Lists
Thematic lists of submission opportunities from our browse updating weekly
Most Competitive Literary Magazines (All Time)
Our twenty-five most competitive lit mags according to thousands of rejection letters collected by our community. Go us! Or, well, go you, if you can land a spot in any of them. To make this list, we cut any with 0% acceptance rates (I mean, why bother?) and only counted lit mags with at least 100 tracked submissions. Your chances? Oh, a bit less than .5%. But hey, fuck it?
25 magazinesMost Popular Literary Magazines (All Time)
These lit mags have the most fans in Chill Subs World. Whenever someone bookmarks a lit mag’s listing page, they get a little more popular. Go on, give it a try. Then, come back and see if your favorites are winning. If not, tell a friend, send out a mailer, or create 500 dummy accounts to skew the numbers (wait! no, kidding, please don’t do that last one).
25 magazinesLiterary Magazines in the Sweet Spot
Here are the lit mags where your chances are better than impossible. Not too competitive, but not exactly easy either. A little bit of luck, a little bit of skill—you might just make it through the sweet spot. Nitty gritty? 3-8% acceptance rates with 100+ tracked subs.
110 magazinesMost Competitive Poetry-Only Literary Magazines (All Time)
These poetry mags? Tough as big strong tough guys. Less than 1% of submissions make the cut, but you’re a poet, so you’re used to rejection by now. Still, someone’s got to get in—why not you? If not, well, at least you'll have something sad to write another poem about.
25 magazinesMost Competitive Fiction-Only Literary Magazines (All Time)
These twenty-five fiction mags are some of the hardest to break into. Like calc final kinda hard. You’ll need more than just talent. Luck doesn't hurt. But hey, someone’s got to land a spot, and maybe, just maybe, it’s you. Why not try? Unless your tired. In which case, nap first.
25 magazinesMost Competitive Speculative Fiction Magazines
Who are the most competitive speculative magazines in the galaxy? How about in this dimension? How about we don’t get too cheesy with that and just acknowledge that these science fiction, fantasy, horror, etc. lit mags are really (really) hard to get into. According to submissions tracked by our community of writers plus those over on The Submissions Grinder, these mags are not only really (really) hard to get into, but maybe the hardest.
25 magazinesMost Popular Poetry-Only Literary Magazines (All Time)
These poetry mags are community favorites thanks to all you bookmarkers. Maybe they're competitive? We don't really know. Probably, if everyone is bookmarking them. Or maybe they pay well? Who knows. Go try them out and bookmark them if you like them too.
25 magazinesMost Popular Fiction-Only Literary Magazines (All Time)
Every fiction writer wants a piece of these mags. Or at least a nibble. It’s a crowded room but everyone is always ready to make space for someone who smells a little weird. I mean--is a real good writer.
25 magazinesMost Popular Speculative Fiction Magazines
In an alternate dimension there is a version of Chill Subs with a much better intro to this list of popular magazines who publish things about alternate dimensions. And a lot of other stuff that falls under the umbrella of “speculative.” When we say “popular” we mean that they’ve been bookmarked on Chill Subs more than anyone else. So they are the most popular in our little dimension. A really cool dimension full of the best people. *Some of these folks publish more than speculative fiction.
25 magazinesMost Popular Nonfiction-Only Literary Magazines (All Time)
Nonfiction writers are flocking to these top twenty-five mags. True story. Will yours stand out? Maybe. Maybe not. But you’ll never know unless you try. The odds aren’t terrible (but they’re not great either).
25 magazinesMost Submitted To Poetry-Only Literary Magazines (All Time)
These poetry mags get flooded with submissions, and the odds? Well, they’re probably not fantastic. But someone’s got to fill those poetic pages, right? Maybe it’s you. If you can think of something better than saying "poetic pages." You’ve got nothing to lose—except a little pride. Go wild.
25 magazinesMost Submitted To Fiction-Only Literary Magazines (All Time)
These fiction mags are busy, to say the least. Thousands of submissions and tough competition. Still, your story might be the one to cut through all that noise. It’s worth a try, because, hey, someone’s got to make it.
25 magazinesMost Submitted To Nonfiction-Only Literary Magazines (All Time)
Nonfiction writers, these mags are where everyone’s sending their stories. The competition is stiff, but maybe your piece has what it takes. Worst case? You get a rejection. Best case? You get in. Seems worth a shot.
