Where to submit this week (6.10.24)
Now with Agents Who Don’t Care Where You’ve Published Before!
Welcome to Sub Club’s Where to submit this week! Our weekly report is of up-to-date submission opportunities for writers. If you like this sort of thing, share it with your friends.
This week, we’ve got:
3 Recently Opened Submission Calls
17 Lit mags closing for submissions this week
4 Theme Calls
3 New Friends (new listings we’ve added to our database)
5 Contests That Probably Won’t Scam You
3 Agents Who Don’t Care Where You’ve Published Before (NEW!)
So, we’re pretty determined to make this weekly round-up as valuable as possible. We will be releasing new sections as we roll each one into our system and feel confident in adding another. We want this Monday round-up to have everything you need no matter what stage of your writing career you’re in. With that in mind, today we are introducing a new section: Agents Who Don’t Care Where You’ve Published Before
We’ve spent ages trying to hunt down the right agents for our work. And…it sucks. Not only do you need to find one that wants what you’ve got, not all agents are created equal. That is why we will limit our agents section to 3 every week. This gives us time to vet each one to make sure they are serious about the writers they represent.
For each, we include:
What kind of work they are looking for
Who their favorite authors are
Any recently represented authors
How to query them
And we will only list agents who are currently accepting submissions.
This new section will be paywalled. That is how we will release new sections: free, then paid, free, then paid. Anything free will always be free, and anything paid will always be paid. It is important for us to find the right balance here, so we’re taking it step by step, and always welcome constructive feedback.
Last week, we had a couple extra lists:
As always, as an extra thank you to paid subscribers, we’ve included a spreadsheet download at the end. For everyone else, here we go…
Literary Magazines & Journals
Recently Opened Calls
Catheartic Magazine | Deadline: July 6
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2023 that publishes Fiction, Poetry, Hybrid, Art, Photography.
Uplifting conversations about youth mental health.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Do not accept simultaneous submissions. Acceptance rate of 35% (reported by editors). Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #one week response time
Bakunawa Press | Deadline: July 31
Philippines-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Fiction, Poetry, Art.
An online SFF Magazine based in the Philippines.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Noteworthy: #active on socials #one week response time
Dishsoap Quarterly | Open for submissions
literary magazine founded in 2020 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry.
An uncool magazine obsessed with dish-cleaning products
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions and some reprints. Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #one week response time #nominates for industry awards #extra popular
Last Chance to Submit
Samjoko Magazine | Deadline: June 10
South Korea-based literary magazine founded in 2021 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Art, Photography, Play.
Devoted to publishing exemplary work from content creators around the world. Focusing mainly upon the written word, we hope to create an immersive digital and print platform that stands out for its honesty and desire to take risks for the sake of artistic expression.
Fee: None | Pay: $20
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 60 days. Acceptance rate of 13.75% based on 131 tracked submissions. Noteworthy: #read for free #somewhat accessible
Paddler Press | Deadline: June 12
Canada-based literary magazine founded in 2021 that publishes Nonfiction, Flash CNF, Poetry, Art, Photography.
A poetry and art journal based in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong, Ontario. We publish four times a year: July, October, January, and April.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 30 days. Acceptance rate of 30.77% based on 39 tracked submissions. Noteworthy: #read for free #has print issues #active on socials #30-day response time #nominates for industry awards # beautiful design # consistent quality #extremely competitive #engaged editors
Trash Cat Lit | Deadline: June 14
United Kingdom-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Fiction, Flash Fiction.
The Unexpected Place for Treasured Words
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 60 days. Noteworthy: #active on socials
The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts | Deadline: June 15
Literary magazine that publishes Fiction, Flash Fiction, Nonfiction, Flash CNF, Poetry.
We believe that something very small can add up to something very big, as in the compressed moment of the big bang. We want to think through compression.
Fee: None | Pay: $50
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 5 days. Acceptance rate of 2% (reported by editors). Noteworthy: #read for free #one week response time #nonprofit #highly competitive #5-day response time
Fourteen Hills | Deadline: June 15
United States-based literary magazine founded in 1994 that publishes Fiction, Flash Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Hybrid, Art.
Since its inception in 1994, Fourteen Hills has contributed to a vibrant literary tradition on the West Coast centered in the San Francisco Bay Area. As an international literary magazine, Fourteen Hills has developed a reading audience that goes beyond the San Francisco Bay Area to the international community.
