Special Issue

Is Your Manuscript Reader-Ready? Your Query Can Tell You!

By Julie Artz There’s a reason I advise my book coaching clients to write their query before they draft their full manuscript, and it’s not so that they’re ready to query agents or editors as soon as the first draft is done. A good query letter: And if you can do that, you likely have…

26 Literary Journals with Fast Response Times

It is good to start out by submitting your work to literary journals that have fast response times. It is rewarding to hear back from journals within a month, rather than a year later, when you have forgotten all about them. Submitting to journals with fast response times helps keep you motivated. All of these…

35 Themed Submissions Calls and Contests for July 2024

These are themed calls and contests for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the call themes are: seaside gothic; Halloween; black cats; false memories; madame, don’t forget your sword; mafia horror; mystery stories; cowboy up; demagogues; ghost stories; pirate horror; holidays as a parent.    THEMED CALLSSans. Press: The Garden AnthologyThey want fiction. “In the…

21 Terrific Small Presses Open to Direct Submissions

We review a lot of wonderful small presses here, and we also list even more here, here, and here (although some of these lists include large presses also). We also feature a lot of these presses in our biannually updated guide, which you can download here. This list doesn’t include all of our favorites, but…

45 Magazines Paying for Genre Fiction

Here are 45 presses and magazines paying for genre fiction – horror, science fiction, slipstream, fantasy, fairy tales, crime, and more. A couple of the presses run more than one magazine. A few also accept other genres, like poetry and nonfiction. Not all are open for submissions now, but many are, or have announced their…

25 Approachable Literary Journals

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…

32 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for June 2024

These are themed calls and contests for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the call themes are: red; monstrous; classic fairy tales; deadly Yellowstone; a brood of vampires; funny stories; and false memories.THEMED CALLS Mslexia: RedThey want work by women authors only. They accept fiction, poetry, nonfiction, fun stuff, as well as pitches for interviews…

35 Print Literary Journals that Publish Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

These literary magazines and journals publish fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in print. Most also publish some work online. Not all of them are open now, but many are. A few calls are themed. Some of the magazines pay writers. A Public SpaceThis magazine publishes fiction, nonfiction (including memoir and long-form cultural criticism), poetry, and translations….

30 Mystery Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions

  “Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. Theyread it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’tbuy anymore. The first page sells that book. The lastpage sells your next book.”MICKEY SPILLANE Mystery is one of those genres that over the years has managed to accumulate a huge number of…

9 Exciting New Literary Journals (May 2024)

In my experience, there are many reasons to seek publication in journals that have been around for less than a year. When a literary journal is new, the editors tend to be a lot more passionate. I have gotten handwritten thank you cards from editors of new publications, something that has never happened when my…

35 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for May 2024

These are themed calls and contests from 35 outlets for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; a few outlets have more than one call, and a few calls are for a limited demographic. Some call themes are: time travel; nightlife; food; tenacity; girlhood; howl (werewolves); bite; and strange mixology. THEMED CALLS Celestial Echo Press: Ruth’s and Ann’s…

How I Turned My First Short Story Acceptance Into Four More Publications

By Dannye Chase Three years ago, on a bright April day, I finally got up the courage to hit “send” on my first story submission, for Improbable Press’s Dark Cheer: Cryptids Emerging anthology. (Well, okay, technically I made my spouse hit “send” for me.) When the reply came, it took a moment for the word…

34 Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions of Speculative Fiction

Speculative fiction is generally defined as a genre of fiction where the setting is not in the world as we know it because of supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements Three genres are covered by this umbrella term: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. This term is used to cover work that doesn’t fit exactly in one…

55 Traditional Children’s Book Publishers Seeking Submissions (No Agent Required)

All of the publishers on this list publish children’s books. Some just publish picture books, some publish only middle-grade fiction, and some publish a wide variety of genres aimed at adults as well. Some are looking for educational work, others are open to anything. A number of these publishers are large and established. Others are…

45 Literary Journals Accepting Poetry

These literary magazines publish poetry of various kinds. Many of them also accept other genres, like fiction and nonfiction. Some journals pay writers, and a few of the calls are themed. Many, but not all, of them are open for submissions now. They are listed in no particular order. The National Poetry ReviewThe National Poetry…

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