Erica Verrillo's Blog, page 6

73 Calls for Submissions in August 2024 - Paying markets

PxHere This August 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 upcoming calls for submissions shortly before 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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Note: I update this list continually throughout the month, so check back frequently for new submission calls.

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The Icarus Writing Collective. Genre: Stories that retell, adapt, or transcend literary classics and mythology. See theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: Opens August 1, 2024.

The Forge Literary Magazine. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, micro-fiction. Length: Under 3,000 words preferred. Payment: $75. Deadline: Opens August 1, 2024. They open to fee-free submissions on the first of each month and close when they reach their quota.

The Rumpus. Genre: Essays. Payment: $400 divided among all contributors. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

Quill and Crow. Genre: Dark speculative fiction novels (45k - 110k words). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

ryga. Genre: Poetry, prose and short plays. Payment: $50. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

The Quiet Ones. Genre: Quiet Horror and Intimate-Scale Dystopian Fiction. "We primarily seek creative work from those who identify as LGBTQIAP+, women, and allies. We’re especially fond of (though do not require) stories that center LGBTQIAP+ and female characters. That said, we welcome work from anyone and everyone, and we do not automatically disqualify any submissions based on the author’s identity, nor do we require our contributors to share their sexual or gender identities." Payment: $25. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

DarkLit Press: In the Gallows Wake – A Pirate Horror Anthology. Genre: Pirate-themed horror. Payment: $0.01/word. Deadline: August 1, 2024. Reprints accepted.

The Offing: Back of the Envelope. Genre: Back of the Envelope seeks writing of any length and genre which relates to, or draws on, science and the natural world. Sharing its wonder or its horrors, relating the untold stories of discovery, or toying with everyday curiosities, we're interested in hearing from those inside and outside the scientific community. Payment: $25–$100. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: August 1, 2024. See themes.

Zombies in the New Normal. Genre: Zombie stories. Payment: $100. Deadline: August 1, 2024.


Broken Highways. Genre: Car Wars GameLit Fiction. "Theme: Have you ever looked at someone, and just know that they have one hell of a tale to tell? First-hand accounts from the road, told by the bounty hunters, highwaymen, and Federal Marshals out there in the mix." Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000.  Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

Steamworks. Charlesbridge has partnered with Count Play Explore, an initiative led by the Office of Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, Early Care and Education Department, to develop a series of fiction picture books and board books about science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) in both English and Spanish. Genre: Realistic, contemporary fiction manuscripts. Target audiences are children ages 0–3 (board books) and 4–7 (picture books) and their caregivers. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

Face the Storm. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: A collection of stories dealing with Space Coasties! Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Fiction, 15 cents/word. Poetry, $10. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

From Beyond Press. Genre: Nonfiction book proposals about fantasy, horror, or science fiction films. "We want fun, informative books written by people who genuinely love and know a lot about their subjects. Books will take the form of guides to a particular subgenre or theme, such as essential post-apocalyptic movies, movies about time travel, horror films directed by queer directors, sci-fi films that feature disabled characters, etc. They can be written as individual reviews or as thematic chapters." Payment: $250 and royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

The First Line. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

We'Moon Lunar Calendar. Restrictions: Open to women only. Genre: Art, poetry and prose, 350 words maximum. Payment: Small honorarium; art up to $500. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: August 2, 2024. Opens August 1.


Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: August 2, 2024.

Tales from the Moonlit Path. Genre: Dark, eerie speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: $10 for fiction. Deadline: August 2, 2024.

Sci Phi Journal. Genre: Speculative fiction and philosophy. Length: Up to 2,000 words. Payment: €0.03/word for original fiction, €0.01/word for translations. Deadline: August 4, 2024.

Cirsova. Genre: Genre fiction short stories. Payment: $0.0125 per word. Deadline: August 4, 2024.

12 Spooky Campfire Stories for the Bravest of Boys. Genre: MG spooky stories. Payment: 01 per word. Deadline: August 4, 2024.

Griffith Review. Genre: Poetry on theme Leaps of Faith. Payment: AUD$200 per poem. Deadline: August 4, 2024.

L'Esprit Literary Review. Genre: Short fiction, creative non-fiction, novel extracts, drama, literary criticism, book reviews, artwork, and photography. "L’Esprit Literary Review publishes work written in the fearless, risk-adept, and revolutionary spirit of High Modernism." Payment: $10. Deadline: August 5, 2024.

just femme & dandy. Genre: Fashion for the LGBTQIA+ community. Theme: The Drag Issue. "Our definition of drag is expansive, and we invite you to consider how drag as the performance of gender shows up in your lives. We want to hear about how/when/where gender is performed, the day to day lives behind the makeup, the politics of gender and normativity, different forms of drag, how this all coincides with fashion and dress. While we would love to hear from up and coming drag artists and independent fashion designers, this theme is for everyone, not just drag artists and enthusiasts. If you have something to say about gendered performance, we want to hear it! You are welcome to send us submissions outside of the theme, but submissions that relate to the theme are highly encouraged. We accept anything that can be displayed on a website: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, tutorial, illustration, comix, photography, painting, video, drag, costume/fashion designs, hot takes, interviews, and so on!" Payment: 50 USD per text-based submission and 150 USD per multimedia submission (video, photography, image + text, fashion spread + interview, etc.). Deadline: August 5, 2024.


Utopia Science Fiction. Genre: Utopian science fiction. Payment: $0.04/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $25 for poetry. Deadline: August 6, 2024.

Abyss and Apex. Genre: Speculative fiction. No horror. Payment: USD $.08/word (eight cents a word) up to 1,000 words, and a flat payment of $80.00 for longer stories. Deadline: August 7, 2024.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 7, 2024. 

Short Fiction. Restrictions: Open to submissions from the UK, Europe, the Commonwealth and every other country except for the USA. Genre: Fiction between 500 and 5,000 words. Payment: 2p (£0.02) per word, to the nearest 100 words, with a minimum of £30 and maximum £100. Deadline: August 11, 2024. 

Scream Queer Anthology: Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are! Genre: Short stories (3-4k), based on the theme—scream queers. (See site for details) Payment: $50. Deadline: August 12, 2024.

Collective Madnes: Schisms of the Soul. Genre: Dark fantasy short stories in the theme of “schisms of the soul.” Examples of this could include: Going insane, complicated ethical dilemmas, dimensional rifts, puppet masters, transformations (people becoming monsters or animals), hive minds, etc.  Payment: $15. Deadline: August 13, 2024.

Poetry Wales. Genre: Poetry. "We are especially interested in submissions of innovative poetry (in form, content or a combination of both), as well as innovative essays and reviews." Payment: £20/page. Deadline: August 13, 2024.

Orange & Bee. Genre: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, experimental and hybrid work. Payment: Poetry: flat rate $US50.00 per poem. Flash: flat rate $US80.00 per story (max 1000 words) Short fiction/non-fiction: $US0.08 per word (max 4000 words) Deadline: August 14, 2024.

Orca. Genre: Literary fiction. Payment: $50 for short stories, $25 for flash fiction. Deadline: August 15, 2024. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fees.

the other side of hope. Genre: Poetry by refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants only. They accept submissions in any language other than English. Payment: £50. Deadline: August 15, 2024.

Luna Station Quarterly. Restrictions: Open to women writers only. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 15, 2024. Some reprints accepted.

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: August 15, 2024.

Ricochet Editions. Genre: Hybrid/Experimental work between 40 and 200 pages. "We are looking for purposeful experimentation with language and form that challenges or plays with convention." Payment: $500 and 50 copies of the perfect-bound book. Deadline: August 15, 2024. No submission fee for POC and Indigenous writers and writers facing financial hardship.


Dirty Magick Magazine. Genre: Fantasy fiction with a hard-boiled edge. "We are interested in urban fantasy, sword and sorcery, and gothic/supernatural horror. We also like speculative fiction, especially steampunk and cyberpunk, but they must contain a magical twist. But the true spirit of this magazine lies in the hybrid space, where crime/detective modes can be combined with fantastic premises." Payment: $50. Deadline: August 15, 2024.

The Lorelei Signal. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, and poetry with strong female characters. Payment: $15 for short stories, $5 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fiction pieces, $5 for reprints. Deadline: August 15, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Root Quarterly. Restrictions: RQ is a quarterly print-only journal of art and ideas from Philadelphia. Genre: Nonfiction, art. "We are publishing RQ in part because we’d like to promote regional arts and culture, makers, and entrepreneurs, be part of the national discourse on important issues, build a community of thoughtful people, and reclaim discourse from the highly-politicized, rage-stoking space of social media." See theme. Payment: $25 - $100 depending on the piece and its length. Deadline: August 15, 2024. Pitches only. 

Subterrain. Genre: Creative nonfiction, commentary, fiction and poetry. See theme. Payment: Poetry: $50 per poem; Prose: $.10 per word (to a maximum of $500). Deadline: August 15, 2024. No fee if submitted by mail. Journal is located in Canada.

Radon. Genre: Short stories and poetry containing elements of anarchism, transhumanism, dystopia, and/or science fiction. Payment: 1 cent per word for original work, half a cent per word for reprints. $20 per original poem and $10 for reprints. $100 for issue cover art, $30 for back cover art, and $20 for art used on their website. Deadline: August 15, 2024.

Crimson Quill Quarterly. Genre: Dark fantasy, sword & sorcery, and ​grimdark ​subgenres of fantasy. Payment: $30. Deadline: August 15, 2024.

Saros Speculative Fiction. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Payment: $40 CAD per story and $40 CAD for cover art. Deadline: August 18, 2024.

Qwerty. Genre: Fiction, CNF, Poetry. Payment: $15 CAD. Deadline: August 19, 2024.

Solarpunk Micro Mini. Genre: Solarpunk micro fiction, 250 words max. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 21, 2024.

The Deadlands. Genre: Fiction. "The Deadlands exists in liminal spaces between life, death, and elsewhere. We are looking for fiction that concerns itself with death—but also everything death may involve." Payment: 10 cents/word. Deadline: August 21, 2024.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: August 30, 2024.

Valiant Scribe.Genre: Fiction, non-fiction prose, and poetry. Each person can submit up to 5 poems, and the word count limit per prose piece is 3,000 words. See theme. Payment: $10. Deadline: August 30, 2024.

Hellbound Books: Flash Fiction. Genre: Horror flash fiction. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 30, 2024.

Satan Rides Anthology. Genre: Horror. See theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 30, 2024.

Creature Features. Genre: Horror. See theme. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 30, 2024.

Dragon Soul Press: Magick and Malice. Genre: "All witch stories for all genres." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

The Ampersand Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and essays. Payment: $100. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

UWA Publishing (University of Western Australia). Genre: Children's and YA fiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Ecotone. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. "We are particularly interested in place-based work by people historically underrepresented in literary publishing and in place-based contexts: writers and artists who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, people with disabilities, gender-nonconforming, LGBTQIA+, women, and others. We welcome the work of emerging writers." Payment: $100 minimum for poetry and a $200 minimum for prose. Deadline: August 31, 2024. Fee-free peroid opens August 29.

Black Hare Press: Tumbleweed Anthology. Genre: Speculative fiction. "In the desolate landscapes of Utah (or, in fact, any real or fictional place you choose), a bizarre phenomenon unfolds as thousands of tumbleweeds amass, engulfing residential yards, barricading buildings, and rendering roads impassable." Payment: $20 - $25, depending on length. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Mermaidens 2: Darker Waters. Genre: Dark mermaid stories. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

After Happy Hour. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, visual art, and hybrids  Payment: $10 honorarium on publication ($25 for cover art). Deadline: August 31, 2024. (Free submissions capped at 300)

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Change your habits & attitudes / change your life. Genre: Nonfiction. We are looking for true stories about how you realized a certain habit or attitude was detrimental to you, what you did to change that, and the difference it made in your life. Payment: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2024. 

