Freelance Writing Opportunities — Call For Submissions
Freelance Writing — 42 Writing Calls For Submissions (as of 04/18/22) — Paid Writing Opportunities For Nonfiction, Journalism, Art, Poetry, and Fiction
Here are the latest calls for submission, pitches, and expiring writing opportunities
Welcome to this week’s roundup of writing calls for pitches and submissions. This week I have 42 different publications and websites currently looking for writers. These could be magazines that recently opened their submissions up, fast-approaching deadlines, shout out from editors looking for something specific right now, or just reminders that they are always open for pitches.
I cover all kinds of writing opportunities. These markets could be fiction, nonfiction, reported pieces, or poetry. Sometimes, these markets are also looking for artwork or photography.
All 42 markets in this article pay their contributors. A good portion of them either pay more than $100.00 minimum, or writers have the potential to make at least $100.00. Although, I do include some lower-paying opportunities as well.
Each of the freelance writing listings in this article will contain the following:
- The name of the publication, anthology, or contest.
- Some way to contact them (at least one of the following — a link to their published guidelines, Twitter handle, or email address).
- What type of writing they are looking for.
- How much they pay.
- Deadline, if any.
I am now including opportunities that I have mentioned before, and the deadline is within 7–13 days which I published the article.
When you scroll through these listings, you may notice this:
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
That is how I am indicating that less than 2 weeks are left on that writing opportunity!
Good luck finding the perfect writing market for your nonfiction, fiction, and poetry!
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Al Blanchard Award 2022
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $100.00
Deadline: April 30
The 2022 Al Blanchard Award has a deadline of 04/30. They are looking for a New England Crime short story of 5,000 words or less. The story needs to be written by a New Englander or set in New England. The winner received $100.00, publication, free admission to the Crime Bake Conference, and a plaque. The winner is not required to attend the conference.
The Appeal
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $1.00 Per Word
Deadline: Ongoing
The Appeal tweeted that they are always looking for pitches for newsletter column ideas and reported stories. Email your pitches to [email protected]. The Appeal writes stories and reported pieces on the justice system, politics and policies.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $50.00–250.00
Deadline: April 30
The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Fiction Contest is open until 04/30/22. They are looking for fiction stories of 2,000 words or less. The theme is An Element Mystery, which can be broadly interpreted. The prizes are as follows:
- First Place: $250.00 and publication in the upcoming anthology: An Element of Mystery: Sweet, Funny and Strange Tales of Intrigue.
- Second Place: $100.00 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
- Third Place: $50.00 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Bioluminescent: A Lunarpunk Anthology
Looking For: Fiction and Poetry
Payment: $30.00–600.00
Deadline: April 1 (original) April 30 (deadline extended)
Android Press is looking for submissions for an anthology called Bioluminescent: A Lunarpunk Anthology. This is expected to be published in 2023. They are only looking for original and unpublished work in the lunarpunk genre (The guidelines include a discussion of what lunarpunk is and the difference between lunarpunk and solarpunk). Payment is as follows:
- Poetry: $30.00 per poem and a contributor copy. You can send 5 poems or 5 pages.
- Short Stories: At least $0.08 a word. Stories should be 500–7,500 words (payment would be ($40.00–600.00+).
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Chicken Soup For The Soul — Crazy, eccentric, wacky, lovable, fun families
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $200.00
Deadline: April 30
Chicken Soup For The Soul is always looking for personal nonfiction stories for upcoming books and projects. They pay $200.00 for each accepted story.
You have up to April 30th to submit stories about your crazy, eccentric, wacky, loveable, fun families. These stories can be about immediate family, your young children, or anyone you are related to, great-grandparents, grown children, in-laws, etc. They are looking for poems and stories that show love and appreciation — no mean-spirited stories, please!
The link under Details/Website is their possible upcoming themes. You will also want to check out story guidelines and their submit your story link.
The Daily Beast
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $350.00–500.00+
Deadline: Ongoing
Tony Ho Tran, editor of Innovations at The Daily Beast, tweeted that he is looking for innovation and science stories. Email him at [email protected] with your pitches.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
December
Looking For: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry
Payment: $10.00 Per Page (minimum $40.00, Maximum $200.00)
Deadline: May 1
December Literary Magazine’s submissions are open through May 1. For poetry, you can send up to 5 poems for consideration. For prose, you may send short flash fiction or nonfiction (1,000 words or less each), and you can send up to 3 pieces.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
The First Line
Looking For: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry
Payment: $5.00–50.00
Deadline: May 1
The First Line is a literary journal where each piece of writing starts with the same first line. The First line for the Summer issue is:
“Thomas hadn’t expected to be alive when the town’s time capsule was opened.”
