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Crime fiction magazines that pay for short stories

Mystery, crime and noir magazines currently reading short fiction, with pay rates and word counts from their own guidelines.

Updated Nov 3, 2026. Every entry below was checked by hand against the organizer’s own page on the date shown. Deadlines, fees and terms change, so always confirm on the official page before you submit or pay anything.

Crime and mystery magazines that pay for fiction

• Stone's Throw – December 2026 prompt (official page) (Rock and a Hard Place Press): deadline Nov 4, 2026 (closing soon) — Window opens Nov 1–4, 2026 only (prompt: 'Bing Crosby Was a Lying Bastard and We're Glad He's Dead'); no entry fee; $25 for the single story chosen; length: 1,000–2,000. Dark fiction, crime and noir matching the monthly prompt. Winners can't resubmit in the same calendar year. No AI. Checked Oct 28, 2026.
• Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (official page) (1 Paragraph, Inc.): open anytime; no entry fee; Paid (rate not stated on guidelines page); length: Up to 12,000 (most much shorter). Any story about a crime or the threat of one; no stories based on real crimes. Online submission system; simultaneous subs OK if you notify. Checked Oct 28, 2026.
• Cold Caller (official page) (Cold Caller Magazine (Substack)): open anytime; no entry fee; $125 flat per story; length: 2,000–6,000 sweet spot; up to 10,000. Crime and mystery broadly: bad decisions, grifters, losers. First North American serial rights. Response 3–6 months. Checked Oct 28, 2026.
• Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (official page) (Must Read Books Publishing): open anytime; no entry fee; 6–8¢/word (fiction); $25–50 per poem; 7¢/word nonfiction; length: 2,500–8,000 preferred (700–20,000 considered). All mystery/crime subgenres; no explicit sex or violence. Must be unpublished in the US. Department of First Stories for writers never published professionally. .doc/.docx via online system. Checked Oct 28, 2026.
• Mystery Tribune (official page) (Mystery Tribune): open anytime; no entry fee; Honorarium for print-edition fiction (amount discussed on acceptance); web/flash unpaid; length: No fixed limit; most 3,000–6,000; they rarely read past 10,000. Crime, mystery, noir, suspense. Original, never-published material only. One story at a time. Checked Oct 28, 2026.
• The Strand Magazine (official page) (The Strand Magazine): open anytime; no entry fee; $100–150 per story; length: 2,000–6,000 preferred (occasional 1,000-word shorts or short novellas). Mysteries, detective stories, tales of terror and the supernatural. Email submissions@strandmag.com with a short intro and credits. Checked Oct 28, 2026.
• Uncharted Magazine – Thriller & Mystery (official page) (Uncharted Magazine): open anytime; no entry fee (optional paid editorial feedback); $200 for original fiction; length: See guidelines (1,000–5,000 per category). Thriller/mystery category now includes horror. Open year-round via Submittable; simultaneous subs OK. Checked Oct 28, 2026.

Other crime fiction outlets (unpaid, honorarium or rate not stated)

• Guilty Crime Story Magazine – Flash Series (official page) (Guilty Crime Story Magazine): open anytime; no entry fee; Unpaid (web flash). Print magazine pays $10 but print is currently CLOSED; length: 500–1,000 (firm). Crime stories told from the criminal's perspective. Complete stories only; no simultaneous or multiple subs. Email guiltycrimemag@gmail.com. Checked Oct 28, 2026.

Paying anthologies and calls

Many paying markets for crime short fiction are one-off anthology calls rather than magazines. See mystery anthologies open now.

Recently closed or paused (checked Oct 27, 2026)

• Black Cat Weekly (mysteries): its submission portal says it is currently closed to mystery submissions.
• Pulp Modern: the main magazine was invitation-only when checked.
• Akashic Books’ Mondays Are Murder flash series: closed to submissions.

Questions writers ask

Which crime fiction magazines pay writers?

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine pays 6–8 cents a word for fiction. Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, The Strand Magazine, Cold Caller and Uncharted Magazine also pay for crime and mystery stories. Rates and reading periods are on each listing.

Do mystery magazines charge submission fees?

The paying magazines listed here charge no submission fee when checked. Uncharted Magazine offers optional paid feedback, which you don't have to buy.

Can a writer with no publishing credits submit?

Yes. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine has a Department of First Stories for writers who have never been published professionally, and most magazines here read unsolicited work from anyone.

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