We recently decided to put together a comprehensive guide to provide an overview and list of best magazines and publications that publish crime, mystery and thriller short stories.
Our motivation was two-folds: first, unfortunately we haven’t come across a good resource for mystery writers on what the available markets for submitting short story are. And secondly, many mystery publications, like other businesses, come and go but some of them made really great contributions to the crime fiction community so we wanted to keep their memory alive.
What follows is our 2022 edition of “113 Best Mystery Magazines And Publications For Short Story Submission”: Not all of these magazines are currently active (Thuglit is an example). However, for the sake of completeness, we have still included them in the list as mystery lovers can always get their hands on previous issues as a reference and for the sake of inspiration.
We plan to update this guide periodically to provide crime and mystery writers with an up to date and comprehensive resource on available markets. So, please feel free to comment below in case you come across a new publication or the status of some of these publications changes (becoming inactive or vice versa).
List of Crime and Mystery Magazines And Publications
- Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
- Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
- Mystery Tribune Magazine
- The Strand Mystery Magazine
- Mystery Scene
- CrimeSpree
- Black mask
- Deadly pleasures
- Mystery Readers Journal
- Thuglit
- Switchblade
- Mystery Magazine (formerly Mystery Weekly)
- Rock and a Hard Place
- Yellow Mama
- Tough
- Out of the Gutter
- Big Pulp Magazine
- Spinetingler (now under Down & Out Books)
- Down & Out Magazine (see Down & Out Books)
- The Rap Sheet
- Shotgun Honey
- Needle
- The Molotov Cocktail
- Plots with Guns
- Pulp Modern
- Story and Grit
- Close to the Bone
- Pulp Modern Flash
- Black Cat Mystery Magazine
- Thrilling Detective
- The Dark City
- CriminalElement.com
- Hoosier Noir
- Thriller Magazine
- Flash Bang Mysteries
- Mysterical-E
- Crime Factory
- Vautrin
- Gamut
- Hardluck Stories
- Flash Fantastic
- Betty Fedora
- Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine
- Sniplits (Out of business)
- City Journal
- Paradox Magazine (Out of Business)
- The First Line
- Forensic Examiner
- Virginia Quarterly Review
- Missouri Review
- The Saturday Evening Post
- Necrotic Tissue (Out of Business)
- Back Alley Webzine (Out of Business)
- Big Click Webzine
- Antioch Review
- American Way Magazine
- Adventure Tales
- Weird Tales
- Startling Stories
- Grift (Out of Business)
- sub-Q
- New Mystery Magazine (Out of Business)
- Page Turner Magazine
- Mystery and Suspense Magazine
- Punk Noir Magazine
- Guilty Crime Story Magazine
- Dream Noir (Inactive)
- Dark Side of the Street
- Back Alley
- Noir Nation
- Blood & Tacos
- Crimewave
- Flashes In The Dark
- Gothic Journal
- Hardboiled
- Pulp Metal Magazine
- Lumina
- The Arcanist Magazine
- Fiction Pool
- Ellipsis
- Jellyfish Review
- Exoplanet Magazine
- Unfit Magazine
- Coffin Bell
- Altered Reality
- Aphotic Realm
- Theme of Absence
- Dead Machine
- Close To The Bone
- Sledgehammer
- Hobart Pulp
- Fatal Flaw Literary Magazine
- Capsule Stories
- Belt Magazine
- Flash Frog
- Pyre Magazine
- Akashic Books – Mondays Are Murder
- Fictive Dream
- Hearth & Coffin Literary Journal
- Vanishing Point
- Hexagon SF
- DreamForge
- Hold Fast
- RETCON
- Etherea
- Samovar
- FIYAH Literary
- Omenana speculative fiction
- Black Treacle Mag
- Voices
- Waylines
- Metaphorosis
- Zoetrope: All-Story
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Summary Overview of The Most Notable Mystery Short Story Markets
What follows is a summary overview of some of the more notable mystery magazines including few of our favorites:
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine came on the scene in the fall of 1941 under the ownership of Lawrence E. Spivak of The Mercury Press (who subsequently founded and hosted the popular TV show Meet the Press). It was heralded as the brainchild of Ellery Queen himself, really the two-cousin writing team of Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee. More about EQMM.