Room Magazine. Restrictions: Open to artists of marginalized genders. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and poems. Payment: $50 per page. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Broken Sleep Books. (UK) Genre: Nonfiction pamphlets (up to 150 pages). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Made in L.A. Restrictions: Preference for writers who currently live in and around Los Angeles. Genre: Fiction. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: August 31, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Fifth Wheel Press: light em up. Genre: Poetry, prose poetry, short prose (<1500 words), and other experimental writing by queer, trans, and gender variant writers. Visual components and hybrid formats are welcome. Payment: $5. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry on theme. See theme. Payment: $30. Deadline: August 31, 2024. Opens August 15. Submission periods are extended by a week for BIPOC creators only.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Close My Eyes Forever. Genre: Crime Fiction Inspired by Heavy Metal Hits. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $75 for poems, memoirs, flash, fiction, and art, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews web issues. Deadline: August 31, 2024. Closes when they reach capacity, so submit early. 

Gwyllion. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: £10 per accepted story or poem. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Nashville Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, art, and nonfiction. Payment: $25 per poem & song selection; $100 per selection for all other categories, including featured artwork. Translators receive $25 per poem & $100 for prose selections. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

AND A FEW MORE...

Teach. Write. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, flash fiction, poetry, CNF. "I prefer writing that is either written by composition teachers and writing students or about teaching and learning." Payment: $15. Deadline: September 1, 2024.

Lucent Dreaming. Genre: Poetry, prose, art, and creative non-fiction. Payment: £30  - £80. Deadline: September 1, 2024.

Book Worms. Genre: Horror: fiction, poetry, and essays. See theme. Length: Up to 1,500 words. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: September 1, 2024.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: September 1, 2024. See themes.

Seems a Little Crazy! Genre: Speculative Fiction. Packed full of Aliens, Deep State government, Reptilian Overlords, and more! Show us your freakiest Conspiracy Theory! Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: September 1, 2024.

Orion's Belt. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Length: 1200 words max. Payment: 8 cents per word. Deadline: September 1, 2024.

Talk Vomit. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Themes: American Gothic, Caregiving. Payment: Fiction and nonfiction - $10-30; poetry - $5-15. Deadline: September 1, 2024.

36 Writing Contests in August 2024 - No entry fees

Flickr: Matthew Whitehead This August there are three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes this month range from $100,000 to publication. 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. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year. (Note: I update this list continually throughout the month, so check back frequently for new contests.)

Good luck! 
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​MoonLit Getaway Writing and Art Contest. Restrictions: Open to submissions from within North America. Genre: Flash fiction, poetry, art. Prize: $100. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists. Restrictions: Candidates must have published one or more novels for children or young adults that have been warmly received by literary critics, but have not generated sufficient income to support the author. Genre: Book-length children's or young-adult fiction. Prize: $5000. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

PEN/Bare Life Review Grants. Restrictions: Open to immigrant and refugee writers in the US and abroad. Genre: Unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2026. The project must be a work of a literary nature: fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. Prize: $5000. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships. Restrictions: Delaware poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year prior to application and who are not enrolled in a degree-granting program. Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. Prize: Established Professional Fellowships of $6,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $3,000 each. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants. Restrictions: Open to women and trans artists in Greater Philadelphia to fund art for social change projects. People living in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties Delaware who are 18 years of age or older and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Genre: Art in traditional or nontraditional modes, mediums or disciplines. Prize: $2500. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

Granum Foundation Prize helps U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works—such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs—or to help launch these works. Additionally, a Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated by a U.S.-based writer. Prize: One winner will receive $5,000; up to three finalists will be awarded $500 or more; $500 or more will be awarded to one writer working in translation. Deadline: August 1, 2024.
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Oregon Literary Fellowships. Two fellowships (one $10,000 grant and one $3,500 grant) are reserved specifically for writers of color. There are also fellowships for women/gender-nonconforming writers as well as special fellowships for fiction writers who have lived in Oregon over the past 5 years. Deadline: August 2, 2024.

Furious Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction, 500 words max. "On each competition weekend, we’ll reveal a set of story prompts and you’ll have 55 hours to submit your best story of 500-words (or fewer)." Prize: $500AUD. Deadline: Opens August 2, 2024. Closes August 4, 2024. (Australian time)

Peter Blazey Fellowship.  Restrictions: Applicants must either be an Australian citizen or have Australian residency. Genre: Non-fiction in the fields of autobiography, biography or life writing. Prize: $15,000, and a one-month writer-in-residency at The Australia Centre. Deadline: August 12, 2024.

Waterford Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to residents of Ireland. Genre: Poem. Prize: First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course. Deadline: August 12, 2024.

Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction between 1k words max based on theme. Prize: $30. Deadline: August 14, 2024.

John Glassco Translation Prize. Sponsored by Literary Translators' Association of Canada. Restrictions: Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents only. Genre: The work submitted must be the translator's first published book-length translation into English or French. Prize: $1000. Deadline: August 15, 2024.

Ligonier Valley Writers. Genre: Flash fiction on theme;1000 words max. Prize: The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Deadline: August 15, 2024.

Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English between  July 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024. Must  be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: August 16, 2024.

Lucky Jefferson Poetry and Prose Contest. Restriction: Open to anyone over the age of 10. Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: $100, publication, and a swag box. Deadline: August 18, 2024.

Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour. Restrictions: Open to British novelists of color with no previous published books and not currently signed by an agent. Genre: Novel. Prize: £500 and a meeting with a literary agent. Deadline: August 19, 2024.

Write the World: Flash Fiction Competition. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: Flash fiction, 100 words max. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: August 26, 2024.

On the Premises. Genre: Short story. "For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which one or more characters with significant expertise in some area matter to the story. The expert(s) DO NOT have to be the story’s main character(s), though it’s fine if they are–the judges won’t care either way. We’re also open to the idea that your story’s character(s) with expertise might be either wrong, or frauds, or idiots. (Or they’re legitimate experts!) However, the idea of expertise, and at least one person who has it (or doesn’t?) has to matter to the story." Prize: Up to $250. Deadline: August 30, 2024.

RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction. Restrictions: The writer must be a resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or have been a resident in the UK or ROI for the past three years. Genre: Nonfiction book. Prize: Two awards – one of £10,000, one of £5,000 – are offered to support writers to complete their first commissioned works of non-fiction. Deadline: August 30, 2024.

#GWstorieseverywhere. Genre: Flash fiction on theme of Summer Camp. Your story must be no longer than 101 words. Prize: Free Gotham class. Deadline: August 30, 2024.

Preservation Foundation Biographical Nonfiction Contest. Restrictions: The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $250 in any single year. Genre: Biographical Nonfiction. Prize: First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Northwind Writing Award. Genre: Prose Poetry, Poetry, Short Fiction, and Non-fiction/Essay/Memoir. Prize: $100 and publication. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry collection (in English), at least 48 pages long, published between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the deadline year by an upstate New York author. Prize: $2000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Platt Family Scholarship Prize Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to students who are FULL TIME, undergraduate students in an AMERICAN COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY during the Spring 2024 semester. Genre: Essay on topic: “In this current presidential election year, which some have described as the most important in history, what arguments can be made that the 1864 Lincoln-McClellan race was indeed the most crucial of American history.” Prize: 1st Prize $1500 | 2nd Prize $750 | 3rd Prize $500. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Morioka International Haiku Contest. Genre: Haiku. Prize: Not specified. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Sundog Summer Collaboration Contest. Genre: "Sometimes teamwork is what makes the dreamwork, so this summer we want to see what you’ve created with another writer (or two or three⁠ — there’s actually no limit) for our annual Collaboration Contest. Submit your wildest, most inventive work of any or mixed genre. Just keep your hybrid masterpiece to 1,000 words or less." Prize: $300 and publication. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Kindle Storyteller Award (UK). Restrictions: The prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. Genre: Book. Prize: £20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction. Genre: Essay, maximum 5,000 words. Prize: $250 top prize. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation or Multi-Lingual Texts. Restrictions: Translators and authors of multi-lingual texts. Genres: Poetry and prose. Prize: $200. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

“Kusamakura” Haiku Competition. Genre: Haiku. Prize: (Grand Prize) to one winner : goods worthy of ￥20,000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Poetry Archive NOW! WordView. Genre: Poetry. "Make a video/film recording of yourself reading or reciting a single poem which you have written in 2024." Prize: £100. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing. Genre: Short story with an overall word-count of 1500 on theme: "Letters to My Love" Prize: £100. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

21 Futures: Financial Fallout. Genre: Fiction (up to 3,000 words) "Which catastrophic failures will we see in the next 100 years? And how will it affect ordinary citizens of the world?" Prize: 1st place: $1,000 + feature interview; 2nd place: $500 + podcast appearance; 3rd place: $250 + social media shoutout; 4th place: $100 + signed book. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing. Genre: Scholarly essay. All work submitted must have been written or published within the last year. Prize: $3,000. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

Rattle's Ekphrastic Challenge. Genre: Poetry based on art. (See website) Prize: $100. Deadline: August 31, 2024.

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: August 31, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

24 Awesome Writing Conferences and Workshops in August 2024

Cape Cod: Flickr This August there are two dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences. If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!
Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year. 

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Mendocino Coast Writers Conference. August 1 - 3, 2024: Mendocino, California. The conference features workshops for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, as well as craft seminars, panels, one-on-one manuscript consultations, and open mics. The faculty includes poet Douglas Manuel; poet and nonfiction writer Jane Wong; fiction writers Nic Anstett, Francesca Lia Block, Kate Folk, Gene Kwak, and Lio Min; fiction and nonfiction writer Henry Hoke; and nonfiction writers Jessica Ferri and Angela Garbes. Fiction writer Rachel Kushner will deliver the keynote address. Participating publishing professionals include agent Sarah Bowlin (Aevitas Creative Management) and editor Alyssa Ogi (Tin House). The registration fee is $875 and includes morning workshops, all afternoon events, and breakfast and lunch each day. One-on-one manuscript consultations are available for an additional $60. Lodging is available at a wide range of accommodations on the Mendocino Coast, including oceanfront inns, campgrounds, glamping facilities, and motels. The registration deadline is June 30. (If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year.)
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The Writers Studio is sponsored by the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. August 1 - 4, 2024: Westwood Village, CA. The conference offers workshops in fiction and creative nonfiction, as well as writing for television and film. Offered by the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, the Writers Studio brings together a community of writing students to workshop with some of Southern California’s most accomplished writers and teachers. From among the 10 offered, participants choose one workshop in which they work closely with a professional writer in classes limited to no more than 15 people. 

Cape Cod Writers Center Conference. August 1 - 4, 2024: Hyannis, Massachusetts. Supporting published and aspiring writers. Featuring distinguished authors, editors and agents in workshops on fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, poetry, mysteries and thrillers, social media, promotion and more! 

IWWG Summer Writers Conference. August 1 - 5, 2024: Bristol, RI. Writing Together, IWWG’s 2024 Summer Conference, will take place August 1-5 on the beautiful, seaside campus of Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Join us for this once-a-year immersive weekend; experience Community, Connection, and Creativity in the company of women Writing Together.

First Friday Book Talk & Reading Series. August 2, 2024: Online. "Meet Anna Monardo, author of "After Italy: A Family Memoir of Arranged Marriage." It is the story of two marriages undone by a dowry and the fallout from that rift on three generations of a Southern Italian family. Enlisting Calabrian folklore, epigenetics, and psychology, Anna Monardo charts her grandfathers’ immigration to a Pittsburgh steel town; her father’s wartime as a medical student in Naples; the family’s marriages—including her own—that were tainted by an Old World curse; and an unlikely path to international adoption." Online event.

Florida Authors and Publishers Association Annual Conference. August 2 - 3, 2024: Orlando, Florida. "Six (6) optional small-group workshops are being scheduled, offering attendees options a more intimate setting to learn about specific topics related to the publishing industry. These focused workshops will be offered a la carte and are scheduled so that you may register for up to three (3)."

Into the Springs Writers Workshop. August 2 - 4, 2024: Yellow Springs, OH. Into the Springs is a full weekend of shared sessions, events and lunch, making your interaction with featured guest instructors and writer participants easily accessible. Currently, our featured guest instructors include author, journalist Andrew Welsh-Huggins; author, publisher Jeffrey Marks; and the Ohio Audiobook Narrators.

Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Annual Conference. August 2 - 4, 2024: Via Zoom. More than 100 writers, editors, illustrators, & agents. Workshops, breakout sessions, manuscript and portfolio consultations, panels, discussions. Will be held online.

