32 Literary Magazines in India

Mustering the courage to send your written work to potential publishers and magazines might seem intimidating at first glance. Having finished writing your piece, regardless of your genre, getting it published is a momentous step in your writing career.

It’s of paramount importance that you choose a suitable literary magazine for publishing.

We have curated a list of prestigious literary magazines in India that accept short fiction, poetry, and essays from upcoming writers in this article, to act as a guide for you while submitting. 

Disclaimer: The list of literary magazines in India shared below is true as of  Nov 2022. Purple Pencil Project will not be responsible for upcoming changes in the information listed below. Please go through the submission guidelines before sending your submissions to any of these literary magazines in India.

Cafe Dissensus

Cafe Dissensus is a literary magazine established with the idea of true alternative media. They publish quarterly issues as well as run a daily blog accepting creative writings as well as visual and audio essays.

• Genre: Short story, poetry, audio-visual submissions (in the form of interviews, conversations, etc.), Photo Essays

• Submission fee: Nil

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for  submission: https://cafedissensuseveryday.com/submissions/  (Currently no open calls  of submission for creative writing as of November 2022)

1455

1455´s mission is ´´to celebrate and showcase creatives in general and writers in particular. They publish monthly under the name Movable-type which are curated around different themes and the submissions are received year-round.  They also aid upcoming creative writers by providing solidarity and a community of like-minded people by conducting summer festivals, live virtual readings of each issue of Movable type, and monthly author events. 

• Genre: Original work in poetry, fiction, essays, memoir, visual art, photography, etc

• Compensation: Nil

• Submission fee: Nil

• Guidelines for  submission: https://1455litarts.org/movable-type/

Contemporary Literary Review India

Contemporary Literary Review India (CLRI) is a peer-reviewed and internationally referred literary journal in English and publishes a wide variety of creative pieces including research papers, critical essays, stories, poems, book reviews, film reviews, arts, and photography of the best quality of the time. CLRI is considered one of the leading English literary magazines in India. 

• Genre: research papers, critical essays, stories, poems, book reviews, film reviews, arts, and photography

• Submission fee: A unspecified amount of reading fee is applied to submitted pieces

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for  submission: https://www.literaryjournal.in/index.php/clri/sg

eFiction India

eFiction India is a professionally produced independent literary magazine in India devoted to showcasing the work of writers with a connection to the Indian subcontinent. The magazine is established as a recurring dialogue between various writers and readers and accepts exciting new writing in essays, fiction, poetry, art, and criticism.

• Genre: Essays, fiction, poetry, art, and criticism

• Submission fee: Nil

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for  submission:  https://www.efictionindia.in/submit/  (Currently no open calls of submission as of November 2022)

Helter Skelter                                                    

Helter Skelter is an online literary magazine in India with a focus on independent and alternative culture in India. They publish annual anthologies curated around themes and accept original fiction, and poetry from the Indian subcontinent.

• Genre: Original fiction, poetry, and art from India 

• Submission fee: Nil

• Compensation:- Nil

• Guidelines for  submission:- https://helterskelter.in/about/

Indian Literature

Indian Literature, Sahitya Akademi’s prestigious bimonthly journal, is the oldest literary magazine in India featuring translations in English of poetry, fiction, drama, and criticism from twenty-three Indian languages besides original writing in English.   Indian Literature is also a highly valued source of reference for literature in India and accepts through e-mail as well as post.

• Genre: Poems, short stories in English translation and English, and critical articles on Indian literature

• Submission fee: Nil

• Compensation:– Nil

• Guidelines for submission:- https://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/journals/indianliterature.jsp

Jaggery Lit

A DesiLit arts and literature magazine, Jaggery Lit connects South Asian diasporic writers and homeland writers. Jaggery aims to create a journal that offers the best writing by and about South Asians and their diaspora. 

