87 Calls for Submissions in December 2021 — Paying markets
This December there are more than seven 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 a little 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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Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Genre: Short stories and poetry. See themes. Payment: 20.00 USD for featured authors, or $10.00 USD for stories published on their &More page and $5.00 USD for poems. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
Podcastle. Genre: Fantasy podcast. Length: Up to 6,000 words. Payment: $0.06/word for original; $100 for reprints, $20 for flash fiction reprints. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
Mukana Press. Genre: Short stories by African authors to be included in its inaugural Anthology of African Writing. Stories previously published only on online literary platforms are welcome if rights were reverted to the author upon publication. Stories must range between 1000–8000 words. Payment: $500 and royalties. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
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: December 1, 2021.
Catapult. Genre: Essays and articles that discuss education and writing. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
United Faedom. Genre: Romantic Fantasy. Theme: Adult rated, mild erotica. Length: 8k-10k. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 1, 2021. Some reprints accepted.
United Faedom. Genre: Cozy Romance. Theme: Young Adult/Clean Adult. Length: 8k-10k. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 1, 2021. Some reprints accepted.
Abbey Review. Genre: Short stories, poems, and screenplays. Payment: $30 per short story, poem, and screenplay, and the best piece of writing gets paid an additional $70, for a total of $100. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
Archive of the Odd. Genre: Speculative fiction, horror preferred. “Archive of the Odd is a zine of uncanny occurrences, told in even stranger ways.” They’d like a variety of time periods. Stories can be in any format, except traditional prose. Some of the suggested formats are: academic papers; technical writing; medication warning sheets; sales papers; newspaper articles; recipes; knitting/crochet/weaving/what-have-you guides; care guides (plant, animal, rock garden, etc); or any other unusual format. Submissions do not have to be entirely in text. Payment: $15–25 for fiction of 500–5,000+ words. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
The Antihumanist. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, art — all genres. “We seek to publish the most challenging and thought provoking flash fiction and essays. We believe only by confronting the bare bones of reality we understand our place in the world.” Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
Parabola. Genre: Original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 1, 2021. See themes.
The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Surgery. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
United Faedom. Genre: LGBTQ+ Romance. Theme: Adult, mild erotica if desired. Length: 8k-10k. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 1, 2021. Some reprints accepted.
Scary Dairy Press: Bloody Rock Anthology. Genre: Horror. “Does the rock of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s take you back to the nightmares of yore? If you can brew a scary tale that Alice Cooper and the Dead would love, we just might love it too!” Payment: $.03 per word. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction about Night. Payment: $5. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
Sundog Lit. Genre: Poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
Markaz Review. Genre: Video clips, interviews, caricatures, political cartoons, artwork, photography, short story, essay, or review proposal on theme: Laughter. Payment: Small honorarium. Deadline: December 1, 2021.
Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 6 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: December 2, 2021.
Havok. Genre: Flash fiction on Theme of SWIMMERS & SOARERS. Payment: $10 via PayPal for each story published in an Anthology. Deadline: December 5, 2021.
Augur Magazine: Joyful Imaginations. Restrictions: Creators who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, Disabled, and/or Trans, who are also Canadian citizens/permanent residents and/or who are living within the settler-defined borders of the land colonially known as Canada. Genre: Dream-touched realism, slipstream, fabulism, magical realism (note: educate yourself before you claim this term) and, for lack of a better descriptor, “literary” speculative fiction. Payment: $0.11 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (1000+ words), and a flat fee of $110.00 per flash fiction piece (1000 words and under). Deadline: December 5, 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: December 7, 2021. Opens to submissions on December 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: December 7, 2021. Opens to submissions on December 1.
Island. Restrictions: Open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents. Genre: Fiction. Payment: 10–20 cents per word. Deadline: December 8, 2021.
Revolute. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 8, 2021.
Three Time Travelers Walk Into … Genre: Fiction. “Take any three famous people from history, toss them together, and have an adventure.” Payment: 5 cents/word. Deadline: December 9, 2021.
Colp. Genre: Short fiction, all genres. “We would like stories that in some way involve feet (whether they be human, animal or otherwise). Be creative.” Length: 1000–5500 words. Payment: AU$5.00 for stories under 2500 words / AU$10.00 for anything above 2500 words. Deadline: December 10, 2021.