All entries must begin with this line. They publish mostly fiction, but they do accept nonfiction and poetry as well.
- Fiction pays $25.00–50.00 a story.
- Nonfiction pays $25.00 an article.
- Poetry pays $5.00–10.00 a poem.
You will also receive one contributor’s copy.
Functionally Dead
Looking For: Fiction (satire and comedy), nonfiction (essays)
Payment: $50.00
Deadline: Ongoing
Functionally Dead is looking for pitches. They are a left-leaning publication looking for political satire and non-political comedy. They will also consider non-comedic essays from a leftist perspective. Typically, they do not publish poetry or fiction, but they will read and consider it if you think it is a good fit for their publication. Payment is $50.00 per published piece. Pieces are typically 1,200 words or less. When pitching, you can send multiple pitches at once, up to five.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
The Ghost Story Awards
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $300.00–1,500.00
Deadline: April 30
This is a contest with a $20.00 entry fee. This contest is held twice a year, and the winning story receives $1,500.00 and publication. Two honorable mentions will receive $300.00 each, as well as publication.
Their webpage says that this contest typically receives about 300 entries. This contest is not limited to traditional ghost stories — they are open to any stories with a supernatural element or theme. The story length should be between 1,500–10,000 words.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Khoreo
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $40.00–500.00
Deadline: April 1 — April 30
Khoreo is looking for fiction, nonfiction, and artwork from artists who identify as immigrants or members of a diaspora. (diaspora is loosely defined as the dispersion of any people from their original homeland). The submission period is open for one month — between April 1 and April 30. Here is what they are looking for.
- Short Fiction: Under 5,000 words but prefer under 3,000 words. Stories must contain a speculative element. Payment is $0.10 per word (up to $500.00 for a 5,000-word story).
- Nonfiction: They are looking for nonfiction articles about speculative fiction, writing, storytelling, and reading. They prefer essays that intersect those topics with personal experiences of immigration and migration. Essays should be 1,000–3,000 words in length. They pay $40.00 for reprints and $200.00 for original essays.
Artwork: They are looking for artwork with a unique style that shows characters inhabiting their environments. They especially want artwork that explores speculative elements in new or personal ways and how it relates to the diaspora experience. They pay $500.00 for original, commissioned cover art and $100.00 for art drawn from the artist’s existing portfolio.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Hypocrite Reader
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $115.00
Deadline: May 1
Hypocrite Reader tweeted that they are looking for pitches for their next issue about holes. Holes can be anything with a hole — memory holes, wormholes, assholes, potholes, loopholes, foxholes, gloryholes, plotholes, and more.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Intrepid Times Travel Writing Contest
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $50.00–150.00
Deadline: April 30
The Intrepid Times is looking for a nonfiction travel article of 1,000–1,500 words. The winner will receive $150.00, and the runner-up will receive $50.00. There is no entry fee for this contest. See more details on the contest rules page.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
It Was All a Dream
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.03 a word up to $120.00
Deadline: April 30
Brandon Applegate has issued a call for submissions for an upcoming anthology titled It Was All A Dream. This is a collection of bad horror tropes done right. They are looking for 1,500–4,000 words stories, which is a firm limit.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $25.00
Deadline: April 1–30
Horror Tree has announced that they will be taking submissions for their upcoming anthology Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice in April. They will be accepting unpublished stories of 5,000–7,500 words. Simultaneous and Multiple submissions are fine. These should be short fantasy stories in a unique setting with an enthralling conflict for your antagonist.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $1,500.00
Deadline: May 1
The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize is an annual competition. Each year there is one winner for a single poem. The winner received $1,500.00, and their poem is published in The Georgia Review. They get an expenses paid trip to Athens, Georgia, to give a public reading.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
The Massachusetts Review
Looking For: Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry, Hybrid, and Translations
Payment: $100.00
Deadline: April 30
The Massachusetts Review is open for submissions. They consider many different genres of writing, and they pay $100.00.
- Nonfiction: They take articles and essays, but a word count is not noted. They especially like discussions of leading artists (writers, artists, musicians, drama) or analysis pieces covering literature, philosophy, science, and public affairs trends.
- Fiction: Max 30 pages or 7,500 words.
- Poetry: Up to 6 poems, but prefer poetry with less than 100 lines.
- Hybrid: They consider hybrid submissions — submissions that cover more than one genre (art, fiction, nonfiction, or poetry). Maximum 30 pages.
Translations: Translation of poetry, fiction, and essays are accepted.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Memorable Characters
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $25.00–100.00
Deadline: April 30
Jellyfish Review has a submission call for memorable characters. This is an interesting open submission. It is only for 1,000 words or less, and you can write just about anything — fiction, poetry, essays, or a hybrid. It just needs to be a memorable character.
