Looking for a magazine that’ll publish your work AND pay you a decent amount?

Well, great news! Today I want to share 4 speculative fiction magazines’ call for submissions that pay $0.10 (USD) and up per word!

I’ll have information on their submission periods, what they’re looking for in submissions, what they pay for accepted submissions, and the types of work they accept (short stories, flash fiction, poetry, etc.) with their word count.

As always, this list is meant as a brief introduction to some magazines and their general information. This is to help you see if you’d be a good fit for each other.

Please, please, please, read and follow the guidelines thoroughly before submitting. It’ll save both you and the editors some headaches and maybe a few tears.

If you’d like more information on how I update these magazine lists, or the importance of following guidelines, please read this post on what to keep in mind when submitting to magazines!

Thanks for reading, and happy writing!

1. Clarkesworld Magazine

Submission Period:

They don’t seem to have a dedicated submission period, but they do say they’re currently open for submissions.

“We are currently open for art, non-fiction and short story submissions.”

They’re looking for:

Fiction

“Science fiction need not be “hard” SF, but rigor is appreciated. Fantasy can be folkloric, contemporary, surreal, etc. Though no particular setting, theme, or plot is anathema to us, the following are likely hard sells: . . . .”

They continue to list many tropes that you should avoid when submitting to them. Please give the list a full read on their submission page.

Non-Fiction

“Clarkesworld Magazine is looking for articles of interest to readers of science fiction and fantasy. We are looking for a wide range of types of article[s] including, but not limited to: discussions of the genre publishing business, essays on the writing process and the reading experience, scientific material that might be of use in SF stories, and so on.”

Art

“. . . Genre art doesn’t have to look genre. It can, but we strongly suggest that you take a look at the cover art from prior issues.” Here’s a link to their back issues.

“. . . We consider our cover art to be its own story. We do not look for pieces that . . . overlap with that issue’s fiction, so tell us a story through your art.”

Pay:

“Payment via PayPal or check. (International authors may request wire transfers.)”

Fiction: $0.12 per word OR $120 – $2,640 per piece.

Non-Fiction: $0.10 per word OR a maximum of $250 per piece.

Art: $400 per piece, plus two copies of the print edition.

Categories:

Fiction: 1,000 – 22,000 words

Non-Fiction: Up to 2,500 words

Art: Send a link to your portfolio.

“We will get [in touch] with you if we’re interested in licensing a particular piece as a cover. Your online portfolio will be periodically reviewed for new works, so there should be no need to send us updates unless you change the location of your portfolio.”

2. The Deadlands

Submission Period:

Submissions are open-ish.

Not all categories are open currently, and some open and close at different times.

The ones that are open will quickly close in December. They will reopen in January, but if you’re looking to keep up with submission periods, please check out their Moksha page.

Fiction: Closes December 1st, 2022; and opens January 2nd, 2023.

Non-Fiction: Closes December 1st, 2022; and opens January 2nd, 2023.

Novella: Closed, will open January 2023.

Poetry: Opens January 2nd, 2023; closes January 14th, 2023.

They’re looking for:

Fiction

“The Deadlands exists in liminal spaces between life, death, and elsewhere. We are looking for speculative fiction that concerns itself with death–but also everything death may involve. A ghost in a shadowed wood. An afterlife discovered through a rusted door. An abandoned house in the middle of a haunted field. A skeletal figure moving with intent toward something unseen. Death personified. Burials in troubled lands. A raised scythe against a clouded sky. Memento mori. The rivers of the dead. The sprawling underworlds beneath our feet.”

They continue to list many tropes that you should avoid when submitting to them. Please give the list a full read on their submission page.

Reprints

“We are much more interested in older stories, rather than those that have appeared in recent years.”

Non-Fiction

“The Deadlands wants critical, academic, and personal essays from everywhere and from everyone. We have likely reached our current limit of pieces having to deal with cemeteries, and would rather see work exploring other aspects of death, including but not limited to Death cards in tarot decks, mourning clothing from specific cultures, memento mori, death/mourning jewelry, funeral rites, and the like.”

They continue to list many types of essays that you should avoid when submitting to them. Please give their guidelines a full read on their submission page.

Novella

“TBA”

Poetry

“. . . we are seeking speculative poetry in all its diverse permutations. We are as interested in the dead as we are in grief, hauntings, and history. The sublime is as much a part of The Deadlands as the uncanny. We welcome both formal and experimental poetry.”

Art

I’m summarizing their guidelines here, but they’re looking for: subtlety, limited palettes, creative light/shadows, and the impossible presented as possible.

Again, summarizing, but they’re less interested in cartoon style, nothing for the viewer to speculate, sad looks without context, and excessive gore.

“We regret that we don’t have the time to respond to art submissions, but every portfolio gets filed and bookmarked for future consideration.”

Pay:

“The Deadlands accepts submissions from anywhere in the world, and guarantees payment in full no matter where you are.”

Fiction: $0.10 per word OR a maximum of $500 per piece.

Reprints: $0.01 per word OR a maximum of $50 per piece.

Non-Fiction: $100 per essay ($0.10 – $0.025 [2.5¢]).

Novella: TBA

Poetry: $50 per poem.

Art: $100 per piece.

Categories:

Fiction: Up to 5,000 words

Reprints: Up to 5,000 words

Non-Fiction: 1,000 – 4,000 words

Novella: TBA

Poetry: 3 poems per submission, no word/line limit.

Art: Up to five images for submission, or send a link to your portfolio.

3. Factor Four Magazine

Submission Period:

Submissions are open.

They’re looking for:

Flash Fiction

“We publish flash fiction in the genres of speculative fiction, specifically science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, super hero, or any combination of these. We are looking for stories that are engaging to our readers in such a short word count.”

Art

“Factor Four Magazine is looking to purchase digital art for use as our covers for our monthly magazine. . . . with strong science fiction and/or fantasy themes. To see samples of various artwork we’ve purchased in the past, look at our past issues.” Here’s a link to their back issues.

Pay:

Payment via PayPal or check.

Flash Fiction: $0.11 per word

Art: Discuss cost.

Categories:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words

Art: Up to 2 pieces per submission, do not link to portfolio.

4. Nature: Futures

Submission Period:

Submissions are open.

They’re looking for:

“Futures is a venue for very short stories or ‘vignettes’ . . . . The subject is typically near-future, hard SF, although this can be interpreted liberally. . . .To this end it is advisable to read as many previous Futures as you can, as stories that repeat themes already dealt with extensively are less likely to be considered than those that do something new and different.” You can find more info through this link.

“Each Futures piece should be an entirely fictional, self-contained story . . . the genre should, broadly speaking, be ‘hard’ (that is, ‘scientific’) SF rather than, say, outright fantasy, slipstream or horror.” (You can find this bit linked here.)

Pay:

Fiction: £85 or $130 (USD) per piece [$0.15 – $0.13 USD per word].

Categories:

Fiction: Between 850 – 950 words.