Your Guide to Canadian Literary Submissions
Are you looking for places to submit writing in Canada? Check out this guide to Canadian literary submissions!
Included in this guide to Canadian literary submissions is submission information for 80 Canadian literary journals, magazines and websites. As an added bonus, most of these literary publications are open to emerging writers!
I’ve linked directly to the pages describing where to submit writing. I’ve also included whether or not they accept simultaneous submissions, information about payment, how to submit, and what your rights are as an author.
So what are you waiting for? Get submitting!
Agnes and True
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $75 per story
Rights: Authors Retain Copyright
Method: Online Form
Alberta Views
Simultaneous: Not Specified
Payment: Yes, amount not specified
Method: Email
Rights: First North America Serial Rights
Arc
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $50 per page
Method: Submittable
Rights: First Canadian Rights
Auger
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $0.02/word over 1250 words, $25 under 1250, $20 poem
Method: Moksha
Rights: First English Rights
Blank Spaces
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Not Specified
Method: Online Form
Rights: Not specified
Brick
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Yes, amount not specified
Method: Submittable
Rights: Not specified
Broken Pencil
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: $30 to $300
Method: Email, Submittable
Rights: Not specified
Bywords
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: $75
Method: Email
Rights: First publication rights
Canadian Literature
Simultaneous: No
Payment: Small honorarium
Method: OJS
Rights: None exclusive right to publish (poetry only – papers/reviews have different rights)
Canadian Notes and Queries
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Contest prizes up to $1000
Method: Email
Rights: First publication rights
Canthius
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $15/poem, $50/prose
Method: Submittable
Rights: Not specified
carte blanche
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Modest honorarium
Method: Submittable
Rights: First world serial rights
Cosmonauts Avenue
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Contest prizes up to $500
Method: Submittable
Rights: Not specified
CV2
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $30 to $150
Method: Submittable
Rights: First North America serial rights and limited non-exclusive digital rights
Czykmate/Ricky’s Backyard
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $2
Method: Submittable
Rights: Not specified
Dreamers Creative Writing
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $20 – $60
Method: Submittable
Rights: Non-exclusive digital and print rights
Event
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $30/page pros, $35/page poetry, max of $500
Method: Submittable
Rights: First North American serial print rights, limited non-exclusive digital rights
Exile
Simultaneous: No
Payment: Contest prizes up to $10,000
Method: Submittable
Rights: Not specified
Existere
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Small honorarium, amount not specified
Method: Email
Rights: First publication rights
Feathertale
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Yes, but amount not specified
Method: Email
Rights: First publication rights
Filling Station
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $25
Method: Submittable
Rights: First North America serial rights
Forget Magazine
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: None
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
Found Press
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $50 plus royalties
Method: Email
Rights: Authors retain rights
Freefall
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: $10/page up to $100 for prose, $25 per poem
Method: Online Form
Rights: Not specified
Geez
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Modest honorarium, amount not specified
Method: Email
Rights: First publication rights and digital rights
Geist
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Yes, but amount not specified
Method: Postal Mail
Rights: First North American serial rights
Grain
Simultaneous: No
Payment: $50/page to a maximum of $250
Method: Submittable
Rights: First Canadian serial rights
Guts
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: $50 blog/$100 issue
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
Hamilton Arts and Letters
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Small honorarium, amount not specified
Method: Email
Rights: First North American serial rights
Hamilton Review of Books
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $50/review, $75/essay
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
Humber Literary Review
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $100 for essays, fiction, reviews, 2-3 poems, plus 1-year subscription
Method: Submittable
Rights: First North American serial rights
Joyland
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Yes, but amount not specified
Method: Submittable
Rights: Not specified
Juniper: A Poetry Journal
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Not specified
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
Little Fiction | Big Truths
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: No payment provided
Method: Email
Rights: Authors retain copyright
Maple Tree Literary Supplement
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: $30 honorarium
Method: Online Form
Rights: Global Publishing Rights
Montreal Writes
Simultaneous: No
Payment: No payment provided
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
Nunum
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $20
Method: Submittable
Rights: First-time North American publishing rights
One Throne Magazine
Simultaneous: No
Payment: No payment provided
Method: Submittable
Rights: Exclusive publication rights for three months, non-exclusive indefinitely
On Spec
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $50 to $200
Method: Submittable
Rights: First North American serial rights
paperplates
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: No payment provided
Method: Email
Rights: First North American serial rights
Petal Journal
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Not specified
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
Plenitude Magazine
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $35 poem, $85 prose honorarium
Method: Submittable
Rights: First serial rights
Prairie Fire
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $0.10 per word, max $250
Method: Postal Mail
Rights: First North American serial rights
Prism
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $30/page prose, $40/page poetry
Method: Submittable
Rights: First North American serial rights
Pulp Literature