Exposition. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, poetry, scripts for stage & screen, film, experimental narratives, visual art, and comics on the theme of “Flux.” Payment: $35. Deadline: December 10, 2021. Open for one day only.
Inked in Gray. Genre: Short stories on theme: For Those Who Deserve to Exist. “This anthology is about marginalized folk, for marginalized folk. We are looking for passionate, visceral stories about rising up, overcoming, and righting (and re-writing) transgressions.” Payment: $30. Deadline: December 11, 2021.
Short Fiction. Restrictions: Submissions are restricted to those not from the USA. Genre: Short fiction. Payment: 2p (£0.02) per word, to the nearest 100 words, with a minimum of £30 and maximum £100. Deadline: December 12, 2021.
Faces. Genre: Nonfiction, activities for children 9–14 on theme: Spring (celebrations/folktales/cultural events). Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 13, 2021. Queries only.
Cobblestone. Genre: Fiction, poetry and nonfiction articles of historical accuracy and lively, original approaches to the themes for children from ages 9–14. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 15, 2021. See themes. Queries only.
Copper Nickel. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and translation folios. Payment: $30 per printed page + two copies of the issue in which the author’s work appears + a one-year subscription. Deadline: December 15, 2021. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fees.
Dose of Dread. Genre: General horror flash fiction. Preference for dread-inducing stories. Length: 500–1,000 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 15, 2021.
SHARKPACK Poetry Review Annual 2021. Genre: Poetry. Publication is in paperbook, with selections featured online. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 15, 2021.
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: December 15, 2021.
Muse Magazine. Genre: Nonfiction articles for children on theme of Extinction. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 15, 2021.
The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Superheroes. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: December 15, 2021.
Southern Indiana Review. Genres: Fiction, CNF, poetry. Payment: $50-$100 per piece. Deadline: December 15, 2021.
Plainsongs. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 15, 2021.
Eye to the Telescope. Genre: Speculative poetry. Theme: Light. Payment: US 3¢/word rounded up to nearest dollar; minimum US $3, maximum $25. Deadline: December 15, 2021.
Walled City Journal. Genre: Poetry and prose. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 15, 2021.
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: December 15, 2021. See themes.
Exposition. Genre: Fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, poetry, scripts for stage & screen, film, experimental narratives, visual art, and comics on the theme of “Flux.” Payment: $35. Deadline: December 16, 2021. Open for one day only.
Black Ocean. Genre: Full-length poetry manuscripts in translation. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 17, 2021.
Augur Magazine: Joyful Imaginations. Genre: Dream-touched realism, slipstream, fabulism, magical realism (note: educate yourself before you claim this term) and, for lack of a better descriptor, “literary” speculative fiction. Payment: $0.11 cents (CAD) per word for short fiction (1000+ words), and a flat fee of $110.00 per flash fiction piece (1000 words and under). Deadline: December 19, 2021.
Collective Chaos: An Apocalyptic Anthology. Genre: Short fiction (short stories, poetry, flash fiction) within the cosmic horror or apocalyptic genres Payment: $15. Deadline: December 20, 2021.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Preteens. Genre: True stories and poems. “Adolescence is a great time to learn about the power of gratitude, practice thankfulness, and to appreciate the blessings in your life, including your friends and family. These are skills that preteens and teenagers need to develop as part of social and emotional learning.” Payment: $200. Deadline: December 20, 2021.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens. Genre: True stories and poems. “Adolescence is a great time to learn about the power of gratitude, practice thankfulness, and to appreciate the blessings in your life, including your friends and family. These are skills that preteens and teenagers need to develop as part of social and emotional learning.” (Check Preteens for topics.) Payment: $200. Deadline: December 20, 2021.
Cast of Wonders. Genre: YA Speculative fiction. Podcast. Payment: $.08/word for original fiction of any length (yes, including flash!). For reprints, a $100 flat rate for Short Fiction, and a $20 flat rate for Flash Fiction. Deadline: December 20, 2021.
Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary fiction. Payment: $80. Deadline: December 21, 2021.
