10 Magazines That Pay for Fiction

The information in this article is correct as of January 2025.

With the New Year just beginning, I know all of you writers will be making resolutions and planning how to progress in the year ahead. Making money from writing isn't everyone's goal, but a shift towards aiming for publication is certainly on my radar. While elbow deep in research, I thought it might be a good idea to share some of what I find!

After all, making a living as a writer is rough, there's no denying that when you consider the fact that the average author gets around £1.70 for each book sold. Of course, many of us haven't even published (yet!) and making money in the freelance market has become increasingly difficult. So while money isn't everything and creating is its own reward, I thought it was high time I put my back into making a list of magazines that will actually pay for the fiction they publish. This short article is just the tip of the iceberg, of course, but it's a start!

1. Gutter

Scottish literary magazine Gutter focuses on challenging, creative works that disrupt the status quo and re-imagine familiar themes and tropes. They offer a flat payment of £30 for all accepted submissions (alongside a copy of the issue the work is published in). Gutter are open to submissions twice a year (usually in Spring and Autumn) and accept from submission international writers as well as those based in the UK.

You can submit up to three poems totalling 100 lines, or one essay or piece of fiction up to 2500 words per submission window. Find their full submission guidelines here.

2. The People's Friend

If you write, or would like to try your hand at, gentle, character-driven stories that explore modern life and relationships consider submitting to The People's Friend. They accept a range of themes and topics, but prefer a feel-good tone. You can submit short stories up to 4,000 words as well as long-read fiction of up to 10,000 words, and they accept poetry as well. The People's Friend are also one of the few magazines that still print serial fiction and pocket novels of up to 38,000 words.

Payment varies depending on what you submit, but you can find clear submission guidelines and payment details for each category on their website along with articles to help you get appropriate ideas and nail the tone of the story.

3. Mslexia

Women's magazine Mslexia is open to receiving anything from poetry and limericks to flash fiction and short stories. They also accept non-fiction (which isn't overly common for a fiction magazine in the UK!). They have 14 open submission slots for each issue, so if you miss one submission deadline don't tress too much!

They offer a nominal payment of £25 for most fiction pieces, but Mslexia is one of those magazines that looks really good on a writers CV which is invaluable if publication is a long term goal for you. You will find detailed submission guidelines on their website.

4. Shooter Literary Magazine

Another prestigious magazine, Shooter Literary Magazine prints twice a year and opens submissions with a clearl deadline for each of these issues. The last deadline was October 20th 2024, so you have some time to prepare for the next if you fancy your chances. Each other issues is themed but whatever the theme they provide, Shooter is interested in short stories, non-fiction, and poetry.

They offer a small paymement of £25 for fiction and £5 for poetry, and you can find detailed submission guidelines on their website (where they will also post the theme for the next issue.

5. The Fiction Desk

This one is a cheeky entry; you see, The Fiction Desk is not a magazine but a publisher of short story anthologies. Based in the UK and open to submissions from around the world, The Fiction Desk regularly releases submission call for general fiction as well as themed anthologies so they're a good one to keep an eye on.

They accept fiction from 1,000 to 10,000 words and they pay £25 per thousand words for successful submissions. If you intend to submit a story to them, use the form on their website, but check their submission guidelines first!

6. Narrative Magazine

Narrative Magazine is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing literature and supporting writers; US-based with a global focus, they accept fiction of all kinds but look for quality, creativity, and original use of language. They accept poetry, short stories, one-act plays, and novellas and offer a generous $5,000 prize annually to the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, or work of literary non-fiction they recieve.

Narrative offers generous payments for accepted submissions, but the precise amount paid to writers will depend on a number of factors. Check their submission guidelines for more information.

7. One Story

One Story is one of the most unique institutions currently accepting fiction; rather than a periodical or traditional magazine format, they send one short story at a time to their subscribers in a simple chapbook format. This, of course, means that competition is fierce, but there's no denying that successfully submitting to One Story is an achievement that anyone can be proud of.

One Story pays $500 per successful submission and accepts submissions from around the world. They will consider stories published in print outside of North America, but not works previously published online. You can find their submission guidelines and information about submission windows on their website.

8. Swamp Pink

Formerly called Crazyhorse, Swamp Pink is an American literary magazine that publishes fiction, poetry, and essays. Since 1960, they have published works by some of the greats including John Updike and Jorie Graham. Today they accept fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Fiction and non-fiction can b up to 7,500 words in length and they ask that poetry is submitted in sets of 3 to 6 poems.

The pay $40 per poem and $0.05 per word for fiction and non-fiction, and you can find out more about their submission guidelines on their website.

9. Clarkesworld Magazine

Clarkesworld Magazine is a monthly magazine that specializes in science fiction and fantasy. However, it's not just short stories; they also publish interviews, articles, and audio fiction. They are open to submissions of 1,000 to 22,000 words and offer payment of 12c per word. They ask that all submissions are in English but encourage international authors to submit translations even if thet work has previously been printed in another language.

Clarkesworld is looking for unique, creative, and thought-provoking fiction in the science-fiction and fantasy genres and they will accept works with darker themes, however they do not publish horror fiction so try to walk that line with care. You can find their complete submission guidelines online.

10. Apex Magazine

For lovers of the dark and macabre, Apex Magazine has been publishing dark sci-fi, fantasy, and horror fiction with flair for years now. They also accept reviews, nonfction, and interviews, however, so there's some wriggle room if you have writerly aspirations outside of the fiction niche.

Apex Magazine offers payment of $.08 per word up to 9,000 words with a minimum payment of $50 and should they decide to use your story on their podcast they will give you an additional payment of $.01 per word. Submissions are made through Moshka and you can find their submission guidelines (as well as back issues) on their website.

Author's Note: Looking Ahead to 2025

This year, I'll be looking to take everything I've learned over the last fifteen years and put it to good use, and I'm sure there are plenty of you in the same position. But it's not all about career goals and publication.

At the end of the day, whether you're ready to think about publishing or not, writing is a personal journey that's all about growth, self-expression, and fun.

So I want to leave you with this; your path is your own and every step takes you somewhere new. Don't listen to that voice that says you should have done more, done better, that you should be more like [insert author/friend/acquaintance]. Life is hard enough on all of us; you don't need to be hard on yourself too. What makes your writing unique is you - your experiences, your passions, your way of doing things... and that's beautiful.

Chin up, guys,

I can't wait to see where you go from here,

Sheree x