10 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Magazines That Pay Writers

Influential magazines publishing speculative fiction that pay a fair wage

Short stories are making a come back. They had a bit of a lull over the ebook decade but as people come to realize how valuable their time is, they guard it well, choosing smaller bites to read. And that’s great because writers can create short stories quickly, diversifying the market with stuff that gets their name out there.

Magazines that pay attract more submissions and have a greater pool from which to snag the gems. So as a reader, you know you’re getting top-of-the-line material. And as a writer, you know your work will be showcased the way it deserves to be.

Clarkesworld

Clarkesworld is a multi-award-winning magazine that has published monthly since 2006. Each issue features articles, interviews, reprinted stories, and original works. Their stories are available in audio, print, and anthology format. Clarkesworld seeks sci-fi and fantasy stories that are 1,000-22,000 words and they pay $0.14/word. Their stories are open to the public but in order to keep paying their writers, they request people subscribe or join their Patreon. They put out some truly awesome stuff. Find them here.

Flash Fiction Online

Publishing stories between 500 and 1,000 words, Flash Fiction Online has a broad interest category but readers can search for stories by genre. They have a podcast, a blog, and a Patreon that offers personalized critiques. FFO accepts stories across all genres and pays $0.08/word. They also purchase reprints for $0.02/word. Their about page feels truly honest and intrepid. Take a look at their stuff here.

Uncanny Magazine

Uncanny Magazine publishes a digital format bi-monthly that contains a minimum of 5 new stories, 1 reprinted story, 4 poems, 4 essays, and 2 interviews. Half of the magazine is up for view to the public and the other half is released a month later, while subscribers get the whole magazine up front. They pay $0.10/word for works between 750 and 6,000 words. They’ve won multiple awards, are known for their compelling non-fiction, and even pay for reprint art. Find their submission info, as well as their amazing stories, on their website.

Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine

You’ve likely seen copies of this one around as it’s been publishing since 1949. Fantasy & Science Fiction has been around since the likes of Asimov (also on this list). They take stories up to 25,000 words in length and are looking for character-based material. Their blog is chock-full of interviews (many of authors you’ve heard of) and is lots of fun to read. There’s even a forum on their website where readers can get on and comment on stories and various happenings in the greater SFF community.

Strange Horizons

Strange Horizons puts out a weekly that’s free to the public full of short stories, poetry, essays, and book reviews. Their issues are free because they’re a nonprofit funded through donations and grants with a fully volunteer staff. They don’t have a budget for advertising or promotions since they prioritize paying their writers. Yet, they still managed to become an award-winning publication with a respectable reputation. They accept fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art, book reviews, and also hold auditions for podcast voices. Their stories are also available for a listen on their podcast. There’s a lot to see on the Strange Horizons website that they give freely to all interested readers.

Asimov's Science Fiction

Founded in 1977, Asimov’s has placed more stories on award ballots than all of their competitors combined. They have an unmatched reputation. There’s a lot to look at on their website including a podcast, cartoons, articles, and more. For writers, Asimov’s pays $0.10/word for stories up to 7,500 words and $0.08/word for up to 20,000 words. They prefer character-driven stories in which hard science isn’t the main focus. They want works that inspect what it means to live a human existence in an ever-expansive universe. Story excerpts are available to the public on their site but a subscription must be purchased to get the conclusions.

Samovar

A sister magazine to Strange Horizons, Samovar publishes work from non-English-speaking countries. They print the original work in its original language and offer an English translation alongside it. They want readers to get the best of what’s circulating around the world. And they feature their translators as much as they do their writers because it’s the translators who open those doors to other worlds. This is a quarterly magazines, free to the public, just like Strange Horizons, and you can find them here.

GigaNotoSaurus

This magazine publishes only one short story per month and they pay a flat $100 for it. They want stories between 5,000 and 25,000 words. Sci-fi/fantasy is their preferred genre but they’re open to all sorts. They go so far as to say they won’t list a bunch of subgenres they’ll consider because they don’t want to outlaw something that might be quite brilliant but doesn’t fit into one category. Their stories are free to the public on their website.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies

A nonprofit, Beneath Ceaseless Skies is supported by reader donations. BCS seeks fantasies set in a secondary world (a world other than this one). Earth isn’t disqualified, as long as it’s not an Earth with modern or advanced technology. That’s where their title comes from: sweeping, creative worlds with panoramic scenery. The editors at BCS are enamored with the changes the fantasy genre has taken on as it’s been influenced by literary fiction. They pay $0.08/word and have an inspiring and informative submissions guideline. The stories, podcasts, and art are available to view on their site.

Abyss and Apex

This magazine seeks the best imaginative and speculative fiction and poetry that focuses on emotion and culture. They take a large array of subgeneres, as long as the stories are powerful. They pay $0.06/word up to 1,250 words and a flat $75 for longer works. What’s also cool is that they accept novel submissions from writers who have published with small press publishers for review. Check out their stuff here.

Reading through all these submission guidelines made one thing clear: more than ever, publishers are looking for sci-fi and fantasy work that has a strong anchor in character. The genre has moved beyond being solely high-concept. Readers want to get attached to a character and their personal struggle and internal change. That’s great news for the genre. It means SFF continues to evolve and grow and is in demand more than ever.