Markets and Jobs for Writers

Background of a keyboard, mug of coffee, and wallet on a tabletop; text label indicating "Markets and Jobs for Writers: No fees to submit work/apply. Paying gigs only."

Each week in this space, Practicing Writing shares no-fee, paying markets for writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction: competitions, contests, and calls for submissions. These weekly posts complement monthly issues of The Practicing Writer newsletter, where you’ll always find more listings, none of them limiting eligibility to residents of a single municipality, state, or province. (But this blog does share those more localized opportunities, including jobs.)

As always, if you’d like to share a specific opportunity listed here, please credit the blog for the find. Thanks for respecting the time and effort that I put into researching, curating, and posting this information! I do notice, and I appreciate the courtesy.

  • For its New Poetry & Prose series, the University Press of Kentucky “seeks manuscripts of contemporary poetry and fiction that exhibit a profound attention to language, strong imagination, formal inventiveness, and awareness of one’s literary roots.” NB: The press’s website guidelines indicate a deadline of May 1; the deadline currently posted on Submittable is a couple of days later. If I were interested in sending something in, I’d aim for the earlier deadline. And/or I’d contact the press.
  • Running Dog (based in Australia but open to both local and international contributors for this call) is seeking proposals for Crowd / the / Revolution—our second issue in an ongoing series investigating four major concerns that are reshaping our world. You can read our first issue, Automate Me, via our special issues page.” They’ve provided a long list of of possible angles on this topic in the call. “A key component of our special issue series is to bring together a disparate group of thinkers, activists, artists, musicians, coders, critics, scientists, and academics. We wish to breach the boundaries of what is termed ‘contemporary art’, because RD’s position has always been that art does not exist outside of the world-at-large….Submissions may include long-form essays, video, poetry, digital interfaces, fiction and creative non-fiction.” Pays: “All contributors will be paid for their work. Successful applicants will be notified by 5th May, and first drafts will need to be completed by 2nd June.” (Thanks to @WeisChoice for the lead on this one.)
  • West Virginia residents (including students attending school in West Virginia): You’ve still got a few days to enter the West Virginia Fiction Competition. Cash prizes and (possible) publication. Deadline: May 1.
  • UK residents: “Do you identify as trans and/or non-binary? Are you 18 years old or over? Are you as of yet unpublished and un-agented? We have just the opportunity for you. We’re excited to announce the JKP Writing Prize, a unique chance to get your work published in a book for the first time.” Entries should be essays on the theme “Trans Everyday” and are due by midnight on May 3 (presumably midnight GMT). “Successful writers will have their piece published in an anthology (paperback and eBook), as well as win a £150 cash prize.”
  • Don’t forget: Plenty of opportunities listed in our latest monthly newsletter remain open for submissions/pitches/entries. Everything included there is also fee-free and paying. And the next (May) newsletter will be out at week’s end, so if you’re not already a subscriber, check out the archive and sign up to receive it!
  • There’s a position available for a fact checker at newyorker.com (via MEOJobs).
  • Based in Rochester, New York, Writers & Books is receiving proposals for virtual workshops for adults.

Quick reminder: I continue to update this site’s new page of info on Covid-19-focused emergency grants and related info for writers. Check it out at bit.ly/EmergencyResourcesWriters, and please share as you find appropriate.

on a tabletop: a keyboard, a mug of coffee, and a wallet with cash, plus a text label announcing Markets and Jobs for Writers

3 thoughts on “Markets and Jobs for Writers

  1. Cotter Bass says:

    I notice that your rarely mention Nonfiction items in your Markets and Jobs for Writers segment . . . . .

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      I don’t believe that that’s true. In this post, for example, nonfiction (essays) are sought by both Running Dog and the JKP prize. And as far as I know, the virtual teaching opportunity that I listed also welcomes CNF proposals. But check the tag for “Essays” or “Creative Nonfiction” for more. I post what I find! I’m certainly not trying to de-emphasize nonfiction.

      1. Cotter Bass says:

        Understood. Thanks for your reply!
        And BTW, my comment was not meant as a criticism, merely an observation.

        Best regards . . . .
        Cotter Bass, Author

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