These magazines and anthology publishers accept romance fiction. Most also accept other fiction genres, and some accept blended genres like romantasy, paranormal romance, or historical romance. Some of the calls are themed. They vary widely in tone and style; when possible, please read their stories to see if yours is a good fit. Some of them pay writers. Many, but not all, are open to submissions now.

Black Fox Literary Magazine
They accept fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and have fee-free as well as fee-based options. For general fiction: “We enjoy receiving submissions from under-represented genres such as: YA, romance, flash fiction, mystery, etc. We ask that you keep submissions to 5,000 words or less and follow our guidelines for preparing your manuscript.” They pay $20. The deadline is 30^th November 2026. Details here and here (see ‘General Submission for Fiction’).

Micromance Magazine and KissMet Quarterly
Micromance’s tagline is ‘A Flash Romance Publication’. You can read Emily Harstone’s review of this magazine here. They accept romance works of various lengths: exactly 100-word stories, 101-500 word stories, 500-1,200 word stories, and romance poetry. They also publish women’s fiction of 100-1,200 words or poetry. They will reopen for submissions in October. Do not send erotica. Details here.
And, they’re currently open for romance stories for their Holiday issue of KissMet Quarterly: “Sweet Genre Romance Only (1,000-1,500 words) – give us your best meet cutes with the happiest endings… think Hallmark movies… Keep us giggling, keep us sighing, and if you make us blush a little bit, that’s ok – but just a little bit… remember, clean and sweet… Oh! And don’t forget to keep the stories in season – ice skating in winter, Easter egg hunts in spring, a pool party in summer, hayrides in fall- anything that fits the theme of the season of the issue you’re submitting to…”
Send stories of 1,000-1,500 words; the deadline is 30^th August 2026 for this call. Details here.

The Genre Society
The Genre Society publishes fiction (up to 5,000 words) in various genres, and poetry. “Dedicated to the stories that are out-of-this-world, leave us on the edge of our seats, sweating, laughing, crying, The Genre Society presents all that is Genre and Good. Think modern day Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, Mary Shelley.” You can see the genres they publish on their About page: horror, science fiction, thriller, mystery, romance, fantasy, and magical realism. About romance fiction, they say, “Make us fall in love, feel the struggle of relationships, the danger of love.
Think: Jane Austen, Danielle Steel, Diana Gabaldon, Julia Quinn”. 
Their submission portal will remain open till 30^th September 2026 or when they reach a submission cap, whichever is earlier; details here.

The Freak!
This is a new Canada-based magazine. Their About page says, “The Freak! was founded in 2026 and is home to short fiction that doesn’t fit neatly into boxes. We publish science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird, violent, romance, dystopian, comedy, mystery, LGBTQ2+, and everything in between. We don’t care about genre purity. We care about voice, creative vision and the willingness to go somewhere unexpected. We want to be SHOCKED!” Their submission guidelines page also lists the kind of stories that do not work for them. Send stories of 1,000-25,000 words. Details here.

Sundial Magazine
This is a historical fiction magazine; “Any and all short fiction set before Jan. 1, 2000 is welcome: short stories up to 20,000 words, flash, graphic, poetry, and any and all historical fiction genres in between. Novel excerpts accepted.” They accept many genres, including romance (please keep it PG-13). They also say, “Stories set outside of North America and Europe with primarily BIPOC main characters will be prioritized. Please don’t send any white savior stories. We aspire to publish stories depicting humanity in all its diverse glory; BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters and authors are very welcome.” They do not want stories with speculative elements, or alternate history.
They’re also accepting works for an anthology: “flash, poetry, and short stories (up to 3,000 words) for inclusion in an upcoming anthology and publication on our website.
We are seeking works set between July, 1936 and September, 1936 that explore the social and political tensions leading up to World War II. … (We are not accepting stories set in Spain or Portugal; all other settings are welcome.)” The deadline for the anthology call is 1^st October 2026. Details here.

JMS Books Anthologies
JMS is a queer small press and they are currently open for three anthologies.
— Cowboy Roundup 2: Stories “featuring hot, sexy cowboys in love and lust. These western-themed tales can be contemporary or historical, set on a ranch, on the trail, in a bar, or anywhere two cowpokes can knock boots. Stories must contain a gay or MM spicy romance. Stories may be polyamorous, but all characters in the relationship need to be men (cis or trans). A high heat level is required.” Deadline 31 August 2026.

