80 Calls for Submissions in May 2021 — Paying markets
This May there are nearly 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 on the first day of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on next month’s calls for submissions by checking that page periodically throughout the month. (I only post paying markets.)
Also see Paying Markets for hundreds of paying markets arranged by form and genre.
Happy submitting!
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The First Line. Genres: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction using the first line provided. (See site.) Payment: $25.00 — $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 — $10.00 for poetry, and $25.00 for nonfiction. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Witness. Restrictions: Black writers only. Genre: Poetry, nonfiction. Payment: $50. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Hybrid Ink: Future//Tense: Love. Genre: Transfuturistic science-fiction. “The stories within will explore the way love, relationship, and identity issues may change over time, from the near future to far, on Earth or other planets, in humans or those from the stars.” Payment: 2½¢ per word (maximum $100 per story.) Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Urhi Publishing: The Needle Drops. Genre: Horror: Fiction and poetry. Payment: £15 per poem. £50 — £100 for fiction. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Sundog Lit. Genre: Poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. Payment: $25. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
The Hungry Ghost Project. Genre: Fiction and creative non-fiction up to 1000 words on the topics of food, hauntings, memory and consumption, both independently and combined. Payment: £5. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Mythulu Magazine. Genre: Short stories that feature wildly original biomes or bizarre weather. Payment: $0.06/word or $15/page. Non-fiction pays 0.08/word. Creative works earn 0.04/word, with short stories capped at $75. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Mud Season Review. Genre: Nonfiction up to 6,000 words, art, fiction. Payment: $50. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Hidden Timber Books. Genre: Literary fiction or narrative nonfiction in the form of a novel, a memoir, or a collection (short stories, essays, or hybrid). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Mudroom. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays, and essays in translation. Payment: $15. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Boulevard. Genre: Poems up to 200 lines. Send up to five poems. Also fiction and nonfiction. Payment: $25–250 for poetry, and $100–300 for prose. Deadline: May 1, 2021. No submission fee for mailed submissions.
Cryptids Emerging: Tales of Dark Cheer. Genre: “Contemporary supernatural or historical fantasy about cryptids living with humans, or just at the edge of our vision, stories of what the world would look like if cryptids were real.” Payment: 0.05¢ American per word for stories up to 5,000 words. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Foglifter. Genres: Poetry, prose, cross-genre work. “Foglifter welcomes daring and thoughtful work by queer and trans writers in all forms, and we are especially interested in cross-genre, intersectional, marginal, and transgressive work.” Payment: $25. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Nonbinary Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and flash, up to 3000 words on theme of Industrial Revolution. Payment: For prose, 1¢ US per word, and $10 US per poem. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Bear Creek Gazette. Genre: Anyhing you might find in a regular newspaper, keeping in mind the fact that Bear Creek does not exist. “The B.C.G is here to document the weird, scary and beautiful things that take place in the town.” Payment: $30. Deadline: May 1, 2021.
Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. Genre: Speculative stories. Payment: 6 cents/word for original work. 2 cents/word for reprints. Deadline: May 2, 2021.
Havok. Genre: Flash fiction 300–1,000 words on theme of RULER / REBEL. Payment: Pays for anthologies only. Deadline: May 2, 2021. See accepted genres.
Midnight and Indigo. Genre: Short Stories, Speculative Fiction, and Personal Essays written by Black women writers. Payment: $50 — $100. Deadline: May 2, 2021.
Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine. Genre: Fairy tales, and essays on theme of “Healers, Midwives and Cunning Folk.” Payment: $100. US dollars only. Essays: $50. Deadline: May 3, 2021.
The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Space. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: May 3, 2021.
Black Cat Magazine. Genre: Speculative fiction, art, and poetry. Payment: $30. Deadline: May 3, 2021.
Scum. Genre: Feminist-friendly work of any variety, but as a general rule your piece should be under 2000 words (50 lines for poetry, max. 3 poems) and able to be classified as “fiction”, “culture”, “memoir”, “column”, “poetry”, and/or “review”. Payment: $60 AUD. Deadline: May 7, 2021. Opens to submissions on May 1.
Sciencefictionery. Genre: Science fiction short stories and poems. Payment: 3 pence per word for fiction and £30 per poem. (Approx 4 cents per word / $40 US) Deadline: May 7, 2021.
