If you enjoy writing short stories in addition to full manuscripts, publishing in popular literary magazines is a great way to start growing your readership and establish yourself within your genre(s).
How do you find places to publish?
First, the obvious! Do a quick Google search like, “where to publish [GENRE] short stories?” and check out some of your top hits. For example, here are a few lists that came up for my genres:
- Fantasy/SciFi
- “17 Top Science Fiction Short Story Publishers” from Writing Tip Oasis
- “Fantasy Writers: 22 Magazines for Your Story Submission” from Proof Positive
- Speculative Fiction
- “Top 20 places to submit speculative fiction” from International Writers’ Collective
You can also check out paid resources like Duotrope, which allows you to sort through submission opportunities in journals and magazines by length, genre, paid versus non-paid, etc.
Do some social media legwork and start following/connecting with literary magazines, zines, journals, etc. in your genre across Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and even LinkedIn.
Alternatively, you can take it completely into your own hands and publish on sites like Medium or Ghost, or even build up your own blog audience and publish short stories (or even chapter excerpts if you’re comfortable) there.
All that said, writing short stories is different enough from writing a novel that many writers prefer one or the other. If you happen to like short story writing, though, it can be a great way to start building your platform.
(Nonfiction writers: Same is true for essays!)
Have you submitted or do you read a literary journal or magazine that publishes great short stories (online or in print)?
Share your favorite magazines and journals with fellow writers!
