Smart Search List of the Day

Paying Fee-Free Mainstream Fiction

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Note: These are the results of a previous Smart Search List of the Day. Today's Smart Search is Essays.

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: Paying Fee-Free Mainstream Fiction. Check back tomorrow for a new list.
Color Coding: Purple indicates a Wildcard, Green indicates a paying publication, and Blue is everything else.

After Dinner Conversation

After Dinner Conversation is an independent nonprofit publisher. We believe in fostering meaningful discussions among friends, family, and students to enhance humanity through truth-seeking, reflection, and respectful debate. To achieve this, we publish philosophical and ethical short story fiction accompanied by discussion questions…
Genres: Open to all/most genres, including: General.
Lengths: Short Story.
Payment: to Semi-pro to Professional. Details: USD $75.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 57.7 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 6.7% of fiction submissions accepted.

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Emberwick Press

Emberwick Press is an independent, upstart publishing house dedicated to bringing bold, character-driven fiction to the forefront. We exist to champion innovative storytelling that challenges the boundaries of traditional genres. We are seeking strong voices in middle-grade, young adult, and adult fiction. We are especially interested in middle-grade / YA titles, as well as Adult Horror / Thriller novels and novellas.
Genres: Open to all/most genres, including: General, Horror, Suspense/Thriller.
Lengths: Novella, Novel.
Payment: + No advance. >=15% royalties. Details: 50% royalties on gross receipts.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 94.8 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 17.1% of fiction submissions accepted.

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Fabula Argentea

Fabula Argentea (FA for short) is Latin for “silver story” and the name is pronounced FAH-boo-la ar-GEN-tee-ah (where the “g” is hard as in “grape”). FA is a paying market. Our goal is to bring its readers the best writing we can find. Period. We accept a wide variety of material: genre, literary, humor, the grit of life, happy endings, sad endings, and perhaps the occasional spicy story.
Genres: Open to all/most genres, including: General.
Lengths: Flash Fiction, Short Story, Novelette.
Payment: Token. Details: USD $5 up to 1,000 words, $10 for 1,000-5,000 words, $15 for 5,000-8000 words.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 20.8 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 1.3% of fiction submissions accepted.

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History Through Fiction Press

Founded in 2019 by Minnesota Author and Historian Colin Mustful, History Through Fiction is an independent press publishing high quality fiction that is rooted in accurate and detailed historical research. As publishers of historical fiction, we seek to provide readers with compelling narratives that also act as valuable historical resources…
Genres: General.
Lengths: Novel.
Payment: + Unknown advance. Unknown royalties.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 50.3 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 10.5% of fiction submissions accepted.

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Intrepidus Ink

Our stories are gutsy. An alarmingly individual spirit defines us. Achievement-oriented. Tales of those who struggle, risk everything, lose everything, gain it back—and overcome. Confidence. Emotion. Our words fearlessly and unapologetically fascinate.
Genres: Open to all/most genres, including: General, Action-Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction.
Lengths: Flash Fiction, Short Story.
Payment: Semi-pro. Details: USD $0.02/word for 300-1,000 words; $30 for 1,500-2,500 words.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 1.6 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 1.0% of fiction submissions accepted.

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MEMEZINE

MEMEZINE believes that memes not only inspire art, literature, and poetry, but that they also hold artistic merit in and of themselves. Whether or not we are aware, interacting with a meme is a way of engaging in a larger cultural moment. And, like, they can make us laugh. They’re also a means of forming connection in ways that cannot be put into simple words…
Genres: Open to all/most genres, including: General.
Lengths: Flash Fiction, Short Story.
Payment: to Token to Semi-pro. Details: USD $10 per contributor.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 15.1 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 6.1% of fiction submissions accepted.

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The People's Friend Wildcard

The People’s Friend is DC Thomson’s flagship title and the longest-running women’s weekly magazine in the world. First gracing newsagents’ shelves on 13 January 1869, the magazine has an ever-rising subscription base and is loved and trusted all around the world, with readers in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa…
Genres: General.
Lengths: Short Story, Novelette, Novella, Novel.
Payment: to Semi-pro to Professional. Details: GBP £300 for pocket novels; £80-100 for stories; see their site for full details.

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Quotidian Bagatelle

Quotidian Bagatelle [is] a micro imprint from Foofaraw Press.
Genres: General.
Lengths: Flash Fiction.
Payment: to Token to Semi-pro. Details: USD $0.02/word, max. $15.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 13.3 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 52.6% of fiction submissions accepted.

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ShortStory Substack

Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful.
Genres: General.
Lengths: Flash Fiction, Short Story, Novelette.
Payment: to Semi-pro to Professional. Royalties. Details: USD $100, plus 50% of subscription revenue.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 77.3 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 1.2% of fiction submissions accepted.

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Storm Publishing

Storm is a brand-new digital-first publisher. We’re starting small, but we have BIG plans and are looking for writers to be part of an innovative, author-focused new business. Storm Publishing is a new company, but our team are highly experienced – with over 100 years of publishing between them, working for some of the biggest names in the industry.
Genres: General, Fantasy, Mystery/Crime, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense/Thriller.
Lengths: Novel.
Payment: + Unknown advance. Unknown royalties.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 27.0 days.
Acceptances: Unknown. None reported yet in fiction.

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