Bennington Review. Genre: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, film writing, and cross-genre work. Payment: $100 for prose of six typeset pages and under, $200 for prose of over six typeset pages, and $20 per poem, in addition to two copies of the issue in which the piece is published and a copy of the subsequent issue. Deadline: May 8, 2021.
Kingdoms in the Wild. Restrictions: Open to Black writers. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $125. Deadline: May 10, 2021.
Shoreline of Infinity. Genre: Science fiction, fantasy. LGBTQ writers only. Payment: £10/1000 words. Deadline: May 13, 2021.
Georgia Review. Genre: Fiction, poetry, non-fiction. Payment: $50 per printed page for prose and $4 per line for poetry. Essay-reviews and standard reviews earn honoraria of $50/printed page. Deadline: May 14, 2021. Fee to submit online; no fee for postal submissions.
Newfound. Genre: Fiction, Flash, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Translation, and Visual Arts. Payment: $25. Deadline: May 15, 2021. Submit early in the month.
Orca. Genre: Speculative fiction. Payment: $25. Deadline: May 15, 2021. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fee.
Grain Literary Magazine is a Canadian publication. Genres: Individual poems, sequences, or suites up to a maximum of 6 pages, fiction, literary nonfiction. Payment: CAD $50 per page up to CAD $250. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
Witness. Restrictions: Black writers only. Genre: Fiction. Payment: $50. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
Honeyguide Magazine is a bi-annual magazine that features fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art, and blog posts about animals and their human neighbors. Payment: $50. Only pays for features. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
Dose of Dread. Genre: General horror flash fiction. Preference for dread-inducing stories. Length: 500–1,000 words. Payment: $10. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
Outlook Springs. Genre: “Send us your weird, wobbly wordwork: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.” Payment: $10 per poem, $10 per flash piece (under 1,000 words), $25 for short fiction and essays (over 1,000 words). Payment via PayPal or Venmo. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Stories. Genre: True stories and poems. “The rituals of the holiday season give a rhythm to the years and create a foundation for our lives. Were your traditions and celebrations different this year? Were you able to gather with family, go to church, attend holiday parties and share the special spirit of the season, brightening those long winter days. Please share your special stories about the holiday season with us.” Payment: $200. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
Please See Me. Genre: Poetry, creative nonfiction/essays, fiction/short stories/flash fiction, scripts and digital media (photography, drawings, podcasts, and short films). “Patients, students, family members, caregivers, nurses, physicians, healthcare consumers, artists, mental health providers, physical therapists, writers, clergy — all of us will be patients one day and all are welcome to submit work. We are especially looking for content from vulnerable populations and those who care for them; content that connects us with every community, makes us feel something, helps us see illness, wellness, health, or the healthcare environment differently, and inspires equality in healthcare and the world.” Theme: Rest & Recovery. Payment: Unspecified. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
Luna Station Quarterly. Genre: Speculative fiction by woman. Payment: $5. Deadline: May 15, 2021. Accepts reprints.
Songs of Eretz. Genre: Poetry, cover art on theme of Love. Payment: $5. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
Time Capsules. Genre: Stories about opening time capsules. Payment: $15.00 plus equal share of 50% of the anthology’s royalties for stories. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
Lamplight. Genre: Dark fiction, both short stories and flash fiction. Payment: Unpublished Fiction: 3¢ per word, $150.00 max. Reprints: 1¢ per word up to 7,000 words. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
Queer monsters anthology. Genre: Poems and short stories that “subvert the horror gaze, allowing writers and readers to celebrate monsters that have once been feared, and even question who the real monsters are and what makes something horrific or monstrous.” Contributors must be LGBTQIA2S+. Payment: Honorarium. Deadline: May 15, 2021.
The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Post-Apocalypse. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: May 17, 2021.
Flash Fiction Online. Genre: Speculative (science fiction, fantasy, slipstream, and horror) and literary fiction. Payment: $80. Deadline: May 21, 2021.
Claw & Blossom. Genre: Poetry and prose. Payment: $25. Deadline: May 23, 2021. Submit early in the month to avoid submission fees.
Story Seed Vault. Genre: Fiction based on science. Up to 200 characters. Payment: Up to $3AUD per story. Deadline: May 24, 2021.
