September brings a wave of new opportunities for writers looking to get paid for their creative work, and this roundup is one of the biggest collections of paid literary markets you’ll find anywhere online.
Every single magazine, journal, and anthology listed here pays for accepted work, from $5 honorariums to some of the best per-word and per-page rates in the literary magazine world.
The range is wide: fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction sit with genres such as horror, speculative fiction, translation, drama, and more, with themes covering everything from vampires to gratitude to queer relationships beyond conventional romance. Whatever you write, I would bank on there being a home for it!
This is also a good moment to remind you that the Freelance Writing Network isn’t just about pitch calls and writing jobs, but a home for creative writers too. Alongside our daily roundups of paying gigs, we love spotlighting opportunities like this one for fiction, poetry, and essays.
A final note before you dive in: always verify details and deadlines directly with the publication, and read their submission guidelines closely (and ideally a recent issue or two) before you submit.
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Every week, we send a fresh roundup of paying creative opportunities — monthly lit mag submissions, poetry outlets, and themed calls across every genre. Get paid for your creative writing, one weekly email at a time.
Paying Literary Magazines: September 2026 Deadlines
Philadelphia Stories – Summer/Fall 2026 issue, general submissions
Regional free print quarterly for fiction (up to 5,000 words), creative nonfiction (up to 2,500 words), poetry (up to 3 poems, max 36 lines each), and art, open to writers living in or originally from Pennsylvania, Delaware, or New Jersey. No reading fee; simultaneous submissions accepted with prompt withdrawal.
Payment: $50 honorarium via PayPal per author published (artists are not paid).
Deadline: September 1, 2026.
The Cincinnati Review – print journal reading period reopens
University-affiliated journal reading fiction and fiction translation (up to 10,000 words), literary nonfiction (mostly under 5,000 words), poetry and poetry translation (up to 5 poems/10 pages), drama queries, and the year-round miCRo online flash feature (up to 500 words). No fees; simultaneous submissions accepted; one submission per genre per year.
Payment: $25/page for prose and $30/page for poetry in the print journal; $25 for miCRo posts.
Deadline: Opens September 1, 2026; closes once the submission cap is reached (often within days).
Teach. Write. – Fall/Winter 2026 edition
A journal for writing teachers and students seeking flash fiction (under 1,000 words), short fiction (1,000–3,000 words), poetry, creative nonfiction/essays (up to 2,000 words), short drama, and a “Write Your Own” prompt feature. No reading fee; simultaneous submissions accepted with notification.
Payment: $15 for short stories/CNF/essays; $10 for poetry; $25 for the Write Your Own feature.
Deadline: September 1, 2026.
AGNI – fall reading period opens (gated annual reopening)
Boston University-based journal publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, hybrid work, and translation (no genre romance, horror, mystery, or SF). One story, one essay, or up to five poems per reading period; portal closed June 1–August 31, so September 1 is a genuine once-a-year reopening. $3 online fee (free by mail); simultaneous submissions accepted.
Payment: $30/printed page for prose, $50/page for poetry (50% more for translations), up to $300 max, plus a subscription and copies.
Deadline: Opens September 1, 2026; window runs through December 15, 2026.
The Common – fall reading period opens (gated annual reopening for non-subscribers)
Place-focused Amherst College magazine publishing stories, essays, poetry, and translations engaging landscape, community, and migration, plus year-round “Dispatches.” Non-subscriber submissions are shut June 1–September 1; $3 processing fee (free for subscribers, waivers on request).
Payment: $200 honorarium per prose piece, $50 per poem, $100 per Dispatch.
Deadline: Opens September 1, 2026; window runs through December 1, 2026.
Heartlines Spec – Autumn issue, speculative long-term relationships
Primarily Canadian-content speculative magazine seeking SF/fantasy centred on long-term platonic, romantic, or familial relationships. Short fiction 500–3,500 words; up to five poems; no fee; simultaneous submissions accepted.
Payment: CAD $0.08/word for short fiction; CAD $60 flat per poem.
Deadline: September 1, 2026.
Washington Writers’ Publishing House: Capital Translation – DC/MD/VA translators’ series
Seeks translations into English by writers living in DC, Maryland, or Virginia: up to two poems (original plus translation, max 5 pages) or a prose piece up to 500 words, with permission from the original author where required. Free to submit; rolling window that can close early once the translation cap fills.
Payment: $25 per contributor plus one contributor copy.
Deadline: September 1, 2026.
HerStry – “Onward” monthly theme
Publishes creative nonfiction (up to 5,000 words), short fiction (up to 10,000 words), and poetry by women, trans women, and nonbinary writers; no cover letters, no reprints, no AI-generated work.
Payment: $50 for accepted work (pieces to later 2026 monthly themes pay $20).
Deadline: September 1, 2026.