You’re a writer, but you’re also interested in making a few bucks (or more than a few) from your writing. Here are a few paying markets.
Tales of the Talisman is looking for sci-fi, fantasy and horror. $10 per story. Up to 6000 words.
Leading Edge is looking for science fiction and fantasy. They also take longer works of up to 15,000 words. Pay is .01 per word.
Necrology Magazine is looking for fantasy, horror and sci-fi. They take stories up to 15,000 words and pay $10-$25. I have a story submitted to them now, in fact. They prefer Lovecraftian horror, so if you’re a fan like me, this may be a market to look at.
On the Premises is a contest based magazine. You’ll need to check the site for the current premise. First prize is $130.
Greatest Uncommon Denominator takes a wide variety of genre and literary fiction. I’m not sure I quite follow their payment setup, but they do give you a cut of what they make.
Okay, so none of these will make you rich. In fact, given the time it takes to put together a good story, you’re not even looking at minimum wage, or anything close to it. However, it is rewarding to get a little payment from your work, even if it is very little. Having a few published short stories is also a terrific way to build up your credentials before approaching agents and publishers for a book.
I hope the market listings are useful. I’ll put something together next time for the non-fiction writers out there. If you enjoy this type of post, let me know, and I’ll try to make it a weekly feature. I’ll also try to mix it up a bit so there are a variety of market listings to choose from.