Listed below are some local and large national publishers who are currently open for submissions, however please do check their websites as these guidelines can change regularly and not all publishing houses accept unsolicited manuscripts.
You can find details of all Australian publishers and agents at Australian Writers Marketplace. Writers SA members receive a 10% discount on a subscription.
If you are seeking publication, you can also consider securing a literary agent. Please see the Australian Literary Agents Association.
The Big Issue Fiction Edition
Closing date: 01 Jun 2020
Submissions are now open for the 16th annual The Big Issue Fiction Edition.
You could be part of the biggest-selling fiction magazine in Australia – just start writing, and send us your story! This special edition will feature work from some of Australia’s most-loved writers, as well as a collection of open submissions.
Previous editions have featured work from writers like Jane Harper, Tony Birch, Matthew Reilly, Melanie Cheng, Christos Tsiolkas, John Marsden, Graeme Simsion, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Paulo Coelho.
We are looking for stories covering all genres – comedy, love stories, sci-fi, crime stories and everything in between. Don’t be afraid to try something a bit different.
Website | https://www.thebigissue.org.au/news/2020/03/04/fiction-submissions-now-open/
Virginia Quarterly Review
Ongoing
Virginia Quarterly Review is currently accepting submissions of poetry, fiction and non-fiction.
Reed Magazine
Ongoing
Reed Magazine publishes works of short fiction, non-fiction, poetry.
Irish Pages
Ongoing
Irish Pages is a biannual journal, edited in Belfast and publishing, in equal measure, writing from Ireland and overseas.
Barrelhouse
Ongoing
Barrelhouse is an independent non-profit literary organisation that aims to bridge the gap between serious art and pop culture.
The Zodiac Review
Ongoing
The Zodiac Review is an online, semi-annual literary magazine presenting short fiction by new and emerging authors, as well as more established ones.
Script Lab
Ongoing
Script Lab is looking for reviewers of television, film, books and software.
Website | writefor@thescriptlab.com
American Reader
Ongoing
American Reader is a bimonthly magazine publishing fiction, poetry and criticism.
Pitch to Overland
Ongoing
Overland is always looking for nonfiction pieces, especially for its online magazine.
The Lifted Brow
Ongoing
The Lifted Brow is always seeking submissions!
Cha: An Asian Literary Journal
Ongoing
Cha is dedicated to publishing quality creative works from and about Asia. At this time, we can only accept work in English or translated into English.
Website | submissions@asiancha.com
The Fiction Desk
Ongoing
Theye’re always looking for new short stories at Fiction Desk anthologies, and most of the stories they publish are unsolicited submissions.
Narrative Magazine
Ongoing
Narrative regularly publishes fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, including stories, novels, novel excerpts, novellas, personal essays, humor, sketches, memoirs, literary biographies, commentary, reportage, interviews, and features of interest to readers who take pleasure in storytelling and imaginative prose.
The Write Room
Ongoing
he Write Room is an online literary magazine that publishes quality works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
Creative Nonfiction
Ongoing
Unlike many magazines, Creative Nonfiction draws heavily from unsolicited submissions.
Harvard Review Online
Ongoing
Harvard Review publishes short fiction, poetry, essays, drama, and book reviews.
MadHat (Mad Hatters’ Review)
Ongoing
MadHat (Mad Hatters’ Review), seeks to foster the work of writers and poets: explosive, lyrical, passionate, deeply wrought voices and aesthetic experiments that stretch the boundaries of language, narrative and image, vital and enduring literary voices that sing on the page as well as in the mind.
Prairie Schooner
Ongoing
Prairie Schooner publishes short stories, poems, imaginative essays of general interest, and reviews of current books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Pantera Press
Ongoing
Pantera Press aims to be known as a great new home for Australia’s next generation of best-loved authors™.
Overland’s Cursive Letters
Ongoing
Every month Overland run a literary advice column called Cursive Letters in which their wonderful fiction editor Jennifer Mills responds in agony-aunt style to questions submitted by writers about their literary dilemmas.
Writer’s Edit
Ongoing
At a recent editorial meeting, the Writer’s Edit team decided that they’d love to start publishing short stories and poems on their beloved online mag again.
Taboo Magazine
Ongoing
Taboo Magazine is an online mag open for submissions.
‘Social Alternatives’ journal
Ongoing
Social Alternatives accepts academic papers, commentaries, book reviews and essays, short stories and poetry focussed on the aims of the journal.
Structo
Ongoing
Structo is a UK-based literary magazine.
Spook
Ongoing
Spook are looking for writers interested in fashion, music, film, lit, art, sex/gender, culture and/or politics.
Ginosko Literary Journal
Ongoing
Accepting short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, social justice, literary insights for Ginosko Literary Journal.
One Teen Story
Ongoing
One Teen Story publishes Young Adult writing, providing opportunities to established adult authors and emerging teen authors of YA.
