Submissions Series: Magazines that Pay
Looking to turn your love for writing into more than just a hobby? Tell Tell Poetry reveals the best lit magazines that pay. Get your work published and make money. A poet’s dream come true!
You make magic out of words and air. Shouldn’t you make money out of them too? For this next installment in our Submissions Series, we’ve put together the following list of fabulous lit magazines that pay good cash money to publish your poems. Some are magazines that pay per poem, while some are magazines that pay per printed page. But they all put their purse strings where their pieholes are. So go get that bread, poets!
Please note that any pay-per-page rate refers to the number of printed pages a piece takes up in the finished issue, rather than the number of pages in the contributor’s submission document.
32 Poems is a print journal publishing two issues a year out of their home at Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania. They are a prestigious magazine that has been doing the good work for nearly twenty years. Each issue consists of 32 shorter poems — each piece a maximum of one printed page. They pay their contributors $25 per poem, as well as two copies of the issue. For their online prose features, they also publish a variety of interviews with poets, reviews of recent poetry collections, essays about poetry, and contributors’ marginalia — where contributors respond to each other’s work. 32 Poems is open for submissions year-round.
Baltimore Review is an online lit mag publishing four issues a year, as well as a yearly print anthology of their online work. After nearly twenty-five years, BR is still going strong and publishing a variety of both poetic and prose forms. They pay a total of $40 per contributor for each issue. Baltimore Review is open for submissions from February 1 to May 31, and then from September 1 to November 30.
Barrelhouse is an independent print journal publishing two issues a year out of their home in Washington, DC. In addition to the poetry and prose that appears in their beautifully-designed print issues, they also publish separate online-only feature content, including reviews and themed special issues. They pay a total of $50 to each print issue contributor, as well as two copies of the issue. Barrelhouse opens for submissions on an irregular and unpredictable schedule. So you’ll have to check back on their site when you have work to send or follow their updates on Twitter and Facebook.
Bennington Review is a beautiful print journal publishing two issues a year out of their home at Bennington College in Vermont. Though originally founded in 1966 and having a long editing and publishing history, this magazine was reborn in its current form in 2016. For the last five years, BR has been publishing some of the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and film writing out there. They pay $20 per poem, $100 for shorter prose pieces (1–6 pages), and $200 for longer prose pieces (7+ pages). Each contributor also receives two copies of the issue in which their work appears, as well as one copy of the following issue. Bennington Review is open for submissions from November 1 to May 8.
Black Warrior Review is a print journal publishing two issues a year out of their home the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. They are a prestigious magazine that has been doing their editing and publishing thing for almost fifty years! Known for their appreciation of the weird and experimental, BWR publishes a variety of both poetry and prose forms in their print issues, as well as their separate online-only issues. Each of their print issue contributors is paid an amount between $100 and $220, depending on the length of their piece. Black Warrior Review is open for submissions from December 1 to March 1, and then from June 1 to September 1.
The Carolina Quarterly is a print journal publishing four issues a year out of their home at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For more than seventy years, this magazine has been printing poetry, stories, essays, reviews, and visual art from both emerging and established writers and artists. CQ also publishes a variety of online-only features throughout the year. For their print issues, they pay $50 per contributor, as well as one copy of the issue. The Carolina Quarterly is open for submissions year-round.
The Cincinnati Review is a print journal publishing two issues a year out of their home at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. For nearly twenty years, they’ve been publishing a variety of poetic, prose, and hybrid forms. CR also has a weekly online series called “miCRo,” featuring pieces of flash fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid works, as well as shorter poems that are 32 lines or less. For their print issues, they pay $30 per page of poetry and $25 per page of prose. The Cincinnati Review is open for submissions to their print issue from September 1 to January 1. Submissions to “miCRo” are open year-round.
Copper Nickel is a gorgeous print journal publishing two issues a year out of their home at the University of Colorado Denver. For nearly two decades, this fabulous journal has been publishing some of the best fiction, nonfiction, and poetry out there. They pay $30 per page (for both poetry and prose), as well as two copies of the issue and a one-year subscription. Copper Nickel is open for submissions from January 15 to March 1, and then from September 1 to December 15.