— Cowgirl Roundup: “Same as above, only we’re looking for cowgirls, too! We’re looking for spicy stories … featuring hot, sexy cowgirls in love and lust. Stories must contain a lesbian or FF spicy romance. Stories may be polyamorous, but all characters in the relationship need to be women (cis or trans). A high heat level is required.” Deadline 31 August 2026.
— Heating Up the Ice: “For this anthology, we want spicy stories … featuring hookups between gay athletes on the ice. Hockey, ice skating, speedskating, skiing, ice dancing, even curling might work. Give us high heat between two teammates or rivals who play together on — and off — the ice. Stories must contain a gay or MM spicy romance. Stories may be polyamorous, but all characters in the relationship need to be men (cis or trans). A high heat level is required.” Deadline 30 September 2026.
They want stories of 5,000-9,500 words for each anthology, and pay $30. Details here.

Heartlines Spec
“Heartlines Spec is a Canadian SFF short fiction and poetry magazine focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. We publish stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. Give us deep space, dusty frontiers, or dreamy fantasy. We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. Stories where the character’s choices, trials, and joys are all that much harder because of their existing relationships. Stories that feature dead or murdered spouses will be a hard sell. For more examples of our favoured vibes, check out this post.” And, “Heartlines accepts submissions from international writers; however, our goal is to publish at least 50% Canadian content.” Their Autumn submission period is 1-30 September, and their early submission period for equity-deserving groups is 24-31 August 2026. Payment is $0.08 CAD per word for short fiction (500-3,500 words) and $60 CAD flat per poem. Submission is via their Moksha portal. Details here.

Translunar Travelers Lounge
They want fun speculative fiction; stories must have elements of science fiction or fantasy. “A fun story, at its core, is one that works on the premise that things aren’t all bad; that ultimately, good wins out. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your story has to be silly or lighthearted (though it certainly can be). Joy can be made all the more powerful when juxtaposed against tragedy. In the end, though, there should be hope, and we want stories that are truly fun for as many different kinds of people as possible.
Swashbuckling adventure, deadly intrigue, and gleeful romance are some of the most obvious examples of what we’re looking for, but we won’t say no to more subtle or complicated topics, as long as they fit under the wider “fun” umbrella.” They will open from September 15th through October 15th for their February issue. The first week of submissions (Sept 15-21) is reserved for writers of color. They pay $0.03/word for stories up to 5,000 words. Their submission portal will open during the reading period. Details here.

Dragon Soul Press Anthologies
They’re reading submissions of 3,000-20,000 words for various anthologies in all genres. Some of their upcoming themes include (but are not limited to):
— A Winter in Love: “All Christmas-themed stories are welcome. All genres accepted.” Deadline 30 September 2026
— Next Door: “All love stories with a happily ever after. Childhood friends turned lovers or next door neighbor love interest stories preferred, but not required. All genres accepted.” Deadline 30 November 2026
— Across the Ages: “All stories involving time travel. Love knows no bounds as these characters stumble across people from other timelines and form close bonds. But everyone must return home in the end, even though it may not be forever (or is it). *Literature examples include: Outlander, A Wrinkle in Time, etc.” Deadline 31 December 2026
— Rivals and Desires: “All stories involving enemies to lovers will be accepted.” Deadline 28 February 2027
Dragon Soul Press pays royalty share for their anthologies. Details here and here.

Escape Artists: Cast of Wonders
This is a Young Adult speculative fiction podcast and online magazine from the Escape Artists suite of magazines. They also YA science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and “We’re happy to read comedy, steampunk, age-appropriate paranormal romance, superheroes and many other genres.” They have detailed guidelines. They are only accepting submissions from young authors (<20) till 31^st August 2026 (submit here), and will open for submissions from all writers from 15^th to 30^th September 2026, according to their schedule. Submission is via a portal. Details here.

Pulp Literature
“Because our title says “Pulp” Literature, some authors assume we want guns and blood. The pulp in our title refers to cheap pulp paper of dimestore novels and digests of the past. We want our magazine to include a balance of all genres, including fantasy, romance, mystery, literary, etc.” They accept stories from short fiction to novelette length and pay $0.02-$0.08/word for fiction, depending on story length. They also accept poetry. Watch for their next submission period. Submission is via a form. Details here. 