Stereo Stories
Ongoing
Stereo Stories is a Melbourne-based website that publishes well-written, evocative, concise stories. About songs.
The Wrong Quarterly
Ongoing
The Wrong Quarterly are a London-based journal who publish “inventive” works of nonfiction, life writing and essays up to 5,000 words and fiction up to 6,000 words.
Tongues
Ongoing
Tongues is a multilingual online magazine looking for language editors and contributors to join our team!
Website | editor@tongues.net.au
Pear Drop
Ongoing
Pear Drop want to tell stories that document and explore the human condition from all perspectives.
Byte Stories
Ongoing
A place to share stories around a digital fireplace, and a publisher of very short fiction.
F is for Feminism
Ongoing
F is for Feminism is an intersectional feminist website aimed at young women.
Website | georgialeaker@gmail.com
Kill Your Darlings
Ongoing
Kill Your Darlings quarterly edition accepts submissions of original writing all year around for KYD subscribers and during the months of March, June, September and December ONLY for non-subscribers.
Website | info@killyourdarlingsjournal.com
Reed Magazine
Ongoing
Reed Magazine accepts submissions June 1 through November 1.
Scribe
Ongoing
Scribe is a trade-publishing house. They are generally interested in literary fiction, serious non-fiction, and children’s picture books.
Antic Magazine
Ongoing
Antic is a not-for-profit online literary magazine of new writing in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and criticism, featuring the works of new and established Australian writers, as well as a smattering of international ones.
Heroes and Heartbreakers
Ongoing
Heroes and Heartbreakers is an imprint of the major publishing house MacMillan. They accept short stories 15k-30k words in length.
Website | submissions[at]heroesandheartbreakers[dot]com
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Ongoing
Fantasy and Science Fiction is one of the major magazines of the genre. They pay 7-12 cents a word, up to 25,000 words.
Fireside
Ongoing
Fireside is a short story magazine that has two goals in mind: Publish great stories, and pay writers well. They pay above normal rates for their category of magazine: 12.5 cents per word, up to 5,000 words.
Cicada Magazine
Ongoing
Cicada Magazine is a young adult magazine with a largely teen audience. Their editor says “There’s room in the world for your dark weird truths.”
Thank You For Swallowing
Ongoing
Poetry is a form of protest. So let this be another one, in the spirit of Against Rape, in the spirit of Catechism, in the spirt of Binders Full of Women’s Poems: if you’re done sucking it up, submit your poems.
Blogstock_
Ongoing
Blogstock_ is a marketplace for buying and selling pre-written and custom blogs designed to drive traffic to your website and sales for your business. Their bloggers are Australian residents and experts in their fields.
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Ongoing
A Chicken Soup for the Soul story is an inspirational, true story about ordinary people having extraordinary experiences. Chicken Soup for the Soul stories are written in the first person and have a beginning, middle and an end. The stories often close with a punch, creating emotion, rather than simply talking about it.
HOW magazine seeks freelance writers
Ongoing
HOW magazine provides a practical mix of essential business information, up-to-date technology tips, the creative whys and hows behind noteworthy projects, and profiles of professionals who are influencing design. HOW seeks writers who can write articles pertinent to our audience in an enter taining, concise style.
Cricket Magazine
Ongoing
Cricket Magazine is a young reader’s magazine, targeting ages 9-14. They pay $0.25 a word. Most of their are between 1,200 and 1,800 words.
The Sun
Ongoing
The Sun is a beautiful, ad free, magazine that publishes writing with a literary bent.
Clarkesworld
Ongoing
Clarkesworld is a science fiction magazine that has won numerous awards, including 3 Hugo Awards.
Ensemble Vacations®
Ongoing
Ensemble Vacations® is a national, consumer travel and lifestyle magazine. From close-to-home places like Canada and the U.S. to Europe or exotic destinations in Asia, the South Pacific, the Caribbean and South America; from river cruising and grand voyages to luxury safaris, exclusive hotels and villas, spa retreats and ‘volunteer’ tourism, they cover it all.
Website | editor@ensembletravel.ca
Transgression is seeking submissions
Ongoing
Transgression is an online current affairs, opinion & cultural magazine that produces exceptional content for its readers.
What are we looking for?
Feature articles
Investigative pieces
Photo essays
Personal essays
Documentaries
With a focus on topics that generally aren’t covered in any significant depth by the mainstream media, your piece might be something dangerous, illicit, taboo or even just a tad eccentric. We want true tales from the rawest edges of humanity. Sex, crime, drugs or even life as a refugee. How about a report from a conflict zone? We aren’t after anything that pushes an ideology or an agenda. We want the facts to speak for themselves.
Website | submit@transgression.com.au
Island Magazine
Ongoing
Island subscribers are invited to submit poetry, short fiction and essays.
Alien She Zine
Ongoing
Alien She publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art and review. They are looking for work that doesn’t fit neatly into the above categories.
