There are still a number of magazines that publish short stories. Not all of them are British, and not all of them are available widely in the UK. Here’s a short guide. There are plenty of others – links included below
Sadly, there are less and less of them, with titles such as Star Trek Explorer closing in 2024 (which featured tie-in fiction) and Star Wars Insider closing in 2026. Other titles, such as The Lady, struggled to survive during the COVID Pandemic and are no longer published; and many others have fallen victim to increasing costs, distribution changes and costs, all hitting sales.
Most of the short story magazines and journals listed on this page accept entries from writers living anywhere in the world. The country each publication is run from is listed, so you know which global market you are submitting to.
PLEASE NOTE This page does not include web links for UK comic publishers. The submissions process for most UK publishers remains opaque and appears to be largely by direct commission.
This page was last updated on Wednesday 12th November 2025
Corrections and contributions welcome | Contact Us
General Guidance
Story is the BookTrust campaign to celebrate the short story. “We believe that the short story is one of the most exciting and important literary forms, that can and should reach the widest possible readership. We believe that the short story matters.”
• BookTrust has a guide to pitching to magazines here
• Freelance Writing Jobs | Pitching guidelines for UK publications
• BBC National Short Story Award
FAQ | The largest award for a single short story in the world
• Author Christopher Fielden’s Short Story Magazines Introduction (List regularly updated)
“Most of the short story magazines advise that you subscribe or read a few back issues so you understand the format and style they favour,” Christopher advises. “A lot of them receive high volumes of submissions each month, so it is worth noting the competitive nature of this market. Only submit your best work.”
Christopher’s list includes Australian, Canadian, UK and US magazines.
• Aaron Mullins List of UK Literary Magazines
The Submission Grinder is a donation-supported submission tracker and market database for writers of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Use our extensive and powerful search engine to find a home for your work.
Founded in 1887, The Writer is dedicated to expanding and supporting the work of professional and aspiring writers with a straightforward presentation of industry information, writing instruction and professional and personal motivation. In the pages of our magazine, writers share experiences, expertise, struggles, advice, successes, and suggestions.
Magazines
PLEASE NOTE: Some magazines, especially US titles may charge fees for submissions. Christopher Fielden’s Short Story Magazines carries more details of these where known.
US: African Writer Magazine
Submissions: africanwriter.com/submissions/
African Writer Magazine, a US monthly publication, investigates via text and imagination, the sublimity and intricacy of the African presence at home and abroad. It celebrates established and emerging African writers, literature and ideas. “We welcome well-written literary works from anyone that engage African peoples, places, ideas, experiences, and so much more.”
See also “5 African Literary Magazines That Pay for Your Stories” and “Top 18 Popular Magazines of African Literature and Submission Guide”
US: Alfred Hitchcock Magazine
Web: alfredhitchcockmysterymagazine.com | Writers Guidelines
For over sixty years, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine has been one of the foremost publishers of mystery, crime, and suspense short stories, offering mystery fiction of the broadest range and the highest quality.
“Finding new authors is a great pleasure for all of us here, and we look forward to reading the fiction you send us. Since we do read all submissions, there is no need to query first; please send the entire story. You don’t need an agent.
“Because this is a mystery magazine, the stories we buy must fall into that genre in some sense or another. We are interested in nearly every kind of mystery: stories of detection of the classic kind, police procedurals, private eye tales, suspense, courtroom dramas, stories of espionage, and so on. We ask only that the story be about a crime (or the threat or fear of one). We sometimes accept ghost stories or supernatural tales, but those also should involve a crime.”
UK: All Your Poems
Web: allyourstoriesandpoems.com
Published by an independent publishing company based in the UK that previously produced The Writers Newsletter which was an online magazine launched in 2016. They then followed this with The Writers and Readers Magazine, available in print and for Kindle. Both magazines have been extremely successful in giving new writers a chance to be published. All previous issues of The Writers and Readers Magazine are available to purchase on Amazon in print and for Kindle.
UK: All Your Stories
Web: allyourstoriesandpoems.com
See information above for All Your Poems
US: Amazing Stories Magazine
Web: amazingstories.com | Submissions
“Science Fiction can be a powerful tool for both exploring the future and for imagining the kinds of futures we might like to live in. Join us and help us create the future!”
