Dirty Magick Magazine

About

We like a variety of stories but will only publish a few styles. Please read closely as these are the rules and they will not be broken.
First and foremost, we are interested in urban fantasy which we define as fantasy adventure fiction which takes place in modern settings. These places can be real or imaginary (although we prefer the former), but the story must have some combination of those typical elements: magic, other sentient races, enchanted objects, and mythical backgrounds. These all may be underground and hidden, but they must play a part in the story.
Next, we want sword and sorcery which we define as fantasy adventure fiction taking place in an ancient or alternative world where the protagonists must use their wits and weapons to survive. We contrast this with high fantasy (which we are not interested in) where quests taken on behalf of the rulers are world shaking. We are much more interested in the street level like the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser tales of Fritz Leiber and the Conan/Bran Mak Morn tales of Robert E. Howard.
Finally, we will consider gothic and supernatural horror. We won’t define this directly, but this is a market to submit vampire, werewolf, ghost, and cryptid fiction. Be warned, it would be best to use these creatures in one of the previously mentioned genres as that would be a quicker path to publication.

Submission Caps: They may close to submissions early if they reach their quota.

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2024

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 12 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

48 members set this anthology as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Dirty Magick Magazine's overall average response time is faster than most anthologies.
More Challenging: Dirty Magick Magazine's overall acceptance rate is lower than most anthologies.
More Responsive: Dirty Magick Magazine's overall rate of non-response is lower than most anthologies.

Learn more about our statistics

Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Fantasy Subgenres: Gothic, Retrofuturism, Sword & Sorcery, Urban Fantasy
Horror Subgenres: Gothic, Retrofuturism, Supernatural
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Crime, Supernatural

Lengths:

Short Story: 2,000 - 7,500 words.
Novelette: 7,500 - 12,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment to Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $50.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Multiple entries are NOT allowed.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Dirty Magick Magazine

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For the Editor(s):
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Dirty Magick Magazine Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

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Accuracy

We have received 25 reports from 23 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

14 min | 47.7 mean avg | 47.0 median | 72 max days (47.2 std dev)

Responses

84.00 %

Acceptances:

8.00 % of submissions accepted (61.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 8.70 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

76.00 % (50.3 avg. days per rejection) | 26.3 % personal, 68.4 % form, 5.3 % unspecified | 4.0 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

16.00 % (28.0 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

9 responses are pending (42 min | 60.3 mean avg | 62.0 median | 76 max days waiting | 10.4 std dev) from 9 different members

Other Information

Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 13 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 29 Aug 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 06:50 UTC (2 hours, 57 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 01 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.