The design and quality of paper has largely stayed the same over the decades: it’s economical and reminds readers of the penny magazines of the 1940s.
What are they known for: Both the style of the stories as well as the magazine layout design are “old-fashioned”. It is a good fit for traditional mysteries, whodunit, and the stories where the puzzle or mystery element plays a big part.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine (AHMM)
AHMM is a sister publication of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. It was founded in 1956 by HSD Publications, which licensed the use of the director’s name. Though there was no formal connection with the television show, stories published in the issues were sometimes adapted by the producers of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (and later, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour).
A few writers, such as Henry Slesar, wrote for both. Other contributors during the magazine’s early years included Evan Hunter/Ed McBain, Ed Lacy, Bill Pronzini, Jim Thompson, Donald E. Westlake and Charles Willeford (who briefly worked for the publication, as did Patricia Hitchcock, Alfred’s daughter).
AHMM has also won many awards including Edgar Awards for best mystery short story. The design and style of AHMM is very similar to EQMM.
The Strand Magazine
The magazine has developed a loyal following throughout the years: generally speaking, the magazine is not a very large market for mystery writers given the number of pages in each issue.
Thuglit
Currently not active. It was founded by New York-based author Todd Robinson and quickly developed a cult following.
We’re the people who’ve featured some of today’s top crime novelists back when they were just Pulp Pups. Chris Holm, Roger Hobbs, Hilary Davidson, Stuart Neville, Johnny Shaw…to name a few. And we’re the guys and gals bringing you the top talent of tomorrow, right the fuck now. Don’t say we didn’t give you notice.”
Thuglit closed its doors after 22 issues but fans can still buy them via platforms such as Amazon: the stories in Thuglit are edgy and as mentioned above, some of today’s popular mainstream writers got their start there.
Mystery Tribune (MT)
Pricewise, it’s the most expensive magazine in the market and that’s due to: thick 240-page full-color issues printed on uncoated Italian paper, custom font and page size designed for optimal reading experience and innovative layout.
Mystery Tribune publishes a blend of short fiction, essays, reviews and interviews and also features a popular comic and art and photography section in each issue.
MT has also published stories from grand masters and Edgar winners including Lawrence Block, Max Allan Collins, Mickey Spillane, Brendan Dubois among others and has an active digital presence, currently being the #1 mystery magazine on web with more than 500,000 visitors a month and growing.
Switchblade
As one might think, the stories in Switchblade are more edgy and the language is NSFW. Submissions to the magazine are now invite-only. According to a warning on the magazine’s website “Authors appearing in the future issues of the magazine may be (unofficially) blocked from Anthony Award consideration, due to its refusal to adhere to orthodox community guidelines”.
Mystery Magazine (formerly Mystery Weekly)
The magazine is based in Canada and published by Chuck Carter. A graduate of Western University, Chuck spent over 20 years in Internet software development. He handles our web development, magazine production, marketing, and strategic development.
Black Mask
Black Cat Mystery Magazine
Black Cat Mystery Magazine is a (relatively) new publication, debuting in September 2017, which showcases short mystery fiction. It publishes 2-4 issues per year, edited by Michael Bracken and is published by Wildside Press LLC.
It is a sister publication of Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, Weirdbook, and Startling Stories.
Pulp Modern
Pulp Modern is an independently owned print journal specializing in fiction. Specifically, it indulges in any and all crime, noir, fantasy, science fiction, horror, adventure, war, and westerns (and their subgenres). The magazine is founded by author Alec Cizak.
According to the editor “Journals like Switchblade, EconoClash Review, Tough, and Cirsova provide a new generation of markets. Pulp Modern is proud to be in good company and alongside our competition support existing and new writers that don’t necessarily fit into the mainstream, and we support a complete and total commitment to freedom of speech. Absolutely NO SUBJECT is taboo. We encourage free thinkers.”
Hoosier Noir
HOOSIER NOIR is a young publication with two issues under its belt so far. It is the low-rent home of gritty Indiana Crime fiction. Issue ONE featured genre heavyweights Les Edgerton, Don Stoll, Preston Lang, among others.
