62 Calls for Submissions in July 2021 - Paying markets

Sand sculpture by Japanese artist Toshihiko Hosaka This July there are more than 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 calls for submissions on the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month's calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)

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

Happy submitting!
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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: $15. Deadline: Opens July 1.

Antimony and Elder Lace Press: Stonewall Detective Tales. Genre: Thriller/Mystery. Word Count: 1,000-7,500 words. “One or more of your MAIN characters (protagonist, antagonist, major supporting character) must identify as a member of the LGBTQiA communities. They can be open, closeted, somewhere between, flamboyant, a teddy bear, troll, etc. We just need to make sure that a reader can recognize, and identify the character as such. We are not looking for stereotypical caricatures. We are looking for reality.” Payment: $0.01 per word and a percentage of royalties. Payment made upon publication. Deadline: July 1, 2021.


Thema: Watch the Birdie! Genre: Fiction, poetry, and art on theme: Watch the Birdie!  Payment:  $10-$25 for short fiction and artwork, $10 for poetry. Deadline: July 1, 2021.  Accepts reprints.

ArabLit Quarterly. Genre: Fiction,poetry, and nonfiction translated from Arabic on theme of Football. No, not the American kind. Payment: $15/page. Deadline: Pitches due July 1, 2021.

The Zodiac Killers Series. Genre: Thriller. Length: 5000-10,000 words, excluding title. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 1, 2021.

Curiouser. Genre: Poetry and short fiction up to 5,000 words. "Stories that excite, that break the boundary between real and unreal. Experimentation and surreal ways of looking at the world we live in will be looked upon fondly. Horror, magic realism, speculative fiction and streams of consciousness are welcome." Payment: $25-40 per poem, and from $50-140 for short prose (all dollar amounts are Australian). International authors get reduced payment. Deadline: July 1, 2021.


Constelación is a quarterly speculative fiction bilingual magazine, publishing stories in both Spanish and English. Writers can submit their stories in either language. Fifty percent of the stories we publish in every issue will be from authors from the Caribbean, Latin America, and their diaspora. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: July 1, 2021. See themes.

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

The Periodical, Forlorn: Mythos Reborn. Genre: "Stories that give us a unique take on mythological figures and characters from all the cultures of the world. Retell a classic tale from a minor character's perspective. Reintroduce us to a story lost to the ages. Or invent your own mythology." Payment: $15. Deadline: July 2, 2021.

Cast of Wonders. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Seasonal Holiday submissions // Special Events Podcast. Payment: $.08/word for original fiction of any length (yes, including flash!). For reprints, a $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Deadline: July 3, 2021.

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

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction 300 - 1,000 words on theme of CREATOR / EXPLORER. Payment: Pays for anthologies only. Deadline: July 4, 2021. See accepted genres.

Buckmxn Story Service is a snail-mail subscription of ten short stories, with one story delivered each week via the United States Postal Service. Genre: Fiction and CNF up to 5,000 words. Payment: $120. Deadline: July 4, 2021.

Space and Time. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, magical realism. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: July 4, 2021.

Vesper: Night Sky. Genre: Poetic prose (up to 1,500 words) or poetry (up to 50 verses) on the theme of Night. Payment: €40/piece and a complimentary copy of the issue. Deadline: July 5, 2021.

Fairy Tale Review. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art. See themes. Payment: $50. Deadline: July 6, 2021.


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

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

Epoch Press. Genre: Poetry, art, CNF. Theme: Transition. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: July 8, 2021.

Dark Dispatch. Genre: Dark fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and crime short stories on theme: Deadly Love. Payment: $10 - $50 depending on length. (2 sentences - 5,000 words.) Deadline: July 9, 2021.

Unsettling Reads. Genre:  Crime, Mystery, Noir, Suspense, and/or Thriller genres (and their associated sub-genres) on theme of Autumn. Payment: $20. Deadline: July 11, 2021.

midnight & indigo. Restrictions: Open to Black women writers. Genre: Horror and speculative fiction. Payment: $50 - $75. Deadline: July 11, 2021.


Elevator Stories. Genre: Fiction, CNF, memoir, or personal essay that is 3000 words or less and follows the theme Pride. Bravery, pride, and the magnificent self. Payment: $20. Deadline: July 11, 2021. 

