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The Top 100: Most Challenging Fiction Publications

The following fiction publishers are among the Top 100 most challenging, according to responses reported by our users. (To qualify for this list, we must have received a minimum of 25 people reporting responses to fiction submissions, and at least one must have been an acceptance. "Fledgling" listings are not included.)
Note: The information on this page is updated once daily and may not reflect recent response reports or changes in status.
TitleGenresLengthsPaymentMedia
Clarkesworld: Science Fiction & Fantasy Magazine (Wyrm Publishing)     
Ploughshares  Charges fees for some submissions  to Provides copies  
The Sun Magazine  Charges fees for all submissions  
AGNI  Charges fees for some submissions  to Provides copies  
Split Lip Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions  to  
Okay Donkey Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions  
Autumn House Fiction Prize (Autumn House Press) Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  +
Pleiades: Literature in Context TEMP CLOSED  
The Masters Review New Voices  to
Ninth Letter  Charges fees for some submissions   to Provides copies
The Drift: A Magazine of Culture and Politics  
The Missouri Review  Charges fees for some submissions   
The Florida Review  Charges fees for all submissions  
Booth  Charges fees for all submissions  to  
Strange Pilgrims TEMP CLOSED    to  
Slant Books  Charges fees for all submissions   +  
The Massachusetts Review  Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
Redivider: A Journal for New Literature  Provides copies  
Colorado Review  Charges fees for all submissions to
Bennington Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
The Cincinnati Review TEMP CLOSED  
Chestnut Review  Charges fees for all submissions  to  
Salt Hill Journal TEMP CLOSED  
Beneath Ceaseless Skies  
Wigleaf: (very) short fiction TEMP CLOSED
Uncanny Magazine TEMP CLOSED     
Haven Speculative Magazine TEMP CLOSED 
PodCastle (Escape Artists) TEMP CLOSED  
Sequestrum: Literature & Art  Charges fees for all submissions     to
The Idaho Review  Charges fees for some submissions   Provides copies
The Dark Magazine (Prime Books) 
Glossy Planet Literary Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED
Wallstrait: A Literary Journal of Hard-to-Define Fiction  Charges fees for some submissions   to
The Adroit Journal  to
Augur Magazine TEMP CLOSED    
Orion's Belt  
Baltimore Review  to Provides copies  
Peatsmoke Journal  Charges fees for all submissions  to
West Branch  
Intrepidus Ink      
The Georgia Review  Charges fees for some submissions 
EPOCH Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED   
The Penn Review  
Post Road Magazine  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  
Hayden's Ferry Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  Provides copies  
The Apple Valley Review 
F(r)iction (Brink Literacy Project) Charges fees for all submissions   to Provides copies
West Trade Review (Iron Oak Editions) Charges fees for all submissions  
ShortStory Substack   to
The Southampton Review  Charges fees for all submissions  to Provides copies  
Propagule Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions    to
The Colored Lens: Speculative Fiction Magazine     to
Brown Hound Press   to
SmokeLong Quarterly  Charges fees for some submissions
Electric Spec    to
The Future Fire         to
Allegory e-Zine TEMP CLOSED     to
New Letters  Charges fees for all submissions  Provides copies
cream city review  Charges fees for all submissions  Provides copies
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Must Read Books Publishing)   
Bellevue Literary Review  Charges fees for all submissions to
Flash Frog
The Forge Literary Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED   to
Remains Magazine 
The Offing: A Literary Magazine to
Cold Caller Magazine  to
Black Fox Literary Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions     to  
Banshee: A Literary Journal (Banshee Press) TEMP CLOSED  Provides copies
Black Warrior Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
swamp pink  Charges fees for all submissions  to
TriQuarterly  Charges fees for all submissions 
Crab Apple Literary TEMP CLOSED  
Southern Humanities Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED   to
Fraidy Cat Quarterly (Fraidy Cat Press) TEMP CLOSED     to  
Potomac Review  Provides copies  
Bourbon Penn TEMP CLOSED    
Conjunctions  Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED   to  
MENACE Magazine  MATURE TEMP CLOSED     to
Broad Ripple Review 
Brilliant Flash Fiction  to  
PULP Literature TEMP CLOSED           to  
Orison Books TEMP CLOSED   +  
Epiphany: A Literary Journal  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
Notre Dame Review (Notre Dame Press) Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED 
Reckoning: creative writing on environmental justice      
OTHERSIDE TEMP CLOSED    
Bat City Review   Provides copies
Fun in the Dark Anthology Series (Kilter & Rammel Publishing)    to Provides copies  
Southern Indiana Review  Charges fees for all submissions    to Provides copies
Translunar Travelers Lounge  
American Literary Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED 
Indiana Review  Charges fees for all submissions  to Provides copies
The Greensboro Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED 
Failbetter    
Chatterbox! 
Arcturus Magazine (Chicago Review of Books) 
X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine TEMP CLOSED 
Remember: The more people who report their response times to us, the more accurate our statistics are. Please report your responses to us!

Date compiled: Saturday, September 19, 2026 11:18:27 PM UTC.

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