Fee: $3 | Pay: $20 per piece
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 240 days. Acceptance rate of 1.43% based on 140 tracked submissions. Noteworthy: #has print issues #active on socials #nominates for industry awards #brecht top 1000 #extremely competitive #fiction prize winner #krouse top 500 #20+ years old #extra popular
Poetry | Deadline: June 15
United States-based literary magazine founded in 1912 that publishes Nonfiction, Poetry, Hybrid, Review, Translation, Video.
An independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture.
Fee: None | Pay: from $300
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 240 days. Noteworthy: #has print issues #independent #100+ years old #poetry top prize winner #mega super popular. woah.
Up the Staircase Quarterly | Deadline: June 15
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2008 that publishes Poetry, Art, Photography.
An online journal of poetry, art, interviews, and reviews.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 30 days. Acceptance rate of 5.13% based on 78 tracked submissions. Noteworthy: #30-day response time #nominates for industry awards #somewhat competitive
Chicago Review | Deadline: June 15
United States-based literary magazine founded in 1946 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Review, Translation.
Publishes a range of contemporary poetry, fiction, and criticism. Each year typically includes two single issues and a double issue with a special feature section.
Fee: $5 | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 180 days. Noteworthy: #has print issues #active on socials #brecht top 1000 #extremely competitive #fiction prize winner #krouse top 500 #50+ years old #nonfiction prize winner #extra popular
phoebe | Deadline: June 15
United States-based literary magazine founded in 1971 that publishes Fiction, Flash Fiction, Nonfiction, Flash CNF, Poetry.
phoebe prides itself on supporting up-and-coming writers, whose style, form, voice, and subject matter demonstrate a vigorous appeal to the senses, intellect, and emotions of our readers.
Fee: $3 | Pay: $50
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 60 days. Acceptance rate of 0.84% based on 118 tracked submissions. Noteworthy: #has print issues #nominates for industry awards #brecht top 1000 #clmp member #highly competitive #krouse top 500 #50+ years old #super extra popular
underblong | Deadline: June 15
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2017 that publishes Poetry, Art.
A journal of the not-quite-so, of unfinished thoughts, of unresolved anger, of unforgotten macaroni art. Send us a poem that cuts through the crap. Send us your dinner chicken. Poems made by a soul.
Fee: None | Pay: Yes
Accept simultaneous submissions. Noteworthy: #one week response time
Same Faces Collective | Deadline: June 15
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2019 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Hybrid, Art, Photography.
Interdisciplinary literary magazine
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 60 days. Acceptance rate of 40% (reported by editors). Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #nominates for industry awards
Paper Cranes Literary | Deadline: June 15
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Wtf is genre, send anything.
A small magazine dedicated to the voices of those who long to see their dreams and wishes fulfilled.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions and some reprints. Noteworthy: #active on socials #one week response time
Apple in the Dark | Deadline: June 15
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2017 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction.
An online lit mag that publishes short prose twice a year. We accept pieces of fiction and nonfiction up to 1,500 words.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 120 days. Acceptance rate of 6% (reported by editors). Noteworthy: #very competitive
Grain | Deadline: June 15
Canada-based literary magazine founded in 1973 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Play, Comics, Wtf is genre, send anything.
Grain, the journal of eclectic writing, is a literary quarterly that publishes engaging, eclectic, and challenging writing and art by Canadian and international writers and artists.
Fee: None | Pay: CA$50 per page
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 180 days. Acceptance rate of 9.38% based on 32 tracked submissions. Noteworthy: #has print issues #50+ years old #extra popular
Quibble Journal | Deadline: June 15
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2022 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry.
An online monthly publication showcasing ingenious poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Noteworthy: #one week response time
The Minison Project | Deadline: June 16
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2020 that publishes Fiction, Flash Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Art, Photography.
Tom Snarsky and Jo Ianni are credited with popularizing the form of a minimal sonnet, or “minison”, which is a very small poetic form with only one rule: make a poem with only fourteen letters total. Now the format is blossoming into new, related forms.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #one week response time # consistent quality #extremely competitive #engaged editors
Dust Poetry Magazine | Deadline: June 16
United Kingdom-based literary magazine founded in 2020 that publishes Poetry.
Dust Poetry Magazine was founded in January 2020 and publishes issues of new poetry online. The work in Dust is unsolicited and international.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Acceptance rate of 1.81% based on 55 tracked submissions. Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #one week response time # beautiful design # consistent quality #extremely competitive #engaged editors #super extra popular
Theme Calls
ONLY POEMS | Deadline: June 11 | Theme: Spiritual Poetry
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2023 that publishes Poetry.
