Swords & Sorcery Magazine

About

Swords and Sorcery is a magazine devoted to traditional fantasy stories.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2012

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 12 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

106 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Swords & Sorcery Magazine's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.
More Approachable: Swords & Sorcery Magazine's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
Less Responsive: Swords & Sorcery Magazine's overall rate of non-response is higher than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

At this time we are seeking original short stories that feature fantasy elements and pre-industrial settings. Historical and pseudo-historical settings are fine provided they are set before 1800. We are not looking for contemporary urban fantasy or steampunk stories. We enjoy reading these when they are well written but there are plenty of markets for them. As our name implies we welcome stories with action and overt magic but neither is necessary to make a good fantasy story.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Heroic Fantasy, Historical, Sword & Sorcery, excluding Contemporary, Retrofuturism, Urban Fantasy

Lengths:

Short Story: 1,500 - 7,500 words.
Novelette: 7,500 - 8,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) Token payment. Details: USD $10.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

In addition to publishing fantasy stories Swords & Sorcery Magazine hopes to function as a forum for criticism within the genre. To this end we are also seeking reviews and critical essays on genre topics. These need not be confined to literature but can include reviews of movies and comic books as well. We will not publish criticism that is dismissive of the genre as a whole. Any other literary opinion is acceptable.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Review: More than 1,000 words.
Essay: More than 1,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Critical, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Literature/Books: Theory/Analysis/Criticism.

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) Token payment. Details: USD $10.

Submissions:

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

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

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Swords & Sorcery 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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Group by submission

Accuracy

We have received 11 reports from 10 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

32 min | 103.7 mean avg | 111.0 median | 169 max days (47.4 std dev)

Responses

90.91 %

Acceptances:

27.27 % of submissions accepted (39.7 avg. days per acceptance) | 30.00 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

63.64 % (126.3 avg. days per rejection) | 57.1 % personal, 42.9 % form, 0.0 % unspecified | 9.1 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

9.09 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

9.09 % (131.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

Pending

5 responses are pending (16 min | 42.0 mean avg | 20.0 median | 109 max days waiting | 39.5 std dev) from 5 different members

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 60 days. (72.7 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 60 days.)
Do not query on the status of your submission before 60 days have passed.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 05 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 09 Jul 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 09:47 UTC (less than a minute 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: 18 Aug 2026

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