A Few Places Seeking Submissions in October
Thanks to the prolific Michael Barrington of the California Writers Club for sharing these.
The Suburban Review
The Suburban Review is an Australian literary magazine, and they want submissions on the Untrue theme. “In a time of fake news and counterfeits, scammers and artificial intelligence, tell us how you’re sifting through the layers of conceit. Send us your most suspicious stories, fallacious arguments, and prose that teeters between fact and fiction.
What have you been covering up? Which appearances are deceiving? Is there something that rings false? We’re itching for unreliable characters, fabricated worlds, and deceptive turns of phrase. Is it time to come clean, or will you be keeping up the poker face?” They also take comics and art.
Deadline: 26 October 2025 (5 p.m. AEDT)
Length: 500-2,500 words for fiction, 1,250-2,000 words for nonfiction, up to 3 poems
Pay: Up to AUD450 for fiction, up to AUD550 for poetry, AUD400 for nonfiction
Details here and here.
(Also, Full Bleed, an annual print and online journal devoted to the intersection of the visual and literary arts, wants submissions on the Inheritance theme: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, critical essays, visual art, and hybrid, genre-bending works. Length guidelines are up to 4,000 words for prose; up to 3 poems, and they pay $25-50. The deadline is 1 November 2025. Details here and here.)
Inner Worlds Zine
They publish “Speculative stories about our inner lives”. They want “Science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror prose with a strong emotional or psychological focus. We are mainly interested in fiction, but we’re open to speculative memoir or creative non fiction, as long as it has speculative elements.” They have detailed guidelines. They also accept reprints. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Length: 500-2,500 words
Pay: £0.02/word
Details here.
Banshee
This is the literary magazine of Banshee Press. They accept fiction (including flash), nonfiction, and poetry. “Banshee welcomes submissions from both Irish and international writers of any background, including first-time writers. We welcome work from members of groups or communities typically under-represented within literature, whether or not the work addresses this.”
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Length: Up to 5,000 words for prose, up to 4 poems
Pay: €300 for a story/essay; €100 for flash fiction; €75 per poem (see ‘We believe in paying writers’ on their guidelines page)
Details here.
Metastellar
They accept flash fiction – science fiction, fantasy, and horror, for which they pay. They also accept other formats (reviews, essays, reprints, book excerpts) for which there is no payment.
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
The Speculative Detective Agency Anthology
This is an interconnected fiction anthology, in which each story is a case completed by one of the agency’s detectives – who are created by you, the authors. Please read their detailed guidelines for the premise. Some stories are invited via the open call. The Kickstarter for this call has been funded. See the call on BlueSky here.
Deadline: 31st October 2025
Length: 4,000-5,000 words
Pay: $300
Details here.
FIYAH
They only accept submissions from Black writers of the African Diaspora. They accept speculative fiction and poetry. Submission is via a form.
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Length: 2,000-15,000 words for fiction, poetry up to 1,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $50 for poetry
Details here.
(And Neon Hemlock Press, which publishes queer speculative fiction, are accepting novellasfrom all writers (science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, slipstream, & weird, hybrid work, prefer works that explore some element of queer experience, 17,500–40,000 words)till 30thOctober 2025, see here – scroll down).
Utopia Science Fiction
They publish utopian science fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. They have detailed guidelines, please read them carefully. Their next upcoming theme is Alien Celebrations – “Bring us tales of celebrations from the far reaches of the galaxy!” This is also their Art special issue (see guidelines).
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Length: 100-4,000 words preferred for fiction, up to 6,000 words for nonfiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $30 per poem
Details here.
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New Alternatives for Your Writing Submissions
If you’re not sure whether your work is ready to submit, I hope you’ll have us take a look. The link will take you to Writer Advice’s Manuscript Consultation and Editing Service.
We’ll say what we love, make suggestions about places that trip us up, and ask questions to help you go deeper. Reasonable prices. Write to us through the contact box on the bottom of the home page.
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Ever thought of writing for the educational market? It’s an excellent choice if you’re a teacher of any subject in or out of the classroom. Also great for parents that homeschool. Please read Writing for the Educational Market. There are lots of ideas and resources there.
Or read this article from Highlights Magazine.
Want to become known for your OpEds?
Want to earn money at Substack? Or just write there? I’d love to have you follow me on Substack. All my posts are free right now.
You can also share opinions on Medium, and the link will tell you how to do so.
Considering submitting to college journals? The link will take you to a “megalist.”
Thinking about the future? Here’s a current list of magazines seeking sci fi. You’ll also find places to submit fantasy at that site.
Are you a short story writer? Here’s a current list that includes some prestigious journals and magazines.
Have you written a memoir? I had no idea that there were this many companies seeking submissions.
I haven’t checked every link on every page. I’ll bet you’re not surprised to hear that.
Are you seeking submissions for any publication including your blog? Please send us your information–name of journal or blog and a URL. We’ll take it from there.
