Erica Verrillo's Blog, page 24

61 Writing Contests in December 2021 - No entry fees

Pixabay This December there are more than five dozen writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and short plays. Prizes range from a gold medal to $25,000. None charge entry fees. 

​Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck!

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Short Short Writing Contest 2022. Genre: Fiction, non fiction, memoir or poetry but it must contain the name of a continent, a horse's gait, the title or a lyric of a song from the 90's, a food you would want to eat for your last meal, the name of a gemstone, and a zodiac sign. Word Limit: 250 words.  Prize: Winners will choose either free tuition to the Get The Lead Out generative workshop online January 21 - 23, 2022, or discounted tuition to the Boulder Generative Workshop in-person, March 18-20, 2022 (does not include travel to/from the event or lodging). Deadline: December 1, 2021.


Tony Quagliano Poetry Fund, International Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to poets who have a published body of work over a period of years. Poems must be in English. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 1, 2021. (Biennial award)


Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing. Restrictions: Open to published writers who are writing from the region. Genres: All. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 1, 2021. 

The Association of Jewish Libraries Jewish Fiction Award. Genre: All works of fiction with significant Jewish thematic content written in English–novels, short story and flash fiction collections–by a single author published and available for purchase in the United States during 2021 are eligible for the 2022 award. Jewish thematic content means an extended grappling with Jewish themes throughout the book, including Judaism, Jewish history and culture, Jewish identity, etc. Prize: The award will include a $1,000 cash prize as well as support to attend the AJL conference to receive the award. Deadline: December 1, 2021. 

The David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction is offered annually to the best book in American historical fiction that is both excellent fiction and excellent history. Prize: $1,000.      Deadline: December 1, 2021.

The Bird in Your Hands Prize: a Contest that Centers and Celebrates BIPOC Voices. Restrictions: Open to BIPOC writers. Genre: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction in any form under 500 words. Prize: $1,000.  Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Poetry Center at Smith College Prize. Restrictions: Open to sophomore or junior high school girls in New England. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

The Pushcart Prize honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in small presses and literary magazines. Magazine and small press editors may nominate up to six works. Pushcart Press publishes yearly anthologies of the winning submissions. Prize: Publication. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Royal Institute of Philosophy Essay Prize. Topic: Essay on Self and Society. Prize: £2,500 top prize. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry. Restrictions: Open to African poets who have not yet published a collection of poetry. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1,000 and book publication through the University of Nebraska Press and Amalion Press in Senegal. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

The W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction. Genre: Military fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Polar Expressions Publications Competition. Restrictions: Open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Genre: Short Story. Prize: $300, $200, $100. Deadline: December 3, 2021.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 5, 2021. Opens December 3.

Invisible City Nonfiction Flash Contest 2021. Genre: Flash nonfiction, 750 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 5, 2021. 
J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award. Genre: Nonfiction book. Applicants for the award must already have a contract with a U.S.-based publisher to write a nonfiction book. Award: $25,000.  Deadline: December 9, 2021.

Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize is sponsored by the Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival. Genre: Non-fiction essay between 4 to 10 pages, set in Brooklyn about Brooklyn and/or Brooklyn people/characters. (Up to 2500 words). Prize: $500. Deadline: December 10, 2021.

Friends of American Writers. Restrictions: The author must be a resident (or previously have been a resident for approximately five years) of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin; or the locale of the book must be in a region identified above. The author must not have published more than three books under his/her own pen name. Genres: Books can be fiction or creative non-fiction and published in 2021. Self-published and e-Books are not eligible. Prize: $500 - $2000. Deadline: December 10, 2021.

Flo Gault Student Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Full-time undergraduate college students in Kentucky. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 11, 2021.  

Hefner Heitz Kansas Book Award in Poetry (Kansas Book Award). Restrictions: Author must establish a connection to Kansas by birth, education, employment, residence or other significant claim. Genre: Poetry book. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

sweettooth//HONEY Contest. Genre: Flash fiction, mini poetry. Prize: $40. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

elements&flour//LOAFOFBREAD Contest. Genre: Translations in Poetry. Prize: $200. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards. Restrictions: Open to residents of California. Genre: Book of poetry, fiction or nonfiction. Prize: Gold medal. Deadline: December 15, 2021.

Quantum Shorts Competition. Genre: Fiction stories, under 1,000 words, that are "clearly inspired by some aspect of quantum physics." For 2020, entries also must contain the phrase "It's a lot to think about." Prize: $1,500 and online publication. Deadline: December 16, 2021.

Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition. Restrictions: The Competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel (except that authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work) and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. Genre: Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: December 17, 2021.

Spark Award: Held by SCBWI , open to members of SCBWI who are self-published. Genres: Fiction and nonfiction. Prize: Envy. The SCBWI is our most prestigious national organization (US) for children's book and YA writers. Deadline: December 19, 2021.

International Young Theatre Playwriting Contest. Genre: Plays for young audiences (no plays for children or adult audiences, or musicals), written in any official European language Prize: €2,400 for Category A, €1,000 for Category B and other prizes. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Beatrice Medicine Award for Scholarship in American Indian Studies. Genre: Essay and/or book about Native American studies published in 2021. Prize: $250. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Secret Attic. Genre: Short story up to 1500 words. Prize: £20.00 Amazon Voucher. Deadline: December 20, 2021. 

Rider University Annual High School Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to high school students. Genres: Essays, poetry, fiction. Prizes: 1st-$100, 2nd-$50, 3rd-$25. Deadline: December 20, 2021.

Roswell Award for Short Science Fiction. Genre: Science fiction, 1500 words max. Prize: $500. Finalists have their stories read by celebrities in Hollywood. Deadline: December 21, 2021.

The Wallace Stegner Prize in Environmental Humanities. Genre: Monograph. "Manuscripts must emphasize interdisciplinary investigations of the natural and human environments and their fundamental interconnectedness, research in primary and secondary sources, and high quality writing in the tradition of Wallace Stegner. Preference will be given to projects that discuss issues related to the American West. We welcome book-length manuscripts that emphasize narrative form and draw on the humanities, as well as the particular methods and perspectives of history, geography, natural history, environmental science, creative nonfiction, or related disciplines to consider environmental subjects, broadly defined." Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 30, 2021.

VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Genre: First novel published in 2021. No self-published books.  Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 30, 2021.

Green Stories Writing Prize. Genre: Novel about building a sustainable society. Prize: £1000 for the winner and £500 for runner up, plus the following: Half price manuscript appraisal (worth £300-400) for top three entries by established literary consultancy Daniel Goldsmith. Deadline: December 30, 2021.

Story Unlikely Short Story Contest. Genre: Short story. Length: 2,250 words max. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Tratt Fiction Award. Restrictions: US-based writers. Genre: Debut short story manuscript – it must be the writer’s first collection of short fiction. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Drabble Harvest Contest. Genre: Drabble on theme of "Marcia's Murder Myteries." A "drabble" is defined as a short story containing exactly precisely no more and no fewer than 100 words. It has a title, which can be from 1 to 15 words-- but no more than 15. Prize: $5. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Ezra Jack Keats Children's Book Award. Genre: Published or self-published picture books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. Prize: $3,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Hooks Institute National Book Award. Genre: Nonfiction book that best furthers understanding of the American Civil Rights Movement and its legacy. Prize: $1000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognizes outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures. Awards are given for both fiction and nonfiction. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, Griffin Poetry Prize. Restrictions: One prize goes to a living Canadian poet or translator, the other to a living poet or translator from any country, which may include Canada. Genre: Poetry. Books must have been published in English during the calendar year preceding the year of the award. Prize: C$200,000, is awarded annually in two categories – International and Canadian. Each prize is worth C$65,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest. Genre: Speculative fiction prose, up to 17,000 words. Prize: $1,000 with $5,000 grand prize. Deadline: December 31, 2021. Read details HERE.

The Lyric College Poetry Contest. Restrictions: Open to undergraduates enrolled full time in an American or Canadian college or university. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to students enrolled in programs leading to the Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy degree. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300.  Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Neil Postman Award for Metaphor. Sponsored by Rattle. Genre: Poetry. All published submissions during the year are considered for the prize. Follow their regular submission guidelines. Prize: $2,000.  Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Four Quartets Prize. Genre: unified and complete sequence of poems published in America in a print or online journal, chapbook. Poems in the sequence may have been published in different journals provided that they were brought together and they form a complete sequence. Prize: Three finalists will receive $1,000 each. The winner will receive an additional $20,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award.  Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Cecil Hemley Memorial Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Lyric poem that addresses a philosophical or epistemological concern. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Lucille Medwick Memorial Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: Poetry, unpublished and published. Original poem in any form on a humanitarian theme. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Lyric Poetry Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter free of charge. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: A lyric poem on any subject. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: A poem inspired by Dickinson though not necessarily in her style. Prize: $250. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

George Bogin Memorial Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free. Others must pay a $10 - $15 entry fee. Genre: Poetry that takes a stand against oppression. Prize: $500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Robert H. Winner Memorial Award. Restrictions: Only Poetry Society of America members may enter for free. There is a charge of $10 - $15 for non-members. Open to mid-career poets who have not had substantial recognition, and is over forty, and who have published no more than one book. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $2,500. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Blue Mountain Arts Poetry Card Contest. Genre: Poem. Prize: $300. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Natan Notable Books Award. Genre: Recen­t­­ly pub­­lished or soon to be pub­lished nonfic­­tion book on Jew­ish themes. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Society of Classical Poets, Poetry Translation Competition. Genre: Metered translation of a poem from the Romantic period or earlier. Prize: $100. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