Shoreline of Infinity. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy. Disabled and/or neurodivergent  writers only. Payment: £10/1000 words. Deadline: July 13, 2021.

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

Liquid Imagination: Silver Pen. Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry. Payment: $3 - $8. Deadline: July 15, 2021.

Writer Shed Press. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, personal essays, and poetry that is directly or loosely linked to the theme of SECOND THOUGHTS. All prose should be no more than 2000 words. Payment: $20. Deadline: July 15, 2021.


Thuya Poetry Review. Genre: Poetry. Payment: "Nominal." Deadline: July 15, 2021.

Jaggery, a DesiLit arts and literature journal, "connects South Asian diasporic writers and homeland writers; we also welcome non-South Asians with a deep and thoughtful connection to South Asian countries, who bring their own intersecting perspectives to the conversation. (By South Asia we mean Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka." Genre: Fiction, CNF, poetry, art, reviews. Payment: $100 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction/poetry/art/reviews. Deadline: July 15, 2021.

LUPERCALIA press will showcase art and writing by trans and queer creators that focuses on themes of transgender and queer sex/sexuality/excess/celebration. "We do not have any strict definition of how trans or queer manifests in your personal identity, nor do we want to be gatekeepers. If you say you are trans or queer, we believe and accept that in you." Genre: Fiction, poetry, chapbooks, visual art. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: July 15, 2021.

Inclusive Future Magazine. Restrictions: Open to trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer artists and writers. Genre: Speculative prose, poetry, and art in the guise of a pop culture  magazine from the future. While your submission does not have to be about gender, it definitely needs to contain elements that make it gender-inclusive. Payment: Prose: 8¢ (USD) a word with a minimum payment of $25 per contributor for previously unpublished prose and 4¢ a word with a minimum payment of $10 per contributor for reprints. Poetry: $1 (USD) a line for previously unpublished poems and 50¢ per line for a reprint, with a minimum payment of $25. Deadline: July 15, 2021.

Mythulu: Horror vs Hemophobia. Genre: Short stories, nonfiction, art, comics. "This issue explores the ethics of gore in literature. Bring your fighting words and debate either side." Payment: 4-8 cents per word. Deadline: July 15, 2021. Pitches only.

The Cellar Door: Woodland Terrors. Genre: Horror/thriller stories that take place in or near the woods. Payment: $25. Deadline: July 15, 2021.

Eerie River Publishing. Genre: Novels, novellas and potential novella series in horror. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: July 16, 2021.


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

Poetry Wales. Genre: Poetry, reviews, articles. "We are open to poems on all themes, but we would be interested to see poems about Imagined Futures. Payment: Poems £20/page. Reviews £67.50/1500-word review. Articles £200/3000 word, or in that proportion, depending on number of published words. Deadline: July 21, 2021.

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: July 30, 2021.

Wizards in Space. Genre: Poetry, prose, art on theme: bridges & barriers. Payment: $40 per original poem or per page of original art; $20 per reprinted poem or per page of reprinted art; $0.04 per word for original prose, based on final published word count; $0.02 per word for reprinted prose, based on final published word count. Deadline: July 30, 2021. Accepts reprints.
 
Tales from the Moonlit Path. Genre: Dark, eerie, speculative stories. Payment: $10. Deadline: July 27, 2021.


Eerie River Publishing: Of Fire and Stars. Genre: LGBTQ+ Dark Fantasy anthology. Theme: Encounters with the fae world and its creatures. Payment: Up to 3000 words $10.00; Up to 5000 words $15.00; Above 5001 words $20.00. Deadline: July 30, 2021.

Dragon Soul Press: All Dark Places. Genre: Horror. "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." Word Count – 5,000-15,000. Payment:  Royalties. Deadline: July 31st, 2021.

EX/POST. Genre: Poetry, prose, drama, art, essays. Payment: "Modest honorarium." Deadline: July 31st, 2021.

New Myths. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy. Payment: 1.5 cents/word with a minimum payment of $30 for all submissions, fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Book reviews - $30. Art - $60. Deadline: July 31st, 2021.

Short Fiction: The Visual Literary Journal. Restrictions: They accept submissions from the UK, Europe, the Commonwealth and every other country except for the United States of America. Genre: Short 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: July 31st, 2021.

Room Magazine: Ancestors Issue. Restrictions: Room publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art by folks of marginalized genders, including but not limited to women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people. Genre: Original short stories, poems, creative non-fiction, or art on theme of Ancestors. Payment: $50 (CAD) Deadline: July 31st, 2021.