Vermont College of Fine Arts Postgraduate Writers’ Conference. August 3 - 9, 2024: Montpelier, Vermont. The conference is designed for writers with graduate degrees or equivalent experience. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, craft classes, and individual consultations with faculty members. "At the heart of the Postgraduate Writers' Conference's unique model is the small workshop size, with groups led by acclaimed faculty limited to five or six writers. The intimate format allows for an extraordinarily in-depth, far-reaching discussion of participants’ work. Beyond the daily group sessions, each member has an individual consultation with the workshop instructor. The schedule also features a rich menu of readings by faculty and participants, craft talks, generative writing sessions and social events that galvanize our vibrant, inclusive community." 

Frost Place Poetry Seminar. August 4 - 8, 2024. The Seminar schedule features a daily presentation/discussion exploring aspects of craft and technique, an afternoon workshop of participants’ poems or individual, virtual meetings with faculty, and an evening reading, some by faculty poets and others featuring participants. The application deadline is July 1, 2024. Will be held online. (If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year)

Neurodiverse Writers and Illustrators: An In-Community Retreat for Storytellers. August 8 - 11, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Join us for an in-community retreat tailored for neurodivergent writers and illustrators, where you can fully embrace your perspectives and talents in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Travel Writers & Photographers Conference. August 8 – 11, 2024: Corte Madera, Calif. Writing and photography workshops in the morning, a full afternoon of panels and discussions, and evening faculty presentations. There are optional, working field trips to explore the resources of the Bay Area. The faculty includes publishers, magazine editors, photographers, travel essayists, food writers, restaurateurs, guidebook writers, and more. 

The Language of Smell: A Generative Writing Workshop. August 10, 2024: Lincoln, NE. This generative workshop will focus on the power of smell and sense memory in writing practice. Participants will have a chance to produce their own writing using guided prompts, as well as learn and discuss what makes smell such a sharply evocative and emotional sense memory. We will also briefly explore the world of niche perfumery in order to practice our skills of descriptive scent-based writing using provided fragrance samples. 

Elk River Writers Workshop. August 11 - 16, 2024: Chico Hot Springs, MT. The Elk River Writers Workshop embodies the idea that deep, communal experiences with the wild open the door to creativity. We bring together some of the most celebrated nature writers in the United States with students who are serious about fostering a connection with the environment in their writing. It all happens at Chico Hot Springs, a historic retreat just north of Yellowstone National Park. 

Murphy Writing of Stockton University: Live Free and Write. August 11 - 16, 2024: Sunapee, NH. "Combine an extended writing retreat with a relaxing summer vacation in the picturesque mountains of New Hampshire. This getaway blends our trademark challenging and supportive workshop experience with plenty of free time for you to write and bask in the refreshing New England summer." 

Whole Novel Workshop: An In-Person Retreat for Novelists. August 14 - 19, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. This intensive, transformative Whole Novel Workshop offers writers the rare opportunity to have the entire draft (up to 80,000 words) of a novel read by faculty, with detailed written feedback and two private consultations provided. Attention in an intimate setting makes this program one that guarantees significant progress in preparation for submission. Apply by May 15. (If you missed the deadline, put this on your calendar for next year)

Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. August 14 - 24, 2024: Ripton, VT. Workshops in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction are at the core of the conference. Each faculty member conducts a workshop that meets for five two-hour sessions over the course of the 10 days. Groups are kept small to facilitate discussion, and all participants meet individually with their faculty leaders to elaborate on workshop comments. Faculty members also offer lectures on issues around literary writing and one-hour classes on specific aspects of the craft. Readings by the faculty, conference participants, and guests take place throughout the day and into the night. Participants meet with visiting editors, literary agents, and publishers who provide information and answer questions, individually or in small groups. 

Poetry at the Frost Farm. August 16 - 18, 2024:  Derry, New Hampshire. The retreat offers workshops, readings, and one-on-one consultations for formalist poets. "Join a small community of people at the historic Robert Frost Farm learning, reading and writing formal poetry with contemporary award-winning poets. Choose your focus from a series of offerings designed to provide tools for beginning poets as well as perfect the mastery of published poets." 

Native Creatives: An In-Community Retreat. August 21 - 25, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Immerse yourself in a supportive space that honors the diverse voices and storytelling traditions of Indigenous peoples, fostering an environment that strengthens the bonds of community and heritage through the power of storytelling.

Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference. August 22 - 25, 2024: Nashville, TN. The Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference was created in 2006 by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford in an effort to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. "At the conference, we try diligently to ensure that the weekend has something for every writer and lover of literature, and our sessions are structured to assist writers on multiple career levels. Our learning tracks tackle the craft of writing, business of writing, marketing, and forensics. Killer Nashville features nine breakout sessions for intense smaller group interaction, an authors’ bar (free for hotel guests), a moonshine and wine tasting, free agent/editor roundtable pitch sessions, a mock crime scene designed by special agents and other law enforcement professionals, cocktail receptions, the Guest of Honor Dinner and Awards Banquet, film previews, live music performances and—of course—all the great activities one can enjoy in downtown Nashville."

Bear River Writers’ Conference. August 29 - September 2, 2024: Camp Michigania on Walloon Lake, near Petoskey, Michigan. Workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, discussions, nature walks, and time to write.

DragonCon. August 29 - September 2, 2024: Atlanta, Ga. HUGE sci-fi event, with parade, autograph sessions, live performances, readings, wrestling (!), workshops on belly dancing, writing (yes, there's even some writing), art show. (This conference sounds really wild.)

WriterCon. August 30  - September 2, 2024: Waterford, Oklahoma. The annual WriterCon Conference is three days of 60+ speakers providing more than 80 sessions designed to cover all genres and all aspects of the writing experience: skills, industry knowledge, opportunities, networking, pitching, contests, opportunities to meet with writers privately, to obtain manuscript reviews or private consultations, and much more.

The Gathering. August 31 - September 2, 2024. Workshops in poetry as well as readings. 2-hour Workshops & Readings Friday night, Saturday , and Sunday. Participant Open Mics Friday and Saturday night. Will be held on Zoom. 

9 New Agents Seeking Literary and Genre Fiction, CNF, Nonfiction, Irish Fiction, Kidlit, Graphic Novels, and more

Jen Babakhan Here are nine new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.
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 several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 
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Ms. Jen Babakhan of Books & Such Literary Agency

Prior to becoming an associate agent in 2024, Jen graduated with a degree in communications and became a marketing specialist for an international nonprofit, where she worked to develop the business’s brand and recognition of that brand—two important elements for every author to master as well. She later transitioned into freelance writing and ghostwriting when her two children came along. In these roles Jen wrote for Reader’s Digest from 2017 to 2021, and her work has been featured in various national outlets.

What she is seeking: Jen acquires adult nonfiction and fiction.

How to submit: Follow the agency guidelines HERE.
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Ms. Amy O'Shea of Graham Maw Christie Literary Agents (UK)

Amy graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in Linguistics and English Language in 2021. Amy joined the agency in early 2023 to assist Jane and Jen with social media, admin, royalties and submissions. She became a junior agent in 2024.

What she is seeking: She is interested in a wide variety of non-fiction from prescriptions for thinking and living better by experts in their field, to humour, history, true crime and memoir whereby the author immerses the reader in a lived experience. In an ever-changing landscape, she is looking for books that bring fresh, practical and accessible solutions to their audience - anything that can teach us more about who we are and the world we share.   

How to submit: Follow the agency's guidelines HERE.
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Ms. Liv Ivanov of Creative Media Agency

After graduating from the University of Missouri and working in operations and video game development for several years, Liv returned to her first love and began volunteering as a reader and fiction editor for literary magazines before starting her internships at Triada US and Creative Media Agency in 2023. Now stepping into her role as an Associate Agent at CMA, Liv is excited to both discover refreshing, compelling, and fantastical stories and champion new creative voices in the industry. In her free time, Liv loves to go hiking in the Rocky Mountains near her home in Colorado Springs, as well as collect books as she slowly works toward making her home office a 1,000-book library.
 
What she is seeking: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, LGBTQ, Literary, Magical Realism, Middle Grade, Mystery, New Adult, Psychological Thriller, Science Fiction, Speculative, Thriller, Women’s Fiction, Young Adult.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE. (Watch for her next open period.)
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Ms. Polly Halladay of Georgina Capel Associates Ltd (UK)

Polly Halladay studied English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford and has a masters in Creative Writing: Prose Fiction from the University of East Anglia. 

What she is seeking: She is interested in literary and commercial fiction, fantasy, romance, narrative non-fiction, memoir, and poetry.

How to submit: Please follow submission instructions HERE.
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Ms. Elizabeth DeNoma of Sebes & Bisseling

My work as an agent is a culmination of my decades of experience as a literary editor, foreign rights manager, manager of design and editorial teams, translator, and ghost writer. I have a PhD in literary studies from the University of Washington and have been awarded several awards, including a Fulbright Scholarship.

What she is seeking: Narrative nonfiction of universal interest – experts and storytellers in environmental science, sociology, psychology, medicine, parenting, history, anthropology, and remarkable memoirs (individual and of a group) that give us insight into our greater human story. Occasionally I represent a work of exceptional fiction.  I sit in the United States and represent global authors writing in English to publishers in North America and others acquiring global English language rights.

How to submit: Please submit queries and proposals to denoma at sebes.nl Nonfiction submissions require a proposal, including sample chapters. Fiction queries require a complete, edited draft of the manuscript.
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Ms. Kait Feldmann of KT Literary

Kait joined kt literary in 2024, but has been romping around children’s publishing for over a decade. She was previously an editor at Scholastic and HarperCollins, where her list included award-winning books that received a Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and Sibert Honor; the Ezra Jack Keats Award; and appearances on Best of lists for The New York Times, NPR, Kirkus, and more. She is a founding member of People of Color in Publishing and a recipient of the CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award. Kait resides in a hoarder’s paradise in Los Angeles, surrounded by books. When she’s not reading those, she can often be found crafting, estate sale hopping, or playing board games.

What she is seeking: Kait specializes in picture books and graphic novels and is accepting queries from illustrators and author-illustrators. 

How to submit: You can query Kait at querykait@ktliterary.com. Attach your book dummy if you are working on one and include a link to your website/portfolio.

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Jess Molloy of Curtis Brown Group, Ltd. (UK)

I joined the literary department in 2019 having previously worked at Curtis Brown in the talent and comedy department and within talent management for over 8 years. I started off assisting Cathryn Summerhayes with her brilliant and eclectic list before being promoted to Literary Agent in 2022 and starting my own list.I enjoy working with people who have come to writing, be that fiction or non-fiction, via unexpected or unorthodox routes and work well with people with an entertainment background or with profile who want to reach new audiences with their writing. 
What she is seeking: I am always looking for a book to escape into and I read broadly across fiction and narrative non-fiction. I am usually first pulled in by a unique concept or setting, but what keeps me reading are beautifully drawn, complex characters, relationships, and family dynamics. I enjoy reading fantasy and romance and I am particularly on the look out for a story which has a slow burn at its heart, full of angst and drama.

I have a deep love for Irish fiction both in terms of Irish writers, particularly the inimitable Colm Tóibín and the powerhouse that is Lisa McInerney, and novels set in Ireland.I enjoy crime fiction and true crime writing that subverts the genre and focuses on the victim or the fallout for their family, for instance Nothing Can Harm You, My Sister The Serial Killer, We Begin At The End and the beautiful, incomparable I’ll Be Gone In The Dark by Michelle McNamara.

In terms of non-fiction I enjoy issues led narrative writing with a personal story at its heart and particularly love hearing from underrepresented voices. I am also interested in psychology and therapy.  My non-fiction reading varies broadly from comedians to experts and journalists, but what I am always looking for is an authentic voice that will teach me something fascinating or share a very personal journey with me.

How to submit:  Please email your pitch/cover letter, the first three chapters/10,000 words and short synopsis (for fiction) or proposal (for non-fiction) to molloysubmissions@curtisbrowngroup.co.uk
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Jade Kavanagh of Darley Anderson Literary (UK)

Whilst undertaking her undergraduate degree in English Literature at the University of Westminster, Jade discovered the possibility of taking her love of books and turning it into a career. Staying on for a year and gaining her MA, she then went on to several publishing internships before finding a placement at Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency before joining the team permanently as Agent’s Assistant and falling in love with the agenting side of the book world.