JOURN-E: The Journal of Imaginative Literature. Genre: Adventure, Detection & Mystery, Fantasy, Horror & the Supernatural, and Science Fiction. Payment: One (1) cent per word for prose fiction and non-fiction, BUT with the following maximums: Up to $50.00 maximum for short stories; up to $35 maximum for scholarly articles; up to $15 maximum for reviews. Poetry from 3–13 lines — $7.50. Poetry from 14–50 lines — $15.00. Poetry over 50 lines — $15.00 plus 25 cents per line over 50 lines up to a maximum of $35.00. Interior Illustrations — $25-$50.00 (half-page to full-page). Cover Art in Full RGB Color — $100 [will be commissioned, or the illustrator should contact the editor with a concept before finished work and submission]. Deadline: December 21, 2021.
“letters i’ll never send” Genre: First-person accounts including letters, prosaic poems, diary entries, postcard letters, very short personal essays, and other genre-bending experimental pieces. 1000 words max. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 21, 2021.
Hippocampus Magazine. Genre: Memoir Excerpts, Personal Essays, and Flash Nonfiction. Payment: $40. Deadline: December 23, 2021.
Story Seed Vault. Genre: Microfiction tweets based on science. Payment: Short Fiction (<150CH) $3AUD per story; Long Fiction (>150CH/<200CH) $2AUD per story. Deadline: December 24, 2021. Opens on the 10th.
The Puritan. Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $100 per nonfiction piece, $50 fiction, $15 per poem. Deadline: December 25, 2021.
Every Day Fiction. Genre: Flash fiction on new year themes. Length: 1000 words max. Payment: $3. Deadline: December 26, 2021.
Worlds Enough: Fantastic Detectives. Genre: Fantasy stories about crimes in fantasy settings, ranging from “second world” settings to urban fantasies. Length: Up to 15,000 words. Payment: $20. Deadline: December 30, 2021.
Cincinnati Review. Genre: Prose, poetry, art. Payment: $25/page for prose in journal. $30/page for poetry in journal. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
JMS Books: LGBTQ Romance: Opposites Attract. Genre: LGBTQ romance stories. “Stories about characters who are complete opposites, but who fall in love anyway. Think people from different walks of life, different careers, even different colleges or opposing sports teams. Whatever it is that opens a gulf between them ultimately turns out to be what attracts them to each other.” Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
WE’RE HERE: THE BEST QUEER SPECULATIVE FICTION 2021. Genre: Queer speculative fiction. Submissions are open for all speculative work published in 2021 under 17,500 words that deals either implicitly or explicitly with queerness. Payment: $0.01/word. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Books by Hippocampus. Genre: Book-length works: Memoirs (query, proposal + first three chapters or equivalent); Essay collections (query + three essays); Craft of writing books (proposal). Payment: Royalties? Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Bouchercon. Genre: Crime fiction, less than 5000 words, not previously published. “We would like the stories to be set in Minnesota or Minnesota adjacent (Wisconsin, Iowa, Canada, the Dakotas). Payment: $75. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Zombies Need Brains. Genre: Science fiction and fantasy. Three anthologies: Noir, Shattering the Glass Slipper, and Brave New Worlds. They want a range of stories, from humorous to dark. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Chestnut Review. Genre: Poetry, flash fiction, short fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, visual media (art/photography). Payment: $120. Deadline: December 31, 2021. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.
Monstroddities. Genre: Horror. “Terrify us with your best story or poem about monsters or unexplained occurrences that are rarely used in horror.” Payment: $50 flat rate per story, $25 flat rate per poem. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Workers Write! Tales from the Key of C. Genre: Fiction and poetry from the music industry — “about music teachers, singer/band members, band managers, roadies, conductors, DJs, studio musicians, anyone who makes money making music.” Payment: $5 — $50. Deadline: December 31, 2021. (Or until full.)
