This page should properly be named the “Speculative Fiction Markets Cheat Sheet,” but that seemed a little long for the navigation bar.
These are markets for short speculative fiction where I wouldn’t mind submitting my stories. SF stands for speculative fiction (not science fiction). SFWA-qualifying markets are denoted with an asterisk. Let me know if I’ve made any mistakes, if something listed as open is actually closed, if I’m missing a really good market, or if one ought to be taken off the list (preferably via a comment on this post).
Finally, this should go without saying, but while I do try to keep this updated, some information below may be out of date or just plain wrong. Check the magazine’s submissions guidelines for the most current information before you submit anything to them.
Updated 4/9/2013 - Apex is closed to submissions until June 1, 2013. Thanks to Peter Lewicke for the tip! Note: the previous update to the cheat sheet was eight months ago, so definitely double-check submissions guidelines before sending anything, and please let me know if any information is egregiously out of date.
Abyss & Apex (guidelines)
Accepts: SF and flash of all varieties (not horror, though dark SF is okay) of up to 10,000 words
Open? Fiction reading periods are in February, May, August, and November. Poetry reading periods are in March, June, September, and December.
Format: E-mail only
Pay rate: 5 cents a word up to 1500 words, $75 for anything longer
Response time: 2 months
Note: Also accepts SF poetry.
Last updated: 2/6/12
Analog (guidelines) *
Accepts: Hard science fiction – short stories, novelettes, and serials
Open? Yes
Format: Online submissions form
Pay rate: 6-8 cents per word up to 7500 words, $450-600 for stories between 7500 and 10,000 words, 5-6 cents per word for anything longer
Response time: 5 weeks (query after 3 months)
Note: Also accepts science articles.
Last updated: 12/22/11
Apex (guidelines) *
Accepts: ”science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mash-ups of all three—the dark, weird stuff down at the bottom of your little literary heart.” Anything over 5000 words will be rejected.
Next open to fiction submissions: June 1, 2013
Format: Email
Pay rate: 5 cents per word
Response time: 30 days (query only after 60 days)
Last updated: 4/9/13
Asimov’s (guidelines) *
Accepts: Character-oriented science fiction (borderline fantasy is okay) up to 15,000 words
Open? Yes
Format: Online submissions form
Pay rate: 6 cents per word up to 7500 words, 5 cents per word for stories longer than 12,500 words, and $450 for stories between those lengths
Response time: 5 weeks (resubmit after 3 months)
Beneath Ceaseless Skies (guidelines) *
Accepts: Secondary-world fantasy up to 10,000 words
Open? Yes
Format: E-mail only
Pay rate: 5 cents per word
Response time: 3-5 weeks on average
Cicada (guidelines / guidelines for young writers)
Accepts: All kinds of fiction of 5000 words or less, including fantasy and science fiction. “Main protagonist should be age 14 or older; stories should have a genuine teen sensibility and be aimed at readers in high school or college.” They are particularly looking for humor.
Open? Yes, to submissions from writers aged 14-23
Format: Regular mail (or email, in the young writers’ guidelines)
Pay rate: Up to 25 cents per word
Response time: Allow six months
Clarkesworld (guidelines) *
Accepts: SF of all varieties, 1000-8000 words (“preferred length is 4000″)
Open? Yes
Format: Online submissions form
Pay rate: 10 cents per word up to 4000 words, 5 cents per word after
Response time: 2 days to 1 week (24 hours to 3 days in practice)
Note: Also accepts nonfiction and art.
Daily Science Fiction (guidelines) *
Accepts: SF of all varieties, 100-10,000 words (especially flash)
Open? Yes
Format: Online submissions form (formatting guidelines are here)
Pay rate: 8 cents per word
Response time: Query after 4 weeks
Note: Also accepts art.