Pink Ochre
Their About page says, “Founded in February of 2026—the love month—Pink Ochre Magazine is a new online publication that aims to showcase works that delve into the aches and joys of love, however one might interpret the word. Pink Ochre Magazine is a collection of love-literature that celebrates and details an emotion that spans both the melancholy and the necessary. We want the lovey-dovey, the hesitant, the grieving, the life-consuming—anything that makes your heart glow.” They accept fiction (up to 1,260 words), nonfiction, and poetry. Submissions are open for the Fall ’26 volume, and the deadline is 15^th September 2026. “Volumes will be published quarterly as the seasons change.” Details here.

Flame Tree Anthologies
They are open for a few anthologies, including two romantic fantasy ones.

— Of Love Forbidden: “Supernatural lore forges together lands, courts and families. It is in place to tighten generations and is knitted together by legend and tradition. If mistreated, it threatens to unravel entire realms. Forbidden love is the trickiest of all, and these compelling stories will explore the heart’s desires set against the backdrop of complicated politics and societal expectations. Where alliances are everything, these flawed romances play out before fae, mortals and beasts. When the head and heart battle one another, one must seal their fate: either keeping peace and harmony or severing deep bonds that could threaten to tear apart worlds… all in the name of love.” (Deadline: 13^th September 2026 for Of Love Forbidden.)

— Of Fae & Fire (scroll down): “The world of fae is the perfect bewitching setting for matters of the heart. These mysterious beings can be trickster figures, ruthless and immortal, morally dubious or harmoniously good. They can take a range of forms, and we encourage originality and creativity in imagining how their magic unfolds. Drawing on ancient folklore or reflecting the modern world, we welcome stories that explore the politics and power surrounding fae courts, hidden forest realms, or other fantasy lands beyond human laws. Combined with fire, whether that’s through elemental magic, dragons, precious objects forged in flame, slow-burn romance or intense passion, we’re looking for stories turning up the heat with high stakes!” (Deadline: 13^th September 2026 for Of Fae & Fire.)
They pay $0.08/word for original stories of 2,000-4,000 words, and $0.06/word. The deadline for both romantasy anthologies is 13^th September 2026. Details here and here.
(Flame Tree is also open for Pandora and Icarus themed anthologies, as part of their Myths, Gods & Monster series; the deadline for these is 4^th October 2026.)

Exquisite Undead: An Anthology of Vampires
This is a fiction and poetry anthology. Regarding genre, “Horror, romance, fantasy, sci-fi, historical, a weird blend of everything—all are welcome”. And, “Introduce me to your favorite aspects of vampires, make me love and/or loathe your characters, use the concept of vampires to carry a metaphor or message that means something to you. Make it brilliant, queer, swoony, romantic, tragic; make it dark, gruesome, bloody, gritty, even kind of gross—make it whatever you want, and make it exquisite.” Stories can be flash length of up to 1,500 words, or longer of up to 7,000 words; they pay $30/flash or poetry, $65 for longer stories. The deadline is 1 September 2026; details here and here.

Mist Media: I Want to Know What Love Is – Stories of Romance Inspired by Power Ballads
They want romance fiction of 3,000-5,000 words based on power ballads (see guidelines) for this anthology. They do not want speculative fiction. Stories can take place anywhere from the 1970s through today, and don’t have to have a happily ever after (see guidelines). Do not use actual copyrighted work (song lyrics) in your story. And, “LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC characters and authors very, very strongly encouraged.” The deadline is 31^st October 2026. Details here. 

CommuterLit
Their About page says, “Our focus is on works of fiction or poetry that can be enjoyed during a 20- to 30-minute public-transit commute to work. And because we know your taste in reading material is varied and sophisticated, we plan to surprise you by selecting samples of not only literary fiction, but sci fi, fantasy, horror, mystery, thriller, romance and experimental combinations thereof.” According to their guidelines page, “CommuterLit.com is looking for short stories, memoir, novel excerpts and poetry (one poem or a series of poems), in any genre, with a word count of 500 to 4,000.” Submission is via Submittable. Details here.

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Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.