UK: NO LONGER PUBLISHED Ambit
Ambit was a quarterly literary periodical published in the United Kingdom between 1959 and 2023. Sadly, due to unwelcome financing factors, including the loss of its archive sale and the death of a major patron, Ambit had to close its doors in April 2023.
US: American Short Fiction
Web: americanshortfiction.org | Submissions Guidance
Founded in 1991, American Short Fiction is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary organization based in Austin, Texas, that promotes the art form of the short story in a nationally-distributed triquarterly print magazine, via ASF Online, and through live events and literary programming.
American Short Fiction has published, and continues to seek, short fiction by some of the finest writers working in contemporary literature, whether they are established or new or lesser-known authors. In addition to its triannual print magazine, American Short Fiction also publishes stories online.
They have separate guidelines for their short story contests and regular submissions. “We run two short story contests a year, the American Short(er) Fiction contest in the winter/spring, and The Halifax Ranch Prize for Fiction in the spring/summer, plus the Insider Prize for incarcerated writers in Texas.”
UK: Aquila
Web: aquila.co.uk | Contributor Guidelines (there’s no guidance on how to pitch as an illustrator)
The Award-winning magazine for curious kids of 8 – 14 years. “AQUILA’s expertly written topics inspire a genuine love of reading and learning. Intelligent and witty, the articles encourage children’s curiosity and creativity well beyond the school curriculum.”
The magazine has a readership of 40,000 children between 8 and 14 years. The majority being in the 9-12 range. The content is designed to appeal to bright children who are confident and independent readers.
USA: Assemble Artifacts
Web: assemblemedia.com/assemble-artifacts | Submissions Page
Tales of horror and suspense. Actively seeking submissions of high-concept short stories across genres from writers with all levels of experience and backgrounds.
Assemble Artifacts is a short story magazine that assembles a thrilling new mix of stories from genres including horror, science-fiction, comedy, and suspense. “Buried at the heart of every story in the magazine is a unique artifact, an object that has inspired our storytellers to create a big idea, an irresistible question, a new immersive world, or a sense of wonder. Unearth your next great read with Assemble Artifacts!”
USA: Asimov’s Science Fiction
Web: asimovs.com | Submissions Guidance
Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine is an established market for science fiction stories. As of 2025, Asimov’s pays 8-10 cents per word for short stories up to 7,500 words, and 8 cents for each word over 7,500. They seldom buy stories shorter than 1,000 words or longer than 20,000 words, and they don’t serialise novels. They pay $1 a line for poetry, which should not exceed 40 lines. They buy First English Language serial rights plus certain non-exclusive rights explained in our contract. They do not publish reprints, and we do not accept “simultaneous submissions” (stories sent at the same time to a publication other than Asimov’s).
“Asimov’s will consider material submitted by any writer, previously published or not. We’ve bought some of our best stories from people who have never sold a story before.”
UK: Bag of Bones Press
Web: bagofbonespress.com
Established in December 2021, Bag of Bones Press was set up with the aim of championing and publishing budding writers of horror and dark fiction who may not have had a traditional or formal education in the literary arts.
UK: Best
There’s no obvious Contribution Guidance to this magazine published by the Hearst Group. They use contact forms for enquiries
UK: NO LONGER PUBLISHED Black Static
Founded in 1993 | Archive Details
Published by TTA, named after the magazine it launched in December 1993, The Third Alternative, which was renowned for its slipstream fiction. The Third Alternative eventually became known as Black Static. They published 100 issues of Interzone, Britain’s longest running science fiction and fantasy magazine, now with MYY Press, see below for more information.
USA: Bonfire Literary Magazine
Web: bonfirelitmag.wordpress.com
Literary publication interested in submissions of poetry and short fiction that ignite both the author and the audience. “We aren’t so much worried about word count or line spacing as we are sharp, quality writing. Regardless of form or focus, we just want to feel your words in our bones.”