Foundry is an online lit mag publishing three issues a year. They are a poetry-only publication that embraces a large variety of poetic forms. They pay $10 per poem. Foundry is open for submissions year-round.
Grain Magazine is a print journal publishing four issues a year out of their home in Saskatchewan. For nearly fifty years, they have been publishing the work of both Canadian and international writers and artists. With a predilection toward the eclectic, every issue contains a variety of poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction, as well as a portfolio of work by a single visual artist. They pay $50 per page (capped at $250 per contributor) for both poetry and prose, as well as two copies of the issue. Grain Magazine is open for submissions from September 15 to May 15.
Gulf Coast is a gorgeous print journal publishing two issues a year out of their home at the University of Houston in Texas. They are a prestigious magazine helmed by hardworking graduate students that has been alive and kicking for nearly forty years. GC publishes a wonderful assortment of the best in new writing and art, including poetry, fiction, essays, translations, interviews, reviews, visual art, and art writing. They also publish a variety of online-only features throughout the year. They pay $50 per page for both poetry and prose. Gulf Coast is open for submissions from September 1 to March 1.
Nashville Review is an online lit mag publishing three issues a year out of their home at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. This student-run journal publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translations, interviews, reviews, visual art, and comics. They pay $25 per poem and $100 per prose or art piece. Nashville Review is open for submissions during the months of January, May, and September.
Palette Poetry is an online lit mag publishing new poems continuously throughout the year. As their name suggests, they are a poetry-focused journal, publishing poems and prose about poetry alongside bright & colorful visual art. They pay $50 per poem (capped at $150 per contributor). Palette Poetry is open for submissions year-round.
Raleigh Review is an independent, nonprofit print journal publishing two issues a year out of their home in North Carolina. Just about a decade old, this magazine publishes poetry, flash fiction, short stories, reviews, and visual art. They pay $15 per piece (poetry or prose), as well as one copy of the issue for contributors in the U.S. and two copies for those outside the U.S. Raleigh Review is open for submissions from January through March, and then from July through October.
Shenandoah is an online lit mag publishing two issues a year out of their home at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. Established in 1950, this journal has evolved over the decades, moving online in 2011. Each issue is comprised of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translation, and comics. They pay $100 per poem, $50 per comic panel, and $100 for every 1,000 words of prose (capped at $500 per contributor, for all categories). Shenandoah is open for poetry submissions for only brief windows of time, the current one being from February 1–15. So if you miss this one, you’ll have to check back on their site when you have work to send or follow their updates on Twitter and Facebook.
SLICE is a literary nonprofit and digital lit magazine publishing two issues a year from their home in New York. Founded in 2007, this beautifully designed journal publishes poetry, flash fiction, short stories, and essays. They pay $100 per contributor for poetry, $150 per contributor for flash fiction, and $400 per contributor for longer prose pieces (fiction and nonfiction). SLICE was most recently open for submissions from October 1 to December 1, 2020. Mark your calendars for next fall and check back on their site for upcoming reading periods.
The Southern Review is a print journal publishing four issues a year out of their home at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. They are a prestigious magazine that has been shaping the literary landscape around the world for more than eighty years. Each issue gathers together some of the best poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and translation in print today. For all genres, they pay a minimum of $200 per contributor, at a rate of $50 for the first page and $25 for each additional page. Each contributor also receives two copies of the issue and a one-year subscription. The Southern Review is open for submissions from September 1 to January 1, with fiction submissions closing a month earlier than the rest on December 1.
West Branch is a print & digital journal publishing three issues a year out of their home at the Stadler Center for Poetry at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. They are a prestigious magazine that has been editing and publishing for over forty years. Each issue consists of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translation, and reviews. They pay $50 per contributor for poetry and $0.05/word for prose (capped at $100 per prose contributor). Each contributor also receives two copies of the issue and a one-year subscription. West Branch is open for submissions from August 1 to April 1.
Did you know we’re teaching a new Submission Strategies Course? Find out more about the course here and check back with Tell Tell Poetry soon for more fabulous places to send your poem-babies. Happy submitting!