The Pen Factor
Ongoing
The Pen Factor is an online feedback and discovery engine for writers of fiction.
Harper’s Magazine
Ongoing
Harper’s Magazine is the oldest general-interest monthly in America. Harper’s will consider unsolicited fiction.
The New Yorker
Ongoing
The New Yorker is possibly the most profitable magazine in the world. They have a huge and loyal readership.
Asimov’s Science Fiction
Ongoing
Asimov’s Science Fiction is a well established publisher of science fiction.
Analog
Ongoing
Analog is a magazine of science fiction and fact. They pay 8-10 cents a word up to 7,500 words, and 8.5 cents a word for longer stories.
Strange Horizons
Ongoing
Strange Horizons publishes speculative fiction, “broadly defined.”
Digital magazine seeks WOMEN authors of fiction
Ongoing
Digital magazine seeks WOMEN authors of fiction, with at least one published or ready-to-publish title, for long-form interviews.
Lightspeed Magazine
Ongoing
Lightspeed Magazine seeks to publish original science fiction and fantasy stories. They say that “no subject should be considered off-limits.”
Apex Magazine
Ongoing
Apex Magazine publishes science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
Uncanny
Ongoing
Uncanny is an online magazine of scifi/fantasy. They publish fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
One Story
Ongoing
One Story is a magazine that publishes one story, in print, every three weeks.
One Teen Story
Ongoing
One Story is seeking literary fiction. They accept stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words.
InterGalactic Medicine Show
Ongoing
InterGalactic Medicine Show publishes sci-fi stories up to 17,500 words.
On human rights issues in Australia
Ongoing
Right Now, a not-for-profit media organisation committed to covering human rights issues in Australia through accessible, creative and engaging online, print and radio media. The journal aims to present a diverse range of perspectives, and encourages the participation of those who identify as GLBTIQ, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse, and persons with disability.
Website | clairew@rightnow.org.au
About Kids Books
Ongoing
About Kids Books is a new Australian imprint seeking novels for children 8 to 12 years.
Website | books@aboutkidsbooks.com
Underground Writers
Ongoing
Underground Writers are open for submissions year-round!
Big Sky Publishing
Ongoing
Big Sky Publishing is proud to work with talented Australian authors and publish high quality non-fiction titles. They are accepting new submissions for completed manuscripts in a number of areas.
Wombat Books and Rhiza Press
Ongoing
Wombat Books and Rhiza Press are currently open for manuscript submissions.
Pixapops
Ongoing
Like A Photon Creative are inviting submissions for an interactive storytelling platform with national and international audience.
Website | aimee.lindorff@gmail.com
Malevolent Soap – Seeking submissions
Ongoing
Malevolent Soap is an independent e-journal of poetry and fiction.
We’re headquartered in Melbourne, but our issues feature writing from around the planet. We publish in March and September.
We’re particularly partial to work that explores intersections of ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture and challenges traditional designations of cultural value. Whether this means invoking Nicolas Cage as muse or bemoaning Rick Deckard’s excessive consumption of MSG in verse, we’re interested.
The Lifted Brow – Open to submissions
Ongoing
The Lifted Brow is now open to submissions of fiction short stories AND manuscripts!
“In The Lifted Brow we tend to publish fiction that is ‘new’ in some way, whether it be different, original, experimental in respect to form, or viewpoint, or style, or voice, or plot, or language – or any combo of all the above. What does ‘new’ mean? We don’t know. We want you to show us.” Keep reading…
International OCD Foundation – Tales from the OCD Community
Ongoing
Stories can encourage, inspire, and inform. We offer storytellers the space to tell their personal stories about OCD and related disorders – boldly, honestly, and creatively.
Website | ocdstories@iocdf.org
Finch publishing seeking submissions for non-fiction manuscripts
Ongoing
Getting Published by Finch
Finch Publishing accepts manuscript proposals on Thursdays. All other proposals sent outside this time period will not be considered. If you miss the time period please send again the following week.
We consider manuscript proposals on the following subjects: parenting, social issues, child health, memoir, family relationships and mental health. We will also consider biographies. Keep reading…
Website | samantha@finch.com.au
Everytime Press seeking submissions
Ongoing
We are looking for:
• teaching resources
• learning texts
• memoir
• travel
• non-fiction Keep reading…
Website | editor@everytimepress.com
Tulpa Magazine Seeking Submissions
Ongoing
Tulpa Magazine is an online publication that accepts fiction and non-fiction ranging from reviews, opinion pieces, and industry advice. With a number of regular features including Fiction Friday, Tulpa has covered a wide amount of local South Australian arts matters.
Keep reading…
Website | tulpamagazine@gmail.com
Big Sky Publishing seeking nonfiction submissions
Ongoing
Big Sky Publishing currently accepts unsolicited non-fiction manuscripts only. Keep reading…
