Freelance scribbler exploring worlds real and imagined

30 Publishers that Pay for Reprints

I’ve been publishing short stories for long enough that some of my early publications now no longer exist. That’s especially annoying when it’s an online journal. If it was a print publisher, or even an ebook, that’s still an extant artifact you can show to your friends, or readers could theoretically stumble across in some other way. Once an online journal goes dead, though, they often disappear from the web completely, and any stories or poems they published along with them.

Now, some of these early stories, I’m not too mad that they’re not available anymore because, in hindsight, they were…rough around the edges, I’ll say. But some of them are stories I still believe in and would love to keep sharing with readers—and not just the ones who happen to stumble across my website or blog.

Rather than get depressed over these publications disappearing, I’ve decided to take this as an opportunity to find them a second home—one that’s even better than the first place I published the story. I knew when I started that this would be a challenge since the majority of journals and anthologies won’t consider previously published work. That said, I’ve been surprised by just how many high-quality markets do consider reprints, now that this is something I’m paying attention to.

Here are a few of the places I’ve found that can make a great home for previously published stories (and poems or essays too, in most cases, although I was focusing on them from a fiction standpoint). It’s certainly far from a comprehensive list, but can at least give you a place to start if you’re looking for reprint markets.

What exactly is a reprint?

In short, it’s any time a journal, magazine, anthology, etc. publishes a piece of writing that already appeared somewhere else (or is “previously published”, to use the lingo you’ll often see in publisher guidelines). Now, this is the simple version. In reality, there’s often some nuance to this.

Everyone agrees that a story or poem is previously published if:

Where things can get a bit wibbly wobbly is when:

…basically, if your story was published by someone who isn’t you, and is still available to read in some form, then you’ll only be able to publish it again with a market that explicitly accepts reprints. In other situations, though, you may have more options for where to find it a second home.

Steps to prep a story for reprinting

Even for markets that accept reprints, in most cases previously published stories will be a harder sell than unpublished work. There’s also just fewer places that will even look at them, so you don’t want to burn through all your options if the story’s not really ready to go out. You can increase your odds of getting a yes by taking a few extra steps before you start sending it out, like:

1. Verify that you retain the rights to republish the story.

The vast majority of journal and anthology publishers only claim first publication rights. In other words, you allow them to be the first ones to publish the piece, but you retain the full rights to it otherwise. Some places do request exclusive rights for a certain length of time, though. For instance, they may want to be the only place where the work is available for 6 months after its initial release.

Publication timelines vary. Some journals accept work months ahead of when it’s published. On the other extreme, I’ve had less than month pass between sending out the submission and having it published online. Because of this variety, I would wait until the exclusivity period has passed to even start sending it out as a reprint, just in case a place that wants it is one of those fast movers.

If you signed a publication contract, check there to see if the story is under a period of exclusivity and, if so, when it will end. If you didn’t, check the publisher’s website for details on the rights they claim (and, if there’s no info there either, you can take that to mean you’re safe to send the story out).

2. Give it both a line-level and high-level editing pass.

Don’t assume the story is in its best form just because someone published it, especially if it’s been a few years since you wrote it. Theoretically, you’ve grown and improved as a writer. Maybe it was as good as you could make it then, but you can do better now with what you’ve learned since.

By sending the story out again, you’re already shifting it from the “finished” back into the “in progress” column, and that means you should be willing to tweak it if it’s necessary. Take this opportunity to make the story even better—and, by doing so, you might even ratchet up the level of publication that will be interested in it.

3. Get objective eyes on the story to catch any issues you missed.

Getting distance from a story can make your read of it more objective, but even so you won’t catch everything that an outside reader would. Take the piece to your workshop group or beta reader and see if they think it’s ready to find a home, or if there’s any places they think it could still be improved. As an added bonus, they might know of some markets that would be a great fit for the story, which can give you a head start on looking for publishers.

4. Clarify your goals for reprinting the story.

Knowing why you want to publish the piece again can help you home in on the right markets. For example, if you’re putting together a collection and want to get the story out again to catch an editor’s eye, a good place to start can be with book-length publishers who run a journal. If your goal is to get it as many readers as possible, an online journal that can be read for free will accomplish that the best. On the other hand, if you want to get the most bang for your buck for reselling the story, print anthologies will often pay more for reprints than online markets. The best publisher for your story depends on what you’re hoping to get out of it.

5. Revise your cover letter to include details of the past publication.

Transparency is key when you’re sending out a story as a reprint. In the first paragraph of the cover letter, note that the piece is previously published and provide the necessary info: the market, when it was published, and its current status (e.g. no longer available, currently readable online, etc.).

This is especially important for markets that pay different rates for originals and reprints, but it’s a good idea to be up-front about this regardless. Even publishers who accept reprints are likely to be annoyed if they feel like you tried to hide it. In some cases it can actually benefit you to include this info, too—for instance, some places specifically want to give a new home to pieces from now-defunct markets, or may prefer reprints over originals at certain story lengths.