USNI General Prize Essay Contest. Restrictions: Authors must be USNI members or those eligible for membership. Genre: Essay "to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to national defense.” Prize: $6,000. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

The Caribbean Writer Prize. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays or one act plays which explore the ideas resonating within the region and its diaspora, written by a US or UK Virgin Islands resident accepted for publication by The Caribbean Writer during the deadline year. 2021 theme: "Disruption, Disguise and Illuminations.” Prize: $300. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Black Caucus of the American Library Association. BCALA presents four awards to an African American writer published in the United States during the previous year: one for adult fiction, one for nonfiction, one for a first novelist and one for poetry. These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora. Prize: Four $500.00 awards. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Lilith Magazine Fiction Competition. Genre: Story of interest to Jewish women. Prize: $250.  Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Center Field of Gravity Award. Genre: Science-fiction, fantasy, and horror short stories or long-form poems up to but not exceeding 17,000 words. Prize: $200. Deadline: December 31, 2021.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to "revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful." Genre: Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize: $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline: December 31, 2021. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

3 Distinctive Writing Conferences in December 2021

PxHere Because of the holidays, writing conferences are sparse in December. That doesn't mean there are none worth attending.

The New York Pitch Conference is well worth attending if you are ready to publish a book. This conference draws editors from all the major publishing houses, as well as agents who want to hear your pitch. If you write commercial fiction or nonfiction, this conference is a career starter.

For a month-by-month list of conferences throughout the year see: Writing Conferences. (You will also find links to resources that can help you find conferences in your area on that page.)


(Image credit: vincent desjardins: PxHere)

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New York Pitch Conference. Dec 2 - 5, 2021 (Live conference) December 16 - 19, 2021 ( Video Conference): NY, NY. The New York Pitch Conference and writers workshop is held four times a year and features publishing house editors from major houses such as Penguin, Random House, St. Martins, Harper Collins, Tor and Del Rey, Kensington Books and many more who are looking for new novels in a variety of genres, as well as narrative non-fiction. The event focuses on the art of the novel pitch as the best method not only for communicating your work, but for having you and your work taken seriously by industry professionals. 

The Mesa Book Festival. December 4, 2021, Mesa, Arizona. The festival features presentations, readings, visits with authors, and a poetry open mic. "Everyone! Authors, Publishers, and Book Sellers are invited to  register for space to showcase, promote, and sell their books. Readers are invited to come and buy their books direct. We're encouraging a wide variety of literary arts purveyors to share their work to create a bigger audience for everyone." All events are free and open to the public.

The Algonkian Writer Retreat and Novel Workshop. December 8 - 12, 2021: Algonkian Park, Virginia. "You can show us your manuscript, improve your skills, clear your head, have your work read by our writer mentors, whatever works for you, whatever helps you grow and discover your vision as a writer. You discuss with us ahead of time via the Algonkian Writer Retreat Application the goals you wish to accomplish, and we'll work with you to make it happen. Do you desire a review? A line edit? Do you wish to discuss the reality of the current fiction market, your novel project, plot and characters, or perhaps get feedback on the opening hook or a few sample chapters? Or would you simply like a relaxed and productive dialogue about your goals as a writer?"

Note: These Kaz Conferences have application deadlines from December 1 to December 4.

Kaz Conference Keep Writing Nonfiction and Memoir Cohort – JANUARY/FEB 2022 (5 weeks) meeting Wednesdays Jan 5 - Feb 2 from 2 to 4PM EST. Are you a nonfiction writer working on a memoir? For 5 weeks beginning 2022 just 6-8 writers will gather via ZOOM -- at each workshop two writers will workshop 10 to 16 pages of a work of creative nonfiction/memoir. Virtual workshop tuition: $375 for 5 weeks - includes at least two reviews of your writing samples from Donna Kaz and your cohort. 

4 Agents Seeking Literary Fiction, Autobiography/Memoir, Commercial Fiction, Feminist Fiction, Healing/Health, Historical, Humor

Jaclyn Gilbert Here are four agents actively seeking clients. Rebecca Rodd is seeking adult and adult-leaning YA literary fiction that centers people of color in all genres. In the non-fiction space, Rebecca is interested in millennial experiences and perspectives. She’s also interested in pop culture and social commentary, especially from underrepresented voices. Margaret Riley King wants Autobiography/Memoir, Commercial Fiction, Feminist, Fiction, Healing/Health, Historical, Humor, Literary Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Regional, Religious/Spiritual. Jaclyn Gilbert is looking to represent voice-driven, emotionally compelling literary fiction and upmarket nonfiction with an experimental bent. John Baker is looking for anything under the broad church of SFF as well as horror.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to two agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another.

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Ms. Jaclyn Gilbert of Cullen Stanley International

Jaclyn Gilbert began her career in 2007 as an assistant in online marketing and special sales at Workman Publishing. In 2011, she joined Janklow & Nesbit Associates' foreign rights team. She has taught writing at the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute, Curious on Hudson in Dobbs Ferry, and Pace University, as well as contributed to the Bread Loaf, Colgate, and Tin House Writers' Conferences. In 2018, Jaclyn joined Cullen Stanley International as a literary agent. She is passionate about working with writers to prepare their manuscripts for submission in the U.S. and abroad. 

What she is seeking: Jaclyn is looking to represent voice-driven, emotionally compelling literary fiction and upmarket nonfiction with an experimental bent.
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How to submit: See submission requirements HERE.


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Margaret Riley King of William Morris Endeavor

Margaret Riley King has been a literary agent at WME since 2007, where she began her career after graduating from Princeton University.

What she is seeking: Autobiography/Memoir, Commercial Fiction, Feminist, Fiction, Healing/Health, Historical, Humor, Literary Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Regional, Religious/Spiritual.

How to submit: Please send an e-mail to MRK@wmeagency.com with a query letter and the first three chapters.


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Ms. Rebecca Rodd of Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency


Rebecca received her Bachelor’s degree in English from (the illustrious) Spelman College and holds a Master’s degree in Library Science from CUNY Queens College. Before joining the agency, she was a Library Information Supervisor at Brooklyn Public Library. As a former Children’s Librarian, Rebecca still maintains a soft spot for picture books perfect for Storytime, that either make kids laugh or encourage literacy development, all while offering diverse representation. Today she still serves as an active member of the New York Black Librarians Caucus.

What she is seeking: Rebecca’s interests cover a wide range of genres, but most of all, she loves to read adult and adult-leaning YA literary fiction that centers people of color full of nuance and dimension. Whether she’s reading literary fiction, science fiction, magical realism, or suspense, she loves to get wrapped up in a story with thoughtful world-building, where the setting is just as significant to the book as the characters. And while she will always argue that “the book was better,” she is intrigued by stories she can imagine watching on the big screen, or preferably, or on the small screen from the comfort of her couch. In particular she wants:

- anything set on an HBCU campus
- all of the magical realism
- mythological retellings
- romance/love stories (deep and profound and HARD or light and feel good)
- all the millennial joy and adulting hardships
In the non-fiction space, Rebecca is interested in millennial experiences and perspectives. She’s also interested in pop culture and social commentary, especially from underrepresented voices.

How to submit: Use their form HERE.

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Mr. John Baker of Bell Lomax Moreton Agency (UK)

Alongside reading every book containing a jaded space captain, an in-over-his-head supernatural detective, or a past-their-prime mercenary crew on one last mission and all possible adventures in between, John has been building a small but unique list of authors, who all share a passion for subverting expectations and creating rich new worlds of adventure.

What he is seeking: John is looking for anything under the broad church of SFF, from literary to pulpy, high fantasy to gritty urban, but he would especially love to hear from anyone under-represented in the genre, particularly neurodiverse writers. John is also keen to grow his horror list, but definitely in the vein of psychological terror more than straight gore-fest

How to submit: See submission instructions HERE.

5 New Literary Agents Seeking Romance, Sci-fi, Horror, Nonfiction, Memoir, YA, MG, Fantasy and more

Saint Gibson
Here are five new agents actively expanding their client lists. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients. Emma Bal is actively looking for nonfiction and memoir. Clara Chuiton is seeking romance. Saint Gibson is interested in representing adult romance, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Becca Langton is looking for new stories in all shapes and sizes, from middle grade and graphic novel to teen and YA fiction. Naomi Eisenbeiss is interested in literary fiction, and narrative nonfiction.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to two agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another.
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You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Saint Gibson of Speilburg Literary Agency 


Saint Gibson was born in California and raised in the deep South before moving up to moody New England. Prior to joining Speilburg, she worked as an assistant acquisitions editor at Tantor Media and as a ghostwriter of contemporary romance novels. She holds a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing from The University of North Carolina at Asheville, and a master's degree in Theological Studies from Princeton Theological Seminary. She currently lives in Boston with her fiance and spoiled Persian cat, and spends her free time hunting for vintage clothes in thrift stores and reading tarot cards. Saint is also an author of romantic fantasy books. 