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Between 0.015 and $0.07/per word, max 7000 words
Method: Email
Rights: Exclusive first world rights, print and digital
Queen’s Quarterly
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Yes, but amount not specified
Method: Email or Postal Mail
Rights: First North American serial rights
Ricepaper Magazine
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: No payment provided
Method: Email
Rights: First North American serial rights
Riddle Fence
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $30/page
Method: Email
Rights: First serial rights
Room
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $50/one page, $60/two, $90/three, $120 four, $150 five plus
Method: Submittable
Rights: Not specified, but authors retain copyright
Sewer Lid
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Not specified
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
Spadina Literary Review
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Not specified
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
subTerrain
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: $0.10/per word, max $500, $50 poem
Method: Submittable
Rights: Not specified
Taddle Creek
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Not specified
Method: Email or postal mail
Rights: Not specified
The Anti-Languorous Project
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: 1 hard copy publication
Method: Submittable
Rights: First North American Serial Rights
The Bull Calf
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Not specified
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
The Dalhousie Review
Simultaneous: No
Payment: No payment provided
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
The Danforth Review
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: No payment provided
Method: Submittable
Rights: Right to publish online and in archives
The Darling Axe
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: $5
Method: Online Form
Rights: Not specified
The Fiddlehead
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $60/page
Method: Submittable
Rights: First serial rights
The Goose
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: No payment provided
Method: Online form
Rights: Authors signs over copyright, keep personal use exceptions
The Malahat Review
Simultaneous: No
Payment: $60/page plus a 1 year subscription
Method: Submittable
Rights: First world print and serial rights
The Maynard
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Not specified
Method: Online Form
Rights: First North American Serial Rights and non-exclusive reprint rights
The Montreal Review
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: No payment provided
Method: Email
Rights: The authors retain all copyright after the appearance of their work in The Montreal Review
The New Quarterly
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $250 (story or non-fiction)/$40 (poem)
Method: Postal Mail
Rights: First Canadian publishing rights
The Prairie Journal
Simultaneous: No
Payment: Modest honorarium for print, amount not specified
Method: Postal Mail
Rights: First publication rights
The Puritan
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $20/poem, $75/fiction, $100/essay, interview or review
Method: Online Form
Rights: First North American serial rights
The Quilliad
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: $13 honorarium
Method: Email
Rights: Right to print
The Rusty Toque
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: $50 honorarium
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
The/tEmz/Review
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $20
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
The Walrus
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: $1/word for print, online is $350 for opinion pieces/essays and $400 for reported pieces
Method: Email
Rights: First North American serial rights
The Windsor Review
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Not specified
Method: Email or postal mail
Rights: Not specified
This Magazine
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Yes, but amount not specified
Method: Email
Rights: First serial rights
Understory
Simultaneous: Yes
Payment: Yes, $50 to $100
Method: Email
Rights: Non-exclusive internet rights
Untethered
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Contest prizes up to $200
Method: Email
Rights: Not specified
Vallum Magazine
Simultaneous: No
Payment: Yes, but amount not specified
Method: Online or postal mail
Rights: First North American serial rights
White Wall Review
Simultaneous: Not specified
Payment: Not specified
Method: Not specified
Rights: Not specified
Submit writing to Dreamers Creative Writing!
Dreamers is also part of this Guide to Canadian Literary Submissions:
We’re looking for short stories, poems, personal essays or excerpts (that stand alone) from any genre of writing. We’re willing to consider any form of writing that is well-written and from the heart. We especially love writing that has some connection to writing for wellness – narrative medicine, medical memoir, writing the self, healing writing, etc. Previously published pieces are okay, as long as they are currently available for repeat publication. We accept submissions via submittable and pay authors a one-time $20 honorarium.
Love writing contests?
We’ve compiled lists of some of the best Canadian contests run by literary publications to submit writing to:
- 15 Canadian Creative Non-Fiction Contests
- 5 Places to Submit Flash Fiction in Canada
- 10 Poetry Contests Open to Canadians
- 13 Short Story Contests in Canada
If you like this Guide to Canadian Literary Submissions, you’ll also love our lists of contests where you can submit!
About the Author of this Guide to Canadian Literary Submissions
Kat McNichol is the Co-Editor for the Journal of Integrated Studies and the Editor-in-Chief of Dreamers Creative Writing. She is also a Director of Marketing-Communications in Waterloo and has spent the past 12+ years writing marketing copy for the high-tech industry. She holds a B.A. in English Literature, and an MAIS in Writing and New Media, and Literary Studies, and she is working on a PhD in Career Writing at the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands.
*I’ve emailed a number of queries to the Canadian literary publications (Canadian literary journals, literary websites, literary magazines) featured in this guide to Canadian literary submissions, asking for the information I’m currently missing. This article about where to submit writing in Canada will be updated as the missing information is provided to me. In the meantime, if you notice anything incorrect in this list of Canadian literary publications or you have some of the information I’m missing, email info@dreamerswriting.com.
*This article about which literary publications to submit writing to in Canada was last updated on July 29, 2020.
