Places to submit

Pulp Fiction

 

Pulp Fiction, a Canadian magazine, features a variety of genres:  science fiction, mystery, fantasy, history, suspense, and thriller.

“We realized we knew a lot of writers who had pieces sitting in shoe boxes under their bed[s] . . .  We also knew writers looking to break out.” — The Writer magazine, October 2016

The “pulp” in the title refers to “cheap pulp paper used in the dime-novels of last century.

“We love literary fiction. Beautiful prose, soul-searching themes, and powerful and complex character development are all part of the stories we like.”

From their website:

Format

In these days of massive hardcover tomes and heavyweight trade paperbacks, do you miss the small, inexpensive paperbacks you could stuff in your purse or coat pocket?  We do, which is why our print format is a digest-sized magazine, lovingly modeled after fabulous magazines which have stood the test of time.

 Pulp Fiction is looking for:

Any genre or between-genre work of literature, or visual art (black and white) up to 75 pages in length.  Short stories, novellas, poetry, comics, illustrations — bring it on.  We do not publish non-fiction, memoir, or children’s stories.  Aside from that we want anything entertaining and well written.

Contests

Pulp Literature has four annual contests for writers, and new this year, a cover painting contest for artists.  To hear about contests in advance, subscribe to their free monthly newsletter.

“We receive fewer entries in a contest than in general submissions, so you’re more likely to get noticed.”

The Bumblebee Flash Fiction Contest      Deadline:  February 15, 2017

The Magpie Award for Poetry

At Pulp Literature, we have an affinity for poetry, the hard liquor of literature. We like it strong, neat, and we don’t mind if it makes our eyes water.  Our judges, will be looking for a fusion of musicality, imagery, feeling, and thought.  May the best poem win!

Contest opens: 1 March 2017
Deadline:  15 April 2017
Entry fee: $25 1st poem, $10 each subsequent poem
Earlybird fee (before 15 March): $20 1st poem, $10 each subsequent poem
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.

The Hummingbird Flash Fiction Prize

Got something short, sharp and snappy to tell?  Wow us with your most economical and brilliant storytelling.  This contest is for short fiction under 1000 words.  Want feedback on your story?  Get a professional critique from one of the Pulp Literature editors for only $15 more.

Deadline:  15 June 2017
Entry fee: $15
Earlybird fee (before 15 May): $10
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.

The Raven Short Story Contest

We Pulp Literature editors collect stories like ravens in the woods, swooping down on what catches our eye and bringing the treasures — sometimes sparkling, sometimes grisly, but always fascinating — home to our nests.  Want feedback on your story?  Get a professional critique from one of the Pulp Literature editors for only $25 more.  Show us your most scintillating treasures in the form of short fiction up to 2500 words in length and you could be the one bringing home $300 to line your nest!

Contest opens: 1 September 2017
Deadline: 15 October 2017
Entry fee: $20
Editorial critique: $25
Earlybird fee (before 15 September): $15
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature

This contest is for previously unpublished short fiction between 500 and 2500 words in length.  Multiple entries welcome.

Submission Guidelines

Short Fiction Guidelines

We are looking for entertaining, accessible stories:  A story readers can sink into late at night before they go to bed.  We want to stretch people’s minds, but not give them a headache.

We want a balance of serious and lighthearted stories.  We strive for emotional balance in each of our issues, and want our readers to leave feeling challenged yet refreshed.

We aren’t satisfied with a joke.  Some writers send shaggy dog stories that end with a twist or revelation that is funny, but not a story.  A story is about a person, not a plot twist.

We take more short fiction than novellas.   Stories under 5000 words have the best chance of publication.

We want both plot and character.   We like some action along with those intriguing personalities, and we want to see characters that grow and change throughout the story arc.

Reading fees

Because of the large volume of short fiction we receive we charge a reading fee of $10 CAD (roughly $7 US) for short stories and novellas.  If this fee is a hardship please contact us.  Finances should never prevent your words from being seen!  There are no fees for poetry, novel,  or artwork submissions.

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