What she is seeking: Saint is interested in representing adult romance, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. In romance, she's most interested in representing queer and polyamorous love stories of all kinds, especially historicals that read like KJ Charles or Cat Sebastian, or high heat, high angst contemporary romances that feel like Sierra Simone or Tiffany Reisz books. She loves a hard-won HEA no matter the circumstances, and some of her favorite romance tropes include forbidden love, marriage in trouble, exes to lovers, and second chance romance. She's not a good fit for sports romances or secret babies.

Saint is also interested in representing select titles in religious and metaphysical nonfiction, particularly titles with a progressive bent or interfaith appeal. She's interested in memoirs of faith lost or found, accessible theology that engages with current events and pop culture, and stories of syncretism. 

How to submit: Use her query manager HERE. 

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Ms. Clara Chuiton of Olswanger Literary 

Clara Chuiton is a new agent at Olswanger Literary. "I am a big musical theater fan, so manuscripts with this element are bound to get my attention. I'm also a former gymnast, so send me your sport and competition romances!"

What she is seeking: "I love all categories of adult romance, with an emphasis on rom-coms and contemporary. I especially love storylines that focus on identity and non-traditional careers, and I am always looking for fresh twists on well-loved tropes (enemies-to-lovers, unlikable heroines, road trip novels…). I also love historical romances that take place in unusual settings and in rarely-written-about time periods. I'm also looking for science-fiction and horror novels, and manuscripts that blend the two genres. Stories set in space, stories that pose ethical dilemmas, and stories with strong intersectional feminist themes are very likely to interest me."

How to submit: Submit a query letter and the first three chapters of your manuscript here.
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Ms. Emma Bal of The Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency (UK)

After graduating from the University of Bristol with a Master’s in Classics, Emma Bal has spent several years championing authors as an award-winning publicist at Penguin and then as Head of Publicity at Bloomsbury. From debuts to high-profile, award-winning experts in their fields, she has launched and cultivated the careers of historians, poets, activists, polemicists, Nobel prize-winning economists, memoirists, journalists and novelists. Authors she has worked with include: Reni Eddo-Lodge, Peter Frankopan, Claudia Rankine, Pankaj Mishra, David Kynaston, Richard Thaler, and Patricia Lockwood. Emma has handled the campaigns for many Sunday Times bestsellers such as Three Women by Lisa Taddeo, Humankind by Rutger Bregman, The Establishment by Owen Jones, Happiness by Design by Paul Dolan, Mudlarking by Lara Maiklem and The Anarchy by William Dalrymple.

What she is seeking: Nonfiction. Emma is actively looking for new perspectives in history, arts & culture, politics, economics, philosophy, psychology, nature and science; unusual illustrated projects; dynamic cookery and food writing; and atypical narrative non-fiction and memoir.
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How to submit: Read submission guidelines HERE. 

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Ms. Becca Langton of Darley Anderson Literary (UK) 

Becca studied History at Cambridge and loved studying (and student life) so much that she went on to add a PGCE, a masters in Children’s literature and a second masters in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University to her CV. Whilst chasing that ‘back to school’ high, Becca has gained experience in almost every part of the publishing industry. She started out as an editorial assistant at Hot Key Books before joining the licensing world to work as a magazine editor and publishing manager for Moshi Monsters. After a spell developing original ideas for Pottermore she became a literary scout (the super sleuth of the publishing world) where she learned the importance of the foreign rights market. Becca joined Darley Anderson as a literary agent in October 2021 and is now building a list with a particular focus on the US market.

What she is seeking: Becca is looking for new stories in all shapes and sizes, from middle grade and graphic novel to teen and YA fiction. Becca reads widely but loves books with compelling voices, twists and brave new ideas. In YA she would love to see some Queer fantasy, rom-coms with plenty of ‘com’ and contemporary stories told from a new perspective. For younger readers she love/hates the books that make her cry and is on the search for characters that stay with her long after the final page. High-stakes adventure stories are welcome as are graphic novels and books that make you want to read just one more chapter…

How to submit: Use her form HERE.

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Ms. Naomi Eisenbeiss of InkWell Management 

Naomi Eisenbeiss graduated with a dual degree in Political Science from Sciences Po in Nancy, France and Freie University in Berlin, Germany. Prior to InkWell, she spent three years as Manager of the Shanghai International Literary Festival in China. She speaks English, Japanese, German and conversational French and Mandarin. 

What she is seeking: Her interests include literary fiction, and narrative nonfiction.

How to submit: Send your query to submissions [at] inkwellmanagement [dot] com. You may specify the name of the agent to whom you are submitting in the subject line of your query or address your query to the agency at large. In the body of your email, please include a query letter and a short writing sample (1-2 chapters). Emails with large attachments will be discarded.

75 Calls For Submissions in November 2021 - Paying Markets

Pixabay This November there are more than six dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays.

​I post calls for submissions on the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.

Happy submitting!

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The First Line. Genres: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: 
$25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 - $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

Ornithopter. Genre: Poetry chapbooks. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

Death in the Mouth. Restrictions: Open to BIPOC writers and other ethnically marginalized writers and artists from around the world. Genre: Horror. "We're looking for original manifestations of horror, dread, grief, fear, and anxiety. Embodiments of mania and displacements of faith. Harrowing ecstasy and debilitating hope. Consuming, relentless love. Transgressions of the body, the spirit, and the community. Quiet, creeping absurdities. Unique and terrifying alien mythology from the future. Weird and unsettling folklore from secondary worlds. Quiet contemporary techno-panic." Payment: 8 cents/word.  Deadline: November 1, 2021. Some reprints accepted.

Lethe Press. Genre: Speculative fiction, especially queer speculative fiction, historical fiction. Full-length manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

Thema: Get It Over With! Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: Get It Over With!  Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: November 1, 2021.  Accepts reprints.

Foglifter. Genres: Poetry, prose, cross-genre work. "Foglifter welcomes daring and thoughtful work by queer and trans writers in all forms, and we are especially interested in cross-genre, intersectional, marginal, and transgressive work." Payment: $25. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

ellipsis… literature & art. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, drama, and creative non-fiction. Payment: $3 per page. Deadline: November 1, 2021. (Only pays American writers.)

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Video Games. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

Future Fire: Noir. Genre: "We are looking for stories that combine themes or aesthetic from Noir fiction and cinema with the existing goals of TFF (progressive, feminist, queer, postcolonial, inclusive, accessible, ecological and international speculative and genre fiction)." Payment: $50.  Reprints $25. Deadline: November 1, 2021. Reprints accepted.

United Faedom. Genre: Cozy Romance. Theme: Young Adult/Clean Adult. Length: 8k-10k. Payment: $20. Deadline: November 1, 2021. Some reprints accepted.

United Faedom. Genre: Romantic Fantasy. Theme: Adult rated, mild erotica. Length: 8k-10k. Payment: $20. Deadline: November 1, 2021. Some reprints accepted.

Cardinal Rule Press Genre: Children’s picture books that empower children through meaningful stories for readers, age 4-11. They also publish non-fiction books for parents (word count up to 70k). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

The Century. Genre: First-person narratives (under 1,000 words) on Threshold. Payment: $100. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

The Iowa Review. Genres: Poetry, prose. Payment: $1.50/line for poetry and $0.08/word for prose. Deadline: November 1, 2021. Fee for online submissions. No fee for mailed submissions.
Ninth Letter. Genre: Poems and short fiction. "The theme for this issue is Return. As in, to return to a former place, person, or situation. Haven’t we been here before?" Payment: $25. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror. Poetry, short stories, flash fiction, essays. Theme is DEVOUT: Martyrs, Cults, and Mayhem. What do you find frightening about deeply religious people and social movements? What does feel like to be “possessed “ by a god or goddess? Payment: $10 - $25.  Deadline: November 1, 2021.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 6 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: November 2, 2021.

Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy tales, and essays on theme of “Healers, Midwives and Cunning Folk.” Payment: $100. US dollars only. Essays: $50. Deadline: November 3, 2021.

Scum. Genre: Feminist-friendly work of any variety, but as a general rule your piece should be under 2000 words (50 lines for poetry, max. 3 poems) and able to be classified as “fiction”, “culture”, “memoir”, “column”, “poetry”, and/or “review”. Payment: $60 AUD. Deadline: November 7, 2021. Opens to submissions on November 1.

Fantasy Magazine. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, poetry. Payment: 8 cents per word for original short stories and flash fiction. $40 per poem. Deadline: November 7, 2021. Opens to submissions on November 1.

Shooter. Genre: Stories, essays, memoir and poetry to do with enchantment and scheming, in any context. "Black magic, witchcraft and wizardry are the obvious subjects, but we welcome wider interpretations of the theme: anything to do with political manipulation, backroom dealings, romantic plotting, duplicitous gamesmanship, or charismatic trickery is sought." Payment: £25 per story and £5 per poem. Stories that fall below the requested minimum of 2,000 words will be paid at poetry rates. Artists will be paid £25 for use of their work as magazine illustration. Deadline: November 7, 2021.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction on Theme of PARTNERS & PREDATORS. Payment: $10 via PayPal for each story published in an Anthology. Deadline: November 7, 2021.

