12 Paying Markets Open to Speculative Fiction Short Stories, Novellas and Novels - No agent required
Here are a dozen markets for speculative fiction short stories, poems, novellas, and novels. They want every subgenre of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, plus all combinations, including weird fiction, slipstream, magical realism, and more.
All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees.
For over a hundred paying speculative fiction magazines accepting submissions see: Mega-List of Speculative Fiction Magazines Accepting Submissions
Happy submitting!
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Suspenseful horror, crime (no cop dramas, cops can be in the stories but not the main subject and preferably not heroic), and dark dark dark general fiction. Sex, gore and violence are welcome in moderation. Action over emotion, every time. Please no hard science fiction, sword and sorcery fantasy, romance, humor that isn’t sinister or literary works that venture so far into experimental that they become nonsense, no fan fiction, no war stories, no stories where rape is a character’s motivator, and no blatant rip-offs. No Lovecraft characters, locations, or wording.
Length: Novellas/novels 25,000 words and up. Collections 45,000 to 85,000 words.
Payment: 50/50 net sales split.
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Debut Horror Novel Series
Beginning May 1, 2022 we’ll accept submissions manuscripts from authors who’ve never published a novel. You’re welcome to submit (1) complete, original, and unpublished 40k+ word manuscript to cemeterygatesmedia@gmail.com if you have at least (2) paid horror writing credits and have never published a novel. If you have novellas and short story collections in print, you’re still eligible. We’re looking for horror stories in the vein of what we’ve previously published, not dystopian science fiction nor dark fantasy, and we likely won’t publish YA.”
Length: 40k+ words
Payment: $500 signing bonus + $500 advance upon publication, and a 60% (author) royalty share on physical and electronic editions of the book.
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Speculative fiction novels. Theme: Horror/gothic/folk horror, dark fantasy novel set in a haunted location (by ‘location’ we mean a dwelling, an institution, a hotel, a factory, a ship/ferry, a train — in short a building/structure where people have lived, worked, died, grew up, etc.)
What are we looking for: A location with character and characters with a strong development. Think of The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson and the Flanagan’s adaptation; think The Shining by Stephen King; Hell House by Matheson, to name but a few: in these stories the respective buildings have a very strong presence, but the characters and their relationships with each other and with the building itself (and its history) are an essential driving force to the success of the whole: flawed as they may be, readers can relate to them in a way or another.
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Audience: General Trade (No Children/YA/Teen).
When to submit: On the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of July 2022 only.
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Dancing Star Press is seeking submissions of speculative fiction novellas. What sort of speculative fiction? Space operas, solar punk, dark fantasy, and urban fantasy. Hard science fiction with an emphasis on biology or chemistry rather than physics. Fantasy based on non-Western cultures. Optimistic futurism. Polar Tesla pop and soft science fiction. novellas should be between 17,500 and 40,000 words in length.
Reading periods are:
April 1 — June 30
October 1 — December 31
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Shorts stories and poetry
The Anarchist Poetry Project. Genre: Poem Length: 3 poems up to 5 pages total. “The theme of the book is Building Better Worlds. We’re interested in what those better Anarchist worlds and systems look like. Poems that somehow relate to that theme within the context of anarchism will have a better chance of being accepted. In particular, we love speculative literature (scifi, fantasy, hopepunk and other -punk subgenres, magical realism, etc). But even if your poem doesn’t fall into such genres, we still want you to submit it as long as you identify as an anarchist, and your poems are in some way about or related to anarchism and building better worlds.” Payment: $30 per poem + contributor copy. Deadline: Open until filled.
Ahoy Comics. Genre: Short fiction and social commentary. “We seek smart, weird, funny articles or stories, which run between 500 and 1,500 words.” Payment. $200.
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.
The Hungur Chronicles. Genre: Horror. Vampires or creatures with vampiric themes. Payment: The pay for original stories is $25.00; for reprints, $12.00. Payment for poems is $5. The pay for illustrations is $8.00. The payment for articles is $10. The pay for cover art is $25.00.
The Were-Traveler: Curst & Twysted Tarot. Genre: Short fiction. Choose an image you would like to write a story about. Payment: $10 for flash, $15 for short stories. (Open until filled.)
Phantom Thieves & Sagacious Scoundrels. Genre: “Elusive and fantastic thieves and scoundrels of all genders and species who can be long gone before the victim even knows what happened. Show us what admirable trickery your scoundrels and robbers and smugglers have up their sleeves!” Payment: $5 per 1000 words. (Open until filled.)
Fantasy Magazine. Genre: Fantasy short stories, flash fiction, poetry. Payment: 8 cents per word; $40 per poem. “We plan to stay open to submissions by BIPOC authors for the entirety of 2022.”
Space Horror Anthology. Genre: Stories with one horror trope and one sci-fi trope. Payment: $25. (Open until filled.)
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.