What she is seeking: Jade is building her own list of clients focusing on suspense, thriller and horror authors. 

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.

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Aparna Kumar of David Godwin Associates (UK)

Aparna Kumar, who has recently completed her MSc in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics, has worked in publishing for six years. Most recently, she was an editor at Penguin Random House India, where she commissioned literary fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry.

What she is seeking: Aparna Kumar is looking to fill her list with literary fiction and creative non-fiction.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.

6 New Literary Agencies Seeking Commercial Fiction, Kidlit, SFF, Memoir, Romance, and more

Colwill & Peddle New literary agencies are started by established agents with considerable experience in the publishing industry. They have reliable contacts in publishing houses and a roster of successes getting writers published. New agencies are looking to expand, and are eager to take on prospective clients.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Submission requirements can change. 

NOTE: Don't submit to several 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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Kate Barker Literary Agency (UK)

I have worked in publishing for nearly twenty years as an agent, commissioning editor and ghostwriter. I spent ten years at Penguin, where I was an Editorial Director for Viking, acquiring fiction and non-fiction. I have also worked for Orion, for one of the biggest literary agencies in the UK, for digital publisher Bookouture and for a speakers bureau. I work with a wide range of specialist agencies for the sale of rights around the world.

What she is seeking:

Fiction
I’m looking for commercial and reading group novels: my taste in fiction is broad. I like strong stories, interesting settings (contemporary or historical) and high concept novels. Please note that I do not represent science fiction, fantasy or books for children. Work in those genres will not be read.

Non-fiction
I’m looking for smart thinking, history, memoir, popular psychology and science, natural history, lifestyle and wellbeing. Big ideas and subjects that get people talking. I particularly enjoy helping experts translate their work for a general audience.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.
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Codex Literary Agency 

Miriam Kriss launched the Codex Literary Agency in 2024, after nearly two decades at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, where she served as Vice-President. She is excited to grow Codex Literary, a boutique agency with a full service reach. She represents everything from hardcover historical mysteries to all subgenres of romance, from thrillers to science fiction, from young adult fiction to fantasies, and everything in between. If it's fun to read she probably represents it. 

Isabelle Rader After growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Isabelle began her career in publishing by interning at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency at the start of 2022. After graduating college with a BA in English Literature, she followed Miriam into her new venture. On the weekends you can find her doing yoga, kayaking, or curled up with her two cats and reading a good book.  

Actively looking for NA Books across all genres, she is also interested in Adult, Young Adult, and Middle-Grade Fantasy, as well as both Upmarket and Commercial Adult, all with never-before-seen worldbuilding, unique characters, strong plotting, and compulsive hooks. From Dark Academia to Epic, Historical, and Contemporary Fantasy with wild adventures, thrilling romances, and dashes of humor, she is always looking for unforgettable characters, strong female leads, and diverse voices. 

How to submit: Submit to Miriam using her form HERE. Submit to Isabelle using her form HERE.

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Colwill & Peddle Literary Agency (UK)

​Drawing on our years of experience in publishing, bookselling and agenting we’re focused on finding new voices and untold stories, helping authors turn their ideas into books and supporting them at each point in their writing career.

We are proud to represent a diverse range of writers who are talented, passionate and who write with real purpose. Working closely with our authors from the inception of their ideas, through to submission, publication and beyond, we help them turn their dream of writing into a long, happy and successful career. Publishing can be a bewildering industry and we’re passionate about making it as inclusive and open as possible so we strive to demystify the publishing process  for first-time writers.

Led by our editorial instincts, we enjoy working closely and collaboratively with all our authors both on and off the page. We pride ourselves on finding authors the perfect home for their work, negotiating the best possible deal and helping to build a strong team behind them. We  work with Emily Randle of Randle Editorial & Literary Consultancy  for our foreign rights and with a select number of film & TV co-agents to sell the rights to our clients’ work internationally, in all formats and mediums. 

We represent a broad range of writers but we do not represent writers of screenplays, scripts or poetry.

How to submit: Read submission guidelines HERE. 
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Greenstone Literary Agency (UK)

Ms. Laura Heathfield co-founded Greenstone Literary with Tanera Simons in 2024. Laura studied law at university and spent over 20 years with Virgin Atlantic which allowed her to indulge her passion for reading whilst travelling. On deciding to pursue a career in publishing, Laura joined the Darley Anderson Agency where she worked across the Women’s Fiction list, reading submissions, handling contracts and supporting authors on their path to publication and beyond. Laura is looking for commercial crime, thriller, suspense, bookclub, historical and romance fiction as well as select non-fiction.

Tanera Simons' interests lie in rom-com, love stories, commercial historical fiction, book club, and in female-driven novels with a slightly darker edge. "Across all of these I am always looking for a strong hook – a set-up that immediately intrigues me and makes me want to find out more – as well as rich, layered characters who we can’t help but invest in."

How to submit: Follow the agency's guidelines HERE.

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Creative Roots Studio (UK)

Fiz Osborne and Rachael Davis-Featherstone founded Creative Roots Studio in 2024 as a way to work closely and dynamically with publishing houses, spearhead the creation of a wide range of brilliant children's books and help build sustainable careers for children's book creatives.

What they are seeking: Picture books, chapter books, middle grade, young adult, and children’s non-fiction.

How to submit: Read submission guidelines HERE. Check for open submission periods.
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Rosecliff Literary 

Jessica Berg is the founder of Rosecliff Literary. She is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents. With a strong educational background in language and an MFA in Fiction, Jessica possesses the experience to offer  personalized guidance to help authors achieve their publishing dreams. Connect with her online on all the places @jesssica__berg. 

Jessica represents all genres of fiction, as well as self-help and memoir.

How to submit: Please follow the agency's guidelines HERE. 

60 Calls for Submissions in July 2024 - Paying markets

Pickpik This July there are five 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 upcoming calls for submissions shortly before 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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Thema: A New Routine. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: A New Routine. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: July 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

The Paris Review. Genres: Poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2025, and closes when they reach capacity.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: July 1, 2024. See themes.


Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2024.

Affirm Press. Restrictions: They only accept Australian authors or authors based in Australia, and only manuscripts that haven’t been previously published. Genre: Affirm Press accepts all literary and genre fiction. For non-fiction, they are interested in most subjects that have a market as long as the manuscript is entertaining, engaging and likely to leave readers better off. Read their submission guidelines here. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Okay Donkey. Genre: Flash fiction and poetry. Payment: Revenue sharing. Deadline: July 1, 2024. May close early if cap is reached.

Harbor Editions: Hybrid Chapbook Reading Period. Genre: Hybrid chapbook. Chapbooks should be around 20-50 pages. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2024. No submission fee for BIPOC writers.


It Came from the Trailer Park. Genre: Horror-comedy with the same feel as The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Shenandoah. Genre: Creative Nonfiction. Payment: $80 per 1000 words of prose up to $400. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity. 

The Garden! Genre: Short stories. "We are looking for stories of any genre that respond to our title and/or cover art." Payment: €175. Deadline: July 2, 2024.  

Fraidy Cat Quarterly. Genre: Horror, dark fantasy. Payment: Flash fiction (400-1,500 words long, $10 per accepted piece); Short stories (1,501-8,000 words long, $20 per accepted piece); Black and white artwork ($10 per accepted piece). Deadline: July 5, 2024. May close early if cap is reached.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: July 7, 2024. 

Intergalactic Rejects. Genre: Speculative short stories (science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy, cosmic horror, etc.) that have been rejected from multiple markets. Length: Limit 5,000 words. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: July 12, 2024.

Empyreal Tree Magazine. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Payment $25. Deadline: July 12, 2024. See themes.

Spooky Magazine. Genre: Cozy horror. Fun horror. Classy horror. 5000 words max. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: July 13, 2024. 

Seaside Gothic. Genre: Seaside gothic fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or a collection of photographs or illustrations. Payment: £0.01 per word. Deadline: July 14, 2024.

Solarpunk Magazine. Genre: Solarpunk. Payment: $0.08/word for fiction, $40/poem, and $75/essay.  Deadline: July 14, 2024.

The Rumpus. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $400 divided among all contributors. Deadline: July 14, 2024.

BOA Editions — Blessing the Boats Selections. Genre: Book of poetry by Women of Color. Payment: $5,000 + Publication. Deadline: July 14, 2024.

Philly Poetry Chapbook Review. Genre: Reviews of chapbooks coming soon or published in the past three years, essays on the crafts of poetry and chapbook making or publishing, and features about authors or publishers of chapbooks. Payment: $10. Deadline: July 15, 2024. 

Able Muse Press. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 15, 2024. 

If There's Anyone Left. Restrictions: Open to people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, members of marginalized genders, and disabled people. Genre: Speculative fiction. Length: 1000 words max. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Ursa Podcast. Genre: Literary fiction and satire, "but we will happily make exceptions if you have a character-driven genre story. We are looking for stories that take risks, that are provocative and demonstrate a unique voice. We like stories that thrill." Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: July 15, 2024. Reprints accepted.

Black Cat Publishing: Black Cat Tales. Genre: Dark fiction and poetry on theme: Black cats. "Horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi, erotica, weird westerns, cyberpunk, steampunk…we’re open to all." Payment: $50 for fiction, $25 for poetry. Deadline: July 15, 2024. 

Bright Wall/Dark Room. Genre: Essay on theme: Spike Lee. "For our month of Lee, we’re seeking essays and voices tackling any and all of his films, his performances, his writings, his impact on cinema and culture.” Payment: $100. Deadline: July 15, 2024. 

The Ex-Puritan. Genre: Poetry, fiction, reviews, interviews, essays, and experimental work. Payment: $100 - $200 (CAD). Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Midnight Meadow Publishing's goal is to publish engaging and unique LGBTQ+ stories while elevating marginalized voices. They are interested in a wide variety of genres.  Read submission guidelines  HERE. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Electric Spec. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20 per piece. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Cosmic Horror Monthly. Genre: Cosmic Horror, Lovecraftian, Weird stories, art. Payment: 6 cents/word. 50 dollars for artwork chosen as interior content. 200 dollars for cover art. Negotiable. Deadline: July 17, 2024.

Astrolabe. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography & art. Payment: $50. Deadline: July 20, 2024.

Witch House. Genre: Cosmic horror. Payment: Token honorarium. Deadline: July 21, 2024.

Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology. Genre: science fiction, fantasy, horror, YA, romance inspired by Tanith Lee. Payment: 10 cents'word. Deadline: July 16-22, open to underrepresented and historically marginalized voices including BIPOC, LGBTQAI+, disabled, and neurodiverse writers. July 23-29, open to all.

Mythaxis. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20. Deadline: July 30, 2024.

Atlas of Deep Ones. Genre: Weird fiction and nonfiction, poetry, art. See theme. Payment: Story: $25; Poems: $15; Non-fiction: $15. Deadline: July 30, 2024.

Madame, Don’t Forget Your Sword. Genre: Speculative fiction. "This anthology is dedicated to all the minions, sidekicks, and henchpeople: the ones responsible for getting the takeout, picking up the kids, and making sure that the evil plan actually works. The ones dedicated to showing how the monster works before the hero comes to save the day!" Payment: $5 plus royalties. Deadline: July 30, 2024.

Dragon Soul Press: Beautiful Darkness2. Genre: " In a world where so many dark things go bump in the night, terror awaits around every corner as these authors take horror stories to the next level." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

FIYAH. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to people of the African Diaspora. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry about African Diaspora. Length: Short fiction 2,000 – 7,000 words and novelettes up to 15,000 words. See theme. Payment: $150 per story. $50 per poem. $300 per novelette. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Anstruther Books. Genre: Poetry "that takes risks and represents a diverse cross-section of the Canadian literary community." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Litmosphere. Genre: Art, flash (fiction and nonfiction), poetry, and short prose (fiction and literary nonfiction). Payment: $50 per accepted poem, flash fiction and nonfiction; $100 per short fiction and literary nonfiction; $250 for non-exclusive online use of 15-30 images. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Flux is an imprint of North Star Editions, a Minnesota-based house specializing in trade fiction. Genre: YA fiction manuscripts. Flux specializes in "alternative voices." The editors believe that young adult novels are a "point of view," not a reading level. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Jolly Fish is an imprint of North Star Editions, a Minnesota-based house specializing in trade fiction. Genre: MG and YA fiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

The London Magazine. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

The Temz Review. Genre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Mayday. Genre: Short fiction, CNF, Poetry, Art, Interviews, Nonfiction. Payment: $20 - $50. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Cast of Wonders. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. See theme. Payment: $.08/word for original fiction up to 6,000 words. For reprints, a $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Deadline: Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Three Cousins Publishing: The Trouble With Time. Genre: Time travel stories. Stories must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: July 31, 2024. Email the submission to westmesapress@gmail.com. Put “Submission, your story title, and your name in the subject line.

