Fee-Free Mainstream Science Fiction Short Stories

Bog Matter is a speculative literary magazine published biannually in the spring and fall. It seeks to publish new short fiction, poetry, and graphic shorts that could be described as science fiction, horror, fantasy, magical realism, slipstream, New Weird, utopian, dystopian, satirical, cross-genre, experimental, or exuding a general air of oddness.
Genres:     General, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction.
Lengths:   Flash Fiction, Short Story.
Payment: Semi-pro. Free copy(ies). Details: USD $0.02/word; minimum payment of $5.
Avg. Response: Slower than average responder. 90.6 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 2.4% of fiction submissions accepted.

Escape Pod is the premier science fiction podcast magazine, founded in 2005 by Serah Eley, and presently co-edited by Mur Lafferty and Valerie Valdes. Every week we bring you short stories from some of today’s best science fiction, in convenient audio and text formats. Escape Pod is a science fiction market. We are fairly flexible on what counts as science (superheroes! steampunk! space opera! time travel!) and are interested in exploring the range of the genre…
Genres: Science Fiction.
Lengths: Short Story.
Payment: Professional. Details: USD $0.08/word; $100 flat rate for reprints.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 23.2 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 3.7% of fiction submissions accepted.

Gavagai is a place for writers and readers to share original stories, discover new voices, and build community. We believe thoughtful writing deserves a thoughtful home. Our editorial team curates stand‑out work, while our tools help authors present beautiful, accessible stories. Readers can follow favorite authors, collect stories, and explore Editor Picks.
Genres:     General, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction.
Lengths:   Flash Fiction, Short Story.
Payment: Professional. Details: USD $0.08/word.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 67.1 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 6.6% of fiction submissions accepted.

Horrific Scribes is an expanding online archive of dark short fiction (and some poetry) by various authors who share the Horrific Scribblings imprint’s dedication to the provocative, scary, and strange. Most of the stories will have elements of horror, ranging from bloodless slow burns to raucous extreme romps, but related genres–dark fantasy, dark sci-fi, surrealist and other experimental writing with dark tendencies–are likely to appear…
Genres:    Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction.
Lengths: Short Story.
Payment: to Token to Semi-pro. Details: USD $25 per story.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 8.6 days.
Acceptances: Average. 8.7% of fiction submissions accepted.

Welcome To The Shadows. . . … where the inky darkness that exists in every corner of all realities awaits a distraction to pull you under. The stories contained within our issues explore all these dark places: from the woods outside your bedroom window, to the basement of a fairy’s treehouse and everywhere in between. “What was that bump in the night?” “Did that shadow just move?” “Is anywhere safe anymore? We invite you into our pages to find the answers to these questions, and many more…
Genres:    Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction.
Lengths:   Flash Fiction, Short Story.
Payment: to Token to Semi-pro. Details: USD $10 per story.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 23.4 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 27.3% of fiction submissions accepted.

Not One of Us is a hardcopy zine about people (or things) out of place in their surroundings, outsiders, social misfits, aliens in the sf sense—anyone excluded from society for whatever the reason. We want to explore “otherness” from every possible angle.
Genres:     Open to all/most genres, including: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction.
Lengths: Short Story.
Payment: Token. Free copy(ies). Details: USD $0.0025/word, with a minimum of $5.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 12.9 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 4.4% of fiction submissions accepted.

StarShipSofa is one of the top SF podcasts in the multiverse that delves into the world of SF. There are a number of shows that fall under the Sofa's wing.
Genres:   Horror, Science Fiction.
Lengths: Short Story.
Payment: to Token to Semi-pro. Details: $50.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 69.3 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 1.9% of fiction submissions accepted.

We are looking for great speculative fiction, namely Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Don’t overthink it! Just write an incredible story and you will find yourself in this anthology.
Genres:   Fantasy, Science Fiction.
Lengths: Short Story.
Payment: to Token to Semi-pro. Details: CAD $0.005/word, with a min. of $15.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 60.4 days.
Acceptances: Unknown. None reported yet in fiction.