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I started compiling a list of literary magazines that pay writers and have no submission fee simply because I’m broke. I’m a college student, and while a $3 fee per submission doesn’t seem like a lot— it adds up. 

The submission process is a game. I’ll submit one story to multiple magazines and expect multiple rejections in return. Everything about the submission process takes time: writing the piece, editing, submitting, organizing submissions, and more.

I love writing, but it is a time commitment. Having lists of journals that fit certain criteria helps to streamline the process.

Many literary magazines that don’t offer payment are still amazing journals with phenomenal people behind them. However, it feels good to be rewarded for your writing. I wish you all the best of luck with the submission process.

Baltimore Review 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction (max 5000 words) and poetry. 
Pays: $40/piece 
baltimorereview.org

Banshee: A Literary Journal 
Publishes stories, essays, flash fiction, and poetry. 
Pays: Yes 
bansheelit.com

Bennington Review 
Publishes fiction, poetry, nonfiction, hybrid, translations, and reviews. 
Pays: $100/prose that is six pages or under, $200/prose that is over six pages, $20/poem benningtonreview.org

Blue Marble Review 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction (under 1500 words) and poetry by writers between the ages of 13 – 22. 
Pays: $30/piece 
bluemarblereview.com

Blue Route, The 
Publishes fiction and poetry by undergraduate students only. 
Pays: $25 
widenerblueroute.org

Book XI 
Publishes any creative work that is philosophically informed.
Pays: $200/piece $50/poetry 
bookxi.org

What do the top journals pay for Flash Fiction? | Article header image - Valley of Writers

Do You Write Flash Fiction?

Be sure to check out our article on
the top 31 places to get paid for publishing flash fiction.

Canthius
Publishes feminist prose (max 3000 words) and poetry 
Pays: $50 for one page, $75 for two pages, $100 for three, $125 for four pages, and $150 for five pages or more.
canthius.com 

Cincinnati Review, The
Publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, hybrid, and micro (max 500 words).
Pays: $25/per a page of fiction, $30/per a page of poetry in the print journal
cincinnatireview.com 

City. River. Tree. 
Publishes any genre with a word limit of 100 – 500.
Pays: $0.02/word ($2 min, $10 max)
cityrivertree.com

CRAFT 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction (max 6000 words), flash (max 1000 words), and micro-fiction has a focus on writings that deal with craft. 
Pays: $200/fiction and nonfiction $100/flash 
craftliterary.com

Corvid Queen 
Publishes fiction (max 5000 words), nonfiction, and poetry that deal with feminist folktales and myths. 
Pays: $5 
corvidqueen.com

down river road 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction between 2000 – 5000, flash fiction 500 – 1500, poetry, reviews, and interviews. 
Pays: $30/piece 
downriverroad.org

Extra Teeth 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction between 800 – 4000 words.
Pays: £100/piece
extrateeth.co.uk

Fiction Desk, The 
Publishes fiction between 1000 – 10000 words.
Pays: £25 per thousand words 
thefictiondesk.com

fractured literary 
Publishes flash and micro fiction. 
Pays: $50/micro and $75/flash 
fracturedlit.com

Funicular Magazine
Publishes fiction, poetry, and flash (max 1000 words)
Pays: $10/per a page for fiction (up to a maximum of $100) $25/flash and poetry. 
funicularmagazine.com

Grain 
Publishes fiction/nonfiction (max 3500 words), poetry, comics, and plays.
Pays: $50/per a page with a max payment of $250 
grainmagazine.ca

Isele Magazine 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction (max 8000 words) and reviews. 
Pays: Yes 
iselemagazine.com

Lor Journal 
Publishes fiction, poetry, essay, and reviews. Short content and prioritizes emerging and marginalized writers. 
Pays: $50/piece 
lorjournal.wordpress.com

Lumin 
Publishes anti-colonial experimental prose and poetry.  
Pays: Yes
lumin-press.com

Malahat Review, The 
Publishes fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and translations. 
Pays: CAD $70/page
malahatreview.ca 

Matter Press: Journal of Compressed Creative Arts 
Publishes all forms compressed writing (flash, micro prose poetry).
Pays: $50/piece 
matterpress.com/journal   

Middle House Review
Publishes fiction (max 7000 words), flash (max 2000 words), poetry. 
Pays: $25/piece 
middlehousereview.com

Minola Review 
Publishes prose, poetry, reviews, and creative nonfiction from nonbinary and those who identify and women writers.
Pays: $175/prose and $25/poem 
minolareview.com 

Mud Season Review 
Publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry 
Pays: $50/piece 
mudseasonreview.com

Looking for more opportunities to publish your work?

Valley of Writers has a whole section with opportunities for publishing your poetry, flash fiction, short stories, etc.

It also includes awards listings and competitions.

Mumber Mag
Publishes fiction, flash, poetry, nonfiction 
Pays: $50/piece, $25/poem and flash 
mumbermag.me

Neon Magazine 
Publishes prose and poetry that is dark, speculative, and surreal.
Pays: 2p per word/fiction, 20p per line/poetry 
neonmagazine.co.uk

New Yorker, The 
Publishes fiction, poems, and translations 
Pays: Yes 
newyorker.com

One Story
Publishes fiction between 3,000 – 8,000 words and translations. 
Pays: $500
one-story.com

Pandemic Publications 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction (max 3000 words), poetry. 
Pays: $120/fiction and nonfiction $50/poem 
pandemicpublications.com

Paranoid Tree Press 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction (max 400 words) and poetry. 
Pays: $50/piece 
paranoidtree.com 

Raconteur Magazine 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction (max 2000 words) and poetry (max 500 words). 
Pays: $10/fiction and nonfiction $5/poetry 
raconteurmag.com

Room Magazine 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction (max 3500 words) and poetry all by marginalized genders.
Pays: Between CAD $50 – $200 
roommagazine.com

SmokeLong Quarterly
Publishes flash narratives, nonfiction, hybrid, fiction (max 1000 words).
Pays: $100/story 
smokelong.com

Sonder Magazine 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction between 1000 – 2500 words and flash (max 700 words)
Pays: €300/piece
sonderlit.com

Sunlight Press, The 
Publishes personal essays, fiction, poetry, reviews. 
Pays: $40/essays, $40/fiction, $30/first poem accepted ($10 for additional poems) thesunlightpress.com 

Threepenny Review, The
Publishes poems, stories, critical articles, and memoire.
Pays: $400/story and $200/poem
threepennyreview.com

Trampset 
Publishes fiction and nonfiction (max 3000 words), poems, and translations 
Pays: $25/piece
trampset.org

Vast Chasm Magazine 
Publishes fiction, nonfiction (max 5000 words), poetry, hybrid, genreless writing 
Pays: $50/piece
vastliterarypress.org

Velvet Giant, A  
Publishes genreless writing
Pays: $20 per an author 
avelvetgiant.com

VIDA Review, The 
Publishes fiction, poetry, nonfiction, reviews, and interviews by marginalized groups 
Pays: $40/piece 
vidaweb.org

West Review, The 
Publishes poetry and will very rarely publish prose 
Pays: $10
westreview.org

Livvy Krakower
Author: Livvy Krakower

Livvy Krakower (she/her) is currently an undergraduate student at UMass Amherst. She has previously been published in Wrongdoing Magazine, Roadrunner Review, Writers Resist, and more. She has pieces forthcoming in Duck Duck Mongoose Magazine and The Washington Square Review. You can find more of Livvy’s writing on Instagram @littlepenguinswrite.

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Katherine

Thank you for this!