30 publishers that pay for reprints

All of the markets listed below don’t just consider reprints, but also pay for them. One thing to bear in mind: most places that do both reprints and originals pay less for reprints, sometimes substantially less. But the fact that they pay at all is still valuable. Paying markets are often stronger markets in other ways, too. They often have a broader readership, better editing and design, and are more likely to nominate works for industry prizes, or promote them in other ways.

In short: these are places that are likely to make a good home for your story, so you won’t need to worry about doing all of this again a third time.

After Dinner Conversation

The focus of After Dinner Conversation is on stories that pose an ethical question or promotes deeper philosophical discussion. They go into more detail on what that means and the types of stories they’re looking for on their website. They’ll consider reprints only if the story is not available for free online.

After Happy Hour

After Happy Hour likes to publish a variety of work in each issue, including fiction from a range of genres. They’re mostly interested in reprints of works published in now-defunct journals, or ones published in small-circulation print journals, and are unlikely to publish something currently available to read online.

Allegory

Allegory publishes, as they say, “good, solid fiction.” They mostly do SFFH but will consider other genres “provided that the work possesses an original, quirky slant.” Their only extra rules for reprints are to make sure you tell them where and when it was published.

Archive of the Odd

Another one with a highly specific focus, Archive of the Odd only publishes speculative work in the form of found fiction. Forms past stories have taken include letters, news articles, product support pages, and research dossiers—if the story is told in the form of assembled documents of any kind, they’re probably interested. They’re also open to interactive, HTML, or mixed media works. They also publish chapbook and novella length works, though those have a separate reading period.

Coolest American Stories

This annual anthology is open to both published and unpublished writing, in any and all genres, that fit their definition of a “cool story.” Since that’s a highly subjective designation, they’ve helpfully clarified they want stories that “have conflict galore and plots that provide plenty of suspense and inevitable surprise. They are empathetic in their portrayal of characters from various economic, social, and ethnic backgrounds (we encourage vastly dissimilar characters to appear in the same story), and they are heartfelt…primarily they make you feel emotions so intensely you’d never dare skip ahead.” They’re open for submissions each year from January 30th through November 20th.

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores

This one can be a bit tricky to submit to—they’re open only on the 1st and 2nd of every month, so it’s one you might want to set a phone reminder for to catch them. Their rules for reprints are that they can’t have been published in the last 12 months and they aren’t currently available to read free online, or available for sale as an individual story. As far as content, their website has some fairly detailed info on what they’re looking for broken down by genre.

Daikaijuzine

The name of this journal roughly translates to “Large strange creature”, which gives a decent idea of their overall vibe. In their words: “We like stories that are strange, that have wacky, huge ideas, and are diverse in content and authorship.” They have very short submission windows, so this is another one it may be worth setting a phone alert for.

The Dark

The Dark is a popular horror publication with a sizable circulation. It releases some stories as podcasts and others in text form, either in a monthly eBook issue or straight on their website (or often both). Their interest in reprints is somewhat limited—they’ll only reprint stories that were published recently in print journals or anthologies.

The Deadlands

Everything published in The Deadlands relates to—you guessed it—death, and “also everything death may involve.” Keep in mind they’ve been doing this death story thing for a minute, so a straightforward story about grief isn’t likely to cut it—they’re looking for unique takes on death from any genre. They’re explicitly not interested in stories about zombies, demons, vampires, or the undead, or those centered on the Lovecraft mythos. Everything else is fair game. Their submission schedule varies so check the calendar on their website to see if they’re open (and, if not, when they’ll open next).

Dragon Gems

This is the short fiction project of Water Dragon Publishing, which is the sci-fi/fantasy imprint of Paper Angel Press. While accepted stories don’t need to include a dragon, they do need to be in this SFF realm. All reprints are considered as long as you retain the rights.

The Dread Machine

The Dread Machine’s tagline is “Where nightmares are manufactured”, which probably gives you a decent idea of their aesthetic. They prioritize reprints that were published in now-defunct magazine or print anthologies, but will consider stories currently available online for their print edition.

DreamForge

DreamForge publishes speculative fiction that embodies, “in one way or another, these essential principles: integrity and decency, compassion and creativity, intelligence and inventiveness, the rule of law and liberty under the law, the dignity of the individual, and the power of synergy to unleash the potential of disparate individuals and communities for the betterment of all.” Basically, they want stories set in imaginative worlds involving empathetic characters that end on a hopeful note, even if it’s not a happy one.

Escape Artists Podcasts

This collection of podcasts includes EscapePod (sci-fi), Podcastle (fantasy), Pseudopod (horror), Cast of Wonders (young adult)—and, of course, Catscast (speculative stories involving cats). All of them publish the story text with the podcast episode, which can be accessed for free. They’re one of the rare markets that actively encourages reprints, and even expands the wordcount for reprints compared to originals in some genres.

Fabula Argentea

Published quarterly, Fabula Argentea publishes a mix of genres. They’re more concerned with craft than limiting content. In their words: “Give us something unexpected. Amaze us with your use of language, sense of story, and memorable characters. Give us a story that we and our readers will not be able to forget, one with an intriguing opening or premise, then follow it through to a strong ending.” For reprints, they only want stories that aren’t currently available in electronic form.