UK: Boshemia
Web: boshemiamagazine.com | Submissions Guidelines
Founded by transatlantic trio EQL in 2016, Boshemia is a beautiful “f*** you” to the gatekeeping of journalism and the art world.
“We represent the experimental, the new, the up-and-coming, the outspoken, the underrepresented. Boshemia is a space for the voices of women, non binary and lgbtq+ folk to exist and express themselves unapologetically.
“Boshemia is an independent online and print magazine revolving on arts and culture through a energised, engaged, inclusive feminist lens. We are a global collective of storytellers and activists, with a core team based in UK, USA and France, and collaborators from all four corners of the earth.”
In 2021, Boshemia founded their podcast, What Else Are We Mad At? This show uses the motif of “what we’re mad at” to discuss current affairs and ongoings in the world, with regular guests featuring throughout the series.
USA: Clarkesworld Magazine
Web: clarkesworldmagazine.com| Submissions Guidance
Currently open for art, non-fiction and short story submissions.
Clarkesworld Magazine is a Hugo, World Fantasy, and British Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine that publishes short stories, interviews, articles and audio fiction. Issues are published monthly and available on our website, for purchase in ebook format, and via electronic subscription. All original fiction is also published in their trade paperback series from Wyrm Publishing.
UK: Dream Catcher
Web: dreamcatchermagazine.co.uk | Submissions Guidance
Dream Catcher is an international arts journal, which offers contemporary readers a terrific mix of poetry, prose, artwork and reviews. “Our contributors span the globe, making Dream Catcher a truly international magazine. Dream Catcher’s eclecticism is its strength. The range of literary styles is wide and what began as a magazine for student writers has become a discerning publication keen to attract new work from wherever it might emerge, aimed at readers wherever they might be.”
US: Elegant Literature
“The First Magazine To Pay Pro Rates And Only Publish New Writers” Elegant Literature also provide a paid for education platform, AuthorHQ, which offers weekly live trainings and has 50+ hours of recorded lessons ready to view as soon as you sign up
USA: Eleventh Hour Literary Journal
Web: eleventhhourliterary.org | Submissions Guidance
Eleventh Hour Literary is a biannual journal from Binghamton University. Their editors, all members of the Professional Staff Senate and writers themselves, are no strangers to the crushing rite of “submission” — a word that is often hand-in-hand with “rejection.”
Eleventh Hour Literary has no restrictions on subject matter. “We accept literary prose (fiction, creative nonfiction or essays) and poetry. We also accept ephemeral works, including artwork and photography, for our e-phemeros project.”
USA: Etchings Literary & Fine Arts Magazine
Web: etchings.uindy.edu/etchings-literary-journal | Submissions Guidance
A student-run publisher at the University of Indianapolis. University of Indianapolis undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni are welcome to submit poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction essays, visual materials, and audio submissions (original music or spoken word) to Etching Magazine.
Etchings was the result of a revamping of University of Indianapolis’ former literary magazine, Tusitala, in 1989. After a student contest was held, the magazine was renamed Etchings. Organized and developed by students with the supervision and guidance of faculty members, a new issue was produced each year. In 2013, Etchings moved to being produced twice a year. Since the revamping in ’89, Etchings restored the emphasis on the initial intentions of the university’s literary and fine arts magazine showcasing the works of undergraduates, graduates, faculty, staff, and alumni.
ON HIATUS? UK: Faeries and Enchantment Magazine (FAE Magazine)
Web: faemagazine.com | Submissions Guidance
FAE Magazine has been honouring the wonderful faerie community of artisans and authors in each edition of FAE. However, it does appear the title is on hiatus, although its web presence is still partially active.
UK: The Fence
Web: the-fence.com | Pitch Guide
The Fence is a quarterly magazine based in London, focused on life in the UK and Ireland. It offers a mix of investigations, short stories and cultural essays, all threaded with a humourous and playful touch.
Fiction Pitches: “We’re reaching out to agents directly, and if you’re interested, get your agent to email us at the address above. We don’t like to run extracts or previously written work unless you’re both good and internationally famous (not one or the other), so keep this in mind when approaching.”
