Resources
From Category: Markets and Contests for Writers
Quick Start Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Publishing
This 2024 article on the writing resource site Authors Publish breaks down the different genres of children's and YA literature, from board books to chapter books, with advice on how to research your market and submit the right kind of manuscript to a publisher.
FISH List of Lively Independent Literary Magazines
Author Charlie Fish, editor of the online journal Fiction on the Web, compiled this list of over 1,800 independent literary journals that he recommends based on their longevity, transparency, active readership, and author-friendly submission practices like rapid response time and no fees. Though the list would be more useful if the journal names were hyperlinked, the metrics that he uses are ones that more authors should consider when submitting. As he explains on the Chill Subs blog, "My metrics for the FISH list focus less on awards and prestige, and much more on the features of the magazines themselves. Is there an active community of readers? Do the editors give feedback on submitted stories? Is the magazine going to stick around, or fade away like so many do?...I don’t want to give too much weight to the same-old darlings of the lit mag scene: I want to illuminate the margins."
Literary Journals That Publish Poetry That Rhymes
Rhyming poetry can be hard to place in modern magazines. This 2024 feature from Authors Publish recommends eight reputable journals that regularly publish rhyming poetry and other traditional forms.
Poets and Patrons
Founded in 1954 in Chicago, Poets and Patrons sponsors national and international contests such as the Helen Schaible International Sonnet Contest, along with in-person and online writing workshops.
LGBTQ Publishers and Paying Journals
Erica Verrillo's writing resource blog features news of submission calls, agents seeking clients, and other publishing opportunities. This post, last updated in April 2024, lists 35 small presses and 30 paying journals that accept un-agented submissions of LGBTQ fiction and nonfiction. While the recommendations include many reputable presses such as Bold Strokes Books, Bywater Books, Chelsea Station Editions, and Riverdale/Magnus, it's important to do your own research: the gay romance publisher Dreamspinner Press, included here, was the subject of a big scandal several years ago for not paying their authors.
Children’s Book Publishers Open to Direct Submissions
This list posted in 2024 at the writers' resource site Authors Publish profiles 55 presses that accept un-agented submissions of picture books, middle-grade, and/or young adult literature.
AuthorsPublish List of Journals Open to Publishing Reprints
Writing resource site AuthorsPublish compiled this list, current as of Spring 2023, of 26 journals that accept previously published poetry, fiction, or essays. Some are magazines with a specific theme, like speculative fiction, while others are general-interest.
The Teen Mag’s List of Literary Magazines Accepting Writing and Art from Teens
This 2023 article from The Teen Mag lists reputable journals and funding opportunities for teen authors and artists, including the YoungArts and Scholastic competitions.
95 Traditional Poetry Manuscript Presses Who Do Not Charge Reading Fees
Writers' resource site Authors Publish released this list in January 2023 of 95 traditional poetry presses (i.e. not self-publishing or hybrid) that have fee-free submission periods. Not all the presses are open to entries at any given time, so check their websites for updated rules.
Who Pays Writers?
Who Pays Writers? is an online directory of blogs, magazines, and literary journals that pay for accepted work, with information on their current pay rates. Some entries include more information about the difficulty of breaking in to that market, how it compares to other publications in its genre, and the amount of reporting required for a pitch or article.
BOMB Magazine
Launched in 1981, BOMB Magazine is a NYC-based print and online journal that curates interdisciplinary conversations among artists. On their website, they publish a quarterly list of fellowships and residencies. Sign up for their e-newsletter to be notified of their open submission periods for poetry and short fiction.
Chill Subs
Chill Subs is a free searchable database of submission opportunities for creative writers. Their most extensive category is literary magazines, with over 500 publications that can be filtered by selectivity, demographics (e.g. youth or LGBTQ writers), response time, and "vibe". They are also building up their listings of contests, residencies, and resources.
Association of University Presses Subject Area Grid
The Association of University Presses maintains this annually updated list, free to download, of member presses' special interests in particular genres and topics. If you're considering a university press for your poetry or literary prose book, this guide will help you target the right ones.
DL Shirey’s Short List
Fiction writer DL Shirey curates this list of journals that publish short fiction and nonfiction, sorted by length, from publications for 50-word micros on up.
NYC Midnight
Founded in 2002, NYC Midnight is a writers' forum that offers free writing challenges with themes and time limits to hone your skills. Each competition begins at 11:59 PM New York time, hence the title, and can range from 24 hours to 8 days to complete. Authors must use the writing prompt and submit a polished piece with a maximum word/page count by the deadline. Winners are published on the site (with their permission). Genres include flash fiction, short stories, and screenwriting. Sign up for their e-newsletter to be notified of the current challenge.
