Smart Search List of the Day

Fee-Free General Short Stories

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Note: These are the results of a previous Smart Search List of the Day. Today's Smart Search is Fee-Free Literary Fantasy Novels.

Instructions: Select at least one bolded (asterisk) option below and click Search. To include some lesser-known publishers, select "Include Wildcards."

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Today's Smart Search List of the Day is: Fee-Free General Short Stories. Check back tomorrow for a new list.
Color Coding: Purple indicates a Wildcard, Green indicates a paying publication, and Blue is everything else.

Bourbon Penn

Bourbon Penn is a print and online magazine featuring stories of imagination and the odd. We are looking for highly imaginative stories with a healthy dose of the odd. Odd characters, odd experiences, odd realities. We want character. For us, stories live and die by their characters. We’re looking for fully drawn characters who surprise us with their honesty, complexity, and contradictions. We want mysterious…
Genres: Open to all/most genres, including: General, Fantasy, Science Fiction.
Lengths: Short Story.
Payment: Professional. Details: USD $0.05/word.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 39.5 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 1.6% of fiction submissions accepted.

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CafeLit Magazine

We’re looking for thought-provoking and entertaining stories, though ones which might be a tad different from what you normally read in a woman’s magazine. They should be the sort of length that would make easy reading whilst you drink a cup of coffee, even if you linger a while, but without you needing to rent-a-table.
Genres: General.
Lengths: Flash Fiction, Short Story.
Payment: No monetary payment. Occasionally pays royalties. Details: Those included in the annual print volume receive royalties.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 47.8 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 29.5% of fiction submissions accepted.

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The Dodge

The Dodge is an eco-writing literary magazine based in Wooster, Ohio, at the College of Wooster.
Genres: General.
Lengths: Flash Fiction, Short Story.
Payment: No monetary payment.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 79.8 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 5.0% of fiction submissions accepted.

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Dodo Eraser

Dodo Eraser is a lit mag and reading series, with a primary focus on poetry and creative prose and a secondary interest in anything that interests us. While we highly value formally strong writing, Dodo Eraser prioritizes creativity, fun, and emotional potency. We’re not an academic journal, we’re not “alt lit.” We’re a secret third thing, the last of a dead breed.
Genres: General.
Lengths: Flash Fiction, Short Story, Novelette.
Payment: to Token to Semi-pro. Details: USD $5 per piece.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 11.6 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 25.9% of fiction submissions accepted.

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Frost Zone Stories

Frost Zone Stories will publish dark literary, quiet horror, or literary horror stories.
Genres: General, Horror.
Lengths: Short Story.
Payment: to Pays occasionally, up to Token. Free copy(ies). Details: CAD $20, or $15 and 1 copy, or no payment and 2 copies.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 20.3 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 15.8% of fiction submissions accepted.

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J Journal

J Journal seeks new writing – fiction, creative nonfiction (1st person narrative, personal essay, memoir) and poetry – that takes on justice. Our most powerful pieces relate tangentially to the justice theme, though we do occasionally publish work that speaks directly of crime, criminal justice, law, and law enforcement. As a literary project, however, J Journal is less likely to publish straightforward genre fiction. We look for writing brave enough to find the justice question in the ordinary.
Genres: General.
Lengths: Short Story.
Payment: No monetary payment.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 40.2 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 13.3% of fiction submissions accepted.

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Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest Wildcard

Jerry Jazz Musician awards a writer who submits, in our opinion, the best original, previously unpublished work. The winner will be announced via a special mailing of our Jerry Jazz Musician newsletter. Publishers, artists, musicians and interested readers are among those who subscribe to the newsletter. Additionally, the work will be published on the home page of Jerry Jazz Musician and featured there for at least four weeks…
Genres: General.
Lengths: Short Story.
Winner's Prize: Semi-pro. Details: USD $150.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 77.6 days.
Acceptances: Unknown. None reported yet in fiction.

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Propagule Magazine

Propagule is a literary magazine, founded in 2022. Propagule champions experimentation, transgression, and aesthetic novelty. Propagule is engrossed by narrative, style, and form. Propagule rejects the literary/genre divide. Propagule is Speculative Surrealism. All good writing is literary.
Genres: Open to all/most genres, including: General.
Lengths: Flash Fiction, Short Story, Novelette.
Payment: to Token to Professional. Details: USD $5 per 1,000 words up to 2,000 words; $10 per 1,000 words above that, maximum $30.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 57.8 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 1.1% of fiction submissions accepted.

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The Quasar Review

The Quasar Review was founded in 2025 with a purpose: to offer writers an avenue to publish their work and have their voices heard. The Review strives to embody its founding characteristics of empathy, individuality, and perseverance throughout the world's troubling times. The Review is committed to safeguarding free speech, equality, and democracy through its publications…
Genres: General.
Lengths: Flash Fiction, Short Story.
Payment: No monetary payment.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 61.4 days.
Acceptances: Unknown. None reported yet in fiction.

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Troublemaker Firestarter

Troublemaker Firestarter is a literary magazine specializing in LGBTQIA+ and feminist topics. Our goal is to excite readers. We welcome the uncomfortable and controversial. New, bold, and proud writers and artists should find their home here.
Genres: General.
Lengths: Flash Fiction, Short Story.
Payment: No monetary payment.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 19.1 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 12.0% of fiction submissions accepted.

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