Quarter Press: Quarter(ly). Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. See themes. Payment: $5. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Space and Time. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, magical realism. See theme. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Arc Poetry Magazine. Genre: Poetry. "Arc Poetry Magazine invites artists who live with disability/chronic illness/mental illness and other forms of existence that are impacted by ableism to send us poems exploring what it means to be in the world, or your topic of choice." Payment: $50 per page. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Nonbinary Review. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, art. Theme: False Memories. Length: Up to 3,000 words for prose; up to 3 pages for poetry Payment: $0.01/word for prose, $10 for poetry. $25 flat fee for visual art, or $50 for pieces chosen as cover art. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Spooky. Genre: Horror. "Cozy horror. Fun horror. Classy horror. Dare we say, wholesome horror?" Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

parABnormal. Genre: Nonfiction, poetry on the paranormal. "For us, this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores." Payment: $25.00 for original stories, $7.00 for reprints.$6.00 for each poem. $20.00 for original articles, $6.00 for reprints. $7.00 for reviews and interviews. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Haven Speculative. Restrictions: Open to submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

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: July 31, 2024.

Gwyllion. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: £10 per accepted story or poem. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Brink. Genre: Hybrid, cross-genre fiction, nonfiction poetry. Payment: $25 Poem; $50 Work (less than 1500 words); $50 Art (1-3 Images); $100 Art (4+ Images); $100 Work (more than 1501 words). Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Cowboy Up. Genre: "We are looking for stories up to 7500 words in length that feature the sport of Rodeo. They can be in any genre as long as the sport of Rodeo is a key part of the story." Payment: $20. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Spoon Knife Anthology. Genre: Genre- bending short fiction, short literary memoir, and poetry. See theme. Payment: $20 plus 1 cent per word. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Lycan Valley Publications. Genre: Horror, thriller and pulp novellas with some type of paranormal, supernatural, occult or psychological aspect. Own Voices and BIPOC are strongly encouraged to submit. Adult and YA novellas considered. Submit your complete novella (17,000 to 28,000 words) in rtf or pages format. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Flash Point Science Fiction. Genre: Speculative fiction stories from 100 to 1,000 words in length. "Send us your science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and everything in between, so long as it’s short." Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

AM Ink. Genre: Horror. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

AND A FEW MORE...

The Rumpus. Genre: Essays. Payment: $400 divided among all contributors. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: August 1, 2024. See themes.

Zombies in the New Normal. Genre: Zombie stories. Payment: $100. Deadline: August 1, 2024.


Broken Highways. Genre: Car Wars GameLit Fiction. "Theme: Have you ever looked at someone, and just know that they have one hell of a tale to tell? First-hand accounts from the road, told by the bounty hunters, highwaymen, and Federal Marshals out there in the mix." Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000.  Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

Face the Storm. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: A collection of stories dealing with Space Coasties! Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

Last Girls Club. Genre: Feminist horror: short stories and poems - see themes. Payment: Fiction, 15 cents/word. Poetry, $10. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

The First Line. Genre: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction, $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: August 1, 2024.

50 Writing Contests in July 2024 - No entry fees

Flickr This July there are more than four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes this month range from $100,000 to publication. 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. Many of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Good luck! 
​
Note: I update this list continually throughout the month, so check back frequently for new contests.

(Image: Flickr)
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PEN America’s U.S. Writers Aid Initiative. Restrictions: Applicants must be professional writers based in the United States, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping address a short-term emergency situation. Prize: Grant, amount not specified. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Sponsored by Claremont Graduate University. Restrictions: Poets must be citizens or legal resident aliens of the United States. Genre: Poetry. Book must be author's first full-length book of poetry, published between between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Self-published books are accepted. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Sponsored by Claremont Graduate University. Restrictions: Poets must be citizens or legal resident aliens of the United States. Genre: Poetry. The work submitted must be a first book of poetry published between between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Manuscripts, CDs, and chapbooks are not accepted. Prize: $100,000. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Langdon Review Writer-in-Residence Program. This is a two-week residency at Texas-based Tarleton State University, providing an opportunity to present at the Langdon Review Weekend festival, and publication in the school's Langdon Review journal. Prize: $500. Deadline: July 1, 204.

The AutoEthnographer Student Scholarships. Restrictions: Open to creatives anywhere in the world who identify as active students at any age or level. Works must be nominated by an instructor, professor, tutor, or other educator; the author/artist must have been an enrolled student in the 2022-2023 school year. Genre: Works of literary and artistic autoethnography. Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

ALCS Award for Educational Writers. Genre: Nonfiction book (with or without illustrations) that stimulates and enhances learning for either 5-11 year olds (in odd-numbered years) or 11-18 year olds (in even-numbered years). For 2023, titles must be for ages 5-11. Books must have been first published in the UK within the previous two calendar years (2021 or 2022 of the current deadline year). Prize: £2,000.00. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Richard J. Margolis Award. Genre: Journalism. Prize is awarded annually to a promising new journalist or essayist whose work combines warmth, humor, wisdom and concern with social justice. Prize: $5,000 and one month of residency at Blue Mountain Center. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Local Word Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Entries are welcome from living poets anywhere in Australia 16 years or older. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $2,000 AUD top prize. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

BCLF Short Fiction Story Contest (BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize and BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean). Restrictions: All entrants must be of Caribbean heritage/of Caribbean descent or writers who were born/raised and holding nationality in the Caribbean. Genre: Unpublished short fiction (3000 words max). Prize: US$1750 for each contest. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards. Genre: Poetry. "The awards contest is an annual series of awards to encourage poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit." Prize: $200. Deadline: July 1, 2024. Free entry for poets age 12 and under.

Forum Prize. Genre: Essay on the subject of: ‘The Art(s) of Delight’ "We are looking for bold, visionary and persuasive essays that use academic research to pursue innovative questions. The topic may be addressed from the perspective of any of the literatures (including literary linguistics, translation and comparative literature approaches) normally covered by the journal: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish." Prize: £500 and publication. Deadline: July 1, 2024. 

Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowships. Restrictions: Open to writers who have lived in the state of Maine for at least one year. Genre: Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction. Prize: $5,000. Deadline: July 3, 2024.

The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers. Restrictions: Open to unpublished Australian residents aged 18 years or older. Genre: Fiction and narrative non-fiction, the first three chapters plus synopsis (max 20,000 words). Prize: $10,000 and a year’s mentorship with one of Hachette Australia’s publishers. The Guardian Australia will publish an extract of the first chapter of the winning work on its website. Deadline: July 7, 2024.

Wingate Literary Prize. Genre: Published book that explores Jewish themes. Book must be published between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024, must be published, distributed or easily available in the UK and Ireland, and must be published in English, whether originally or in translation. Prize: £4,000. Deadline: July 7, 2024.

Conversation Piece. Genre: Stories, poems, dialogues, screenplays, etc made up of 100% dialogue/speech. No word limit. Prize: "Modest" Deadline: July 7, 2024.

HG Wells Short Story Competition. Genre: Short story on theme. See site. Length: 1,500 to 5,000 words. Prize: £1,000 and publication in the annual HG Wells Short Story Competition Anthology.  Deadline: July 8, 2024. No fee for writers under the age of 21. Those over 21 can enter for a fee.

Sine Theta Prize. Restrictions: Open to  members of the Sino diaspora. Genre: Fiction (prose) and poetry. See theme. Prize: All authors published in sinθ receive a $10 USD honorarium. For the two contest winners, there is an additional $200 USD prize, amounting to a total of $210 USD. Deadline: July 10, 2024.

Stony Brook Short Fiction Prize. Restrictions: Only undergraduates enrolled full time in United States and Canadian universities and colleges are eligible. Genre: Fiction of no more than 7,500 words. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: July 14, 2024.  

Apparition Lit. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Prize: $30. Deadline: July 14, 2024.

Donn Goodwin and Joseph Gahagen Poetry Prizes: Milwaukee Irish Fest. Genre: Poetry. Entries should have a culture/literary relation to either Ireland, Irish-America, or to Irish poetry. Prize: $100. Deadline: July 14, 2024.

The Governor General’s Literary Awards. Restrictions: Books must have been written, translated or illustrated by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Genre: Best English-language and the best French-language book will be chosen in each of the seven categories of Fiction, Literary Non-fiction, Poetry, Drama, Children’s Literature (text), Children’s Literature (illustrated books) and Translation (from French to English). Prize: $25,000. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Boardman Tasker Prize. Restrictions: The prize will be awarded for a work first published or distributed in the United Kingdom between July 15, 2023 and July 15, 2024. Genre: Books with a mountain, not necessarily mountaineering, theme whether fiction, non-fiction, drama or poetry, written in the English language. Prize: £3,000.00. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Swamp Pink Prize for Indigenous Writers. Restrictions: Open to indigenous writers in the United States. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction of up to 25 pages or a set of 1-3 poems. Prize: Winners in each genre will receive $500 and publication. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Iron Horse Photofinish. Genre: Brief ekphrastic work that pushes beyond an absolute literal read of a photo prompt. "We're looking for work that recognizes what's hidden in the world we see, responding to the physical details that the picture offers or what emotion it conveys or both. We provide the photo on our website and social media platforms every mid-May. Responses should be no longer than 500 words for prose or 15 lines for poetry. Prize:  Winner receives $250. The finalists receive: $50. Deadline: July 15, 2024. Free submissions on July 15 only.

Helen Schaible International Sonnet Contest. Genre: Poetry. Categories: #1 Traditional Sonnet – Shakespearean or Petrarchan; #2 Modern Sonnet. Prize: $50, 2nd Prize $30, 3rd Prize $20, three Honorable Mentions, three Special Recognitions. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

LSU Alexandria English & Humanities Department. Genre: Flash Fiction. Tell a short-story with a title. In a minimum of 6 words and a maximum of 1,500 words, tell a story about what happened, who it happened to, and why. Prizes: First, second, and third place finishers will be awarded $250, $150, and $100 respectively, and the stories will be published on the LSUA website. Deadline: July 15, 2024.

Stone Canoe. Restrictions: Open to people who live or have lived in Upstate New York (not New York City). Genres: Drama, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: July 15, 2024 for fiction and poetry. (It is difficult to find this information on their website.) 

Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. Restrictions: Books must be first edition English-language books written by a Canadian or American citizen or permanent resident of either country. Works written by women or non-binary authors are eligible for submission. The Prize welcomes and encourages submissions by transgender woman authors. Genre: Published novel, short story collection or graphic novel. Prize: $150,000 Canadian dollars. Deadline: Entries for books published between January 1, 2024 – July 31, 2024, must be received on or before July 15, 2024.

The Burlington Contemporary Art Writing Prize. Restrictions: Entrants must have published no more than six pieces of writing in print or online prior to their submission. Genre: Review of a contemporary art exhibition. Prize: £1,000. Deadline: July 15, 2024. 

Ibby Rivers Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to Oregon and SW Washington residents only. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $300. Deadline: July 15, 2024. 

Write the World: Journalism Competition. Restrictions: Young writers ages 13-19.5. Genre: News article: Global correspondents. Prize: Best Entry: $100; Runner up: $50. Deadline: July 22, 2024.

Black Voices in Children's Literature Writing Contest. Restrictions: The contest is open to Black authors who at the time of entry are at least 18 years of age and residing anywhere in the United States. Genre: Original children’s books for ages 0–4 (50–125 words) or for ages 4–8 (300–800 words) featuring authentic, realistic Black characters and culture and focusing on one or more of the following topics: character development, self-esteem, identity, diversity, getting along with others, engaging with family and community, or other topics related to positive childhood development. Religious and fantasy themes will not be considered. Prize: First Place: $1000. Second Place: $500 cash prize. Third Place: $250 cash prize. Deadline: July 22, 2024.

