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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)     
The Sun Magazine  Charges fees for all submissions  
Ploughshares  Charges fees for some submissions  to Provides copies  
AGNI  Charges fees for some submissions  to Provides copies  
Split Lip Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions  to  
West Branch  
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 Drift: A Magazine of Culture and Politics  
The Masters Review New Voices  to
Ninth Letter  Charges fees for some submissions   to Provides copies
The Georgia Review  Charges fees for some submissions 
The Florida Review  Charges fees for all submissions  
Brilliant Flash Fiction  to  
The Missouri Review  Charges fees for some submissions   
The Dark Magazine (Prime Books) 
Strange Pilgrims TEMP CLOSED    to  
Booth  Charges fees for all submissions  to  
Slant Books  Charges fees for all submissions   +  
Redivider: A Journal for New Literature  Provides copies  
Augur Magazine TEMP CLOSED    
Orion's Belt TEMP CLOSED  
New Letters  Charges fees for all submissions  Provides copies
Bennington Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
Beneath Ceaseless Skies  
Wigleaf: (very) short fiction
PodCastle (Escape Artists)  
The Cincinnati Review TEMP CLOSED  
New Feathers Anthology TEMP CLOSED   to Provides copies  
Southern Indiana Review  Charges fees for all submissions    to Provides copies
Fusion Fragment  
Hayden's Ferry Review  Charges fees for all submissions  Provides copies  
Uncanny Magazine TEMP CLOSED     
Sequestrum: Literature & Art  Charges fees for all submissions     to
Wallstrait: A Literary Journal of Hard-to-Define Fiction  Charges fees for some submissions   to
The Adroit Journal TEMP CLOSED  to
Glossy Planet Literary Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions
Kenyon Review TEMP CLOSED   
Colorado Review  Charges fees for all submissions to
Brown Hound Press TEMP CLOSED   to
ShortStory Substack   to
The Penn Review  
Baltimore Review  to Provides copies  
The Apple Valley Review 
West Trade Review (Iron Oak Editions) Charges fees for all submissions  
Post Road Magazine  Charges fees for all submissions  
Intrepidus Ink      
Haven Speculative Magazine / Haven Spec 
The Rumen TEMP CLOSED 
SmokeLong Quarterly  Charges fees for some submissions
F(r)iction (Brink Literacy Project) Charges fees for all submissions   to Provides copies
The Southampton Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to Provides copies  
Propagule Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions    to
The Dublin Review
Black Warrior Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
swamp pink  Charges fees for all submissions  to
The Future Fire         to
Remains Magazine 
Electric Spec    to
Cold Caller Magazine  to
The Forge Literary Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions   to
EPOCH Magazine  Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED   
Southern Humanities Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED   to
Fabula Argentea: the venue of good writing   
Broad Ripple Review 
Nightmare Magazine TEMP CLOSED  
Translunar Travelers Lounge TEMP CLOSED  
Banshee: A Literary Journal (Banshee Press) TEMP CLOSED  Provides copies
Chestnut Review  Charges fees for all submissions  to  
Pseudopod (Escape Artists) TEMP CLOSED 
Crab Apple Literary TEMP CLOSED  
The Offing: A Literary Magazine to
Tahoma Literary Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
Fraidy Cat Quarterly (Fraidy Cat Press) TEMP CLOSED     to  
Strange Horizons: A Magazine of Speculative Fiction TEMP CLOSED    
Flash Frog
Potomac Review  Provides copies  
Frazzled Lit TEMP CLOSED 
Epiphany Magazine  Charges fees for all submissions  to
MENACE Magazine  MATURE     to
Red Rock Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED Provides copies
OTHERSIDE (Hybris Press) TEMP CLOSED    
Orison Books TEMP CLOSED   +  
The Stinging Fly TEMP CLOSED  Provides copies
Conjunctions  Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED   to  
Bourbon Penn    
Indiana Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to Provides copies
Ink In Thirds to  
Fun in the Dark Anthology Series (Kilter & Rammel Publishing) TEMP CLOSED    to Provides copies  
Tabula Rasa Review  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to  
Peatsmoke Journal  Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED  to
The Southern Review (Louisiana State University Press) Charges fees for all submissions   to Provides copies
FreeFall Magazine TEMP CLOSED   Provides copies
Failbetter    
The Baffler 
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: Monday, November 9, 2026 6:42:42 AM UTC.

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