UK: The Fiction Desk
Web: thefictiondesk.com | Submissions Guide
The Fiction Desk is a short story publisher specialising in regular anthologies of new short fiction from both debut and established authors. They are based in the UK, and welcome submissions from around the world.
USA: Flash Fiction Magazine
Web: flashfictionmagazine.com | Submissions Guidance
Flash Fiction Magazine is a publication that features daily flash fiction stories of 1000 words or less. They accept fiction submissions between 300 and 1000 words, with no previously published work allowed. They also run writer contests
CLOSED USA: Glimmer Train
Web: glimmertrain.com | Resources Page – a collection of 29 substantial pieces, each focusing on one writing topic, with the diverse perspectives of accomplished authors.
One of the most respected short-story journals in print, Glimmer Train actively championed emerging writers since its inception in 1990, trying to set the bar for treating writers with respect, and to present significant short fiction in a handsome physical publication that would persist in the real world.
The magazine was represented in recent editions of the Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, New Stories from the Midwest, the O. Henry Prize Stories, New Stories from the South, Best of the West, New Stories from the Southwest, Best American Short Stories, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading.
After nearly three decades, Glimmer Train is pulled out of the station for good as of December 2019. “We are grateful to all who have shared their stories with us and to our dedicated readers.”
USA: Gold Dust
Web: golddustmagazine.com | Submissions Guidance
GoldDust Magazine is an American online magazine created and founded by Madison Goldbeck, a full time Digital Content Producer at TMJ4 News, an NBC-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in November 2018. The idea of GoldDust was conjured in 2014 and consistently dreamed about before coming to life. The magazine’s purpose is to offer an outlet for inspiring writers to submit their work to be published. GoldDust includes a variety of topics with an emphasis in short stories and poetry.
UK: Good Housekeeping
Web: hearstmagazines.co.uk/gh-reader-t| Submissions Guidance
Good Housekeeping magazine is bursting with foolproof seasonal recipes, independent product reviews and essential consumer advice that is tried, tested and trusted in the Good Housekeeping Institute. There’s also stunning fashion and essential beauty and home ideas, plus the best reads of the month with their favourite picks of fiction and non-fiction, from literary gems to moving memoirs, we have something for everyone.
UK: Granta
Web: granta.com | Back Issues
Before you contact them, please refer to their page of frequently asked questions.
Granta are no longer able to accept unsolicited submissions and cannot enter into correspondence regarding works submitted in this way.
Granta magazine and Granta Books, run by the Granta Trust, share a remit to discover and publish the best in new literary fiction, memoir, reportage and poetry from around the world.
The magazine was founded in 1889 by students at Cambridge University as The Granta, a periodical of student politics, badinage and literary enterprise, named after the river that runs through the town. In this original incarnation it published the work of writers like A.A. Milne, Michael Frayn, Stevie Smith, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.
UK: Gutter
Web: guttermag.co.uk | Submissions
Gutter is Scotland’s leading literary magazine, publishing new fiction, essays and poetry. They showcase emerging and established writers from Scotland and beyond, whose work will challenge, move and enliven our readers.
Gutter accepts submissions of fiction, poetry and essays twice a year, in Spring and Autumn. They commission reviews for their website and print magazine on a rolling basis.
UK: Interzone
Web: interzone.press | Submissions
Britain’s longest running science fiction and fantasy magazine. Interzone is a European zine publishing fiction and non-fiction from all over the planet.
IZ was founded in 1982 by David Pringle, John Clute, Alan Dorey, Malcolm Edwards, Colin Greenland, Graham Jones, Roz Kaveney, and Simon Ounsley. It was published by TTA Press and edited by Andy Cox from 2004 to 2022 and is now published by MYY Press and edited by Gareth Jelley.
Interzone is open to unsolicited submissions of fiction of up to 17,500 words from everyone, whoever or wherever you are.
They strongly recommend that you get to know Interzone before submitting. Subscriptions are available at Patreon and ebook back issues can be found at the Interzone shop and at independent bookshops Weightless and Scarlet Ferret.