Writers’ HQ List of Writing Competitions and Submission Opportunities
Writers' HQ is a UK-based writers' resource site with listings for workshops, retreats, and publication opportunities. Their policy is to list only those markets that are free or financially accessible, which they define as having reasonable costs and prize-fee ratios. This page on their site features UK and US submission calls with deadlines in the next few months.
Publications That Pay Freelancers for Book Reviews and Interviews
This 2022 blog post from writer and editor Adam Morgan lists 74 journals and websites that pay freelance writers for book reviews and author interviews, with links to their instructions (if available) for how to pitch an article. (Hat tip to Erika Dreifus at The Practicing Writer for this resource.)
Paper Cat Press
Paper Cat Press is a curated online collection of opportunities for animators, illustrators, comic creators, and writers. They publish a Weekly Roundup e-newsletter (also available to read on the website) that includes upcoming literary contests and submission calls.
Caitlin Kunkel’s List of Humor and Satire Websites
Caitlin Kunkel is a writer, editor, and teacher of humor and satire. In this Medium post from 2020, she shares links to reputable humor-writing sites that accept submissions and pitches, with brief guidelines and examples of the work that they publish.
Where to Publish Flash Nonfiction and Micro-Essays
This 2021 article from the website of Erika Dreifus, poet and editor of the writers' resource newsletter The Practicing Writer, lists more than 50 reputable literary journals that publish short-form creative nonfiction.
KidLit411
KidLit411 is a site that collects information of interest to children's book writers and illustrators. They post contests, grants, and pitch opportunities. The site also features weekly profiles of writers and illustrators.
Writing Matters: 60 Places to Publish Formal Poetry
Updated for 2021 by poet Randal A. Burd Jr. (Memoirs of a Witness Tree, Kelsay Books) at the blog Writing Matters, this list originally compiled by formalist poet Annie Finch features reputable journals for emerging and established writers to send poetry in traditional styles. Some are general-interest and others have a specialty such as light verse, Christian, horror, or LGBTQ.
Published to Death
Erica Verrillo is the author of the middle-grade fantasy series Phoenix Rising and has published short fiction in numerous literary journals. Her blog, Published to Death, offers a variety of writing resources, including submission calls, links to magazines that pay writers, free contests, and resources for finding an agent and getting reviews.
African Poetry Book Fund
Affiliated with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the prestigious journal Prairie Schooner, the African Poetry Book Fund supports African and diaspora literature through readings workshops, publisher collaborations, and awards such as the Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry and the Sillerman First Book Prize.
AuthorsPublish List of No-Fee Poetry Manuscript Publishers
This list compiled by Emily Harstone at AuthorsPublish features 80+ publishers that do not charge reading fees to consider poetry manuscript submissions. Among them are major British presses like Carcanet and Faber & Faber, as well as reputable American literary publishers like Able Muse Press, Damaged Goods Press, Milkweed Editions, and Persea Books.
The Submission Grinder
The Submission Grinder is a donation-based tool for poetry and fiction writers to search for publications to submit their work; view anonymized response time statistics based on other writers' submissions; and track their submissions. It is a project of Diabolical Plots, an online journal of speculative and horror fiction.
Nothing in the Rulebook
Nothing in the Rulebook is a UK-based online magazine that includes competitions listings, writing news, and feature articles about literature and culture.
The Writer’s Workout
Launched in 2014, The Writer's Workout is a resource site with features including a discussion forum, submission calls, prompts, a newsletter, and a literary journal called WayWords. For $1/month you can use their Achievement Tracker to organize your submissions and drafts. The site's editors say, "It's designed and tested to help you measure all your literary progress: the Achievement Tracker shows your total word count, competition wins, reading, editing, publications, and more throughout the year as well as your daily and monthly average word count. Seeing these totals and averages helps you develop constructive writing habits, encourages you to try different things, and provides a clear visual of your growth."
Horror Tree
Run by novelist and JournalStone Network editor Stuart Conover, Horror Tree is a resource site for horror and speculative fiction writers that includes submission calls, craft essays, and author interviews.
Almond Press Writing Competitions Event Calendar
Launched in 2012, Almond Press is a Scottish small press that publishes short story collections and sponsors literary contests. This curated submissions calendar on their website lists numerous writing contests, free and fee-charging, for English-language writers in the UK and internationally.
Erika Krouse’s Ranking of 500 Literary Magazines for Short Fiction
Editor, writing coach, and fiction writer Erika Krouse ran the numbers on some 500 journals publishing literary short fiction. Rankings are based on circulation, pay rates for writers, subjective "coolness" factors, and how frequently stories from these publications are selected for Best American Short Stories, O. Henry Awards, and Pushcart Prizes. While there's room for debate about the value of these metrics, the comprehensive list of markets will be useful for writers seeking new submission venues.
Flash Fiction Magazine
Founded in 2014, Flash Fiction Magazine posts a new short-short story online every day. Contributors whose stories are selected for the annual print anthology receive payment. There is also a monthly $100 prize for the best story. Submissions should be 300-1,000 words and be a complete story (no vignettes or prose-poems) with conflict, character development, and resolution.