Haunted MTL. Genre: Horror. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: November 12, 2021. (Or until filled)

Bright Wall/Dark Room. Genre: Essay on theme: FUBAR."This December, we’re looking for essays on movies and TV series where everything’s FUBAR. Because, well, let’s admit it: Everything  is  FUBAR.” Payment: $100. Deadline: November 12, 2021.

Shoreline of Infinity. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy. Payment: £10/1000 words. Deadline: November 13, 2021.

Space Opera Digest 2021: Have Ship, Will Travel. Genre: Short space opera stories. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 14, 2021.

One Story. Genre: Short story. Length: 3,000 - 8,000 words. Payment: $500. Deadline: November 14, 2021.

Solarpunk Sunscapes: Optimistic Visions of the Future. Genre: Speculative fiction. "Solarpunk tells optimistic and hopeful stories about future societies (near-future or distant) powered by renewable energy, and where nature and technology coexist in harmony rather than in conflict." Payment: $.02 per word, $30 per poem + contributor copy. Deadline: November 14, 2021.

Dose of Dread. Genre: General horror flash fiction. Preference for dread-inducing stories. Length: 500 - 1,000 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children on theme of Show Me How. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Cults. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Lamplight. Genre: Dark fiction, both short stories and flash fiction. Payment: Unpublished Fiction: 3¢ per word, $150.00 max. Reprints: 1¢ per word up to 7,000 words. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Timber Ghost Press: Out of Time: True Paranormal Encounters. Genre: True ghost stories, unexplained occurrences, and weird encounters with the paranormal or supernatural. Payment: $20.  Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Songs of Eretz. Genre: Poetry, cover art on theme of Place. Payment: $5. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Speculative City. Restrictions: Open to writers who specifically identify as queer and BIPOC. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and essays that are centered within the cityscape. Payment: $20-$55. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Luna Station Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to women writers only. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $5. Deadline: November 15, 2021. Some reprints accepted.

Dark Peninsula Press: The Cellar Door. Genre: Horror/thriller stories that take place in or near the woods. "We're looking for slightly shorter stories this time around (2,000 to 5,000 words). Although everyone is welcome to submit, we have a special preference for women authors this time around." Payment: $25. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Griffith Review 76: Acts of Reckoning. Genre: Essays and creative non-fiction, reportage, fiction, poetry,  memoir and picture stories. "Acts of Reckoning is a wide-ranging discussion of the multifaceted issues at play in Australia’s fraught journey towards a full settlement with Indigenous peoples."  Payment: Negotiated. Deadline: November 18, 2021.

clavmag. Restrictions: Open to LGBTQ+ writers. Genre: Short fiction and life writing. "we created clavmag to fulfil our need to shout into the literary void, and as a platform for other people who feel the same way." Payment: £52. Deadline: November 18, 2021.

Mythulu Magazine: Steam vs Substance. Genre: Erotic/romance short stories. "How spicy can relationships get without taking clothes off? On the other hand, what gives erotica purpose? We are looking for three stories across the spectrum: One erotica piece with extraordinary depth. One "mass appeal" intensity romance containing clever taboos made approachable. One PG-level romance focused on love that transcends personal ownership." Payment: $0.06/word or $15/page. Non-fiction pays $0.08/word. Creative works earn $0.04/word, with short stories capped at $75. Deadline: November 19, 2021.

Chicken Soup for the Soul. Genre: True humorous stories. "Share your funny stories about something that happened to you in your life – in your relationship with a partner or spouse, a parent or child, a family member or friend, at work or at home – that made you and the people around you laugh out loud. Did you mean for it to be funny? Did the other person mean to make you laugh? Did a situation just get out of control? Did a misunderstanding turn into a comedy of errors?" Payment: $200. Deadline: November 20, 2021.

Claw & Blossom. Genre: Flash fiction and poetry about the natural world on theme of Glow. Payment: $25. Deadline: November 21, 2021. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fees.

Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary fiction. Payment: $80. Deadline: November 21, 2021.

The Periodical, Forlorn: Haunted Houses. Genre: Stories about spooky old houses and the creep-crawlies that float forlornly down back passageways, leave strange cold spots in libraries, and come out at night to terrify unsuspecting guests. Payment: $15. Deadline: November 21, 2021.

Story Seed Vault. Genre: Microfiction tweets based on science. Payment: Short Fiction (<150CH) $3AUD per story; Long Fiction (>150CH/<200CH) $2AUD per story. Deadline: November 24, 2021. Opens on the 10th.

Prairie Fire. Genre: Fiction, poetry, CNF on theme of Uncharted Territory. "Tell us about a time you (or a fictional character) either deliberately threw away the roadmap and set out on a new, uncharted course into the unfamiliar and unexpected, or a time when an external catalyst such as loss, illness, poverty, a social movement, a work of art, or a pandemic changed the way you think, or sent you in a new direction and changed the course of your life." Payment: Prose: $0.10 per word; Poetry: $40 per poem. Deadline: November 24, 2021.

Night Shift Radio. Genre: Fiction, non-fiction, memoir - 7,000-10,000 words. Payment: $50 or $25. Deadline: November 28, 2021. Opens November 21.

Kaleidotrope. Genre: 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.   Payment: For fiction, $0.01/word (1 cent a word) USD. For poetry, a flat rate of $5 USD per accepted piece. For artwork, a flat rat of $60 for cover art. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Crimeucopia. Genre: Crime Fiction. Payment: Reprints - To a Maximum of - £7.00 at present - but negotiable. New Material - 1,000 - 5,000 - up to £10 .00 at present. New Material - 6.000 - 10,000 - up to £20.00 at present. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

The Fuckening. Genre: Funny, speculative fiction short stories and poetry that embody The Fuckening. All stories must be science fiction, fantasy, horror, or a combination of the three. "These stories can be witty, goofy, dark, sarcastic…whatever, we don’t care, as long as they are speculative fiction and contain a reference to The Fuckening and maintain a general theme of fuckery (we mean this in the non-pornographic sense)." Payment: $10. Deadline: November 30, 2021.


Podcastle. Genre: Fantasy podcast. Length: Up to 6,000 words. Payment: $0.06/word for original; $100 for reprints, $20 for flash fiction reprints. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

Broken Sleep Books. Genre: Poetry pamphlets (up to 40 pages). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

Hiraeth Books: parABnormal Magazine. Genre: Stories, poetry, nonfiction about the paranormal.  Payment: $25 for fiction, $20 for articles, $7 for reviews, $6 per poem. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Cast of Wonders. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. Payment: $.08/word for original fiction of any length (yes, including flash!). For reprints, a $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

The New Southern Fugitives. Genre: Previously unpublished writing and art. Payment: $40 per book review, $40 per poem, $40 per photograph or piece of visual art, $15 per page for prose (min $45 and max $105) Deadline: November 30, 2021.

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $50 per author (via PayPal) for our web issues. Payment for print is $5 per page, minimum of $20, plus 2 contributor copies and a 1-year subscription. Deadline: November 30, 2021. Note: Submit early in the month.

Dark Recesses Press. Genre: Horror/dark fiction pieces between 500-5000 words. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: November 30, 2021. Note: Only pays for print magazine.

Ninth Letter. Genre: Prose and poetry. Payment: $25 per printed page, with a maximum payment of $150, as well as two complimentary copies of the issue in which the work appears. Deadline: November 30, 2021. 

Spartan. Genre: Literary prose, 1500 words max. Payment: $20. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

The Fiddlehead. Genre: Fiction, including excerpts from novels, creative nonfiction, art, and poetry. Payment: $60 CAD per published page. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Dragon Soul Press: Rogue Tales. Genre: Fairytale. "Fairytales will never be the same in this reverse harem anthology. All versions of bedtime stories, folklore, etc are welcome." Word Count – 5,000-15,000.  Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Dragon Soul Press: Everlast. Genre: Romance. "Romance can be difficult on its own, even before adding the complications of time travel to the equation. These couples find themselves from separate timelines in history, but cross paths due to unforeseen circumstances." Word Count – 5,000-20,000. Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Baltimore Review. Genre: Poetry; send up to three poems, fiction, creative nonfiction, videos (including poetry), and cross-genre work. Payment: $40. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Nimrod. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. Payment: $10 per page, with a $200 maximum. Deadline: November 30th, 2021. Fee to submit online; no fee for postal submissions.

Red Cape Anthologies: M is for Medical. Genre: Horror. "Think surgery gone wrong, sadistic nurses, organ trafficking, creepy doctors etc." Payment: £10. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Pirating Pups. Genre: Stories with adventure-loving dogs, puns, water and fun. "I’m looking for sailors, submariners, explorers, Vikings and more. Fun stories filled with excitement, drama, treasure-seeking, sword fights, discovering new worlds and dogs, dogs, dogs." Payment: $50 CAD. Deadline: November 30th, 2021. Opens October 1.

Abandon. Genre: Writing and artwork that has been created with abandon. Payment: $15. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Smoking Pen Press: Another Dimension. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme of time travel and multiverse/parallel universes. Payment: $20. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

The Gravity of the Thing: Stranged Writing. Genre: Defamiliarized writing. "The contents of the collection will be curated according to biological taxonomy (species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom, domain) using word count, and the final form of the collection will be a cloth hardcover with a screen-printed dust jacket from Prieto Screenprinting. Each dust jacket will fold into a unique literary organism or book sculpture, the goal being a dimensional and tactile reading experience during these largely digital times." Payment: $5 - $25. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Bluestem. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction. Payment: $20/poem and $75/prose piece. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Dark Void. Genre: Science fiction horror. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: November 30th, 2021.