Every month, the we feature a Poem of the Month. The “Poem of the Month” is accompanied by both a contributor’s and an editor’s note, as well as a custom piece of artwork created by Derek Mueller. Beyond creating more exciting ways for poetry to shine through in the world, we wish to make the editorial process more transparent: Why do some poems stand out?
Fee: None | Pay: $22-55
Accept simultaneous submissions and some reprints. Respond within 60 days. Acceptance rate of 1% (reported by editors). Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #nominates for industry awards #extremely competitive #engaged editors
The Literary Times | Deadline: June 14 | Theme: CLANDESTINE
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Fiction, Flash Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Art.
An independent self-publishing literary and arts platform accepting varieties of genres including, poetry, short story, flash fiction, non-fiction, art and more.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 30 days. Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #30-day response time #nominates for industry awards
The Hooghly Review | Deadline: June 15 | Theme: Murals (Phase 1)
India-based literary magazine founded in 2022 that publishes Fiction, Flash Fiction, Micro Fiction, Nonfiction, Flash CNF, Poetry, Art, Photography, Play, Comics.
A digital non-profit and free-access magazine of literature & arts with the aim to shine a light on emerging and underrated writers, storytellers, poets, artists, and other creatives across the globe.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions and some reprints. Respond within 30 days. Acceptance rate of 53.33% based on 45 tracked submissions. Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #30-day response time #nominates for industry awards
Sans. PRESS | Deadline: July 3 | Theme: The Garden
Ireland-based literary magazine founded in 2020 that publishes Fiction, Hybrid, Wtf is genre, send anything.
Send us stories that are fresh & weird
Fee: None | Pay: €150
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 56 days. Acceptance rate of 3% (reported by editors). Noteworthy: #has print issues #active on socials #nominates for industry awards #highly competitive
New friends
Tension Literary | Deadline: July 31 | Theme: Sexual Tension
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry.
Tension is at the center of all great writing. We are committed to publishing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that stirs, shocks, or surprises us.
We strive to uplift marginalized voices, so LGBTQIA+ individuals and POC are encouraged to submit.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 30 days. Acceptance rate of 7% (reported by editors). Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #30-day response time
DisLit Youth Magazine | Open for submissions
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Fiction.
DisLit Youth Literary Magazine is dedicated to providing a safe space for disabled teens who write
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 28 days. Noteworthy: #30-day response time
Sūdō Journal | Deadline: June 30
Australia-based literary magazine founded in 2018 that publishes Wtf is genre, send anything.
A journal from the fringes of civilised society.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 120 days. Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials
The Marlowe Review | Closed for submissions
United Kingdom-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Fiction, Flash Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry.
We seek creative interpretations of the travelogue in the form of fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry and essays.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Noteworthy: #active on socials #one week response time
Glass Bead Magazine | Deadline: August 31
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Poetry, Wtf is genre, send anything.
Digital magazine by teens for teens
Fee: None | Pay: No
Do not accept simultaneous submissions and some reprints. Respond within 14 days. Acceptance rate of 50% (reported by editors). Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #two week response time
Sublimation: a Magazine of Speculative Poetry and Art | Deadline: June 15
Sweden-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Poetry, Art.
Indie magazine promoting speculative poetry and art.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 30 days. Noteworthy: #has print issues #active on socials #30-day response time #nominates for industry awards
Mirage Travel Writing Podcast | Open for submissions
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Hybrid.
Mirage Travel Writing Podcast open for submissions
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 7 days. Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #one week response time
A Sufferer's Digest: Issue 1 | Deadline: June 12 | Theme: Gritty Fiction
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Fiction.
We are now looking for art, short stories, and poetry for our first digital and physical issue.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Do not accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 21 days. Acceptance rate of 10% (reported by editors). Noteworthy: #read for free #has print issues #active on socials #30-day response time
Seaford Review | Closed for submissions
United Kingdom-based literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Poetry.
Online poetry magazine edited by Christopher Lloyd, Jack Westmore and Luís Costa. It publishes three times a year: Spring (15 March), Summer (15 July) and Autumn (15 Nov).
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 30 days. Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials #30-day response time
These Writers' Voices | Deadline: June 30 | Theme: ISSUE ONE: THE SILENCE
Literary magazine founded in 2024 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Art, Photography.
An up-and-coming literary magazine dedicated to spreading social issues worldwide!
