From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's booksAs you may remember, I am putting the finishing touches to Infinite Waters; my upcoming second collection of short stories (the first one being The Power of Six, of course). Most of them have a touch of science fiction; all of them have a lovely twist.

However, I have also kept a couple of stories out of it, as I have submitted them or am about to submit them to magazines specializing in short stories. I thought I’d let you know which ones those are, in case you, too, are interested in submitting to those.

Non Local Magazine

You may remember my ongoing collaboration with Dan Dombrowsky of the  33rd Street Press. Dan has kindly already included one of my short stories, Shoot the Devil, in his excellent Non Local Magazine. As he’s now preparing the next issues, he’s always on the lookout for sci-fi shorts.

You keep all rights, although you will need to wait for a year before publishing elsewhere. The great bit is that you get paid for every issue sold. This means that, even a couple of years down the line, you will still receive royalties for that one story you had published there. Since Dan is a very keen and capable promoter, I’m sure that back issues will sell for years to come.

Daily Science Fiction

The Daily Science Fiction accepts speculative fiction stories from 100 to 1,500 words in length. They pay 8 cents per word for first worldwide rights and for nonexclusive reprint rights. Additionally, they may pay your an extra 5 cents per word for additional reprinting in themed Daily Science Fiction anthologies.

The Daily Fiction does not accept reprints. Unfortunately, if you have placed a story on your website, where it is open and available to the multiple billion people who have access to the internet, that constitutes publication. Also, they ask you not to submit the same story to them and other venues at the same time.

Flash Fiction Online

Unlike the rest, Flash Fiction Online accepts reprint, paying $.02 (two cents) per word. They publish stories from 500 to 1,000 words in length. Each exclusive story (not reprint) receives $60.

Another perk is that publication in Flash Fiction Online counts toward the requirements for membership in the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA). Although the SFWA recognizes this magazine as a professional market, they frequently publish literary fiction and other genres.

Vestal Review

If you like your fiction short, then Vestal Review is your place. It only accepts stories up to 500 words. Stories have to be original (ie. not published elsewhere) and may be R-rated. Most genres, other than children’s, syrupy romance or hard science fiction, are accepted, and they love humor.

As for payment:

  • Stories up to 100 words (excluding the title)–10 cents a word.
  • Stories between 101 and 200 words–5 cents a word.
  • Stories between 201 and 500 words–3 cents a word.
  • Stories of great merit receive up to $25 flat fee; 3 cents a word is a minimum pay in any case.

Fine Linen Magazine

Fine Linen Magazine accepts stories between 200 and 700 words. Again, they require exclusivity, but are flexible about it: if your story has already been published elsewhere, you can either withdraw the piece or give them a good reason – and permission from the previous publisher – why they should publish it.

As for Internet publication, you’d best remove the story from the web before submitting.

Short Story and Flash Fiction Society

Any post about short stories would be incomplete without a mention of the Short Story and Flash Fiction Society. This is not really a magazine, but a group of very passionate people and talented who love short stories and do their best to promote it. They regularly feature  the works of authors who love short stories and flash fiction. They also run competitions, offer classes, publish anthologies and are open to guest posts and author interviews. As such, it’s a great resource for fans of flash fiction and short stories!

On top of all that, however, they now accept submissions, allowing writers to publish through them. They accept Flash Fiction (500-800 words), which is posted for $0.50 USD. Your share of royalties is 50% minus any PayPal transaction fees.

They also accept short stories (900-3500 words), which will be posted for $0.75 USD. Your share of royalties is 50% minus any PayPal transaction fees.

While your story is for sale at the Short Story and Flash Fiction Society website, you may not have it posted nor published elsewhere. If you had the story/stories up on your blog or site for free, you must remove them before submitting them for consideration. Also, you may not submit a story that has already been published (including in anthologies), nor any story that has been accepted elsewhere and is still awaiting publication.

Further Resources

If you’re not interested in genre fiction, then you should also check out this post from The Write Life, titled, “Where to Submit Short Stories: 25 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work.”

You can also check out:


 Not interested in short stories,you say? How about reading my award-winning children’s book, Runaway Smile, for free then?