Critical Read. Genre: True stories of the fine, literary and performing arts: artwork biographies, reported stories, profiles, cultural history, essay, interviews and first person stories. Payment: Varies. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology. Genre: Horror. Haunted houses, ghost stories, creature features, splatterpunk, serial killers, witches, monsters, you name it. Just make sure your story features at least one fat protagonist. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Dancing Star Press. Genre: Speculative fiction novellas. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Cloud Lake Literary. Restrictions: Canadian writers. Genre: Fiction, art. creative nonfiction, poetry, and children’s literature (up to and including YA). Payment: $50 CAD/per page to a maximum of $150 CAD. Visual Art Submission: $50 CAD/per submission. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Dragon Soul Press: Rogue Tales. Genre: Fairytale. “Fairytales will never be the same in this reverse harem anthology. All versions of bedtime stories, folklore, etc are welcome.” Word Count — 5,000–15,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021. (Deadline extended)
Allegory. Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. Payment: $15. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2021. Genre: Queer speculative short fiction reprints from 2021. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Crow Toes Quarterly. Genre: Playfully dark fiction, poetry and art for children. See themes. Payment: $20 — $50. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Auroras & Blossoms: PoArtMo Anthology. Restrictions: Open to 13–16 Year-Olds. Genre: Poetry and art. “We created PoArtMo as an invitation to artists in every discipline to create positive art every June (Positive Art Month) and throughout the year (Positive Art Moves).” Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Ninth Letter. Genre: Prose and poetry. Payment: $25 per printed page, with a maximum payment of $150, as well as two complimentary copies of the issue in which the work appears. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Felis Futura: An Anthology of Future Cats. Genre: Stories, poetry, and visual art about the future which feature cats. Payment: $10 per accepted poem, 1c/word ($5 minimum) for accepted fiction ($15 per page for graphic narrative fiction), $20 per accepted piece of non-narrative internal visual art $100 (negotiable) for the cover illustration. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Hardboiled and Loaded with Sin. Genre: Crime short stories 1500–7,500 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Stormdance Publications: Grumpy Old Fairy Tales. Genre: Grumpy retellings of classic Fairytales. “We’re looking for fun new twists on classic Grimm fairytales and well-known folklore. Is your tale of little Red Riding Hood told from Granny’s perspective? Maybe she’s a werewolf?” Payment: Royalties. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Newfound. Genre: Fiction, Flash, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, and Visual Arts. Theme: Communities of Care. Payment: $25. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Arc. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $50. Deadline: December 31, 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: December 31st, 2021.
Hiraeth Publishing: Cosmic Crime Stories. Genre: Tales of future crimes and future detectives. Payment: Pay rates for original stories: $25.00. Pay rate for reprinted stories: $10.00. Pay rate for original illustrations: $6.00 per illustration. Deadline: December 31st, 2021.
Book XI: Be Careful What You Wish For. Genre: Philosophically informed stories, essays, or poetry that address the theme: Be Careful What You Wish For. Payment: $50/poem, $200/prose. Deadline: December 31st, 2021. Or until filled.
Manawaker Studios: Felis Futura — An Anthology of Future Cats. Genre: Fiction (including graphic narrative), poetry, and art about the future which features cats. “Submitted works should be of any genre, as long as the work depicts a world that is noticeably in the future. All works must also prominently feature at least one cat. It does not have to be a cat of the genus Felis. Other members of the cat family are also acceptable, as are non-biological cats, metaphorical cats, robots with the acronym K.A.A.T., and so on.” Payment: $10/poem, $0.01/word for fiction, $15/page for graphic narrative. Deadline: December 31st, 2021.
Modern Poetry in Translation. Genre: Translations of poetry. Send up to six poems. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
Meadowlark Reader. Genre: CNF. “True stories about Kansas written by Kansans.” Payment: $10 plus one contributor copy. Deadline: December 31, 2021.
And a few more…
The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Victorian England. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: January 1, 2022.
Liquid Imagination. Genre: Modern fantasy, science fiction, slipstream, or literary ficiton and poetry up to 6,000 words. “We want awe and intensity, maybe tinged with the ominous side of life.” Payment: $8 for short stories (1001 words up to 6000 words) and poems, and $3 for flash stories (up to 1000 words). A $2 bonus will be added for authors who accept payment via Paypal. Deadline: January 1, 2022.
Particular Passages. Genre: Poetry, fiction, art on theme: Particular Passages. “The theme is: you just don’t know what’s behind that door until you open it.” Payment: Royalties. Deadline: January 1, 2022. Reprints accepted.
The Quiet Ones. Genre: Queer-centered horror and dystopian fiction for adults and young adults. Theme: True Love Never Dies. Payment: $25. Deadline: January 1, 2022.
The Best New True Crime Stories. Genre: Nonfiction, true crime accounts on theme of Crimes of the Famous and Infamous. Payment: $130, and 2 print copies of the book. Deadline: January 1, 2022.
Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity.