Mythaxis. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $20. Deadline: July 31st, 2021.

Timeworn. Genre: Historical fiction. Payment: $25. Deadline: July 31st, 2021.  Opens July 1.

Hiraeth Books: parABnormal Magazine. Genre: Stories, poetry, nonfiction about the paranormal.  Payment: $25 for fiction, $20 for articles, $7 for reviews, $6 per poem. Deadline: July 31st, 2021.

Jolly Horror Press: Executive Dread. Genre: Stories of workplace horror. Payment: $.005 per word. Deadline: July 31, 2021.

Mythic. Genre: Sci-fi and fantasy fiction. Payment: 4 cents/word. Deadline: July 31, 2021.


Monsters, Monsters, Monsters. Genre: Horror. Payment: $5. Deadline: July 31st, 2021.

Red Cape Anthologies: K is for Kidnap. Genre: Horror. "Being kidnapped must be a pretty terrifying ordeal – we’re looking for stories that convey that feeling of terror but we’re also looking for diversity. Think about who is being taken and by whom, are the kidnappers even human?" Payment:  £10. Deadline: July 31st, 2021.

FIYAH. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry about African Diaspora. Length: Short fiction 2,000 – 7,000 words and novelettes up to 15,000 words. Payment: $150 per story. $50 per poem. $300 per novelette. Deadline: July 31st, 2021. See themes.

Aurealis. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy or horror short stories between 2000 and 8000 words. Payment: A$20 and A$60 per 1000 words. Deadline: July 31st, 2021.

Arc Poetry Magazine. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50 per page. Deadline: July 31, 2021. 

Ceci n’est pas une histoire d’horreur (This is Not a Horror Story) Genre: Horror stories inspired and influenced by the transgressive fiction. Payment: £15. Deadline: July 31, 2021. (Open until filled)

The Rumpus. Genre: Fiction  poetry. "We strive to be a platform for marginalized voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere, and to lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers we love. We work to shine a light on stories that build bridges, tear down walls, and speak truth to power." Payment: $300 divided among all contributors. Deadline: July 31, 2021.

Nonbinary Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and flash, up to 3000 words on theme of Prohibition. Payment: For prose, 1¢ US per word, and $10 US per poem. Deadline: July 31, 2021.

Antifa Splatterpunk Anthology. Genre: Anti-fascist splatterpunk stories. "In addition to pure splatterpunk, I’m also open to extreme horror with weird, bizarro, historical, or science fiction elements. Just keep it anti-fascist." Payment: $100. Deadline: July 31, 2021.

the other side of hope. Genre: Fiction and poetry by refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants only. They accept non-fiction, reviews, and interview submissions by anyone as long as the subject matter sheds light on the refugee and immigrant life. Payment: £100 per published author in the print issue, and £50 per published author in the online issue. Deadline: July 31, 2021.

Volney Road Review. Genres: Fiction, poetry, CNF, art. Payment: $10. Deadline: July 31, 2021.

VQR. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, personal essays, literary criticism, reporting. Payment: For poetry, $200 per poem, up to 4 poems; for a suite of 5 or more poems, $1,000. For short fiction, $1,000 and above. For other prose, such as personal essays and literary criticism, $1,000 and above, at approximately 25 cents per word, depending on length. Note: Genre fiction is not accepted. Deadline: July 31, 2021. Opens July 1.


And a few more...

Havok. Genre: Flash fiction on Theme of EVERYMAN / JESTER. Payment: $10 via PayPal for each story published in an Anthology. Deadline: August 1, 2021.

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

We'Moon Lunar Calendar. Restrictions: Open to women only. Genre: Art, poetry and prose, 350 words maximum. Payment: Small honorarium. Deadline: August 1, 2021.

Best Indie Speculative Fiction. Genre: Previously published speculative fiction, between January 1 2019 and December 31st 2020. This project only considers previous-published stories that are either self-published or published with a small press. Length: Up to 20,000 words. Payment: $25. Deadline: August 1, 2021.

The Zodiac Killers Series. Genre: Thriller. Length: 5000-10,000 words, excluding title. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: August 1, 2021.

Mudroom. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and essays in translation. Payment: $15. Deadline: August 1, 2021.