Markets & 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.

  • Valiant Scribe‘s current poetry contest “calls for submissions that focus on war and peace, despair and hope. In a world filled with war, poverty, natural disasters, human rights violations, and other ills, we seek poetry that evokes thoughts of hope, telling us there is a light at the end of the tunnel.” Will consider previously published submissions. Prizes: “First prize: USD 250, author video interview & featured inclusion in Valiant Scribe’s next issue. Second prize: USD 100, & inclusion in Valiant Scribe’s next issue. Third prize: USD 50, & inclusion in Valiant Scribe’s next issue. The following 30-50 runners-up will be included in the next issue of the journal titled ‘Vultures & Doves: Social Issues of Our Time’ and will receive a free version of the journal.” Deadline: August 15.
  • For the remainder of August, Typehouse Literary Magazine “is looking for submissions of poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction and visual art. Writing that grabs us conveys a unique perspective and honest insight into our world. We are especially interested in underrepresented voices of all kinds, and we want to see submissions from writers and artists of all races, sexualities, nationalities, religions, and genders, as well as disabled and neurodivergent creators. Genre fiction submissions are welcome, particularly speculative fiction.” Pays “We are slowly working our way up to paying professional rates, with contributors paid $10 for  issue 15, $15 for Issues 16-19, and $18 for issues 20-21. For issue 22 we paid $21 a submitter.”
  • From Roxane Gay: “I’ve partnered with Mayors for Guaranteed Income at The Audacity on a writing project to select five essays or stories on the loose prompt of UBI/guaranteed income. Each selected author will receive a payment of $2,000, and have their story published in this newsletter, this fall. Submissions are open now through September 1, and should be no longer than 2,000 words.”
  • Micro-grants available from Neon Books, “a tiny publisher with a tiny budget. Each month, we spend a small amount of that tiny budget on advertising. Buying advertising really helps people discover the magazine… but it isn’t very fun or interesting. We’d like to experiment with other, better ways of using our advertising budget. To that end, we’ll be providing support for a small number of creative activities from July 2021 to December 2021. We can offer funding up to around £200 – enough to cover the purchase of a piece of equipment, train tickets for a research trip, a free ticket for a low-income creative to attend your event, promotional materials for a show, or printing costs for a pamphlet. In addition to funds, we can also provide more nebulous support: web hosting, a place to sell your stuff in our shop, promotion for your work, and advice and access to our network.” No deadline indicated. NB: “We are happy to support projects based anywhere in the world, but are particularly interested in projects based close to home (Edinburgh, Scotland).” (Thanks to Freelance Writing Jobs for leading me to this one.)
  • In Vermont, New England Review is hiring a full-time managing editor.
  • This Magazine seeks a fiction editor: “Ideal candidates have experience editing short fiction, a familiarity with emerging and established Canadian authors, an understanding of Canada’s arts and literature scene, and a love for small print media. This position pays a small per-issue stipend. This is a remote position that can be done from anywhere in Canada. Candidates must be Canadian residents.” Apply by August 13.
  • UK-based Mslexia is hiring an Outreach Co-ordinator. NB: “This is a 3-day-week position. Payment is based on a full-time salary in the range £19,000-£22,000 (pro rata), depending on experience (i.e. £11,400-£13,200 actual)….Mslexia’s offices are in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, but the team is currently working from home due to Covid-19. Plans are underway for a hybrid system of office and home working, commencing when conditions permit. However, it is expected that all members of staff will live within commuting distance of the office to facilitate close communication and collaboration.” Apply by August 15.
  • Young Chicago Authors, “which helps young people from all backgrounds to understand the importance of their own stories and those of others, so that they can pursue the path they choose and work to make their communities more just and equitable,” has several open positions. Apply by August 16.
  • In New York, “The MFA program in Creative Writing at Manhattanville College invites applications for a full-time Program Director. We seek a creative, experienced, and collaborative individual to join us in an effort to build and grow an already successful program. This is a 12-month administrative position, with responsibilities that include: curriculum development; collaboration with Admissions on recruiting, marketing and advertising; developing and articulating an academic vision for the program in concert with the mission of the College; administrative and operational functions of the program as a whole; scheduling of classes; hiring faculty; advising students; organizing events; participating in alumni activities and events; participating in fundraising activities; oversight of MFA fellows program. While the position is not a faculty position, the successful candidate will be expected to teach one graduate course per year.”
  • From Grub Street’s annual conference: “We invite all interested writers, authors, literary agents, editors, and publishing experts to apply to present at the Muse & the Marketplace 2022, taking place April 27 to May 1 in a hybrid format. Craft and marketplace sessions will take place online, with additional (optional) in-person events in Boston, MA. All Muse presenters enjoy tuition-free conference sessions, keynotes, and special events, and receive a small thank-you honorarium. Please know that while we accept proposals from applicants living any distance from Boston, our travel funds are quite limited. Travel to Boston is not necessary to present at Muse 2022.” Apply by September 6.
on a tabletop: a keyboard, a mug of coffee, and a wallet with cash, plus a text label announcing Markets and Jobs for Writers