Yellow Mama
Webzine publishing fiction and poetry. It generally seeks cutting edge, hardboiled, horror, literary, noir, psychological / horror. No fanfiction, romance, swords & sorcery, fantasy, or erotica. Writers can send submissions by email.
Rock and a Hard Place
Rock and a Hard Place Press is a lit-noir publisher, focused on stories of struggle, tales of the powerless and marginalized, characters on the fringes of society … and what they do next.
Shotgun Honey
Since 2011, Shotgun Honey has been a steady online outlet for crime, noir, and hard-boiled flash fiction. Their website has featured over 500 writers and has published nearly a thousand stories all told within a mere 700 words.
Shotgun Honey regularly released crime and noir anthologies that are available via platforms such as Amazon in digital and print format.
Out of the Gutter
Web-zine dedicated to flash fiction, as well as interviews and book reviews.
Tough
Tough is a blogazine of crime stories and occasional reviews. The publication was founded by author Rusty Branes and is edited by Marie S. Crosswell.
The Molotov Cocktail
The Molotov Cocktail is a Portland-based lit zine. The publication runs periodical contests with the winners featured in its popular anthologies. Its anthology generally includes the prize winners and honorable mentions in their Flash Monster, Flash Future, Flash Fool, and Flash Fury contests.
Deadly Pleasures
Not an active market for short story due to the fact that it generally features book reviews: Deadly Pleasures is America’s premier fan-oriented mystery magazine.
Spinetingler Magazine (now under Down & Out Books)
Appears inactive. The magazine was a popular outlet among mystery lovers but hasn’t been active in recent years. According to editors “We publish compelling stories that capture the reader with intriguing characters and quality writing. Spinetingler publishes stories that could, within the broadest definitions of genre possible, be categorized as crime, mystery, thriller, suspense or horror.”
Down and Out: The Magazine
Appears inactive: Started by Rick Ollerman, it hasn’t been active in recent years.
Coffin Bell
Coffin Bell is an online journal of dark literature edited by Tamara Burross Grisanti and a staff of volunteer editors. It is generally looking for poetry, flash fiction, short stories, creative nonfiction, essay, and short criticism.
Zoetrope: All-Story
Zoetrope: All-Story is an American literary magazine that was launched in 1997 by Francis Ford Coppola and Adrienne Brodeur. All-Story intends to publish new short fiction. Zoetrope: All-Story has received the National Magazine Award for Fiction.
Mysterical-E
Mysterical-E is a literary journal of mystery and the mysterious. It is dedicated to publishing mystery stories of all types and stories of the mysterious including speculative fiction, and fantasy.
Big Pulp Magazine
This magazine is currently closed to submissions. Big Pulp publishes genre fiction and poetry of all kinds, in anthology magazines, as well as in themed collections.
“We define “pulp fiction” differently than most and very broadly – we look for character-driven stories that are challenging, thought-provoking, thrilling, and fun, regardless of how many or how few genre elements are packed in. In our opinion, a great deal of literary fiction could be considered genre.”
Vautrin
Vautrin is a print literary magazine published a varying number of times a year. Contributors retain copyrights to their material. It is geared toward gritty urban fiction, crime/mystery fiction, and satire. Book reviews and essays cover similar material. They also include poetry when it fits the spirit of the magazine.
Gamut
Not active anymore. Gamut published neo-noir, speculative fiction with a literary bent. The editors were primarily seeking short stories, but were also looking for poetry and non-fiction.
It was focused on the following genres: fantasy, science fiction, horror, crime, neo-noir, magical realism, Southern gothic, new weird, bizarro, and transgressive—all with a literary bent.
Betty Fedora
Not active anymore. Betty Fedora published any genre under the crime fiction umbrella: mystery, suspense, thriller, noir, or procedural.
Punk Noir Magazine
Currently closed to submissions. Punk Noir is purportedly an online arts and entertainment outlet that looks at the world at its most askew, casting a bloodshot eye over films, music, television and more.
There are interviews, reviews, news, poetry, fiction, micro fiction, and flash fiction. And some other stuff too, I’m sure. Indeed, a veritable cornucopia of carryings on.
Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine
Features another stellar lineup of Holmes-themed non-fiction and Holmes-inspired mystery fiction.
The Arcanist
The Arcanist is a speculative flash fiction publication where strange, but literary, stories call home.
Flash Bang Mysteries
Doesn’t seem active (Last issue was published in the Fall of 2020). Flash Bang Mysteries is an online crime magazine that seeks to publish some of the best flash fiction in the business.
According to editors “If you would like to submit your work to us, we would be honored to consider it. We believe a market is only as good as its contributors, and we value every piece that is submitted.”
Pulp Metal Magazine
Doesn’t seem to be active. According to the editors, “[the magazine] brings you a heady smorgasbord of NOIR GENRE FICTION and interviews featuring the best underground and independent CRIME, HORROR, SPECULATIVE, TRANSGRESSIVE and WEIRD FICTION authors/artists/misfits on the web has been PMM’s mission since a hungover Christmas day in 2009.”
Needle
Inactive. Needle was founded by Steve Weddle and was published in the 2010-15 period. As a magazine of Noir, it was a thrice-yearly publication featuring tales of murder and mayhem.
In its early issues it featured stories by Graham Powell, Matthew C. Funk, Sophie Littlefield, Graham Bowlin, Michael Gonzales, Kieran Shea, Richard Godwin, Anthony Neil Smith, Matthew Mayo, Matthew McBride, and Libby Cudmore.
Jellyfish Review
This is a literary publication that also publishes crime and noir stories. It is an online journal committed to publishing new flash fiction.
Every week, They publish two new stories of 1,000 words or less. Although there are no hard and fast rules about what They will publish, They do have a soft spot for beautiful things with stings.
Page Turner
Page Turner Magazine was established in 2020 by students of Emerson College’s Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing MFA program. The annual publication’s mission is to entertain and enlighten members of the Emerson community.
According to the editors “We promise that every story we share will be 100%, pure, unapologetic pop fic. Page Turner Magazine is where the diverse creative conscience of Emerson students and alumni is showcased. We celebrate writing that allows imaginations to soar into the aether or plunge into the deep abyss.”
Noir Nation
Founded by Eddie Vega, Alan Ward Thomas, and Cort McMeel, Noir Nation: International Crime Fiction publishes crime fiction, mysteries, blots, true crime, and Noir Poetry in print and Kindle editions.
Currently, Stephen L. Heiden, Wendy A. Reynolds, and Rowena Galavitz serve in critical editorial roles. Its content is often dark, sometimes creepy, and sometimes humorous but always at the service of the literary imagination as it explores the darker regions of human experience—where weak writing is the only crime.
Sub-Q
Sub-Q is a home for interactive fiction. They publish original and reprint works of science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird tales, magic realism, and mash-ups. They generally release a work of interactive fiction on the third Tuesday of every month, with essays, reviews, interviews, and other contents on the other weeks.
Thriller Magazine
Founded in Spring 2018, It is a literary magazine that aims to bring together new and established voices in the thriller/suspense/mystery genre. Their mission is to help foster and promote a variety of authors.
Dream Noir
It’s currently inactive. Dream Noir wanted to build a threshold of writers and artist in all forms, regardless if they’re part of the academics or not.
Big Click Webzine
Inactive. The Big Click was an electronic magazine of crime fiction. They published bimonthly online and for various e‑reader formats. The mission was to find the best of new crime fiction in a variety of modes—they were especially interested in noir, confessional, weird and “literary” fiction that depict and interrogate crime and social trespass.
Theme of Absence
Theme of Absence is an online magazine of speculative flash fiction and short stories. The goal of this site is to provide quality short fiction for free and to give both new and experienced authors another place to promote their work online.
Original fiction appears every Friday, along with an optional interview with the author.
Pyre
Pyre Magazine is a biannual publication. Issues are released Spring/Summer & Fall/Winter.
FIYAH
FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction is an American-based magazine of Black speculative fiction. Also referred to as FIYAH, the magazine was announced in September 2016, inspired among others by the 1920s experimental periodical FIRE! created by Wallace Thurman.
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To view Mystery Tribune’s guidelines for submissions, please visit here.