USA: Lightspeed
Web: lightspeedmagazine.com | Submissions Guidance/Contact
Do not email submissions. All submissions must be made via the magazine’s Moksha submissions system
Lightspeed is a digital science fiction and fantasy magazine. In its pages, you will find science fiction: from near-future, sociological soft SF, to far-future, star-spanning hard SF – and fantasy: from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and contemporary urban tales, to magical realism, science-fantasy, and folktales.
UK: Litro Magazine
Web: litromagazine.com | Submissions
Litro is one of the largest read literary and short stories magazines maintaining literature’s prominence in popular culture. Litro has championed literature, arts, and technology since 2005, publishing bold, creative voices that inspire cross-cultural conversations and spark global connections. “From emerging talents to Nobel laureates, we bring the timeless power of storytelling to a global stage.”
UK: London Magazine
Web: thelondonmagazine.org | Fiction Archive |Submissions Guidance | Latest Issue
The London Magazine is the UK’s oldest literary magazine, proud to have published some of the biggest names in literature including Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot, Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Joan Didion, Gabriel García Márquez and Hilary Mantel as well as Annie Ernaux, Deborah Levy, Claire-Louise Bennett, Brandon Taylor, Rebecca May Johnson, Joelle Taylor, Isabel Waidner and Mona Arshi.
Writers should carefully review the guidelines before submitting work via their online portal; any work not in line with the guidelines will not be read.
“We find those who are familiar with the publication stand a far better chance of having their submissions accepted, so we do recommend reading the latest copy of our print magazine.”
UK: London Review of Books
Web: lrb.co.uk | Submissions Guidance
“Short fiction isn’t really something that the LRB publishes, except when it does…”
The London Review of Books is a British literary magazine published semimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews.
“We look at unsolicited submissions as well as proposals. The best guide to what we might like is what we usually publish, including poems, reviews, reportage, memoir, articles for our Short Cuts and Diary slots, and blogposts.”
UK: Mslexia
Web: mslexia.co.uk | Submissions Guidance
Mslexia’s mission is to help women express themselves and get their writing noticed: in print, online and in performance.
“We produce the bestselling quarterly magazine for women who write – where every reader is a potential contributor too. We publish over 70 names in every issue, so you might find your work alongside award-winning authors such as R F Kuang, Eliza Clark, Liz Berry, Diana Evans, Val McDermid or Alice Oseman. Every issue includes fiction, nonfiction, short story, flash fiction and poetry.”
NO LONGER PUBLISHED UK: My Weekly
My Weekly ceased publication in 2020
UK: New Internationalist
Web: newint.org | Back Issues
New Internationalist is a multi-stakeholder co-operative owned by its workers and approximately 4,600 co-owners. No specific fiction guidelines. Welcomes story pitches for their website and print magazine: their articles range from features on under-reported topics and struggles in the fight for global justice, to punchy comment pieces and radical and solutions-focussed analysis with an international – or internationalist – perspective you won’t see elsewhere.
UK: New Welsh Review
Web: parthianbooks.com/pages/new-welsh-review – this page includes submissions information
“New Welsh Review is a magazine of high integrity, elegantly designed, well-produced and edited with rare intelligence and commitment. Anyone seriously interested in art and literature should read it.” – Nicholas Spice, London Review of Books.
USA: The New Yorker
Web: newyorker.com |
New Yorker does not accept submissions via mail or e-mail; instead, please upload your work via Submittable (more information here), or by mail to: Fiction Editor, The New Yorker, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007
As always, read the magazine to see what kinds of stories they publish
USA: Nightmare
Web: nightmare-magazine.com | Submissions Guidance
Do not email submissions. All submissions must be made via the magazine’s Moksha submissions system
Nightmare is a horror and dark fantasy magazine offering find all kinds of horror fiction, from zombie stories and haunted house tales to visceral psychological horror. “We believe that horror is for everyone, and we aim to publish the widest possible variety of the most delicious, spine-tingling tales.”
UK: Orbis
Web: orbisjournal.co.uk | Submissions
This Wirral-based journal includes discussions on literary theory and criticism, and highlights specific works and their interpretations.