Nakata Brophy Short Fiction and Poetry Prize for Young Indigenous Writers. Restrictions: The prize is open to Indigenous Australian writers who are 35 years or younger at the closing date of the competition. Genre: Poetry. Prize: First prize includes $5000, an optional writing residency at Trinity College, and publication of the successful piece in Overland. Deadline: July 27, 2024.

SLF Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds Grants. Restrictions: Open to writers from underrepresented and underprivileged groups, such as writers of color, women, queer writers, disabled writers, working-class writers, etc. -- those whose marginalized identities may present additional obstacles in the writing / publishing process. Genres: Book-length works (novels, collections of short stories) of speculative fiction. Prize: $500. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Eucalyptus Lit. Genre: Poetry and prose. Prize: Winner will receive a prize of $75, and the runner-up will receive $25. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award. Restrictions: Open to young poets age 11 - 17. Genre: Poetry. Prize: Publication. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Landfall Essay Competition. Restrictions: Open to New Zealand writers. Genre: Essay about New Zealand. Prize: The winner will receive $3000 and a year’s subscription to Landfall. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Polar Expressions Publications Short Story and Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to Canadians only. Genre: Short story, poetry. Prize: $500. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers. Genre: An unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children’s chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words. Prize: $2,000. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

The Stephen Spender Prize. Restrictions: Open to UK or Irish citizens, or pupils at a British School overseas. Genre: Translated poetry from Portuguese to English. Prize: £50-£100. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Briefly Write. Genre: Poetry up to 10 lines. Prize: Total prize fund - £75. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Mustapha Matura Award. Restrictions: The competition is open to any playwright of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the UK. Entrants must be 25 years or under at the time of submission. Genre: Stage play in English. Television, radio plays and film scripts will not be considered. Prize: £3,000 top prize. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

What’s Your Story? Restrictions: Open to Victorian residents. (Australia) Genre: Poetry, short stories, CNF. Prize: $500. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

James Berry Poetry Prize. Restrictions: Open to poets of colour, who are UK residents (permanently reside in the UK: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man) who have not yet published a book-length collection, with special consideration given to LGBTQ+/disabled poets and poets from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Genre: Poetry. Prize: 3 equal winners each receive £1,000 prize, expert mentoring & debut collection published with Bloodaxe Books. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Surging Tide. Genre: Poetry, prose. Prize: The winner of each category will be awarded $100 and each runner-up will also be awarded $25. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Arablit Story Prize. Genre: Flash fiction in Arabic. Prize: 1st prize: £300 2nd prize: £200 3rd prize: £100. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards. Restrictions: Scottish writers over 18 years of age. Genres: The awards are divided into three different categories.: Fiction and Narrative Non-fiction in English and Scots, Poetry in English and Scots, Children’s and Young Adult Fiction in English and Scots. Prize: £2,000 and personal development opportunities, which can include mentoring from writers and industry professionals. Training in PR, performance and presentation training, and the opportunity to showcase work to publishers and agents. Deadline: July 31, 2024.

The Washburn Chapbook Prize. Restrictions: Open to women or non-binary writers. Genre: Chapbook exactly 10 poems long. Prize: $200 and publication of their micro chapbook online at Harbor Review. Deadline: July 31, 2024. Fees are waived for BIPOC identifying writers only.

Biopage. Genre: "Inspiring, uplifting, and heartwarming stories." Prizes: Up to $300. Deadline: July 31, 2024. Registration required.

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: July 31, 2024. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

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26 Glorious Writing Conferences and Workshops in July 2024

Wallowa Lake: Robert Shea: Flickr This July there are more than two dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most will be held in person or use a hybrid format.

These writing events offer everything a writer might want: intensive workshops, pitch sessions with agents, to how to market yourself and your books, discussions - there is something for everyone.

For a full list of conferences held throughout the year see Writing Conferences.

If you miss an application deadline, put it on your calendar for next year. Quite a few conferences offer scholarships, so apply early. Plan ahead!

Be sure to check out Highlights list of workshops. They offer many throughout the year. 

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Young Writers Workshop. July 7 - 27, 2024: Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Restrictions: For students completing grades 9, 10, 11. Three 90-minute workshop sessions daily, including imaginative writing activities and discussion of readings. Weekly individual meetings with workshop instructor. Focus is on using various forms of creative writing to develop language and thinking skills. 

Hurston/Wright Summer Writers Week. July 8 - July 12, 2024: Rutgers. For more than 20 years, the Hurston/Wright Summer Writers Workshop has offered a safe space for Black writers in intensive workshop sessions and master classes. Workshops are led by award-winning writers who are influencing today’s literature. The program features critiques, craft talks, writing time and public readings. Hurston/Wright workshops serve emerging and experienced writers who are starting projects, developing projects or seeking to polish projects. More than a thousand writers have participated in workshops since the first session in 1996. See website for individual workshops.

Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers. July 8 - 14, 2024: Wallowa Lake, Oregon. Take a weeklong writing workshop in your favorite genre: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, memoir, or short story. Each workshop is limited to no more than 13 participants, giving you the opportunity to build connections with a world-class instructor and your fellow writers. Throughout the week, we’ll bring the best of Summer Fishtrap to you through craft talks, discussions, open mics, readings, and a special 35th Anniversary Celebration.

Community of Writers Workshop in Fiction. July 8 - 15, 2024: Olympic Valley, California. These workshops assist serious writers by exploring the art and craft as well as the business of writing. The week offers daily morning workshops, craft lectures, panel discussions on editing and publishing, staff readings, as well as brief individual conferences. The morning workshops are led by staff writer-teachers, editors, or agents. There are separate morning workshops for Fiction and Narrative Nonfiction/ Memoir. In addition to their workshop manuscript, participants may have a second manuscript read by a staff member who meets with them in an individual conference. During the week, a portion of our workshops is devoted exclusively to nonfiction. Memoir, narrative nonfiction, and essays are invited. Literary criticism and scholarly work will not be considered. Nonfiction applicants can use the same general form for submission. Application deadline March 5. (Put this on your calendar for next year)

Summer Camp in Illustration: Intensive Artistic Inspiration. July 10 -13, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. At the Highlights Foundation, “summer camp” is different than s’mores by the fire and hiking in the woods. (Though we do that, too.) Get away for four days at our Summer Camp in Illustration for inspiration, guidance, support, community, fun, creativity, and growth. Waitlisted.

Southampton Writers Conference. July 10 - 14, 2024: Long Island, NY. The conference features workshops in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and publishing, as well as readings, lectures, and a master class series. Creative writing workshops are the heart and soul of the summer experience, meeting four afternoons or mornings throughout the session. Enrollment is limited to 13 lucky writers who have applied with writing samples. Those accepted have the privilege of sharing their work in an intimate, rigorous and friendly setting. 

Midwest Writers Workshop. July 11 - 13, 2024: Muncie, Indiana. Craft and business sessions, agent pitches, manuscript evaluations. MWW includes quality instruction by a faculty of authors, agents, editors, and specialists. Will be held online and in person.

Cascade Three-day Critique Workshop. July 12 – 14, 2024: Bremerton, WA. "Our Three-Day Critique Workshop is an opportunity for you to submit the first 4000 words of your novel, short story, or whatever project you are working on, for critique in a group of up to 8 peers led by an industry professional. This is a great way to polish up those first pages and first chapter. Submissions are due six weeks before the event via our Discord Channel. Registrants will receive login information a few weeks before submissions are due. There will also be one-hour workshops and panel presentations on craft, querying, the publishing industry, and more. Optional casual gatherings provide opportunities to get to know other writers as well as authors, editors, and agents." Proof of vaccination required.

Summer Camp in Writing: Create and Dream! July 14 -18, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. Our Summer Camp in Writing is a time to find the kind of encouragement for your stories that only a generous mentor can provide. To find inspiration and support. To be with a community that understands the long process of turning dreams into books for children. To work 1:1 and fine-tune your words and pitches while you have some fun. Waitlisted.

Port Townsend Writers’ Conference. July 14 - 20, 2024: Port Townsend, Washington. workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as craft lectures, readings, open mics, and time to write. "The Port Townsend Writers’ Conference has been since 1974 at the wild heart of the thriving Pacific Northwest literary scene. With a focus on community and rigorous attention to craft, the Conference offers morning workshops, afternoon workshops, residencies, guided freewrites, and a vibrant readings and lectures series presented by vital, contemporary writers." 

Sewanee Writers’ Conference. July 16 -  28, 2024: Sewanee, TN. Faculty will give readings and provide instruction and criticism through workshops and craft lectures, as well as meet individually with participants to discuss their manuscripts. The Conference will offer five fiction workshops, four poetry workshops, and a playwriting workshop supported by two professional actors. In addition, a substantial number of literary agents will attend.

Writercon Retreat. July 17 - 21, 2024: Wagoner, OK. Join us for a five-day, small-group writing retreat at the 300-acre Canebrake Resort in Wagoner, OK, on Ft. Gibson lake. Our retreat group will have the resort to ourselves with paths to hike, a pool to enjoy, bikes to ride and much more! 

Saskatchewan Festival of Words. July 18 - 21, 2024: Moose Jaw, Canada. Workshops for all ages, reading sessions, concerts, film, panel discussions, interviews, music, theatre, a slam poetry competition as well as workshops and author readings.

Writing Heights Writers Conference. July 19 - 20, 2024: Fort Collins, CO. Workshops, seminars, speakers, entertainment, agent roundtables, pitch sessions, networking with authors and industry professionals. Will be held online and in person.

Northwestern University Summer Writers’ Conference. July 19 - 20, 2024: Chicago, Illinois. The conference is hosted by the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies MA in Writing and MFA in Prose and Poetry programs. Will be held online.

Imaginarium. July 19 - 21, 2024: Louisville KY. A three day annual event held in Louisville, Kentucky centered entirely around creative writing, including the worlds of books, movies, gaming, music, and comics/graphic novels. Imaginarium Convention features extensive programming content, with panels and workshops presented by over 150 professional guests covering everything from the craft of writing to various genres, industry-specific topics, publishing, and social media/publicity. The convention features a film festival with a full array of awards, a masquerade/costume contest, live music, gaming, an expo open to the general public, an awards banquet, a series of literary awards called the Imadjinns, and many more activities, creating a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere that is content-rich and ideal for networking, promotion and personal development. 

Mystery Writers Conference.  July 19 - 21, 2023: Corte Madera, CA. In this conference, mystery writers learn the clues to a successful writing career. Editors, agents, and publishers tell participants what they need to know to get published. Authors offer classes on setting, dialogue, suspense, point of view, and openings. They tell how to write about private eyes, amateur sleuths, and police protagonists, and how to create thrillers and historical mysteries. Panels of detectives, forensic experts, police, and other crime-fighting professionals provide information that allows crime fiction writers to put realism in their work. 

The Cambridge Writers’ Workshop Summer Writing Retreat. July 19 - 27, 2024: Budapest & Prague. The retreat offers participating writers of all genres and levels to work alongside award-winning authors and editors. Participating writers will hone their craft and expand their writing skills, while working on new or existing projects. Tuition is $3,875, which includes lodging in central Paris, creative writing workshops and writing seminars with our supportive and award-winning faculty8of writers and editors, and daily breakfast. Register by June 1, 2024. (Put this on your calendar for next year)

Napa Valley Writers’ Conference. July 21 - 26, 2024: Napa, California. While conference lectures and readings are open to the public, the heart of the experience — the daily workshop, with the opportunity to give and receive feedback on work in progress — is available only to participants. It’s through this intense process that new and established writers interact most meaningfully and forge the bonds that give the conference community life beyond the annual conference week.

North Carolina Writers' Network Squire Summer Writing Workshops. July 25 - 23, 2024: Greenville, North Carolina. The 2024 Squire Summer Writing Workshops (SW24) are three intensive workshops with accomplished instructors, a chance to share your work with other dedicated writers, and a unique opportunity to bond with writers from across the state and beyond.

Taylor's Professional Writers Conference. July 26 - 27, 2024: Upland, Indiana. Sponsored by Taylor University's nationally recognized Professional Writing major, this conference stresses tools and tips for getting your writing into print. You'll learn from professional writers and network with agents and editors who can take you to the next level in your writing.

