Submission Window: June 1st – 30th, 2023
Payment: 1 cent per word for fiction, $5 for poetry, 1 cent per word for non-fiction, $35 for cover art
Theme: Speculative fiction

It’s our goal to publish diverse voices from around the world, and to do that, we are actively seeking stories, poems, and non-fiction pieces by authors from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the science fiction and fantasy canon. Our submission cycle is therefore split into two categories, where every other month is explicitly reserved for submissions by authors of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups. The interposing six months remain open to everyone.

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Guidelines for Fiction

We are seeking stories in the English language up to 6,000 words by writers from around the world. We favor submisions that have not been published before (including on your own website), though we do accept a limited number of reprints not currently appearing anywhere online. For our two issues focused on the climate crisis, we’re particularly interested in publishing stories from people displaced by or threatened by the climate emergency (see our themes below). For our other four issues, we’re open to a wide variety of stories across the SFF and weird spectra.

We pay 1¢ per word for fiction, and we try to respond to all submissions within ten weeks. We will also accept a limited number of previously published stories, so please indicate on the form if your submission is a reprint. All submissions must use the Shunn manuscript format (we prefer Courier New) and be either .rtf, .doc, or .docx.

We like stories that are subtle in their telling and stick with us long after we’ve finished. We’re more likely to buy stories that balance a sense of wonder with a bold plot and emotional depth. Meditative stories that all take place in a single room, for example, are less likely to capture our imagination. Basically, we want it all: character, concept, dialogue, tone, plot, a strong opening and ending, and everything else!

Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please no multiple submissions. Also, please wait at least a week before you submit again after hearing from us about a story.

As writers ourselves, we do our best to handle each story with the care and attention it deserves. Every submission is an act of bravery, and we know that putting yourself out there as a writer can be tough. Just know that any story we receive, unless they contain something illegal, will be kept in confidence.

When in doubt, don’t self reject! Submit submit submit!

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Guidelines for Poetry

We are seeking poetry of any length, and we welcome submissions by poets writing in the English language from anywhere in the world. We favor submisions that have not been published before (including on your own website), though we do accept a limited number of reprints, and for our two issues focused on the climate crisis, we’re particularly interested in publishing poems from people displaced by or threatened by the climate emergency (see our themes below). For our other four issues, we’re open to a wide variety of poems across the SFF and weird spectra.

We pay $5 for poems under one page (standard formatting) and $10 for longer poems, and we try to respond to all submissions within ten weeks. We will also accept a limited number of previously published poems, so please indicate on the form if your submission is a reprint. All submissions must use the Shunn manuscript format (we prefer Courier New) and be either .rtf, .doc, or .docx.

We like poems that use complex fixed verse forms (think sestina, awdl gywydd, masnavi, etc), but we’re not against blank or free verse. Most important to us is vivid imagery, clever lyricism, and a strong emotional core.

You may submit up to five poems at a time, but please separate them into individual submissions.

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Guidelines for Non-Fiction

We like articles on politics and pop culture, articles steeped in science or otherwise verging on the academic, and pieces with funny or interesting takes we might not have expected. We pay 1¢ per word for non-fiction, but please nothing over 3,000 words (though we favor shorter over longer).

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Guidelines for Translations

There’s so much great fiction in languages we can’t read, and we’d like to change that. So if you have a translation of a story that has never appeared in English, we welcome it as a submission. We pay 1¢ per word for translations. Please see the other guidelines for the kinds of stories and poems we might be interested in.

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Guidelines for Art

For each issue, we pay $35 for our cover art. If you think your work would look great on the cover of a science fiction and fantasy magazine, send us your best work and be sure to include a link to your portfolio in the cover letter!

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Go to Submission Form

Via: Haven Speculative.