Ten Lucrative Markets for Crime and Mystery Novels

Readers consistently choose to read mysteries and thrillers as their preferred genres. As far as Simba Information is concerned, the only genre that can compete with mystery is romance novels. On average, crime books bring in more than $730 million annually, even when they are ranked second. The subgenres include cozy, hardboiled, police procedural, and cross-genre mixes with science fiction, fantasy, and romance. Cozy is the most popular subgenre on this list.

In the event that you are a writer of short-form mysteries or thrillers, there are a variety of venues to which you may send your work. There is not a single one of these marketplaces that requires submission fees, yet they are all paid markets. Have fun submitting your work!

All Over My Lifeless Body!

In this publication, a broad range of mystery-related manuscripts are published, ranging from cozy mysteries to hardboiled mysteries and everything in between. This means that they do not discriminate based on the substance, subgenre, or author recognition of the work.

NONFICTION: “We’re looking for mystery-related author interviews/profiles and articles. Mystery-related travel articles will also be considered. (For example: a tourism essay on the Reichenbach Falls of Sherlock Holmes renown.) 500+ words.”

FICTION: “We want to see taut, absorbing, original work. Keep language and storytelling consistent with characterization (unless you’re exploiting the disparity as a plot element). Don’t waste words, and don’t ignore facts to facilitate your plot. Most essential, if you’re going to violate the rules, do it properly. 750–4,000 words.”

PAYMENT: Nominal—$.01/word for Payment: $10-$25 total for unsolicited nonfiction. All donors will be reimbursed within 30 days after approval.

Who Knocks?

This journal invites mystery, bizarre stories, suspense, and horror, 1500–5000 words in length. If you are not sure what category your tale comes under, feel free to submit it anyhow. They will accept previously published content on a limited basis. They are open to blog-style editorials and essays on the craft of writing or relevant to the allowed genres. Payment: $0.01/word up to $50 for fiction; $15 for opinions and articles; $25 for reprints.

Flash Bang Mysteries

This magazine is looking for original mystery/suspense of all types (police procedural, private eye, amateur sleuth, cozies, hardboiled, etc.). Flash fiction ONLY between 500 and 750 words. “Basically, if it involves a crime and it is within our guidelines, we would love to consider it. We want stories that feature believable characters who speak naturally, realistic situations that bleed conflict, and surprise endings that stay with us long after we reach the final period. We welcome new and seasoned authors.” Payment: $20.

Switchblade

Switchblade is a fiction print anthology containing the hardboiled/noir genre and nothing else.We will explore noir/crime literature stretching from the early twentieth century up to modern day. Aside from that, we are a no-limit hardboiled fiction journal—we publish the type of pieces no one else would consider.” They also welcome poetry and artwork. Payment: $15.

Tough

Tough is a crime fiction magazine publishing short stories and self-contained novel excerpts of between 1500 words and 7500 words, and occasional book reviews of 1500 words or less. They are especially interested in tales with rural backgrounds. Payment: $35.

The Dark City

The Dark City is devoted to the “rough and tumble of the world of crime and violence.” They like tales that have roots in truth; however, we do consider hilarious situations and people. “We hope to acquire stories that leave readers thinking about the characters and their dilemma.” Length: 1000 to 7500 words. Payment: $35.

Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

They are interested in practically every form of mystery: stories of detection of the traditional kind, police procedurals, private investigator tales, suspense, courtroom dramas, stories of espionage, and so on. “We ask only that the story be about a crime (or the threat or fear of one). We sometimes accept ghost stories or supernatural tales, but those also should involve a crime.” Payment: From 5 to 8¢ a word, occasionally greater for experienced writers.

Noir Nation

Noir Nation: International Fiction offers crime fiction, nonfiction, and noir poetry in print and Kindle formats. Its material is frequently dark, sometimes disturbing, and sometimes amusing but always at the service of the literary imagination as it explores the darkest realms of human existence. Payment: “Not much. But always.”

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine invites contributions from both new and seasoned authors. “We publish every kind of mystery short story: the psychological suspense tale, the deductive puzzle, the private eye case—the gamut of crime and detection from the realistic (including the policeman’s lot and stories of police procedure) to the more imaginative (including “locked rooms” and “impossible crimes”). We need hard-boiled tales as well as “cozies,” but we are not interested in graphic sex or violence.” Payment: From 5 to 8¢ a word, occasionally greater for experienced writers.

Occult Detective Quarterly Magazine

Occult Detective Quarterly Magazine is committed to those intrepid detectives who study the unusual, exotic, and bizarre. These are the ones that investigate the darkness, both inside and beyond, sometimes to their own risk and at the price of their own lives and sanity. They welcome fiction (3,000–6,000 words), nonfiction (2,000–5,000 words), and art. “We are eager to read stories featuring a diverse range of characters, cultures, and periods. You may joyfully explore familiar Lovecraftian, pulp, or dystopian themes, for example, but a new spin on the classics is always more likely to capture us. We do appreciate tales with strange protagonists or with less typical backgrounds, and we have an appetite for the pulp and current bizarre narrative as long as it fits the overall concept.” Payment: Fiction: 1 cent per word, with a $50 maximum; $25 each permitted reprint. Articles: 1 penny per word, $25 maximum. Interior art charges are $15–$40 per item.

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.