25 magazinesSpeculative Fiction Magazines in the Sweet Spot
Oh, the sweet spot! Our favorite. These are the science fiction, fantasy, horror, folklore, etc. magazine with acceptance rates the fall within 3-8%. We only add the ones with over 100 tracked submissions to get a reasonable guess-timation. We choose this range because it’s really competitive without getting into the ‘Woah, holy crap!’ territory of the 0.1-2% folks. Like the sour patch kids of speculative magazines. Sure, why not. *Some of these folks publish more than speculative fiction.
23 magazinesLit Mags with Fastest Response Time
Impatient? These mags have the fastest response times, so you won’t be left hanging for months. You’ll get a quick “yes” or “no,” and let’s be real, that’s a win in itself. No more endless waiting—you know—regular waiting. We kept it to mags with 50+ tracked submissions to be safe.
25 magazines50 Recently Added Lit Mags
Fifty fresh lit mags, waiting for you to say hi or hello or "Dear editor, please consider..." They haven’t been in our database long, so maybe you’ll be the early bird who makes friends with the worm. The odds? Unknown. Possibilities? Endless.
50 magazines21 Magazines for Micro Fiction!
Fiction in a few hundred words
21 magazines19 Lit Mags Agents Love To Read (We Asked)
Not everyone wants an agent. Not everyone published in top-tier magazines will attract an agent. And this is not a comprehensive list of all magazines that agents read. But it's damn close.
19 magazines
22 Litmags to Target For Social Media Exposure
I've focused on 5 key components; engagement rate, follower count, posts about writers & their work, beautiful presentation, and accounts that I’ve witnessed grow exponentially over the last 1.5 years
22 magazinesLit Mags Who Love Prose Poems
Prose poetry! Everyone loves it except those who hate it and if that sounds like you then, hey—hey, what are you doing here? Go iambic pentameter yourself. This is for prose poets. Cause they awesome.
21 magazines20 Litmags On The Cool Girl's Coffee Table
Displayed all nonchalant and sexy - just like her hair.
20 magazinesLit Mags We Love Who Love Personal Essays
Who has a navel? LOOK AT IT! Gaaaze into its depths. Tell these editors what you see. They love it. All the personal essays. Let us know your favorites, we'll add them.
19 magazines54 Impressive Bylines to Have in Your Literary Bio
54 magazines23 Top Tier Poetry Mags Who Nominate for Pushcart (and Pay)
How do you show writers you care? Nominate their work. Pay them if you can. How to know if a lit mag is on your side? These aren't bad starting points. Know more? Shoot us an email and we'll add them.
24 magazines15 Lit Mags That Want to Publish the Poems on Your Instagram
Many magazines consider work that has been posted to social media "previously published" and thus won't accept it to their magazines. Not these one's though!
15 magazines15 Lit Mags That Publish Female Rage
Curated by community member Caitlin Behrens & endorsed by Chill Subs.
15 magazines35 Lit Mags That Publish Writers Under 18 Years Old
Hey teen writers, these places want to publish you! It can be tough to know who will accept work from writers under 18 since many magazines don’t directly specify, so we did some digging and found some that definitely do!
35 magazines13 Classy AF Lit Mags Who Love and Support Emerging Writers
Who doesn't love an emerging writer? These magazines have specifically asked for them. They want to publish your first story, poem, essay. They call it out right on their website. But they are also some of the best lit mags around so your chances are rough. Just know that when these folks are reading your work, that's what it's all about. No fancy bio required for entry. Know more? Let us know.
14 magazines7 Underrated Poetry Lit Mags We Love to Read
Created by the editors of ONLY POEMS — endorsed by Chill Subs.
7 magazinesThe Brand Spankin' New Lit Mag List (2024)
Looking for some fresh faces in the lit world? Hey, look no further. We've had 170+ lit mags added to our database who were founded this year. Wouldn't it be cool to have been published in the first issue of Paris Review or The Sun? Hey, here's your chance.
104 magazines120 + Speculative Magazines Looking for Flash Fiction
Flash fiction is the freaking best. Reality kinda sucks. So what if a magazine accepted speculative flash fiction? What if 120 magazines did? Woah. Oh golly-gosh. BTW spec-fic (yup, we're cool) is pretty broad so, think: sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, futuristic, etc, etc. Anything that isn't reality because reality, as we have firmly established, kinda sucks!
124 magazines200+ Magazines Who Publish Comics, Art, or Other Visual Works
Who said lit mags only publish writing? Not us. Not these friendly folks. There is no one-size-fits-all. Some will publish paintings, others love comics. But all of these magazines have expressed an interest in the world beyond words. So if you're into that sort of thing, here are some lit mags who might be into you. Damn that was too cheesy, oh well.