The Future Fire

The Future Fire publishes progressive and social-political speculative fiction, including cyberpunk, queer SF, feminist SF, and similar subgenres. They are most likely to publish reprints from print journals or defunct journals.

Gamut Magazine

The general focus of Gamut Magazine is dark speculative fiction. Along with the magazine, they also run a book imprint and an online education platform. Caveat here that they’re relatively new, so if you’re looking for a market with longevity you might want to give this one a bit longer to mature before submitting to them.

Imagitopia

While the Imagitopia project is relatively new, it’s run by the folks at Android Press, an established publisher of book-length sci-fi and fantasy. They aren’t just open to reprints, sometimes that’s all they’re looking for—their fall 2024 call, for example, was reprint only.

Kaleidoscope

The focus of Kaleidoscope is on the experience of disability, or as they say: “The material chosen for Kaleidoscope challenges and overcomes stereotypical, patronizing, and sentimental attitudes about disability. We accept the work of writers with and without disabilities; however, the work of a writer without a disability must focus on some aspect of disability.”

Lorelei Signal

Stories published in Lorelei Signal should feature three-dimensional, strong female characters—and there can be other genders in there, too, but complex female characters are key. They’ll consider reprints as long as the story was published more than a year ago.

Nonbinary Review

Nonbinary Review is reading all year but the theme changes, so you should check in on the current ones before you submit. They have no limits on reprints, and are pretty open to a range of things in terms of genre and style, too.

Orca

Orca is published 3 times a year, with two literary issues and one literary speculative issue. Details about which issue they’re reading for currently are on their website. As far as what they look for: “We seek work that is high concept: imaginative, thoughtful, even speculative, and open to possibilities. We look for adult themes featuring deep, diverse characters, and narratives that are nuanced and complex. It’s great if they blend genres, or connect seemingly disparate ideas.” They’ll only consider reprints that were published more than 2 years ago and aren’t currently available free online.

PULP Literature

PULP Literature’s guidelines are simple: “We want anything entertaining and well written.” They’re more concerned with relatable characters and compelling plots than flowery language, but they still want the story to be strong at the craft level.

Radon

This triannual journal is highly competitive, with an average acceptance percentage around 1-2%. They also nominate for a variety of awards and have a good-sized readership, so they can make a very nice home for the right story. They specifically look for work that is both firmly sci-fi (no fantasy) and includes leftist social commentary.

Short Story Substack

This monthly Substack-based publication sends one story a month to subscribers, and will consider reprints of all forms as long as you retain the rights to distribute. One note: they’re one of those publications that doesn’t send rejections, which is mildly annoying. If you don’t hear back within 2 months, assume it was a no.

Small Wonders

Small Wonders is a market for flash-length speculative stories. What they’re looking for beyond this: “Our very favorite stories are those that don’t rely on a twist or gotcha ending. We love stories with big feelings, and don’t necessarily mind set pieces with very little plot.”

SpeKulative Stories anthologies

This is a newer anthology series from the established publisher Omicron World Entertainment, which also runs Fahrenheit Books. Their anthologies typically follow a theme, so check their website for details before sending them a story. They also look for all-ages fiction—in other words, no extreme gore or explicit sex, and keep the language on the cleaner side.

StarShipSofa

This is the storytelling show of The Audio Science Fiction Magazine and can be an excellent second home for sci-fi stories of all subgenres, with this added rule: “The SF element must be the backbone of the story. It cannot be an afterthought, or simple window dressing. It can be subtle, but it has to be the story’s foundation.” They’re especially interested in voices from outside the US, or stories based in non-Western cultural traditions. As far as reprint rules, anything that was published before in text form is fair game, but they can’t accept stories that have been used before on other podcasts.

Story Unlikely

One cool thing about Story Unlikely is that all work they publish gets illustrated. They also have a big readership and publish a wide variety of stories. On the negative side, they’re one of those markets that requires you sign up for their newsletter to submit, which some people are more annoyed by than others.

Trollbreath Magazine

This is a newer publisher (only one issue, as of this writing) which always carries some risk that the market will be a fast-folder. That said, this one has all the signs of potential longevity, and the quality level of their first issue was high. They will consider reprints with this caveat: “If readers can already access your story without paying for it via a webzine or podcast or your blog, etc., we’re not interested.” If the market is defunct, print-only, or paywalled, you’re good to go.

Zooscape

This one has a very tight focus. Zooscape only publishes work that significantly features anthropomorphic animals. So long as that’s true, though, they’re not picky about genre. Regarding reprints, they only want to see stories that aren’t readily available for free online.

Finding the right home for your story (again)

There are a lot of reasons you might want to find a new home for a story you’ve already published—and getting paid isn’t always one of them. There are lots more places that consider reprints but don’t pay for them, including well-known markets like CRAFT and Uncharted Magazine.

Duotrope, Submission Grinder, and Chill Subs all let you filter search results to just markets that consider reprints, so if you’re looking for more places to send your stories make one of those sites your first stop. Even if none of the markets listed here are right for what you write, I hope it at least opens your eyes to how many options you have for reprinting already published stories.

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