Crannóg. Genres: Poetry, short stories. Payment: €50 per story, €30 per poem. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

Gateway Literary Press. Genre: Surrealist, fabulist, and magic realist story collections. US authors only. Payment: Small advance plus royalties. Deadline: November 30, 2021. Submit early in the month.

Salt Publishing. Genre: Fiction (novels and short stories), narrative non-fiction, poetry. “We particularly welcome submissions from women, BAME, disabled, working class and LGBTQ+ writers.” Payment: Royalties. (No information on site.) Deadline: November 30, 2021.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry on theme of Charm. Payment: $30. Deadline: November 30, 2021. Opens November 15.

Strange Horizons Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: 10¢/word USD. Deadline: November 30, 2021. 



And a few more...

Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Genre: Short stories and poetry. See themes. Payment: 20.00 USD for featured authors, or $10.00 USD for stories published on their &More page and $5.00 USD for poems. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Abbey Review. Genre: Short stories, poems, and screenplays. Payment: $30 per short story, poem, and screenplay, and the best piece of writing gets paid an additional $70, for a total of $100. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Archive of the Odd. Genre: Speculative fiction, horror preferred. “Archive of the Odd is a zine of uncanny occurrences, told in even stranger ways.” They’d like a variety of time periods. Stories can be in any format, except traditional prose. Some of the suggested formats are: academic papers; technical writing; medication warning sheets; sales papers; newspaper articles; recipes; knitting/crochet/weaving/what-have-you guides; care guides (plant, animal, rock garden, etc); or any other unusual format. Submissions do not have to be entirely in text. Payment: $15-25 for fiction of 500-5,000+ words. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

The Antihumanist. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, art - all genres. "We seek to publish the most challenging and thought provoking flash fiction and essays. We believe only by confronting the bare bones of reality we understand our place in the world." Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 1, 2021. See themes.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Surgery. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

United Faedom. Genre: LGBTQ+ Romance. Theme: Adult, mild erotica if desired. Length: 8k-10k. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 1, 2021. Some reprints accepted.

Scary Dairy Press: Bloody Rock Anthology. Genre: Horror. "Does the rock of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s take you back to the nightmares of yore? If you can brew a scary tale that Alice Cooper and the Dead would love, we just might love it too!" Payment: $.03 per word. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction about Night. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 1, 2021.


Sundog Lit. Genre: Poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

35 Writing Contests in November - no entry fees

Pixabay This November there are nearly three dozen contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and short plays. Prizes range from $50,000 to a scholarship. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month's contests go to Free Contests. Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline is past, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 

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​Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Restrictions: Open to citizens of the British Commonwealth. Genre: Unpublished short fiction (2,000-5,000 words) in English. Short stories translated into English from other languages are also eligible. Prize: Regional winners receive £2,500 (US$3,835) and the overall winner will receive £5,000 (US$7,670). Deadline: November 1, 2021.


Emma Lazarus Poetry Contest is hosted by the American Jewish Historical Society. Genre: Poem. “Just as Emma responded to the issues of her time by writing a poem that addressed American identity, we invite you to write your own poem that speaks to your vision of America.” Prize: $1,000 in each category (including “Collegiate/Emerging Adult Poet”). Deadline: November 1, 2021.

Defenestrationism.net. Genre: Flash fiction Suite: at least three flash fiction works that correlate, and build to something greater. Prize: $75. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grants Program for Unpublished Writers. Restrictions: Writers must not have published a book, short story, or dramatic work in the mystery field, either in print, electronic, or audio form. Genre: Mystery stories of the Agatha Christie type—i.e., “traditional mysteries.” These works usually feature no excessive gore, gratuitous violence, or explicit sex. Prize: Each grant may be used to offset registration, travel, or other expenses related to attendance at a writers' conference or workshop within a year of the date of the award. In the case of nonfiction, the grant may be used to offset research expenses. Each grant currently includes a $1,500 award plus a comprehensive registration for the following year's convention and two nights' lodging at the convention hotel, but does not include travel to the convention or meals. Deadline: November 1, 2021. 

Gotham Book Prize. Genre: Book. "The Gotham Book Prize is awarded once a year to the best book (works of fiction and nonfiction are eligible) published that calendar year that either is about New York City or takes place in New York City." Prize: $50,000. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

Brunel International African Poetry Prize. Restrictions: The Prize is open to poets who were born in Africa, or who are nationals of an African country, or whose parents are African. It is for ten poems exactly in order to encourage serious poets. These poems may, however, have already been published. Only poets who have not yet had a full-length poetry book published are eligible. Poets who have self-published poetry books or had chapbooks and pamphlets published are allowed to submit for this prize. Genre: Poetry. Prize: £3000. Deadline: November 1, 2021.


Start a Riot! Chapbook Prize. Restrictions: Submitter is a QTBIPOC+ literary artist AND is a current resident of the larger San Francisco Bay Area AND does not have a previous full-length publication in their submission genre. Genre: Prose - Fiction, Nonfiction, Graphic Novel, Hybrid, Cross-Genre. Prize: $1000. Deadline: November 1, 2021.

Women's Prize for Fiction. Genre: Full-length novels (no short story collections or novellas) by women, first published in the UK. Prize: 30,000 pounds. Deadline: November 8, 2021.

Dylan Thomas Prize. Restrictions: Authors must be aged 39 or under. Eligible books must have been commercially published for the first time in the English language between January 1 and December 31 of the year in which the deadline falls. Genre: Published books of poetry, fiction (novel, novella, or short story collection), radio scripts, or screenplays. Prize: 30,000 pounds, plus 1,000 pounds for shortlisted authors. Deadline: November 8, 2021.


So to Speak. Restrictions: No fee for Black and Indigenous Writers only. Genre: Visual art, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Prize: $500 and publication. Deadline: November 14, 2021.

Weird Christmas Flash Contest. Genre: Weird flash fiction. 350 words max. Prize: $50 first prize, $25 second prize. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Quarterly West.  Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: $500. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize. Restrictions: Open to US poets for previously unpublished poems of any length that "help make real for readers the gravity of the vulnerable state of our environment at present." Genre: Poetry. Prize: Up to $1,000. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Bronx Council on the Arts Community Engagement Grants. Restrictions: Open to residents of Bronx County. Genre: All art forms, including writing. Grant: $1000 - $5000. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: PEN America will only accept submissions from editors of eligible publications. Authors may not submit their own short story for this award. Genre: First published short story. Prize: $2000 and publication in The PEN America Best Debut Short Stories. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship. Genre: Nonfiction book in progress. The project should address the history and/or legacy – broadly defined – of the American Revolution and the nation’s founding ideas. It might focus on the founding era itself, or on the myriad ways the questions that preoccupied the nation’s founders have shaped America’s later history. Fellowship amount: $45,000 stipend, health benefits, faculty privileges, a book allowance, and a nine-month residency (during the academic year) in historic Chestertown, MD. Deadline: November 15, 2021.


New York Encounter Poetry Contest. Genre: Poetry on the theme "This Urge for the Truth." Prize:  Cash prizes of $300, $200 and $100 will be awarded to first, second and third place poems.  Deadline: November 15, 2021.


Stowe Prize. Restrictions: US authors only. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction or body of work that "makes a tangible impact on a social justice issue critical to contemporary society." Prize: $10,000. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

Donald Murray Prize for Creative Nonfiction. Genre: Original, unpublished works of creative nonfiction with a preference for essays on writing, teaching, and teaching writing, but will consider quality entries on any subject, including topics related to social justice, civic action, and inequality. Prize: $300 in the form of an AMEX gift card and publication in the Spring 2018 issue of Writing on the Edge. All entries will be considered for publication in the journal. Length: 8,000 words maximum (2500–4500 preferred) Deadline: November 15, 2021.


Apex Magazine: Holiday Horrors. Genre: Horror. "Your story must feature the holiday horrors theme and be filled with frights." 250 words max. Prize: $25 and publication. Deadline: November 15, 2021.

One Teen Story. Restrictions: Open to writers age 13 -19. Genre: Short story between 2,000 to 4,500 words. Prize: $500 upon publication and 25 copies of the magazine. Deadline: November 19, 2021.

Arts & Letters Awards. Restrictions: Open to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Genres: poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, dramatic script, art, music, and French language. Entries must be unpublished and completed during the previous 12 months. Prizes: C$1,000 and C$250. Deadline: November 19, 2021.


Polar Expressions Publications Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300, $200, $100. Deadline: November 26, 2021.

Better Than Starbucks. Genre: Metrical poetry. Your sonnet can be shakespearean, petrarchan, spenserian, rhymed, or slant-rhymed. Blank verse is fine, as long as the sonnet form is clearly identifiable. They'll consider tetrameter, hexameter, etc. as well as pentameter. Prize: $100.  Deadline: November 30, 2021. Previously published work accepted.