Night Shift Radio. Genre: Fiction, non-fiction, memoir — 7,000–10,000 words. Payment: $50 or $25. Deadline: May 28, 2021. Opens May 21.
“WHAT ONE WOULDN’T DO” Genre: Short stories. “I’m looking for sacrifices, risky wagers, high stakes, and especially — if you’re familiar with my own writing — the unintended consequences and fallout of said things. I’m interested in the lengths characters would go to “fill-in-the-blank-here.” I’m open to anything in the dark speculative fiction realm. I think blending genres/sub-genres around this theme could make for something special.” Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: May 29, 2021.
Dragon Soul Press: Glitch. Genre: LitRPG genre. “Playing Virtual Reality games is a favorite pastime, but getting trapped in them due to a glitch is another story. It’s a true fight for survival now and the only way out is to finish the game.” Word Count — 5,000–15,000. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 30, 2021.
Sanitarium Magazine. Genre: Dark verse, flash fiction and short horror stories. Payment: $5 — $10. Deadline: May 30, 2021.
Classic Monsters Unleashed. Genre: Dark, scary stories featuring a classic monster or monsters (think famous creatures from pre-1960 horror movies). Length: 1500 to 5000 words. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: May 30, 2021.
Madness Heart: Trigger Warning. Genre: Horror. “Give us your stories of grave robbing, necrophilia, necrocannibalism, necromancy, necrophobia, desecration, deification. Bring out your dead and paint the streets in the blood of the living and the rot of the disrespected dead… We want stomach-churning, the ultra-violent, the painful to read.” Payment: $10. Deadline: May 30, 2021.
Kweli Journal. “Kweli is the first online journal of its kind to celebrate community and cultural kinships. In this shared space, you will hear the lived experience of people of color. Our many stories. Our shared histories. Our creative play with language. Here our memories are wrapped inside the music of the Muscogee, the blues songs of the South, the clipped patois of the Caribbean.” Genre: Self-contained novel excerpt, short story, or creative non-fiction piece, poetry. Length: No more than 7,000 words. Payment: “upon publication.” Deadline: May 30, 2021.
Spartan. Genre: Literary prose, 1500 words max. Payment: $20. Deadline: May 30, 2021.
Apparition Lit. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry on theme of Contamination. Payment: $30. Deadline: May 31, 2021. Opens May 15.
Crunchy With Ketchup. Genre: Speculative stories that feature really badass dragons. Payment: $15.00 plus equal share of 50% of the anthology’s royalties for stories. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Blood & Bone: An Anthology of Body Horror by Women. Genre: Horror. “We’re looking for body horror stories by women writers that explore, celebrate and dissect (perhaps literally!) femininity and the female experience.” Length: Anything between 1,000–6,000 words. Payment: 0.01 USD per word, plus an electronic contributor’s copy. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Antioch Review. Genre: Nonfiction articles and fiction geared to an educated audience. Payment: $20/page. Deadline: May 31, 2021. Snail mail submissions only.
Tinderbox Poetry Journal. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $15. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Nectar. Genre: Poetry. Payment: $10. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
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: May 31, 2021. Note: Submit early in the month.University Press of Kentucky New Poetry & Prose Series. Genre: Books of poetry or fiction (novels, short story collections, etc.). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Pole to Pole Publishing: Re-Enlist. Genre: Dark science fiction stories related to the military and war. “Send us military science fiction stories, ones you’ve had published before, for which full rights have already reverted back to you. We have open minds about what constitutes “military” and “science fiction” but we’re insisting on good stories told well.” Payment: $10. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Die Laughing: An Anthology of Humorous Mysteries. Genre: Mystery/crime stories with off-beat characters, bungling detectives, or funny premises. Length: 1k-8k words. Payment: 2 cents USD per word, B&W comics $25 USD. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
University Press of Kentucky. Genre: Books of poetry, fiction, and short stories. Payment: Royalties (?) Deadline: May 31, 2021. Opens May 1.