Confluence-SFF. July 26 - 28, 2024: Coraopolis, PA. Located at the birthplace of the Ohio River, Confluence is Pittsburgh’s longest-running literary conference with a strong focus on science fiction, fantasy and horror. Award-winning authors, editors, artists and song-writers gather for three full days.

The Creativity Workshop in New York. July 26 - 29, 2024: New York, New York. "The Creativity Workshops take away the fear of writing and open the way to new ideas. They are especially helpful for writers in fiction, poetry, memoir, theatre and film to get over writing blocks. In our Creativity Workshop Retreats you will generate both new work and ideas for the work you are in the midst of creating. We use many different techniques to help you find your way through the novel, essay, poem, memoir, or script you are writing or hope to write. In The Creativity Workshop you will be doing free writing, writing from guided visualizations, collaborative writing, journaling and memoir work and even some rudimentary drawing, collage and photography."

Willamette Writers Conference. July 31 - August 1, 2024: Portland, Oregon. Three full days of classes, workshops, keynotes, critiques, and events. There are also Master Classes with industry professionals in which you can learn from top instructors in a small group setting and many options for one on one critique, including On the Spot Critiques and Advance Manuscript Critique. As always, they will have a roster of agents, editors and film executives ready to hear about your project. Hybrid format.

Romance Writers of America. July 31 - August 3, 2024: Austin, TX. At the RWA Annual Conference, you’ll experience three days filled with education, career enhancement, and networking with your peers and industry professionals.

Whole Novel Workshop: An In-Person Retreat for Novelists (October). Apply by July 31. October 17 - 22, 2024: Boyds Mills, PA. This intensive, transformative Whole Novel Workshop offers writers the rare opportunity to have the entire draft (up to 80,000 words) of a novel read by faculty, with detailed written feedback and two private consultations provided. Attention in an intimate setting makes this program one that guarantees significant progress in preparation for submission. 

9 New Agents Seeking Memoirs, Kidlit, Romance, SFF, Nonfiction and more

Gyamfia Osei ​Here are nine new literary agents actively seeking clients. New agents are a boon to writers. They are actively building their lists, and will go the extra mile for their clients.

All of these agents work for established agencies with good track records. They are looking for all genres.
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 several agents at the same agency simultaneously. If one rejects you, you may then submit to another. (Some small agencies share. Be alert to a notice that "a no from one is a no from all.")

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients. 
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Laurie-Maude Chenard of United Talent Agency

Born in China and raised in Québec and Massachusetts, Laurie-Maude studied Culture and Politics and Global Business at Georgetown University. After graduating, she worked briefly in advertising before joining UTA in 2021. She now lives in New York. In her free time, you can find her getting into street photography, roaming Prospect Park for the perfect sunny spot, and trying to turn any day into one spent by the ocean.

What she is seeking: Laurie-Maude Chenard represents clients in both fiction and nonfiction. She gravitates toward unique, voice-driven stories by writers from historically underrepresented communities, exploring themes of identity (and its fluidity), race, culture, gender, and sexuality. She’s drawn to contemporary literary and upmarket fiction with multifaceted characters navigating strong internal conflicts and complex relationships. She has a particular interest in coming-of-age stories, as well as psychological and speculative novels that blend wit and humor with emotional depth. Books she loves include AMERICANAH by Chimimanda Ngozie Adichie, TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin, MARTYR! by Kaveh Akbar, and THE IDIOT by Elif Batuman.

For nonfiction, Laurie-Maude is interested in deeply personal memoirs that grapple with larger issues such as CRYING IN H MART by Michelle Zauner, KNOW MY NAME by Chanel Miller, IN THE DREAM HOUSE by Carmen María Machado, and THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by Joan Didion. She’s also looking for narrative nonfiction and big idea books that get to the root of human behavior and help explain sociological trends and cultural phenomena in the realm of art, fashion, technology, health, work, and urbanism. One of her recent favorites is MONSTERS by Claire Dederer.

How to submit: Submissions should be emailed to laurie-maude.chenard@unitedtalent.com

Please include:

– The word “Query” in the subject line along with your the title of the book and your name

– A brief synopsis

– Your bio

– The first fifteen (15) pages from your novel or book proposal

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Francesca Riccardi of Kate Nash Literary Agency (UK)

Francesca has over fifteen years of experience in the publishing industry, starting at RNIB where she transcribed books into accessible formats for blind and partially sighted readers. She has since worked in sales and marketing roles at publishers Canelo, Atlantic Books, Constable & Robinson and HarperCollins.

What she is seeking: Francesca reads widely, especially across popular commercial genres, but is a particular fan of crime and thrillers, and loves a dogged detective or unusual sleuth. She also enjoys books about unusual family dynamics, toxic friendships and people keeping secrets.

How to submit: Use her querymanager HERE.
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Priscilla Posada of Regal Hoffmann

Priscilla Posada joined Regal Hoffmann in 2024. She holds a BBA in Marketing from the Macaulay Honors College at the City University of New York and is pursuing an MFA in Writing and Literature from Bennington College. She brings fifteen years of interdisciplinary experience ranging from editing to publicity to her work as an agent. Priscilla enjoys reading literature from around the world and has translated two novels by the Argentine writer Pablo Katchadjian for Dalkey Archive Press. She spent 2013 and 2014 in Berlin studying under the writer Samanta Schweblin and happily reading books at the Ibero-American Institute. A native New Yorker, Priscilla enjoys the city’s arthouse theaters and, after working for the local distributor Icarus Films, remains devoted to documentaries where “nothing happens.”

What she is seeking: Priscilla is interested in literary fiction, lyrical nonfiction, anthropology, anything with an international bent, alternative medicine, and all things related to a spiritual practice. 

How to submit: To submit to Priscilla, please email priscilla@rhaliterary.com or submissions@rhaliterary.com.
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Bianca Gillam of Zeno Agency (UK)

I joined Zeno in 2024, driven by my passion for the expanding market for zeitgeist-y, compelling and addictive fiction — books and authors with an electric feel that cause ripples across social media and beyond. I formerly worked in Editorial, acquiring and publishing books across the spectrum of commercial fiction for Aria at Head of Zeus. I have also worked in sales at Simon and Schuster UK.

What she is seeking: Romantasy, Rom-coms with an edge, women’s fiction with a strong hook and deep emotional narrative (think Taylor Jenkins-Reid), atmospheric thrillers with a strong sense of place (think In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead). My primary focus is fiction, but I am open to a select number of narrative non-fiction projects, with a focus on stories that have particular relevance for young women (think I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy), or are so gripping they read like fiction (think Educated by Tara Westover).

How to submit: Read submission guidelines HERE. 

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Rory Clarke of Andrew Nurnberg Associates Ltd

Rory studied English Literature at Birmingham City University before going on to gain his Masters degree in English and Comparative Literature from the University of Warwick. He joined Andrew Nurnberg Associates in 2017 and assisted the Foreign Rights Agents for France, Germany, the Netherlands and Nordic territories. In 2021, Rory joined the UK department. Now an Agent, Rory is actively building his own list of fiction and non-fiction, which began with the sale of the debut book by Nadeem Perera and Ollie Olanipekun of Flock Together in a pre-empt to Gaia Books (Octopus).

What he is seeking: He is interested in a wide range of non-fiction from popular science, history, literary and cultural criticism, current affairs and nature writing. He is primarily looking for compelling, original stories from emerging experts with surprising and new takes on a subject. In fiction, he is drawn to voice-driven and story-led literary writing powered by strong ideas, evocative settings and a command of form.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.
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Ms. Gyamfia Osei of Andrew Nurnberg Associates Ltd

Gyamfia Osei joined ANA in 2023 as a Literary Agent in the UK department. She was previously an agent at The Good Literary Agency, where she began building her list of authors. Recent successes include a ‘significant’ 6-figure pre-empt for Busayo Matuluko’s YA debut ‘Til Death, a 5-way auction for Quiet Storm by Kimberly Whittam and the shortlisting of Ebinehita Iyere’s Girlhood, Unfiltered at the 2023 British Book Awards.

What she is seeking: At ANA, Gyamfia will focus on developing the agency’s list of children’s authors, including the representation of ANA’s international children’s authors into the English language, while also representing a bespoke list of commercial fiction and narrative non-fiction.

In the Children’s space, Gyamfia would love to find contemporary stories that are full of heart and joy-driven books that celebrate kids from underrepresented backgrounds (think Clare Weze, Kimberly Whittam and Elle McNicoll). Funny middle-grade and YA horror are currently at the top of her list and she is also keen to read more teen projects (think Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and Glow Up Lara Bloom) this year. She is very interested in finding a graphic novel or illustrated project for either MG or YA readers.

In the adult fiction space, Gyamfia enjoys well-plotted, fast-paced narratives with authentic characters who lodge themselves in her mind long after she’s finished reading (think Big Little Lies, Verity and Girl A). She’s open to a broad range of genres, but would be particularly keen to see cosy crime, contemporary romance and tightly plotted domestic noir. Please note that Gyamfia doesn’t consider literary fiction and, in the commercial space, she is not hugely interested in high fantasy, trauma-focused stories or particularly gruesome horror.

In the adult non-fiction space, she would be happy to consider commercial narrative non-fiction and cultural history projects (think Brit(ish), It’s Not That Radical and Everything I Know About Love). She is very open when it comes to Children’s non-fiction but would be particularly interested to consider unique cookbooks aimed at young chefs, books exploring mental health/wellness and projects that bring the experiences of marginalised children to the forefront.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.

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Ms. Heather Osborn of Spencerhill Associates

Before joining Spencerhill Associates, Heather Osborn spent many years editing romance, science fiction, fantasy, cozy mystery, and women’s fiction for various publishers. The experience of working with both well-established, bestselling authors, as well as those just embarking on their careers has helped shape her skills working with authors at every stage in their publishing journey. One of Heather’s greatest joys in life is discovering an amazing new author, whether that be in a slush pile, or on a bookstore shelf, and she looks forward to building long-lasting relationships built on clear and open communication with her clients.

What she is seeking: Heather is interested in representing works of popular fiction, mainly concentrated on romance of all genres and sub-genres other than inspirational—with a particular interest in romantasy (and if there are dragons, all the better!), humorous contemporary romance, and paranormal romance—as well as fantasy (particularly cozy fantasy), urban fantasy, and science fiction with strong romantic elements.

How to submit: Please follow submission guidelines HERE.

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Ms. Gwen Beal of United Talent Agency

Gwen Beal began her career as a floating assistant in WME’s mailroom in 2016. She is now an agent in the UTA publishing group with a specialty in children’s literature, and represents a growing list of talent. She has omnivorous tastes and cherishes honest, collaborative working relationships with each of her clients. Gwen graduated from Trinity College in Hartford and lives in Manhattan.

What she is seeking: Gwen is actively signing authors and artists of books for young readers from preschool to young adult with an eye towards unforgettable voice and perspective.

How to submit: Follow submission guidelines HERE.

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Jamilah Ahmed of Barbara Levy Literary Agency (UK)

Jamilah Ahmed has worked in publishing for over fifteen years, as a Development Editor, Commissioning Editor, and most recently Literary Agent. Jamilah has had her own fiction and non-fiction published, as well as winning The Asian Writers Short Story Award in 2016, and the SI Leeds Readers Choice Award, 2016. She is also a Prize administrator for the Jhalak Prize 2019.

What she is seeking: Her remit at the Barbara Levy Literary Agency is to find new writers of fiction and non-fiction. 

How to submit: Submissions should be sent to submissions@barbaralevyagency.com

72 Calls for Submissions in June 2024 - Paying markets

Tony Alter: Flickr ​This June there are 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 upcoming calls for submissions shortly before 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!
(Image: Tony Alter: Flickr)
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The Temz Review. Genre: Prose (fiction and creative non-fiction) up to 10,000 words long. Payment: $20. Deadline: Opens June 1, 2024.


Totally Entwined: Love at Second Sight. Genre: Novellas, 30,000 - 50,000 words. Theme: Second chance romance. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Green Writers Press. Genres: Poetry, fiction, short story collections, environmental essay collections, middle-grade and YA/teen fiction, artwork, and photography. Green Writers Press is an independent, Vermont-based publishing company, is dedicated to spreading environmental awareness and social justice by publishing authors who promulgate messages of hope and renewal through place-based writing and environmental activism. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.


