of crime and mystery fiction, and we define those terms broadly. We’re looking for stories of bad decisions and worse consequences; unlucky losers who can’t catch a break; grifters and con men convinced they’re about to score big; good men and women who have very good reasons to do terrible things.” They’ve given a list of stories, as well as TV shows and movies, that match their vibe (see guidelines). And, “We lean toward noir and realism, so generally speaking we aren’t looking for cozy mysteries, spy thrillers, or for cross-genre work such as mystery-romance, mystery-science fiction, mystery-fantasy, etc.” They prefer stories of 2,000-6,000 words, and can accept up to 10,000 words. They pay $125. Details here.
Socrates on the Beach
“This journal is for longer essays and fiction (not poetry)—at least 3000 to 10,000 words.” Contributors will be paid. They recently closed for submissions; watch for their next submission period. Work sent outside the submission period will be deleted unread. Details here.
Bourbon Penn
They have detailed guidelines, including, “We are looking for highly imaginative stories with a healthy dose of the odd. Odd characters, odd experiences, odd realities. We’re looking for genre / speculative stories and are quite partial to slipstream, cross-genre, magic realism, absurdist, and the surreal.” They pay $0.05/word for stories of 2,000-7,500 words. Details here.
The Rappahannock Review
This magazine is affiliated with the University of Mary Washington. For fiction, they say, “We are looking for original, well written fiction. Pieces experimenting with form are encouraged. Although we are interested in a wide range of fiction, we will consider short, self-contained fiction (that is, no novel excerpts) that avoids cliché and experiments with the flexibility of its genre. Submissions may contain one piece up to 8,000 words or three pieces of flash, each containing 1,000 words or fewer.” They also publish creative nonfiction, poetry, audio, and visual art. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
Golgonooza Magazine
“Golgonooza Magazine is a new venture from our artistic collective dedicated to the exploration and innovation of The Weird as an artistic philosophy. (Seeking more information on what exactly we consider Weird? See our mission statement.) We are seeking submissions of previously unpublished fiction, poetry, essays, and visual art that summon the speculative, the horrible and marvelous, the numinous, and the strange for our second issue. We are also open to any other medium that could feasibly be published on a website!” Send works up to 10,000 words. The deadline is 1st January 2027 or until they reach their submission cap, whichever is earlier, for their second issue. Submission is via a form. Details here.
Electric Lit: Recommended Reading
Electric Lit accepts fiction submissions of 2,000-10,000 words for its Recommended Reading section, and pay $300. They usually have short reading periods, when they open. Details here.
Short Story, Long
They accept fiction submissions. Each story is paired with original artwork. Length guidelines are 2,000-8,000 words (3,000-5,500 words preferred), and they pay $150. The deadline is 31 December 2026. Details here.
Last Syllable
Their About us page says, “Founded in 2023, we aim to make a space where longform pieces are the expectation — not the exception. We are looking for polished, thoughtful pieces that engage readers from beginning to end.” This biannual electronic magazine is affiliated with Point Loma Nazarene University. They accept fiction and nonfiction of 5,000 to 25,000 words, up to 3 long poems, and open genre work (song lyrics, multimodal stories, comics, and other experimental forms). They pay $20, and recently closed for submissions; watch for their next submission period. Details here.
The Ex-Puritan
This Canadian magazine publishes fiction (1,000-10,000 words), nonfiction, experimental/hybrid work, interviews, reviews, poetry, and poetry in translation. They read submissions throughout the year, with cut-off dates for issues, and accept a limited number of fee-free submissions every month. They pay CAD150 for fiction; CAD50 per poem (capped at CAD100); CAD200 per essay; CAD100 per interview or review; CAD50+ per experimental or hybrid work, at an increasing scale depending on the nature of the piece. Details here and here.
After Dinner Conversation
This magazine publishes short stories on philosophical / ethical themes, and have extensive guidelines. They publish work for adults, as well as young adults and children. Submission is via a form.
Length guidelines are: Children’s Stories: under 1,500 words; Young Adult: under 3,500 words; Adult: 1,500-7,000 words (see their notes for story length in the last category). They pay $75. Details here and here.
Sundial
This is a literary magazine of historical fiction, works must be set before 1 January 2000; they publish stories up to 20,000 words, as well as poetry and art. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
confetti
confetti is the magazine of the Westchester Writing Workshop and they accept submissions from around the world. They publish fiction, from microfiction to novelette-length, as well as nonfiction and poetry. The deadline for their Spring edition is 1 March, and for their Fall edition, it is 1 September. Details here.
West Branch
They accept fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and translation. West Branch is affiliated with Bucknell University. Send up to 30 pages of prose or up to 6 poems. Pay is $100 per submission of poetry, $.10/word for prose up to $200. They read submissions between 1st August and 1st April. Details here.
Black Cat Weekly
Black Cat Weekly publishes mystery, as well as science fiction and fantasy fiction. They have distinct guidelines for each genre. For mystery, they say, “stories must include a crime. It isn’t a mystery if it doesn’t have a crime.We prefer traditionally plotted stories rather than experimental or literary fiction. Think Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, John D. MacDonald, etc. The good stuff. We prefer not mixing fantasy with mystery. Werewolves, ghosts, talking cats, etc. are fantasy. … No gimmick stories, no surprise endings. PG-13 rating.”
Please note, they have one portal for submitting mystery, and another for submitting science fiction and fantasy. They prefer stories of 1,500-15,000 words, but can accept up to 45,000 words. Pay is $0.01/word up to $50. Details here (mystery guidelines), here (sf & f guidelines), and here (submission portals). Watch for their next submission period.
The Masters Review: New Voices
“Our New Voices category is open year-round to any new or emerging author who has not published a novel-length work of fiction or narrative nonfiction with a major press. Authors with published short story collections are free to submit. … The Masters Review pays a flat rate of $100 for flash-length stories (1,000 words or fewer) and $200 for longer stories (up to 7,000 words).” Submission is via Submittable. Details here.
Freedom Fiction Journal
Their tagline is ‘An eclectic mix of all flavours of genre fiction’. They accept flash as well as short fiction, up to 12,000 words. “Fiction Short Stories of All Genres such as Literary, Pulp fiction, SciFi, Fantasy, Horror, Detective, Crime, Romance, Adventure, Western, Young Adult, Humour, Satire, etc. are welcome.” They’ll announce the next submission window shortly. Details here.
Neon Hemlock Press
They publish queer speculative fiction, and want novellas from all writers till 30th October 2026. Genres are science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, slipstream, & weird, hybrid work. They prefer works that explore some element of queer experience; length guidelines are 17,500–40,000 words.They also accept translations. Details here – scroll down (that page also has details of all of Neon Hemlock Press’s open / forthcoming calls), and here.
Apricity Magazine
Apricity is a print and online magazine affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin, and they welcome submissions from all over the world. They accept literary submissions – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama: “There is no word limit for online submissions, HOWEVER if you would like to be considered for print publication, the word limit is 7500 words for prose”. They also accept performing and visual art submissions. The deadline is 4 January 2027 for the next print issue (volume 11). Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