Paul Torday Memorial Prize. Restrictions: Authors must be over 60. Genre: First published novel. The novel must have been first published in the UK and Republic of Ireland between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

Servicescape. Genre: Short story or nonfiction up to 5,000 words. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

Betty Trask Prize. Restrictions: Author must be a Commonwealth citizen. Genre: First novels, published or unpublished, written by authors under the age of 35 in a "traditional or romantic, but not experimental, style." Prize: Awards totaling 20,000 pounds. Top prize 10,000 pounds. The prize money must be used for foreign travel. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers. Restrictions: Open to writers aged 16-18. Genre: Poem. Prize: Full scholarship to The Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop, an intensive two-week summer seminar for writers aged 16-18. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

Somerset Maugham Awards. Restrictions: Open to UK writers under the age of 35. Genre: Published work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry. Prize: 2,500 pounds apiece to four winners. Prize money must be used for travel. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

UNT Rilke Prize. Restrictions: US citizens or residents. Open to authors with at least two prior published books of poetry. Genre: Book of poetry published between November 2020 and October 2021. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

AVBOB Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to any citizen of South Africa. Genre: Poetry. Prize: R10,000. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

J. F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction. Genre: Short fiction. Prize: $500. Deadline: November 30, 2021. 

Renee Duke Youth Poetry Award. Restrictions: Open to young poets age 17 and under. Genre: Poem relating to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Prize: $100. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

Anita McAndrews Poetry Award. Genre: Poetry on theme of human rights. Familiarity with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is recommended. Prize: First prize $200, Second prize $50. Deadline: November 30, 2021. 

Storytwigs micro-writing competition. Restrictions: Open to citizens/residents of United States or Canada. You must be 18 years or older to enter. Genre: Short prose 100 words or fewer on prompt of String. Prize: From $10 to $100. Deadline: November 30, 2021.

17 Noteworthy Writing Conferences in November 2021

Pixabay This November there are more than a dozen noteworthy writing conferences. You can attend workshops, presentations, readings, discussions, lectures, and critiques via Zoom. Some are also offering workshops in person. 



Conferences are not only the best way to meet agents, get tips from other writers, and learn about the publishing industry, they make you feel like a writer.

Plan ahead! Conferences often offer scholarships, but these have deadlines and most close early. If one of these conferences interests you, put the deadline date on your calendar for next year.

For a full list of conferences, organized by month, see Writing Conferences. While nearly all of those are in the United States, you can find links on that page that will take you to world-wide conference lists.


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Fall Nonfiction Writers Conference. November 4 - 5, 2021. ONLINE EVENT. Online conference devoted to writing, publishing and promoting non-fiction books. Participation is live via phone or Skype, and recordings can be downloaded. Features 15 speakers over three days. Private Facebook group for attendees!

Atlanta Writers Conference. November 5 - 6, 2021: Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE: You must be a 2021 Atlanta Writers Club (AWC) member to participate in the conference (i.e., your dues need to be current through November 6, 2021). The conference features online craft and marketing workshops, editing consultations via e-mail, and in-person pitch sessions and manuscript and query letter critiques for fiction writers, nonfiction writers, and graphic novelists. Participating publishing professionals have included editors Nettie Finn (St. Martin’s Press), Nate Lanman (William Morrow/HarperCollins), Erin McClary (Sourcebooks), Chayenne Skeete (Penguin Random House), Haley Swanson (HarperCollins), and Alicia Tan (HarperCollins), and agents Lisa Abellera (Kimberley Cameron & Associates), Lauren Bieker (FinePrint Literary Management), Savannah Brooks (Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency), Penelope Burns (Gelfman Schneider/ICM), Brenna English-Loeb (Transatlantic Agency), Ronald Gerber (Lowenstein Associates), Jennifer Grimaldi (Chalberg & Sussman), Kaitlyn Johnson (Belcastro Literary Agency), Maria Napolitano (Bookcase Literary Agency), and Samantha Wekstein (Thompson Literary Agency). The cost of a single session ranges from $75 to $190; the cost of the All-Activities Package, which includes two manuscript critiques, one query letter critique, two pitch sessions, two workshops, and an optional preconference manuscript edit, is $650. Writers who are not members of the Atlanta Writers Club must purchase a yearlong membership for an additional $50 in order to register. Will be held online and in person.

Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference. November 6, 2021: Clark, NJ. "We are so excited about what promises to be a very special, educational, and entertaining 11th Anniversary Conference. In addition to our wonderful and diverse keynote speakers, we have a number of editors and agents who will be attending to take pitches as well as some awesome writer and reader workshops!" 

Sanibel Island Writers Conference. November 6, 2021: Sanibel Island, Florida. Participants at all stages of development — from notebook scribblers to published novelists — are invited to view a variety of discussions and panels on fiction, poetry, songwriting, YA literature, screenwriting, creative nonfiction, and publishing and editing. No registration is required for this year's conference, as it is free and open to the public.

Rally of Writers Conference. November 6, 2021: Lansing, Michigan. Michigan authors and educators in 15 breakout sessions and workshops on all aspects of writing, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, the Nuts & Bolts of manuscript submissions, and more. 

TALES OF THE TRADE: Story Telling Class for Hospitality Workers. November 9, 16, and 23, 10 am – noon. "We’ll start by sharing and recording experiences. Learn fundamental skills/tools to shape those experiences into a narrative or performance. The desire to be heard is often met with resistance from gatekeeping about the tools to speak. Let’s smash down that gate! By the end of the three-week program, each participant will have a small script — play, short film, performance art, etc. — developed from their own history and emotions. Everyone will leave with what they need to keep pushing forward into more creative expression." This program is offered free to anyone currently employed or furloughed from a job in a restaurant, bar, coffee house, etc. While free, registration is required.

American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) Conference. November 11 - 13, 2021: Tucson, AZ. Panels, workshops, readings, a book fair, and opportunities to meet with editors for translators. "The ALTA Annual Conference is a refreshingly collegial gathering of amateurs and professionals alike, both within the profession and outside it, all wholeheartedly committed to fostering, furthering, and supporting the practice of literary translation." Will be held in person.

2021 Kauai Writers Festival. November 11 – 14, 2021, Master class November 8 - 11, 2021:  Kalapaki Bay, Lihue, Kauai, HI. Join bestselling authors and agents in an intimate, oceanfront setting, with an emphasis on fiction, memoir, thrillers, and screenwriting. Includes in-depth sessions on craft, publishing, and the writing life, with opportunities for agent/editor feedback. 

Writing By Writers Manuscript Boot Camp. November 11 - 14, 2021: Tahoe City, CA. The Writing By Writers Manuscript Boot Camp is for the writer who has a full book-length manuscript (novel, memoir or short story collection) and would like to engage with a small group for a serious and productive response. The long weekend will include an intimate full manuscript workshop, craft talks, readings, an agent panel and individual agent meetings – the perfect pre-publication boot camp for any manuscript. Classes are limited to 5 participants.Tuition includes one three-day workshop, admittance to all craft talks, panels and readings, a one-on-one with an agent, all meals (dinner on Friday; three meals Saturday and Sunday; breakfast, and lunch on Sunday) and lodging in a single room for three nights. Vegetarian meals are available upon request.

Colrain Classic. November 11 - 15, 2021: Arlington, Vermont. "The Colrain Manuscript Classic is a highly focused, 3.5 day conference designed for poets with manuscripts in progress. The Classic features in-depth pre-conference work and candid, realistic evaluation and feedback from nationally-known poets, editors and publishers. In preparation, participants work at home on pre-conference assignments and then, in the workshop, review, arrange, and winnow their work based on the pre-conference work. In addition to the manuscript preparation workshop and editor sessions, there will be an editorial Q&A, and an after-conference strategy session." Will be conducted online.

North Carolina Writing Day Workshop. November 13, 2021. Online. A full-day “How to Get Published” event. "This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more."

Red Clay Writers Conference. November 13 - 14, 2021: Kennesaw GA. Red Clay Writers Conference is the annual conference of Georgia Writers Association. Red Clay has been hosted since 2009 to encourage and inspire writers through literary events that focus on the art and craft of writing. Will be held online.

Autumn Writing Getaway. November 13 - 20, 2021: Galloway, NJ. "Our retreats are centered on the belief that when writers leave behind the distractions of their busy lives to gather in an encouraging community, they are able to make important breakthroughs in their writing. Each workshop will meet for 6 hours and will offer craft discussion, writing prompts, writing time, sharing and inspiration." Held in person and online.

Breakout Novel Intensive 2.0. November 15 - 21, 2021: Hood River, OR. Included are new or revised units on story discovery, strong voice, standout characters, the inner journey, compelling story worlds, beautiful writing, creating resonance and finding meaning in both story and process. Breakout fundamentals are also covered: strong characters, inner conflict, personal stakes, plot layers, powerful scenes, micro-tension, practical theme techniques and much more. Instructor: Donald Maass. Will be held online.

Romance Writers of America. November 18 - 20, 2021: Nashville, TN. The RWA Conference is the place where career-focused romance writers meet, mingle, and get down to the business of being an author. Conference highlights include the “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing; the Keynote speech; hearing from great speakers; book signings; and the Awards Ceremony. At the conference, career-focused romance writers can anticipate: education and information, networking with fellow writers, interaction with editors, agents, publishers, booksellers, and other romance publishing industry professionals. Will be held online.

