Finishing a short story is an achievement. Finding it a home is a different skill altogether. Literary magazines, genre magazines, online journals, anthologies, and contests all publish short fiction, and each has its own tastes, word limits, reading periods, and rules. This guide covers where to submit short stories, including several well-known markets and what their own guidelines say, plus the tools and habits that make submitting less overwhelming.
Before You Submit
- Revise until the story is as strong as you can make it. Editors see many competent stories; they accept ones that stand out.
- Read the magazine. The best way to know whether a market fits your story is to read recent issues.
- Follow the guidelines exactly, including word count, formatting, file type, and whether simultaneous submissions are allowed.
- Know what rights you are offering. Many magazines buy first publication rights, which means the story must not have appeared elsewhere first, including on a public blog.
Literary Magazines
Literary magazines publish character-driven, stylistically ambitious fiction, and many are connected to universities or long-standing nonprofit organizations. The market is competitive and response times can be long, but a publication in a respected journal can open doors to agents and editors.
Ploughshares
Ploughshares, published at Emerson College, accepts fiction submissions of up to 6,500 words, with a separate longform category for fiction of up to 15,000 words. According to its submission page, its reading period runs from June 1 to November 15, and writers may send one submission per reading period. The page also lists a submission cost, so check the current amount before sending.
One Story
One Story publishes a single short story per issue. Its guidelines ask for stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words and list payment of $500 plus 25 contributor copies for first North American serial rights. Submissions go through Submittable, and One Story caps the number it accepts each season; at the time of writing it had reached its cap for spring 2026 and planned to reopen in the fall.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazines
Genre magazines are often among the best-paying and fastest-responding markets for short fiction, and many have clear, detailed guidelines.
Clarkesworld
Clarkesworld accepts science fiction and fantasy stories of 1,000 to 22,000 words and states that there are no exceptions to that range. Its guidelines list payment of 14 cents per word and describe average response times of under two days.
Asimov’s Science Fiction
Asimov’s accepts submissions from any writer, whether previously published or not. Its guidelines say stories are rarely shorter than 1,000 or longer than 20,000 words, and list payment of 8 to 10 cents per word up to 7,500 words, and 8 cents per word beyond that. The magazine does not accept reprints or simultaneous submissions and does not accept work created with AI tools.
Strange Horizons
Strange Horizons publishes speculative fiction of up to 5,000 words and lists payment of 9 cents per word, with a minimum payment of $60. It opens for submissions during set windows; its guidelines announced a reopening on October 1, 2026.
Lightspeed
Lightspeed publishes science fiction and fantasy of 1,500 to 10,000 words, preferring stories under 5,000, and lists payment of 8 cents per word. When checked in September 2026 it was closed to submissions, so watch its guidelines page for the next opening.
A Note on Markets That Have Closed
Magazines come and go. Glimmer Train, once a well-known home for emerging short story writers, has closed for good, and Tin House now operates as a book publisher rather than a magazine. Older lists of “places to submit” often include markets that no longer exist, so always confirm a magazine is active and open before you send anything.
Tools for Finding More Markets
- Poets & Writers Literary Magazines database: a free, searchable directory of literary journals vetted by the magazine’s editorial staff, with filters for genre, reading periods, and payment.
- Duotrope: a subscription database of fiction and poetry markets with submission tracking and response statistics.
- Submittable: the submission platform many magazines use. Creating an account lets you track all of your submissions in one place.
Contests and Anthologies
Writing contests can offer prizes and publication, and themed anthologies regularly call for stories on specific topics. Read the terms carefully. Check the entry fee, what rights you grant, and whether the organizer is reputable. Legitimate contests clearly state prizes, judges, and deadlines. Be cautious of anthologies that require you to buy copies or pay to be included.
Online Publication and Self-Publishing
Many respected journals publish online only, and some writers collect their stories into a self-published collection. Keep in mind that posting a story on your own blog or a public platform usually counts as publication, which can make it ineligible for magazines that buy first rights. If you want to try traditional markets first, keep the story off the public internet until you are done submitting. Our guide on how to publish short stories covers the options in more detail.
Submitting Well
- Make a list of markets that fit your story, ordered from your top choices down.
- Keep a submission log with the market, date sent, and response.
- Write a brief, professional cover letter. Mention the title, word count, and any relevant publication credits, and keep it to a few lines.
- Withdraw promptly if a simultaneously submitted story is accepted elsewhere.
- Keep submitting. Rejections are routine for every working writer. When a story comes back, send it to the next market on your list.
The Bottom Line
There are more places to submit short stories than most writers realize, from literary journals such as Ploughshares and One Story to genre magazines such as Clarkesworld and Asimov’s. Read the magazines, follow their guidelines exactly, confirm they are open, and keep careful records. Persistence and fit, more than luck, are what place stories.