Crimeucopia. Genre: Crime Fiction. Payment: Reprints — To a Maximum of — £7.00 at present — but negotiable. New Material — 1,000–5,000 — up to £10 .00 at present. New Material — 6.000–10,000 — up to £20.00 at present. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Darkness Blooms. Genre: Dark fiction on themes of Identity, Security, and Community. Payment: 8 cents/word. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Split Lip Magazine. Genre: Fiction (flash and short stories), memoirs, and poetry. with a pop-culture twist. Payment: $50 per author (via PayPal) for our web issues. Payment for print is $5 per page, minimum of $20, plus 2 contributor copies and a 1-year subscription. Deadline: May 31, 2021. Note: Submit early in the month.
Alien Dimensions. Genre: Science Fiction. Payment: $10. Minimum 3500 words, maximum 4,500 words. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Madness Heart Press. Genre: Horror. “Give us your stories of grave robbing, necrophilia, necrocannibalism, necromancy, necrophobia, desecration, deification. Bring out your dead and paint the streets in the blood of the living and the rot of the disrespected dead.” Payment: $10. Deadline: May 31, 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: May 31, 2021.
Re-Enlist Anthology. Genre: Dark science fiction stories related to the military and war. Payment: $10. Deadline: May 31, 2021. Reprints accepted.
Baltimore Review. Genre: Poetry; send up to three poems, fiction, creative nonfiction, videos (including poetry), and cross-genre work. Payment: $40. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Red Cape Anthologies: J is for Jack-o’-Lantern. Genre: Horror. “Halloween is the theme for these stories but the Jack-o’-Lantern must play a key role.” Payment: £10. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Contemporary Verse 2. Genre: Poetry and critical writing about poetry, including interviews, articles, essays, and reviews. Payment: $30 — $150. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
The Other Stories (Audio). Genre: Horror on theme of Mythology. Payment: 15 GBT. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
Coastal Shelf. Genre: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Payment: $20 — $30. Deadline: May 31, 2021. Opens May 15.
Agni. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays. Payment: $10 per printed (or printed-out) page for accepted prose, and $20 per page for accepted poetry, up to a maximum of $150. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
One Story. Genre: Short story. Payment: $500. Deadline: May 31, 2021.
The Gettysburg Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, essays. Payment: $2.50 per line for poetry, with a maximum of $300.00 for an individual poem, and $25.00 per printed page for prose. Deadline: May 31, 2021. Fee to submit online; no fee for postal submissions.
Cast of Wonders. Genre: YA Speculative fiction on Seasonal Holidays. 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: May 31, 2021.
AND MORE…
Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. Genre: Short stories and poetry. See themes. Payment: 20.00 USD for featured authors, or $10.00 USD for stories published on their &More page and $5.00 USD for poems. Deadline: June 1, 2021.
The Zodiac Killers Series. Genre: Thriller. Length: 5000–10,000 words, excluding title. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2021.
Strange Orbits Sci-fi Series. Genre: Space Opera. Length: 5000–10,000 words, excluding title. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 1, 2021.
Eternal Haunted Summer. Genre: Poetry, short fiction, essays about The Written Word. Payment: $5. Deadline: June 1, 2021.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Angels. Genre: True stories and poems. “We are looking for true personal stories about how an angel has touched your life — stories of true wonder and awe from people who have directly encountered or received help from angels. We’re looking for amazing stories that will make people say “wow” or give our readers chills. Have you experienced something otherworldly or celestial? Or had a personal experience with an angel or divine being? How did your angel manifest himself or herself to you? Were you the only person who saw your angel? How did your angel protect or guide you?” Payment: $200. Deadline: June 1, 2021.
Bodies Full of Burning: An Anthology of Menopause-Themed Horror. Genre: Menopause-Themed Horror. Payment: 1 cent/word. Deadline: June 1, 2021. (Or until filled)
Road Kill: Texas Horror by Texas Writers, Vol. 6. Genre: Horror by Texas writers. Payment: 10,000 words — $200; 7,500 words — $150; 5,000 words — $100; 2,500 words — $50; 1,500 words — $30.00. Deadline: June 1, 2021.
Parabola: Fire. Genre: Retellings of traditional stories: 500–1500 words, original essays and translations, poetry, reviews. Payment: Not specified. Deadline: June 1, 2021.
Cemetery Gates: Generation Dread. Restrictions: Open to writers 15–19 years of age. Genre: Horror. Payment: $100 scholarship. Deadline: June 1, 2021.
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.