Narrative Magazine Directory of Writers’ Resources
Narrative Magazine, a well-regarded online journal, offers this free-to-access directory of links to literary conferences, books and articles with advice about writing, and degree programs in writing and publishing.
Freedom With Writing: The Paid Publishing Guidebook
Freedom With Writing connects freelance writers with jobs and opportunities. Sign up for their free e-newsletter to receive this PDF directory (100+ pages) of magazines and websites that pay for writing in various genres including news, entertainment, sports, travel, education, philosophy, and religion.
Writer Advice
Writer Advice is a resource site managed by B. Lynn Goodwin, author of Talent and You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers. The site includes links to markets and contests, craft essays, and quotes from famous authors. They also offer contests with modest prizes and fees.
Top 100 Book Review Blogs for Readers and Authors
Feedspot, a site that aggregates content across the Web, compiled this list of book review blogs that have the highest visibility in terms of Google search ranking, social media presence, and consistent quality of posts. The list includes both general-interest and genre-specific sites such as romance, children's books, and fantasy.
Poetry Contest Links at Ardor Magazine
The online literary magazine Ardor maintains this annually updated page of links to 60+ poetry contests that the editors recommend. The contests are arranged in date order, with prizes and fees listed.
Story Circle Book Reviews
Story Circle Book Reviews provides a review venue for women author-publishers and for women's work published by independent and university presses. The site's sponsor, Story Circle Network, also offers the Sarton Women's Book Awards for small press and self-published books by and about women, published in the US or Canada.
Calls for Submissions (Poetry, Fiction, Art) Facebook Group
This Facebook group features calls for creative writing and art submissions. Closed group, members accepted by request.
The Write Life
The Write Life is a one-stop shop for information on how to make a living as a writer. Their annual "100 Best Websites for Writers" list showcases their favorite resources for freelancing, book marketing, blogging, literary craft advice, and inspiration for the long haul.
Book Promotion Tips at Blue Light Press
Founded by poet and novelist Diane Frank, Blue Light Press is a well-established independent publisher of poetry books, chapbooks, and anthologies. This page on their website provides a long list of ideas for promoting your forthcoming book via readings, reviews, launch parties, media interviews, and more.
Emerge-Surface-Be: The Poetry Project’s Fellowship Program
Launched in 2013, Emerge-Surface-Be is a fellowship program sponsored by the Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church, a well-known center of literary culture in New York City. Each year, three NYC-based poets will receive a stipend and mentoring by an established writer to complete a new project. Eligible authors must not have published more than one full-length collection and three chapbooks, excluding self-published books. See website for rules and deadline.
Brilliant Flash Fiction
Based in Ireland, the online journal Brilliant Flash Fiction is published quarterly and accepts submissions of unpublished short stories under 1,000 words. See website for rules for their quarterly free contests with prizes up to 50 euros. No simultaneous submissions.
Haiku News and Competitions: Poetry Society of New Zealand
The Poetry Society of New Zealand's website features this page of links to contests and publication opportunities for English-language haiku and related Japanese forms.
Writing Contest Links at The Writer Magazine
The Writer is a monthly magazine with craft articles and publication opportunities for creative writers. Their website includes an up-to-date list of links to contests with upcoming deadlines, searchable by genre: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, journalism, and more.
Cathy’s Comps and Calls
Award-winning poet and fiction writer Cathy Bryant curates this writing resources site, which specializes in free-to-enter contests and calls for submissions that can be entered online. Her book How to Win Writing Competitions (and Make Money) collects the knowledge she has gained from editing this site and publishing her work.
Book Review Directory
Launched in 2015, the Book Review Directory is a growing list of bloggers who review books in various fiction and nonfiction genres. The site has three goals: to match authors with reviewers, to raise the profile of book review blogs, and to help readers find new books in their areas of interest.
Cultured Vultures
Cultured Vultures is an online journal of contemporary writing, literary and entertainment reviews, and articles on politics and culture. Their free poetry contest offers web publication to the top three unpublished poems submitted each week.
Trish Hopkinson Poetry Blog
Poet Trish Hopkinson is the author of the chapbooks Emissions and Pieced into Treetops, as well as many poems published in literary journals. On her blog, she shares interesting writing tips, articles, calls for submissions (no-fee only), and other information to help promote good writing.
Poetry Has Value
Poet and professor Jessica Piazza started this blog in 2015 to chronicle her plan to submit her poetry exclusively to journals and markets that paid their contributors. She wanted to challenge the prevailing culture that expects poets to be satisfied with publication or prestige rather than making a living. The blog features links to paying markets, interviews with editors and publishers, and essays by other professional writers about the financial aspects of poetry publishing.