North Carolina Writers’ Network Writingest State Online Conference. November 19 -21, 2021: Durham, NC. The WSOC will feature classes and conversations on the craft and business of writing, as well as a keynote address by North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green, a Pre-Conference Tailgate and a Prompt Party to get creative juices flowing, online Open Mic readings and Happy Hour virtual gatherings, and an Agents & Editors panel discussion. Will be held online.

The Joshua Tree Experiential Arts and Writing Retreat. November 19 -21, 2021: Twentynine Palms, CA. Faculty: Sean Negus, Ariel Fintushel, Matthew Sherling, Nicelle Davis. "This retreat experiments with various experiential approaches to art and writing.  Retreat participants are encouraged to remain open to possibilities of improvisation, free play, rhizomatic experimentation, and pragmatic adjustments of the schedule throughout the retreat. Vaccines Required." Cost: Sliding scale/pay what you can $75-$400.

14 New Literary Magazines Accepting Submissions NOW - Paying Markets

New literary magazines are a boon for up-and-coming writers. They are staffed by motivated editors, eager for material to launch their new ventures.

Here are more than a dozen literary journals that opened in 2021. All of them pay writers, and none charge submission fees. They want every genre and style, from poetry, to fiction, to personal essays, to hybrid forms. The sky's the limit!


Remember, every established magazine - even the most august - had its first isssue.

Happy submitting!
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Abbey Review. Genre: Short stories, poems, and screenplays. Payment: $30 per short story, poem, and screenplay, and the best piece of writing gets paid an additional $70, for a total of $100. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
The Antihumanist. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, art - all genres. "We seek to publish the most challenging and thought provoking flash fiction and essays. We believe only by confronting the bare bones of reality we understand our place in the world." Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Archive of the Odd. Genre: Speculative fiction, horror preferred. “Archive of the Odd is a zine of uncanny occurrences, told in even stranger ways.” Stories can be set in a variety of time periods, and written in any format, except traditional prose. Some of the suggested formats are: academic papers; technical writing; medication warning sheets; sales papers; newspaper articles; recipes; knitting/crochet/weaving/what-have-you guides; care guides (plant, animal, rock garden, etc); or any other unusual format. Submissions do not have to be entirely in text. Payment: $15-25 for fiction of 500-5,000+ words. Deadline: December 1, 2021.

Alphabet Box. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, up to 900 words. Writers can send more than one submission, as long as the total does not exceed 900 words. Payment: $20.


The Deadlands. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, and nonfiction about death. They publish work “about the other realms, of the ends we face here, and the beginnings we find elsewhere.” Payment: $0.10/word for fiction (up to 5,000 words), $50/poem (any length), and $100/nonfiction piece (any length). Reprints accepted.

Flash Frog is a new online flash fiction magazine featuring stories under 1,000 words. "We like our stories like we like our dart frogs: small, brightly colored, and deadly to the touch." Payment: $25.


khōréō. Restrictions: Open to writers who identify as an immigrant or member of a diaspora in the broadest definitions of the terms. "This includes, but is not limited to, first- and second-generation immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persons who identify with one or more diaspora communities, persons who have been displaced or whose heritage has been erased due to colonialism/imperialism, transnational/transracial adoptees, and anyone whose heritage and history includes ‘here and elsewhere’. We especially encourage BIPOC creators who identify as the above to submit their work." Genre: Stories, essays, and art: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and any genre in between or around it, as long as there’s a speculative element. Payment: 0.08/word for fiction, $100 for nonfiction, and  $40-300 for art. Deadline: October 31, 2021.


Lost Colony Magazine. Lost Colony Magazine publishes one mid-length (10,000-25,000 words) story of speculative fiction (science fiction and fantasy in all of their manifestations) every quarter. Payment: $50.

Sepia Quarterly. Genre: Literary fiction and creative nonfiction between 100 and 5,000 words as well as poetry and art. "Sepia Quarterly seeks writing that makes us feel hazy, golden, sepia-toned. We want deep drifting emotions: nostalgia, maudlin, melancholy, morose, sentimentality etc." Payment: $25.

Synthetic Reality. Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, SHTF, Slipstream, Horror, Sword and Sorcery and surreal fiction. "A limited print-run and online magazine dedicated to unpublished authors." Payment: 1 cent/word.

Tales From Between. Genre: Horror flash fiction. Payment: $20. Deadline: October 22, 2021.

Uncharted Genre: Crime, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and thriller short stories. "We want stories that richly imagine the future of technology and science, that explore our world through a speculative lens. We want stories of fantasy that make us hunger for new worlds, new biomes, new places we can explore through thrilling sensual details and human empathy. We want stories that thrill us, that make us feel alive, that awaken our desires to explore and go on adventures." Payment: $200.

The Vanishing Point. Genre: Speculative fiction and nonfiction up to 6,000 words. Payment: $25. 

Welkin. Genre: Magical realist, fabulist, fairy tale, fantasy, gothic, metafictional, slipstream, fantastic, weird, surrealist, and experimental genres. Payment: 1cent/word. Deadline: October 31st, 2021.

4 Agents Seeking Thrillers, Speculative Fiction, Nonfiction, Kidlit, Commercial Fiction, Memoir, and more

​Here are four agents actively seeking writers. Alex Reubert wants fiction that includes debuts, stories of love, family epics, and coming-of-age, at any age. He loves world literature and wants to see more books published in the U.S. that are not set in the U.S. He is eager to read and represent voices that have been historically de-centered. Thrillers and speculative stories that skew literary are welcome, as is any narrator looking back and trying to make sense of their life. Tia Ikemoto is looking for middle grade, young adult, adult fiction and select nonfiction that speaks to a wide audience, upmarket & book club fiction, psychological and literary thrillers, women's fiction, updated rom coms, blockbuster or high concept commercial fiction, and historical fiction that takes us somewhere else or teaches us something new. Nonfiction: Pop culture, narrative nonfiction, journalism, of-the-moment essay collections, and the occasional experience-driven memoir. 

Mariah Stovall is actively seeking writers with strong voices and intersectional and interdisciplinary perspectives. She works on adult literary and upmarket fiction, narrative nonfiction, essay collections and memoir. She’s most passionate about music, mental health/illness, Black America, linguistics, histories of objects and ideas, pop science, and deep dives into subcultures and social movements. Natalie Edwards is seeking commercial, upmarket, and literary titles both contemporary and historical: stories of queerness and diaspora, hidden histories, workplace satires/sendups of #girlbosses, and anything that offers biting social commentary and disrupts conventional wisdom.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to two agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another.

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

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Mr. Alex Reubert of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

Alex joined the scouting department of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates at the start of 2019. Prior to the agency, he worked as a bookseller at WORD Bookstores and interned with New Directions and W.W. Norton & Company. Originally from Georgia, he lives in Brooklyn where he enjoys walking through parks and going to delis. 

What he is seeking: Fiction that includes debuts, stories of love, family epics, and coming-of-age, at any age. He loves world literature and wants to see more books published in the U.S. that are not set in the U.S. He is eager to read and represent voices that have been historically de-centered. Thrillers and speculative stories that skew literary are welcome, as is any narrator looking back and trying to make sense of their life. 

For nonfiction, he’s interested in memoir, psychology, narrative, philosophy, literary studies, art history, pop science, and cultural studies. The memoirs might be playful in the way they arrange time, the essays written in an undeniable voice. He's also seeking poets and musicians that have ventured into prose.
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How to submit: Query Alex at areubert@sjga.com with “QUERY: Project Title” as the subject line. In the body of your email, please include a brief letter and the first 10 pages of your project. If he is interested in reading further, he will be in touch within 4-6 weeks. Alex is sorry that he cannot respond to each query, but appreciates every writer that reaches out and trusts him to be a reader of their work.
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Ms. Tia Ikemoto of ICM Partners

Literary Assistant at ICM Partners. Originally from the Bay Area, she graduated from UC San Diego, and joined ICM in 2019. 

What she is seeking: Middle grade, young adult, adult fiction and select nonfiction that speaks to a wide audience, upmarket & book club fiction, psychological and literary thrillers, women's fiction, updated rom coms, blockbuster or high concept commercial fiction, and historical fiction that takes us somewhere else or teaches us something new. Nonfiction: Pop culture, narrative nonfiction, journalism, of-the-moment essay collections, and the occasional experience-driven memoir.

How to submit: Submissions should be emailed to tia.ikemoto@icmpartners.com
Please email your query and first 10 pages of the manuscript pasted into the body of the email.

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Mariah Stovall of Trellis Literary Management

Mariah Stovall joined Trellis Literary Management after agenting at Howland Literary and Writers House. Prior to that, she worked on the other side of things, at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and at Gallery Books. Mariah is a graduate of Pitzer College, of the Claremont Colleges, where she studied English and World Literature with a minor in Linguistics. She volunteers for VIDA: Women in the Literary Arts. She has written fiction and nonfiction for Ninth Letter, Hobart, Joyland, The Paris Review, Poets & Writers, Literary Hub and more.

What she is seeking: She is actively seeking writers with strong voices and intersectional and interdisciplinary perspectives. She works on adult literary and upmarket fiction, narrative nonfiction, essay collections and memoir. She’s most passionate about music, mental health/illness, Black America, linguistics, histories of objects and ideas, pop science, and deep dives into subcultures and social movements, but great writing can get her interested in any topic.