UK: The People’s Friend
Web: thepeoplesfriend.co.uk | Submissions
Published by DC Thomson, “looking for stories with a range of themes, tones and genres. The best way to get a feel for our stories is to read the magazine regularly. Our preferred genres include romance, mystery, cosy crime, family and stories from a young person’s point of view.”
USA: Protean Magazine
Web: proteanmag.com | Submissions
An independent, ad-free leftist magazine of critical essays, poetry, fiction, and art.
UK: Riptide
Web: theriptidemagazine.com | Submissions
“A riptide is the ocean’s deadliest trick. It is a condition of turbulence created in calm waters where two different currents meet. It is a force that pulls you away from the shore, into deeper waters.
“We, however, derived another meaning. One that could be a positive force created by the confluence of two or more different streams. A safe haven for those who have an affinity for art, and creative expression of any kind— be it literary, auditory, visual, or experiential.”
UK: Scots Magazine
Web: scotsmagazine.com
The oldest magazine in the world still in publication. Discover the best of Scottish culture.
Scots Magazine does not accept freelance submissions of articles or stories; instead, it invites readers to join a panel to provide feedback on its content. For other Scottish-themed writing opportunities, consider magazines like Gutter or New Writing Scotland, which have specific, often periodic, submission windows for fiction, poetry, and essays.
UK: Scribble Quarterly
Web: parkpublications.co.uk/scribble.html
Short stories always welcome from new and established writers.
UK: Stand Magazine
Web: standmagazine.org | Submissions
Stand publishes work by new and established writers. Writers send work to them from all over the world.
UK: Structo
Web: structomagazine.co.uk/structo | Submissions
Structo is a literary magazine, founded in 2008. It is nominally UK-based, although its staff are scattered all over Europe and the rest of the world.
Each issue contains remarkable new short stories and poetry from all around the world, alongside essays and interviews with authors and others. After 20 issues heavily focussed on print, we recently switched things up to go digital-first. Now, once the complete biannual issue has appeared online, it is capped with a print edition.
UK: Stylist
Web: stylist.co.uk | Contact Page (no submissions guidance page)
Published by DC Thomson. Submissions are invited from those over 18 from the UK and Ireland. If you can write a story that “surprises, intrigues, and surprises” the editorial team, you are in with a chance. You’ll only get a response if your submission is accepted.
“Stylist is an agenda-setting media brand and advocate leading the charge for women. We know there isn’t a one-size-fits-all conversation – we celebrate and reflect our differences, while using our platform to unite and bring women together. We will laugh with you, cry with you, fight for you and will always be your biggest cheerleader. Stylist is here to serve the women that read us”
USA: Susurrus
Web: susurrusthemagazine.com | Submission Guidelines
Susurrus accepts previously unpublished poetry, flash, fiction, creative nonfiction, and photography from artists across the American South. They publish three times a year, during April, August, and December.
UK: Take a Break
Web: takeabreak.co.uk | Contact Page
No official submissions page. The Womag blog has guidance here, first published in 2016
ON HIATUS: Sylvia
Official Site: sylviamagazine.com | Submissions
Nature magazine, on hiatus since 2023
UK: That’s Life
Web: thatslife.co.uk | Contact Page
See also: “Talk to the Press: Sell a Story to That’s Life Magazine“
The magazine focuses on a mixture of reader submitted true life stories, as well as women’s health and lifestyle features, puzzles and competitions.
UK: The Edge
Web: edgemagazine.net | Submission Guidelines
The Edge media platform is your guide for articles, interviews, classes and experiences that educate and enlighten those exploring holistic living, higher consciousness, and spiritual expansion. What are you curious about?
UK: The Field
Web: thefield.co.uk |
Your gateway to the country lifestyle and all things shooting, hunting and fishing.
“Dickens was one of the first Field readers,” say the publishers. “Well, he might have been – he was certainly drinking pals with The Field’s first editor. Back in 1853, the magazine was founded for those who loved shooting, fishing, hunting and could sniff out a decent claret at 1000 paces.
“It’s still like that today. The Field gives its readers the best, whether it’s guns, rods, writing or photography. We like to think it’s like a great party – entertaining, informative and provocative.”