You can only submit one entry in March (if you hurry) and one entry in April. The deadline is April 30. Accepted work will be paid $25.00, and their absolute favorite will be paid $100.00.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Midnight in the Dying Garden
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $10.00–150.00 CAD
Deadline: April 30
Kopfkino Media has announced a call for submissions for an upcoming anthology called Midnight in the Dying Garden. The subtitle is Fairy Tales For The End of the World. They are looking for stories 1,000–7,000 words in length. Reprints are accepted but paid less. New, unpublished work pays $25.00 — $150.00. Reprints pay $10.00–70.00. Both payments are based on length after edits, so doing the math would say that after edits, they pay $0.025 per word for unpublished stories and $0.01 per word for reprints.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Midnight & Indigo
Looking For: Fiction and Nonfiction
Payment: $75.00–150.00
Deadline: April 30
Midnight & Indigo is a literary publication dedicated to work by black women. They are looking for short fiction and narrative essays.
For fiction, they want stories at least 1,500 words in length. Payment is $150.00 for accepted fiction.
For nonfiction, they are looking for first-person POV nonfiction essays. Essays must be at least 1,200 words in length, and payment is $75.00.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Midnight in the Stagecoach Anthology
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.04 a word ($150.00–360.00)
Deadline: April 30
Silver Shamrock Publishing has announced that they are again looking for submissions for their Midnight in the Stagecoach Anthology. They want original, unpublished splatterpunk western short stories set in the late 1800s Old West. Any type of horror is acceptable. The Word count of these stories is between 2,500–6,000 words.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Mudroom Magazine
Looking For: Nonfiction, Fiction, and Nonfiction
Payment: $15.00
Deadline: April 30
Mudroom Magazine tweeted a reminder that they take submissions for prose and poetry through April 30th. Payment is $15.00 per accepted piece.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Mud Season Review
Looking For: Fiction, Nonfiction, Art, and Poetry
Payment: $50.00
Deadline: April 30
The submission period is open from April 1 to April 30. However, the website notes that they may close their submission period earlier, depending on the volume of submissions. They accept fiction, creative nonfiction, artwork, and poetry. They pay $50.00.
They want work that teaches the readers something about writing and the craft of writing or visual art.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Nightlight
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $50.00–200.00
Deadline: April 30
Nightlight accepts horror stories written by black creators all over the world. Stories should be between 3,000–10,000 words. Payment is as follows:
- Reprints — $50.00
- Short Fiction (less than 3,000 words) — $75.00
Short Stories (3,000–10,000 words) — $200.00
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Parsec Short Story Contest
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $50.00–200.00
Deadline: May 1
The Parsec Short Story Contest has a theme of Hearth, Song, and Table for 2022. They ask authors to incorporate at least 2 or the 3 concepts into their speculative stories. Ideas for this could be in the dialogue, the setting, the characters, or the plot. The theme must be central to the story, not just an added detail. The prizes for this contest are as follows:
- First Place: $200.00 and publication
- Second Place: $100.00
- Third Place: $50.00
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Pride Source
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $100.00–250.00
Deadline: April 30
Chris Azzopardi, editorial director at Pride Source, recently tweeted that he is always looking for pitches. Pitches should be from LGBTQ+ writers. He is interested in everything — good ideas, essays, reported news, and features.
The pitch page only says they pay competitive rates, but it has been reported that they usually pay $100.00–250.00 for most stories.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Queer Sci-Fi Flash Contest
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $25.00–75.00
Deadline: May 1
Queer Sci-Fi is having a flash fiction contest with a theme of clarity. These fiction stories will have a maximum word count of 300 words each, no more. These stories will be used to create an anthology of queer speculative fiction stories. 120 stories will be included in the anthology, and all authors will get a copy, but only the top three authors will get a monetary payment. The monetary payment for the top three authors is as follows:
- 1st Place — $75.00
- 2nd Place — $50.00
- 3rd Place — $25.00
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Red Dog Anthology — Gone
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: £30
Deadline: Opens March 1, Closes May 31
Red Dog is looking for submissions for their upcoming Anthology — Gone. They want crime fiction short stories of at least 3,500 words but no more than 6,000 words. All crime sub-genres are accepted.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Rewired: An Anthology of Neurodiverse Horror
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.03 a word ($30.00–180.00)
Deadline: April 30
Ghost Orchid Press issued a call for submissions for their upcoming anthology Rewired. They are looking for horror stories inspired by neurodiverse experiences. Length should be between 1,000–6,000 words.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Science, Humour and the Absurd
Looking For: Fiction, Poetry, Essays, and Memoir
Payment: $250.00–500.00
Deadline: April 29
Under details/website is the submission page for this period, but you should also check out their general submission page. They pay $0.30 a word up to $390.00 for original fiction and nonfiction. They pay $40.00 for reprinted fiction and nonfiction. They pay $70 for one poem, $180.00 for three poems, or $20.00 for a reprinted poem.