How to submit: Use their form HERE.

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Natalie Edwards of Trellis Literary

Natalie Edwards joined Trellis Literary after nearly two years at Janklow & Nesbit Associates. Prior to that, she worked at Curtis Brown, Ltd. At Trellis, Natalie supports Allison Hunter and Michelle Brower, while actively building a list of her own. Natalie grew up in Pasadena, California and attended Bowdoin College, where she earned her BA in English with a minor in History and played four years of varsity softball. She lives in Brooklyn and still plays on several softball teams in the city.

What she is seeking: In terms of fiction, she is seeking commercial, upmarket, and literary titles both contemporary and historical: stories of queerness and diaspora (i.e., Patsy), hidden histories, workplace satires/sendups of #girlbosses, and anything that offers biting social commentary and disrupts conventional wisdom. She is particularly drawn to accessible voices with a literary sensibility, in the vein of Ann Patchett and Zadie Smith, especially when they let her in on a subculture or historical truth she's never encountered before. She also enjoys contemporary retellings of classic works, particularly by authors from underrepresented and marginalized groups.

In the nonfiction space, she is looking for hybrid memoirs (think H is for Hawk or In the Darkroom), which combine personal stories with research/reportage; narrative nonfiction like Say Nothing or Bad Blood; and cultural histories about music, film, art, and sports. There is nothing more delicious to her than the implosion of a scam, and nothing sweeter than rightful justice being handed down, so anything involving bad actors getting their comeuppance at the hands of passionate advocates for truth, she wants to see.

How to submit: Use their form HERE.

16 Literary Magazines Accepting Hybrid and Experimental Work - Paying Markets

Hybrid writing encompases any literature that breaks down barriers. It can hop from one genre to another and fuse disparate forms, such as prose and poetry. Hybrids can blend fiction and nonfiction, experiment with novel approaches to plot and dialogue, employ lists, letters, or art to tell a story. If it defies categorization, it's a hybrid.

Hybrid writing has been around for a long time. William Blake's 18th century work, Marriage of Heaven and Hell, combined poetry, art, and prose. Some of our finest speculative fiction is hybrid. Is George Orwell's novel, 1984, literary fiction, science fiction, or political satire? Magical realism, as exemplified in novels such as Anthony's Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See, or works by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is, by definition, a hybrid.

If you are a writer who does not like to be hampered by the constraints of genre or style, here are more than a dozen literary magazines that are happy to pay for your untrammeled artistic expression.(Image: Maxpixel)
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beestung

Beestung is a quarterly online micro-magazine for non-binary and two-spirit writers and readers, with an emphasis on intracommunity sensibilities. beestung resists the canon and all forms of bigotry. Beestung considers poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, hybrids, and art, by creators who fall under the non-binary umbrella or who are two-spirit. Multilingual work and work in translation is welcome. Payment: $20.

Bennington Review

Bennington Review publishes innovative, intelligent, and moving fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, film writing, and cross-genre work. "we are particularly taken with writing that is simultaneously graceful and reckless." Payment: $100 for prose of six typeset pages and under, $200 for prose of over six typeset pages, and $20 per poem. See submission periods.

Brink

Brink accepts a variety of creative work from Nonfiction to Fiction, from Poetry to Translation, as well as hybrid work that falls into the cross-genre category of Evocations. "We are looking for contributions that engage both the particular theme of each issue as well as the idea of being on the brink."  Payment: $25 - $100. Brink has two reading periods: February 1 - March 31 and July 1 - August 31. 

Foglifter

Foglifter is a biannual compendium of  queer and trans writing. It’s a space where LGBTQ+ writers celebrate, mourn, rage, and embrace. "Foglifter welcomes daring and thoughtful work by queer and trans writers in all forms, and we are especially interested in cross-genre, intersectional, marginal, and transgressive work. We want the pieces that challenged you as a writer, what you poured yourself into and risked the most to make. But we also want your tenderest, gentlest work, what you hold closest to your heart. Whatever you're working on now that's keeping you alive and writing, Foglifter wants to read it." Payment: $25.

Gordon Square Review

Gordon Square Review considers short stories, personal essays, and hybrid prose works. Please submit one piece of prose up to 5,000 words OR up to three flash pieces of 1,000 words or fewer (attached in a single document). Their focus and aesthetic is literary. Payment: $25 per prose piece and $10 per poem. See submission periods.

Lammergeier

Lammergeier publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction. "Have a piece you think doesn't quite fit into the previous three categories (or is a combination of said genres)? Feel free to send it in as hybrid. Submit either one piece of up to 5,000 words or less or up to three flash pieces of 1,000 words or less or equivalent audio/visual material. (Hybrids will be considered with nonfiction submissions for featured writer submissions until further notice)." Payment: $25. See submission periods.

MARY: A Journal of New Writing

MARY: A Journal of New Writing is a student run online arts journal sponsored by Saint Mary’s College of California’s MFA in Creative Writing program. MARY accepts previously unpublished fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid genres. Please send no more than five poems or 15 pages of fiction or nonfiction per submission period. "We like weird and risky and humming a little." Payment: $50. 

Neon Hemlock 

Neon Hemlock is a Washington, DC-based small press publishing queer speculative fiction magazines and chapbooks, as well as queer speculative fiction novellas and anthologies. Novellas are distributed in paperback and ebook formats. They ask for exclusive Worldwide English rights. They do not ask for audio rights. Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural, Slipstream, & Weird.  Hybrid work or difficult to categorize novellas are also welcome. Payment: Advance+Royalties option or a Royalties Only option for novellas. Payment for short work varies. See submission periods.

Ninth Letter

Ninth Letter is published semi-annually in print at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. They are interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter, as well as more traditional literary work. Payment: $25 per printed page, with a maximum payment of $150. No submission fee during November and December.

No Niin

No Niin publishes works in a variety of forms: text from different genres, video, photography, podcasts, comics and hybrids of all kinds. Payment: €150-250 for fiction (short story, a short play or short script); €100-200 for poems; €150-350 for essays, articles, exhibition reviews, manifestos, letters; €150-300 for interviews; they also pay for memes, illustrations, comics, photos, videos, podcasts, and playlists.

The Offing

The Offing publishes personal essays, memoir, art, enumerate, back of the envelope. "The Offing publishes work that challenges, experiments, provokes — work that pushes literary and artistic forms and conventions. The Offing is a place for new and emerging writers to test their voices, and for established writers to test their limits." Payment: $25–$100.

Scrawl Place

Scrawl Place accepts CNF, Fiction, Poetry, Hybrids. Length: 900 words max. "Scrawl Place is part visitor’s guide, part literary journal. "The audience for this online publication is the guest, the visitor, the traveler, the day-tripper, the out-of-towner, and the in-towners eager to wander. I’m looking for submissions about “places in the places” where you live or where you’ve visited." The only fixed criteria is that your submission be about or connected to or associated with a specific, physical place that someone could visit. The more specific the place, the better. How that manifests in terms of content, style and form is up to you. The place you write about could be a Wonder of the World, a random street corner that means something to you, or anything in between." Submit up to 3 pieces at a time.  Payment: $35. 

Shrapnel

Shrapnel is a Canadian literary magazine that publishes experimental writing from emerging writers in the genres of fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, and poetry. They are also interested in publishing graphic narratives and comics, as well as transgenre work that is not easily categorized.  Payment: All fiction, CNF, and essay publications are paid $25; original artwork for stories and comics are paid $20; and poetry, book reviews, interviews, and columns are paid $15. On top of their rates for written work, there is an additional $5 for writers who are able to record themselves reading their piece.

Smokelong

SmokeLong publishes flash narratives: fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid up to 1000 words. This word limit is firm. They do not consider poetry. "We are not interested in works previously published in online magazines. Pieces published only on your personal web site or blog will be considered, but inform us of this in your cover letter. Translated work must also be previously unpublished in the original language." Payment: $50.

Storm Cellar

Storm Cellar is a nationally distributed, independent literary arts magazine rooted in the Midwest, appearing in print and ebook editions. They publish fiction, poetry, art/images/graphics, and hybrid work. For hybrid works, send up to 15 pages and pick a home genre. “We want your prose, poems, chimeras, and ideas penned on envelopes in buses and train cars. The magazine aims to publish amazing work by new and established writers and artists, present a range of styles and approaches, and be as un-boring as it can. If you write one thing to be read while waiting for the all-clear to sound, send it here.”  Payment: $10

Whose Pleasure is it Anyway?

Whose Pleasure is it Anyway? is a digital collection of essays, interviews, poems, visual art, film, music, and multimedia/hybrid works that will explore the feminist pleasures that activate or infuriate us. "We’re looking for grouchy and disobedient desires, feral and exploratory delights, and playful and improvisational delectations. We’re looking for pieces that firmly place pleasure at the centre of their aesthetics, poetics, or politics. Submissions that laugh, tickle, and shriek in the face of frivolity, shame, and institutionalization highly encouraged." *Please note that Canthius celebrates poetry and prose by women, trans men, nonbinary, Two-Spirit, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming writers. Payment: $50 for traditional works (up to three poems, one essay, one story, or one visual art piece with an artist statement), and $100 for multimedia works.