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 7 days. Acceptance rate of 100% (reported by editors). Noteworthy: #active on socials #one week response time
Contests That Probably Won’t Scam You
Drue Heinz Literature Open | Deadline: June 30
The award is open to writers who have published a novel or a book-length collection of fiction with a reputable book publisher, or a minimum of three short stories or novellas in magazines or journals of national distribution. Digital-only publication and self-publication do not count toward this requirement.
The award is open to writers in English, whether or not they are citizens of the United States.
Eligible submissions include an unpublished manuscript of short stories; two or more novellas (a novella may comprise a maximum of 130 double-spaced typed pages); or a combination of one or more novellas and short stories. Novellas are only accepted as part of a larger collection. Manuscripts may be no fewer than 150 and no more than 300 pages.
Fee: Free | Awarding: $15,000 | Judge: Unknown for this year but they always have hotshot judges
Noteworthy: This prize has some steep eligibility requirements but it’s also free to submit with a huge pay-out. It’s been running since 1981 and has loads of successful authors attached to it (both on the winning and judging side).
ROOM Creative Non-Fiction Contest | Deadline: June 16
We accept entries up to 3500 words. Please double-space all submissions. Each entry must be original and unpublished. Room's contests are open to women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people. We specifically encourage writers with overlapping under-represented identities to submit their work.
Fee: $39-59 CAD | Awarding: $1000 | Judge: Editors
Noteworthy: Another prize with eligibility requirements — this time, I’m kinda happy to see them. ROOM is a respected Canadian mag that promotes and platforms women and non-binary people. And yes, the reading fee is steep though I have known for the editors to give waivers where there is need.
42 Miles Press Poetry Award | Deadline: June 15
The 42 Miles Press Poetry Award was created in an effort to bring urgent and original voices to the poetry reading public. The prize is offered annually to any poet writing in English, including poets who have never published a full-length book as well as poets who have published several. New and Selected collections of poems are also welcome.
Manuscripts submitted for the 42 Miles Press Poetry Award should exhibit an awareness of the contemporary “voice” in American poetry, an awareness of our moment in time as poets. We are excited to receive poetry that is experimental as well as work of a more formalist bent, as long as it reflects a complexity and sophistication of thought and language.
The manuscript should be paginated (between 50 and 120 pp.) and include a table of contents and acknowledgments page.
Fee: $25 | Awarding: $1000 | Judge: Editors
Noteworthy: Perhaps one of the best judges of a contest (as in, judging whether a contest is good or not) is if the previous winners have found success thanks to the award. 42 Miles Press poets seem to have done just that!
Grist Imagine 2200: Write the future | Deadline: June 24
In 2,500 to 5,000 words, show us the world you dream of building.
Your story should be set sometime between the near future and roughly the year 2200.
The winning writer will be awarded $3,000. The second- and third-place winners receive $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. An additional nine finalists will each receive $300. All winners and finalists will have their story published in an immersive collection on Grist’s website.
We are also partnering with Oregon State University’s Spring Creek Project, which will offer the winning writer (or a runner-up, in the case the winner cannot accept) the opportunity to participate in its Environmental Writing Fellowship and Residency, including a writing residency at the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek for the winner to spend up to four weeks in residence to continue their climate writing project. The Fellow will receive a $3,000 honorarium from Spring Creek Project.
Fee: Free | Awarding: $3000 | Judge(s): Omar El Akkad, Annalee Newitz
Noteworthy: Who doesn’t love free contests? Also, have you seen their website…go look at their website — oof, gorgeous! And it’s climate fiction! Heck yea!
The 2024 Frontier OPEN | Deadline: June 30
Submissions are open to all poets, regardless of publication history.
Send up to three poems per submission, for a total of no more than twelve pages.
Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English. Inclusion of other languages is welcome, as long as the poem is primarily written in English. Some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
Fee: $20 | Awarding: $5000 | Judge(s): Editors
Noteworthy: Okay, here’s the scoop. Frontier and Palette are run by the same people. And they freakin’ love contests. But, at the end of the day, they are legit. As legit as running a several contest a year can be. Hey — they pay out, they have great judges, they publish good stuff. I won one of the contests once and it was a smooth, cool experience. Plus, this is one of the biggest prizes out there for single poems! And I see now they’ve started offering fee-free submissions for the first 50 BIPOC authors, which is great.
Below is for paid subscribers only. We have our Agents Who Don’t Care Where You’ve Published Before and a downloadable spreadsheet for this week’s opportunities.