She Does The City
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $200.00
Deadline: Ongoing
She Does The City tweeted that they are looking for emerging writers. This month’s theme is motherhood, with all the different interpretations of this word. This publication is only open to women, transgender, or non-binary people in Canada. Payment for selected pitches is $200.00.
Sidequest Magazine
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.10 a word
Deadline: Ongoing
Sidequest Magazine tweeted that they are looking for writers. If you are interested in writing D&D content, this could be the right opportunity for you!
Sliced
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $0.15 per word CAD (usually about 1,200 words)
Deadline: Ongoing
Sliced tweeted that they are looking for pitches for their scandal issue. This tweet refers to a previous tweet that has more details. Send an email to [email protected] if interested.
Smart Brief
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $0.50–1.00 per word
Deadline: Ongoing
Ambreen Ali tweeted that she is looking for business writers who have experience covering the marketing industry. Rates will be between $0.50–1.00 per word. DM Ambreen clips if interested.
Special Interest Magazine
Looking For: Nonfiction, fiction
Payment: $0.20 per word
Deadline: May 15
Special Interest Magazine tweeted that they are doing an open call for pitches for their first issue. They are looking for pieces between 250–1,400 words. They will also consider longer pieces. They accept reporting, articles, essays, and fiction.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Sundog
Looking For: Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry
Payment: $25.00
Deadline: May 1
Sundog publishes 2 print issues a year — September 1 and March 1. Submissions for the September issue are due on May 1. They accept poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Short stories can be up to 3,000 words long or up to 3 flash fiction pieces of 750 words or less each. Nonfiction can be up to 4,000 words for one story or 3 flash nonfiction essays of less than 1,000 words each. For poetry, they prefer traditional poems, and you can submit up to 3.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
The Temz Review
Looking For: Nonfiction, poetry, and Fiction
Payment: $20
Deadline: April 30
The Temz Review accepts fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. For fiction and nonfiction, they pay $20.00 and accept works up to 10.000 words. For poetry, they pay $20.00 and accept up to 8 poems or 10 pages or fewer.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Their Ghoulish Reputation
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $25.00
Deadline: April 28
Dark Lake Publishing has announced that they are looking for folk horror fiction for Their Ghoulish Reputation Anthology. This genre blends horror and folklore to properly explore themes like terror, displacement, alienation, and a sense of others. They are looking for stories with a word count between 2,500–10,000. They accept simultaneous submissions but do not allow multiple submissions or reprints.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Tom Howard / John H. Reid Fiction and Essay Contest
Looking For: Nonfiction and Fiction
Payment: $200.00–3,000.00
Deadline: April 30
This is a contest with a fee associated with it. The cost for entry (per entry, unlimited entries) is $20.00. The best story and the best essay will both receive $3,000.00 and a two-year gift certificate for Duotrope. There will also be 12 honorable mentions who will each receive $200.00. The top 12 entries will also be published.
All themes are acceptable, and the word count is capped out at 6,000.
Uncanny — Novella Submissions
Looking For: Fiction — Novella
Payment: $0.10 a word ($1,750.00–4,000.00)
Deadline: May 1 — May 15
Uncanny is opening submissions for novellas between 17,500 words and up to 40,000 words opening on May 1. All submissions are due by May 15. Novellas are paid at $0.10 a word. Uncanny publishes science fiction and fantasy fiction.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Water Dragon Publishing — The Future’s So Bright
Looking For: Fiction
Payment: $0.02 a word ($40.00–160.00)
Deadline: April 30
Water Dragon Publishing has issued a call for submissions on the theme “The Future’s So Bright…”
They are looking for stories between 2,000 to 8,000 words about the future and what you think it will be like (positive viewpoints only). Will the environment be better once humans have solved the environmental crisis we currently face? Will we live in a technology-driven paradise? Will we live in colonies on Mars? Will space travel be like going on a cruise ship?
They are looking for science fiction, fantasy, weird fiction, and humor.
**UPCOMING DEADLINE**
Yes Magazine — The Work Issue
Looking For: Nonfiction
Payment: $0.40–0.50 a word
Deadline: April 29
Yes Magazine has an open call for well-researched stories and journalism. The guidelines page talks more about the type of essays, stories, and journalism they currently are looking for. You can also check out their general submission page for more information.
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