Last updated: 11/2/11
Electric Velocipede (guidelines)
Accepts: “Unusual” SF (think Link, Goss, Duncan, Mieville) up to 10,000 words, prefers 3000-6000 words
Open? Closed to submissions until further notice
Format: Online submissions form
Pay rate: About 1 cent per word, $25 minimum
Response time: About 1 month, up to 2 months
Note: Also accepts poetry.
Last updated: 11/2/11
Escape Pod (guidelines)
Accepts: Science fiction stories of 2000-6000 words (3500-5000 words preferred)
Open? Yes
Format: E-mail
Pay rate: $100 per story
Response time: Unclear
Note: Prefers reprints.
Ideomancer (guidelines)
Accepts: Boundary-pushing SF of 7000 words or less
Open? “We are open to submissions during December-January, March-April, June-July, September-October.”
Format: E-mail only
Pay rate: 3 cents per word, $40 maximum
Response time: Query after 30 days
Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet (guidelines)
Accepts: Fiction (mostly speculative)
Open? Yes
Format: Regular mail only
Pay rate: ”We do not pay much.”
Response time: Query after 6 months
Note: Also accepts nonfiction, poetry, and B&W art.
Lightspeed (guidelines)
Accepts: All types of science fiction and fantasy, 1500-7500 words (preferably <5000)
Open? Yes, to science fiction submissions
Format: Online submissions system
Pay rate: 5 cents per word
Response time: Typically 48 hours, up to 2 weeks
Note: If your story was previously rejected from F&SF by John Joseph Adams (Lightspeed’s editor), don’t submit it here.
Last updated: 12/22/11
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (guidelines) *
Accepts: Fantasy and science fiction (try not to be too shocked) up to 25,000 words
Open? Yes
Format: Regular mail only
Pay rate: 6-9 cents per word
Response time: Allow 8 weeks (but in practice it’s more like 2)
Nature Futures (guidelines) *
Accepts: Hard science fiction, 850-950 words
Open? Yes
Format: E-mail
Pay rate: $130 (or £85) per story
Response time: “Authors of suggestions who do not receive a reply within two weeks should assume that Nature does not wish to pursue the matter.”
Last updated: 4/14/12
Pedestal (guidelines) *
Accepts: Literary, character-driven SF of up to 4200 words
Open? Depends on the date, check the submissions page
Format: Online submission form
Pay rate: 8 cents per word
Response time: 4-8 weeks
PodCastle (guidelines)
Accepts: Fantasy stories of 2000-6000 words or flash pieces of <1000 words
Open? Yes
Format: E-mail
Pay rate: $100 for short fiction, $20 for flash
Response time: About two months
Note: Prefers reprints.
Pseudopod (guidelines)
Accepts: Horror stories of 2000-6000 words (preferably <5000 words) or flash stories of fewer than 1500 words (ideally 500-1000 words)
Open? Yes
Format: E-mail
Pay rate: $100 for short fiction, $20 for flash
Response time: About two months
Shimmer (guidelines)
Accepts: Unusual contemporary fantasy (“but we’ll read anything”) of 5000 words or less (query for longer works)
Open? Yes
Format: E-mail only
Pay rate: 5 cents per word, minimum $10
Response time: 3 weeks
Last updated: 8/20/12
Strange Horizons (guidelines) *
Accepts: SF of up to 9000 words (5000 or less preferred)
Open? Yes
Format: Online submissions form
Pay rate: 7 cents per word, minimum $50
Response time: 1 month on average (query after 70 days)
Note: Also accepts art, articles, poetry, and reviews.
Last updated: 7/3/12
Tor.com (guidelines) *
Accepts: SF of 17,500 words or less (they’re particularly interested in stories under 12,000 words, but 17,500 is the absolute limit)
Open? Yes
Format: E-mail only
Pay rate: 25 cents a word for the first 5000 words, 15 cents a word for the next 5000 words, 10 cents a word thereafter
Response time: 6-8 months
Note: Anecdotal evidence suggests that the response time may be as long as 18 months in some cases.