Here’s this month’s list of the most interesting open submissions calls for writers I’ve found! There are tons to flag up this month.
Sign up for my email newsletter if you want advance notice of open calls like these.

Dark Ages: Folk Horror
The current call from Flame Tree Publishing is an anthology to be edited by David Green, with the theme of Dark Ages – that is, stories literally set in the period after the fall of Rome… and also folk horror. What an ideal combination!
Word count: 2000–4000 words
Payment: 8 cents per word
Deadline: 18 Oct 2026
Find out more

No Sleep
This horror fiction podcast is open to submissions of stories that would suit audio format, for example with opportunities for great audio cues.
Word count: Up to 8000 words
Payment: $250
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more

Waxen
This nicely designed and illustrated magazine (real print copies, in this day and age!) specialises in weird, experimental, and literary horror.
Word count: Up to 5000 words
Payment: $50
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more

Cosmic Horror
The up-and-coming UK publisher Carnyx Press is open to cosmic horror stories for its new anthology. BUT! – you must live in the North of England.
Word count: 2000–8000 words
Payment: £20
Deadline: 30 Nov 2026
Find out more

More Distant Shores
In the words of the editors of this upcoming publication: ‘We are especially interested in pieces that toe the line between literary and speculative—think The Twilight Zone or works by the likes of Le Guin or Bradbury.’
Word count: 1000–7000 words
Payment: 10 cents per word
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more

Hobbyhorse
Another new publication, open to weird and speculative fiction. The first issue has the very promising theme of ‘obsession’ – for example: ‘Fixations. Haunting thought experiments. Loud and tenacious, persistent ideas. Irrational fears and reoccurring dreams. Hopes and cognitive ear-worms.’
Word count: Up to 3500 words
Payment: 2 cents per word
Deadline: 30 Nov 2026
Find out more

Stellar
And another new venue! (This is encouraging, isn’t it?) This one’s a magazine and podcast, with promising concept art, and it’s science fiction through and through.
Word count: 500–1800 words
Payment: $150
Deadline: 31 Dec 2026
Find out more

Superheroes, Super Problems
Stories in this anthology from WordFire Press will focus on how superheroes juggle their duties and their normal life.
Word count: Up to 5000 words
Payment: 8 cents per word
Deadline: 15 Oct 2026
Find out more

Synthesized Sunsets
The upcoming issue of this online speculative fiction zine will have the theme of ‘excess’. Its influences are an impressive collection of hard-SF and weird-fiction authors.
Word count: Up to 12,500 words
Payment: $100
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more

Subgenres Press
Do you write stories that are ‘stranger than your everyday fiction’ or ‘between concrete and abstract’ or ‘the halfway point between convention and avant-garde’ or ‘the tipping point of horror to comedy’? Then send them here.
Word count: Up to 4000 words
Payment: $5 per page
Deadline: 1 Dec 2026
Find out more

Superheroes/Supervillains
Another superhero-themed anthology, but this one from Big Bear Press has equal focus on the dark side of superpowers.
Word count: 8000–10,000 words
Payment: $100
Deadline: 1 Dec 2026
Find out more

Cheat Code
Quite niche, this one, but if you’ve written or fancy writing a queer horror LitRPG story about 90s video games, this anthology from Slashic Horror Press would be the perfect home for it.
Word count: Up to 8000 words
Payment: $25
Deadline: 31 Dec 2026
Find out more

That Old House
The upcoming third volume in this ongoing anthology series will contain horror stories set in living rooms. Which is creepier if the living room is within ‘that old house’ in the series title, of course.
Word count: 1000–4000 words
Payment: $20
Deadline: 3 Nov 2026
Find out more

Body Shots
The mantra of this publication is “Genre is a construct; genre does not exist.” So as long as you don’t admit you’re a writer of SFF or horror, you’re good to go.
Word count: 5000–7500 words
Payment: $150
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more

Hexfiled
I love the editors’ mission statement for this newish online zine: ‘Hexfiled publishes science fiction and speculative fiction that bridges the boundary between organism and machine. We are drawn to strange work without being obscure.’
Word count: Up to 17,500 words
Payment: None
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more

Electric Spec
This long-running and well-respected online zine publishes speculative fiction of all descriptions.
Word count: 250–7500 words
Payment: $20
Deadline: 15 Oct 2026
Find out more

Electric Midnight
This new zine is a non-paying market, but I thought it was worth flagging as it specialises in weird fiction as well as SF/F.
Word count: 2000–6000 words
Payment: None
Deadline: Ongoing
Find out more

Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.

Image from Wikimedia Commons.