NO LONGER PUBLISHED – UK: The Lady
Web: lady.co.uk
The Lady was a British women’s magazine. It published its first issue on 19 February 1885, and its last in April 2025, at which time it was the longest-running women’s magazine in Britain. Based in London, it included classified advertisements for domestic service and child care and had extensive listings of holiday properties. The last issue contains a recipe for gugelhupf by Tom Parker Bowles, and a short story about a grandmother celebrating her 90th birthday.
The web site is still in operation as of November 2025
NO LONGER ACTIVE? UK: The Liberal Magazine
Web: theliberal.co.uk
The website for this magazine dedicated to a renaissance in liberal politics and the liberal arts does not appear to have been updated for some years.
UK: The Oldie
Web: theoldie.co.uk | Submission Guidelines (PDF)
All cartoons should be sent for the attention of Harry Mount, The Oldie, Moray House, 23/31 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PA. Please make sure that your name and address is on the back of each cartoon. Enclosing an SAE is essential if you wish to have your work returned. “We receive an enormous number of cartoons each week, so replying can take over a month.” Digital submissions (pdf/jpg/Word docs) should be emailed to johnbowling@theoldie.co.uk.
The idea for The Oldie was cooked up 30 years ago by its founding editor, Richard Ingrams, and his much-lamented successor, the late Alexander Chancellor. Their aim was to create a free-thinking, funny magazine, a light-hearted alternative to a press obsessed with youth and celebrity. The Oldie is ageless and timeless, free of retirement advice, crammed with rejuvenating wit, intelligence and delight. I look forward to welcoming you to our loyal, ever-growing readership.
UK: Woman | Woman and Home | Woman’s Weekly
Web: womans-weekly-magazine.co.uk | Pitches by email to fiction editor Andrew Shaw: andrew.shaw@futurenet.com
All fiction stories for Woman’s Weekly, Woman and Woman’s Own are on an ‘all rights’ basis. The publishers retain all rights to your published story. Seeking short stories of 800 and 1800 words.
“Fiction is a vital ingredient of Woman’s Weekly, the place where readers can escape and switch off,” says Fiction Editor Andrew Shaw, whose submission guidelines also apply to Woman and Woman and Home. “This doesn’t mean predictable plots or old-fashioned romances. Escapism means getting involved in an engaging tale with believable characters.
“Above all, we are looking for originality and a wide variety of themes and moods, such as mystery, humour, relationships and family issues, with warmth and hope still an important factor. ‘Uplifting’ is the word to keep in mind. We are not looking for stories that dwell on death/illness/hospitals… Try to be subtle in your writing and remember the maxim: ‘Show don’t tell’”. More details here, last updated in 2023, via Womag and Other Writing
UK: Writers’ Forum
UK: Writers’ News and Writing Magazine
UK: Young Writer
UK: Your Cat Magazine
Web: yourcat.co.uk
Your Cat is Britain’s most popular cat magazine and is THE magazine for caring cat owners, covering health and behaviour issues, as well as celebrating the emotional pleasures of owning a cat. Your Cat covers all aspects of cat care with experts providing information and advice on all aspects of feline welfare. Photographs of cats, real life articles, fictional short stories and readers’ true cat tales are all included to ensure reader entertainment.
Your Cat are not overly encouraging about the submission of fiction. “We do carry monthly fictional short stories, but these are written by established novelists and tend to be planned 12 months in advance,” they told Womag in 2017.
UK: Yours
Web: yours.co.uk | Contact Page (no submissions guidance)
Women’s magazine targeted at women over 50. They publish 26 stories per issue.
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Penguin have also put together an extensive list of awards, competitions and programmes for both new and established writers that you may find useful. They vary across genre and format, and some have certain requirements, so see what feels like a good fit and start working on your entry – it could be using something you’ve already started writing, or a new challenge.
Penguin Random House also run a programme for unpublished writers: WriteNow – an editorial programme which aims to find, nurture and publish new writers from communities under-represented on the nation’s bookshelves. Taking place every other year, WriteNow partners 10-15 new authors with editors across publishing houses to be mentored through the publishing process. 13 writers have been published or acquired by Penguin Random House imprints through the programme.
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.