Variety Pack

About

Variety Pack is a literary Journal based out of the Buffalo, NY. We aim to showcase a variety pack of voices from around the globe. When you step inside our journal, be prepared for a diverse melting pot of emerging writers with established. Sci-Fi? Horror? Magic Realism? Fabulism? Prose and poetry bridging the personal and political? Formal Poetry? Free-verse? Criticisms? Memoirs? Down-right weird? Somewhat normal (whatever that is supposed to be in this day and age)? This is a journal for all kinds of readers to enjoy.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions, except for those who request financial assistance waivers, and they do not offer monetary payment for accepted submissions. (Note: About 8% of magazines always charge fees.)
The fee is USD $3 (average for magazines that charge).

Important: Submission demographics may vary; see their website for current call information.

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

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2020

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Published 2 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

42 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Variety Pack's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Challenging: Variety Pack's overall acceptance rate is lower than most magazines.
More Responsive: Variety Pack's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open Fee-based

We want something short that kicks through the door and pushes against the literary grain. We crave gripping, haunting work that is hard to turn away from once we dig in. We accept both genre and literary work.

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 42 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
General Open to all/most Subgenres
Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres
Horror Open to all/most Subgenres
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres
Science Fiction Open to all/most Subgenres
Suspense/Thriller Open to all/most Subgenres
Western Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words; Up to 3 pieces.
Short Story: 1,000 - 7,500 words.
Novelette: 7,500 - 9,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Theme:

Cosmic Horror (15 Oct 2026*)

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open Fee-based

Send us your cultural criticisms, immersive journalism, memoirs, creative non-fiction (CNF), and essays. We are taking in-depth reviews and interviews. We do not believe in ranking a literary work or posing negative criticisms on the work of writers. We welcome music reviews (either albums or live shows), book reviews, film reviews, TV reviews. We want your takes on a possibly a book that sung to you, or an album that strikes chords into the musical symposium of your soul. However, we aren’t looking for praises either, rather works that explain why a manuscript or a series is worthy of such.

Dates:

Open to nonfiction submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 42 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Interview: No specific word count limits known.
Review: 100 - 2,500 words.
Article: Up to 1,500 words; Unknown number of pieces.
Essay: Up to 1,500 words; Unknown number of pieces.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 1,500 words; Unknown number of pieces.

Styles:

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

Topics:

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

Theme:

Cosmic Horror (15 Oct 2026*)

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open Fee-based

For poetry, like our love of narrative prose, the aesthetic we have has a broad and inclusive atlas. We are creatures of eclectic habit. We want poems that redefine the traditional forms of poetry. Feel free to send us haikus, ghazals, senryus, sestinas, sonnets, elegies, odes, among others, as long as they fit the spirit of what we’re about. If your style leans more on the experimental side of the pond, send us your confessions, erasures, dada, maybe visual poetry, or anything you think will work against the norms of literary canon entirely, feel free to send it our way.

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 42 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 4 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Theme:

Cosmic Horror (15 Oct 2026*)

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Open Fee-based

Send us your finest collages, illustrations, comics, napkin sketches, photographs and/or anything else you want to submit. Whether it’s a more traditional style or an experimental take we welcome all styles to our forefront.

Dates:

Open to visual art submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 42 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Unknown number of pieces.
Graphic Narrative: No page limits known.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including...
Drawing.
Illustration.
Cartoon/Comic strip.
Collage.
Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles, including: Experimental.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: May vary.

Theme:

Cosmic Horror (15 Oct 2026*)

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Duosuma submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Media: Image.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Variety Pack

Go to publication's website

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Report:
Submission/Response
Correction/Update
New Cover Art

Social:
Bluesky @varietypack.bsky.social
Instagram @varietypackzine
X (Twitter) @VarietyPack2

For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
Link to Duotrope

Variety Pack 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.

This project ranks among the Most Personable Poetry Publishers in our database.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 136 reports from 127 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

3 min | 32.2 mean avg | 30.0 median | 184 max days (26.2 std dev)

Responses

92.64 %

Acceptances:

5.88 % of submissions accepted (37.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 6.30 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

86.76 % (32.6 avg. days per rejection) | 86.4 % personal, 13.6 % form, 0.0 % unspecified

Non-Responses

1.48 %

Lost/Returned:

0.74 % (171.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as lost or returned)

Never Responded:

0.74 % (184.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

5.88 % (11.5 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

2 responses are pending (2 min | 2.0 mean avg | 2.0 median | 2 max days waiting | 961.8 std dev) from 2 different members

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $3.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 04 Jul 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 15 Jun 2026.
Date compiled: 03 Sep 2026 16:50 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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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.