229 magazines60+ Canadian Lit Mags Who Pay Their Writers
Who doesn't love getting paid? Who doesn't love Canadians? And just in case one of those isn't enough for you, we've got both! All of the literary magazines listed below were founded in Canada and pay their writers. Click any of them to get the specifics.
69 magazines14 Folklore Flash Fiction Publishers
Who doesn't love a good folktale? The shorter the better.
14 magazinesFastest Flash Fiction Magazines (1-week response times)
Flash fiction doesn't take long to read, so what's everyone's excuse for these endless response times? Well, these lit mags make an effort to get submissions back to their writers in under a week (for better or worse). At least if it's a "no" you didn't have to wait through all of that antica.....................pation.
34 magazinesOur Most Competitive New Lit Mags
These are the most competitive lit mags founded after 2023. Under 10% acceptance rates! They're picky but not wildly so. They're new, so they're probably into new writers. A tough editorial standard is a good sign that these editors are trying to create something special. They have a vision, and they're on the ball. Both are good signs for longevity. Click any to be redirected to their listing page. Then, scroll down to the bottom to see their stats.
9 magazines10 Journals that Publish Good, Lasting, Approachable Poetry (Editor picks from ONE ART: a journal of poetry)
Front Porch Poetics and the lasting appeal of approachable poetry. Push back on negativity towards labels of “approachable” and “accessible”. Just say no: Pseudo-experimentation, l’art pour l’art, art about nothing. Say yes: All poems require “stakes”. For “approachable poetry” the stakes may appear different. You can’t compare a nature poem to a political poem, much like it’s foolish to compare a Billy Collins poem to a John Ashbery poem or an Amanda Gorman poem to a Lucille Clifton poem.
10 magazinesTop Notch Lit Mags Who Accept Reprints
Double dipping is for winners.
10 magazinesThe 1% Club (Good Fuckin' Luck)
Who doesn't love a challenge? As of writing, these lit mags all have acceptance rates between 1-2%. They are competitive. They are choosy. Many writers will submit to these places 5, 10, or 20 times before finding success. Never give up, never surrender.
56 magazines17 Lit Mags Who Speak Our Love Language
Pay writers. Accept sim-subs & reprints. Nominate for prizes. Active on socials. Free to read. No fee. No notes
17 magazinesLiterary Magazines Looking for Older Writers
Lit mags who have listed or told us how much they want to publish writers 40, 50, 60 +. And we know, "older" is not a real term but it's what everyone is googling when they're trying to find magazines who don't just want work by kids fresh out of an MFA program, you know?
9 magazines140 Lit Mags that Are Vibing So Hard It’ll Make Your Teeth Hurt
If you know, you know.
140 magazines15 Lit Mags Who Want Your Short and Sweet Memoir
You know how they say your life flashes before your eyes when you die? Well, all these lit mags want to see those flashes, glimpses, snippets, and so on. That's right. Short-short (flash) works of memoir are on the menu for these magazines. You just probably want to be more creative than us with this intro. You're doing too much!! ... anyway, here you go.
15 magazines19 Kickass African Literary Magazines
We love exploring international magazines. Africa has some incredible ones we've collected in this list for you to explore. And we know there are more. And we hope, as you discover them, you share them with us so we can grow this list. In the meantime, enjoy!
19 magazinesLit Mags Who Pay Dumb Money for Poetry
What's dumb money? For poetry?! I mean, kinda anything, right? Folks pay so much for music, but what about poets? Music is just poetry but louder. WHAT IF WE ARE LOUDER? WILL YOU PAY US MORE NOW?! Well, these folks do. At least $200, often more.
13 magazinesWhere to Publish Your Magical Realism
A lot of folks publish magical realism, but we wanted to find those folks who are going above and beyond. The magazines listed below all nominate for prizes, accept simultaneous submissions, and have a <20% acceptance rate. Never a bad place to start.
27 magazines89 Reputable Lit Mags with Print Issues
Printed lit mags are way cooler than you'd expect. Some are pocket-sized. Others are like actual books. Lots of writers get so much more out of seeing their work in print. Holding it. Smelling it. Using it as a reason to show their favorite English teacher while low-key checking if they're still married. We have over 1000 mags with printed issues so we cut this down to our most competitive ones in our top two vibe categories. Good Luck!
89 magazines29 Horror(ish) Mags Who'll Pay You to Scare Their Audience
What's more fun than scaring the shit out of people? Yup, getting paid to do it.
29 magazines25 Best Lit Mags of 2023 - Chill Subs Community Favorites
Not about prizes or prestige. Solely based on the writing community's nominations.
25 magazines