The Wild Umbrella. Genre: Poetry, prose. Payment: €10 per poem and €25 per prose piece. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Ruth’s and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel. Genre: Stories about time travel. Word count must be between 500 and 4000 words. Payment: 1 cent per word for original stories or a flat $10 for reprints. Deadline: June 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction. Theme: Gardens. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2024.


The Fires of Retribution. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: A collection of stories dealing with DRAGONS! Concept: We’re looking for a story that shows the struggle between man and beast. These aren’t Pete’s Dragon; these are vicious killers who would just as soon eat you as look at you. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Darkest Shadow, Brightest Light. Genre: Dark Fantasy. Word Count: 5,000 – 10,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Hellbound Books. Genre: Horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Shivering Timbers! Genre: Pirate themed horror fiction. "Avast ye, scurvy seadogs! Within these pages there be swashbuckling zombies, petrifying privateers and bloodthirsty buccaneers hunting for cursed treasure in darkened coves. Come aboard and join our crew as we set sail on a chilling voyage across the kraken infested seven seas. Sharpen your cutlasses, raise the Jolly Roger and prepare to be terrified by tales of piratical peril. Arrr!" Payment: £20. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: $400. Deadline: June 1, 2024. See themes.
Air/Light. Genre: New and innovative works of literary arts across all mediums and genres including cross genre work. Length: Up to 4,000 words for prose, and up to 10 pages for poetry. Payment: Poetry: $50; Responses and department pieces: $100; Fiction and essays/nonfiction: $200; Visual art, music, and multimedia: $200. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

The Fires of Retribution Anthology. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Theme: A collection of stories dealing with DRAGONS! Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Bannister Press. Genre: Fantasy. "We are seeking international short story submissions by writers who identify as women for an anthology with a focus on what it means to be on the outside looking in, or comfortably or uncomfortably out of step with the world(s) at large, and with a fantasy element (either subtle or writ large). The story can be visually focused, or character/narrative focused, as long as it leaves the reader thinking about the story long after closing the book." Payment: 8 cents/word CAD. Deadline: June 1, 2024.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 8 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: June 2, 2024. Opens June 1.

Meanjin. Restrictions: Open to Australians. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $250 per poem. Deadline: June 3, 2024.

Utopia Science Fiction. Genre: Utopian science fiction. See theme. Payment: $0.04/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $25 for poetry. Deadline: June 4, 2024.

Profiles. Genre: Character-driven fiction and non-fiction — both original works and works in translation — under 5,000 words. Art. Payment: €200+ per piece. Deadline:  June 4, 2024.

Unleashed. Genre: Horror up to 10,000 words. Payment: $25 per piece. Deadline: June 5, 2024.

The Margins. Restrictions: Open to Asian American and diasporic poets. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50 to $90 (USD) for original and translated poetry; the fee varies based on the number and length of poems. Deadline: June 6, 2024. Accepts reprints.


A Coup of Owls. Restrictions: Only submit if you are aged 18 or over and belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled people. Genre: Fiction, all genres. Payment: £5 - 15. Deadline: June 7, 2024. Closes when they reach their cap.

Stone's Throw. Genre: Noir, dark fiction, crime short stories. Length: between 1,000 and 2,000 words. See theme. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 7, 2024. 

805 Lit and Art. Genre: Short fiction, CNF, poetry, art. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 7, 2024. (?)
Mouthfeel Press. Genre: Poetry chapbooks, fiction novellas, and full-length nonfiction. Translations accepted. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 9, 2024. 

Samjoko Magazine is devoted to publishing "exemplary work from content creators around the world. Focusing mainly upon the written word, we hope to create an immersive digital and print platform that stands out for its honesty and desire to take risks for the sake of artistic expression. We have no set aesthetic, though different themes will be focused upon periodically." Payment: $20. Deadline: June 10, 2024.

New Words. Genre: Trans gender poetry. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 10, 2024. Reprints accepted.

Mslexia. Restrictions: Open to women. Genre: Fiction poetry, nonfiction. Payment: £25. Deadline: June 10, 2024. See themes.

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, mixed media, visual arts, "and even kitchen sinks, if they are compressed in some way.” Payment: $50. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Dracula Beyond Stoker. Genre: Fiction based on Stoker’s characters. See theme. Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2024.


Propagule. Genre: Short stories that are intrepid with regard to experimentation and oddity; the strange, the surreal, the atypical, the unexpected. Payment: $30 (max). Deadline: June 15, 2024.


Bull City Press. Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction Chapbooks. Payment: Royalties (?) Deadline: June 15, 2024
Underblong. Genre: Poetry, art. Payment: $20. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Baffling. Genre: Speculative flash fiction. Length: Under 1200 words. See themes. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. Payment: $0.04/word, up to $25. Deadline: June 15, 2024. See theme.
Carte Blanche (Canada). Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translations. comics, photography. Payment: $75. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

Nat. Brut. showcases the work of writers and artists who have been historically devalued or pigeonholed by art and literary institutions. "We publish work that has been buried, ignored, and disappeared from public consciousness. Equally, we seek work that comes from artists’ buried, ignored, and disappeared impulses and practices—the risky, the exploratory, and the potentially ugly." Genre: Short stories, poetry, CNF, comics. Payment: $30. Deadline: June 15, 2024.

The Offing: Insight. Genre: Creative nonfiction (usually personal essay) that centers one’s personal experience against the backdrop of art, literature, and culture. Insight essays generally fuse together two topics that don’t typically belong together, weaving—and investigating—what is perceived versus what is true. Ultimately, these essays explore the ways in which interacting with this aspect of culture or ideology changed you or made a lasting impression.. Payment: $25–$100. Deadline: June 16, 2024

Carcanet Press. Genre: Lives & Letters. Nonfiction. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 21, 2024. Proposals only.

Flame Tree Press: Myths, Gods & Immortals. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme: Circe. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 23, 2024.

Flame Tree Press: Myths, Gods & Immortals. Genre: Speculative fiction on theme: Anansi. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: June 23, 2024.

The Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy-tale inspired stories/poems. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 24, 2024.

Off Topic Publishing: Poetry Box. Genre: Poetry. Payment $30 CAD.  Deadline: June 25, 2024. This is a monthly call.

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction. See themes. Payment: $50 via PayPal for each story selected for an Anthology. No payment for online publication. Deadline: June 28, 2024.

Dragon Soul Press: Malice. Genre: "All crime (mystery, noir, suspense) stories are welcome. All genres are accepted." Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

The Sprawl Mag. Genre: Speculative poetry, short fiction, and visual art. "Whether it is utopic, dystopic, magical, or sci-fi, we look forward to seeing your work." Payment: $20 CAD. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Silk and Sinew. Restrictions: Open to Asian and South Asian diaspora writers. Genre: Folk horror rooted in the experience of the Asian Diaspora. From lengths of muscle and vein, ground bones, endless ropes of sinew it is with our bodies folk horror is woven. Payment: 5 cents/ word. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

A Brood of Vampires. Genre: Short stories and poems with vampires as the main theme of the piece. Payment: £10. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Eerie River: The Earth Bleeds at Night. Genre: Horror. See theme. Payment: 5 cents per word. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Unicorn Press. Genre: Poetry collections. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.
Midnight & Indigo. Restrictions: Open to black women. Genre: Fiction, personal essays. Payment: 7 cents/word for fiction, $100 for essays. Deadline:  June 30, 2024.

Dragon’s Roost Press. Genre: Cosmic Horror stories set in and around Arkham, Innsmouth, and other mythos related areas that take place in or are associated with Lovecraftian tales AND which feature a public or private institution of some sort. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: June 30, 2024. May close early is cap is reached.

JMS Books. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories, 12,000 words minimum. See theme. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Codhill Press. Genre: Poetry manuscript. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.


105 Meadowlark Reader. Restrictions: You must be a Kansas resident or have lived in Kansas at some point in your life. Genre: True stories about Kansas written by Kansans. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Poet Lore. Genre: Poetry translations. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Plenitude Magazine Restrictions: Open to Canadians. "Plenitude Magazine aims to promote the growth and development of LGBTTQI literature through an online publication of literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic narrative, book reviews and short film by both emerging and established LGBTTQI writers. We define queer literature and arts as works created by LGBTTQI people, rather than works which feature queer content alone." Genre: Fiction, CNF. Payment: $50 - $100. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Far Futures 3 – An Anthology of Deep Space. Genre: Speculative fiction. Submissions will involve space travel in some form to deep space. Stories may start or end planet-side, but the bulk of the tale must be in space. Military sci-fi is welcome. Payment: ½ cent per word to a maximum of $50. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Worldsmyths: Dark Fantasy Short Stories. Genre: Dark Fantasy Short Stories. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Ofic. Genre: Short fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, art. "Send us your dead doves, your blorbos, your plinkos, your wretched meow meows yearning to be free; that thing you wrote that made you think, “I don’t know where this belongs”; the stuff you’d never show anyone you know IRL. Give us your shameless, self-indulgent smut; the manuscript to the video essay you dictated to your YouTube subscribers in your head; your thoughtful explorations of trauma and identity; your Pepe Silvia wall; your sci-fi, your fantasy, your romance, your realism. We want anything and everything. As long as you identify as a fan, we want to read your work." (Up to 12,000 words). Payment: Small honorarium. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Nothing Exists Alone. Genre: Full-length fiction manuscripts on climate change. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024.


The Hudson Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, essays, book reviews; criticism of literature, art, theatre, dance, film, and music; and articles on contemporary cultural developments. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: June 30, 2024. (Poetry only)

Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Cat Stories. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for first-person true stories and poems up to 1200 words that highlight the unique personalities that dogs have. Celebrate your dog, or a dog you know, with a wonderful story about what he or she does. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both." Payment: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dog Stories. Genre: True stories and poems. "We are looking for first-person true stories and poems up to 1200 words that highlight the unique personalities that cats have. Celebrate your cat, or a cat you know, with a wonderful story about what he or she does. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both." Payment: $200. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

New Orleans Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment: $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2024. In celebration of Pride, there are no submission fees for LGBTQIA2+ writers in June. We are especially interested in trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming voices.

Haven Speculative. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. Payment: 8¢ per word for fiction and $20 for poetry. Deadline: June 30, 2024.


Fulcrum Publishing. Genre: Nonfiction works that explore conservation and stewardship, American culture, civics, and the American West. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Reprints accepted.
The Third Black Beacon Book of Mystery. Genre: Mystery short stories with an unforgettable protagonist and a clever puzzle to solve. Payment: $25 and $10 for reprints regardless of length, plus one print copy. Preferred word count between 3,000 and 9,000 words. Deadline: June 30, 2024. Reprints accepted.


Allegory. Genre: Speculative Fiction. Payment: $15. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Bamboo Ridge. Genre: All works by and about Hawaii's people. Payment: $50. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Typehouse. Restrictions: In honor of Pride Month, no-fee submissions are open for all LGBTQIA2+/Queer writers, not limited to those from the US. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Variant Lit. Genre: Poetry, fiction, flash fiction, art. Payment: $10. Deadline: June 30, 2024.

Channel. Genre: Fiction, art, creative non-fiction, and poetry that engages with the natural world, and have a particular interest in work which encourages reflection on human interaction with plant and animal life, landscape and the self. Payment: €40/poem, and €50/page of prose up to €150. Deadline:  June 30, 2024.

AND A FEW MORE...

Thema: A New Routine. Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: A New Routine. Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: July 1, 2024. Accepts reprints.

The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on themes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: July 1, 2024. See themes.


Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Flash fiction. Payment: $100. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2024.

Harbor Editions: Hybrid Chapbook Reading Period. Genre: Hybrid chapbook. Chapbooks should be around 20-50 pages. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2024. No submission fee for BIPOC writers.


It Came from the Trailer Park. Genre: Horror-comedy with the same feel as The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Shaun of the Dead, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2024.

Shenandoah. Genre: Creative Nonfiction. Payment: $80 per 1000 words of prose up to $400. Deadline: Opens July 1, 2024, and closes when they reach capacity.