• Genre: Essays, Fiction, Poetry, Reviews

• Submission fee: Nil

• Compensation: $100 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction/poetry/art/reviews

• Guidelines for submission: https://jaggery.submittable.com/submit  ( No open submission calls as of Nov 2022)

Kitaab

Kitaab is an online literary magazine dedicated to connecting Asian writers with a global audience. They accept pieces that are set in Asia, are about Asia, or are Asians anywhere in the world. 

• Genre: Short Stories, Essays on literary criticism, Poetry, Non-fiction – Travelogues, Memoirs, Personal essays, Book Reviews, Author Interviews

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Annual membership of Kitaab.org is free for one year if accepted

• Guidelines for submission: https://kitaab.org/submissions/

Muse India

Muse India is a bi-monthly literary magazine available only online that showcases  Indian writings in English and in English translation to a broad-based global readership.

Muse India invites works that meet the broad objectives of the journal from both experienced and young writers and accept a wide range of literary forms year-round. 

• Genre: Poetry, Book Reviews, Literary Articles, Interviews, and Fiction

• Submission fee: Submission is free but you need to have a membership in Muse India for sending in pieces. Registration for membership is free.

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://museindia.com/MuseIndia/submission

The Bangalore Review

The Bangalore Review is a monthly online literary magazine aimed at promoting literature, arts, culture, criticism, and philosophy at a deeper level. The magazine´s purpose is ´´to give back, in our own way, to society´´ and aspires to be unbiased towards the writings that come its way.

• Genre: Literary fiction, creative nonfiction, reviews, criticism, poetry, and art.

• Submission fee: 3$

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://bangalorereview.com/submissions/ (rolling submissions)

Antiserious 

A quarterly publication proclaiming to tread the anti-spotlight path of challenging the authoritarian rule of the SERIOUS. Apart from accepting essays, creative nonfiction, short fiction, poetry, illustrations, and photo features, they also are interested in accepting pieces from under-represented places and communities. 

• Genre: Original works from essays, creative nonfiction, short fiction, poetry, illustrations, photo features, graphic stories, scripts of plays and movies, recipes, and interviews. 

• Submission fee: Nil 

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for  submission: https://antiserious.com/antiserious-submit-4ea3a20c087f

Ashwamegh

Ashvamegh is a monthly literary magazine established in 2015, primarily interested in publishing English poetry, short stories, research articles, and scholarly essays. They strive to provide ´´an abstract get-together of the intelligence´´, gathering the ‘wordwise’ creative and intellectual people at a platform. Though Ashvamegh´s interest leans toward scholarly essays, they also publish curated collections of creative writings as well.

• Genre: Original works from poetry, short stories, research papers, General and scholarly essays, and book reviews

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://ashvamegh.net/submission/

Indian Review

Indian Review is an India-based journal with year-round submissions. They seek writing in ´´English or translated into English that is strong, well-crafted and reflects the pace and transition of our times´´ and look forward to reading pieces that reflect the stories of the Indian subcontinent.

• Genre: Invites submissions from Poetry, English Literature, Literature written in other languages, Indian Writings in English, Colonial and Postcolonial Literature, Cultural Studies, Aesthetic Studies, Critical theories, Literature and Environment, Visual Arts, Photography, Digital Arts, Philosophy and Art, and History of Art.

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://indianreview.in/submit-your-work/guidelines/

Inkspire

Inkspire is an exclusively online literary magazine that aspires to discover and publish stories, personal essays, poetry, book reviews, and more from those who are taking their first steps in the world of writing. As of April 2022, Inkspire is only open to those writers who participate in online creative writing workshops.  

• Submission fee: They charge an introductory Price of 62 USD /4500 INR for an Online Creative Fiction Writing Course for Beginners

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://www.inkspiremag.com/p/submit_21.html

Indian Rumination

Indian Ruminations is an online literary magazine striving to showcase new perspectives, ideas, opinions, and styles in the domain of English Literature. Since its inception in 2010 Indian Rumination has conducted multiple international seminars and workshops in the domain of academia and literature.

• Genre: submissions in the form of reportage, opinion, poems, fiction, interviews, book reviews, research articles, etc. Submissions are accepted year-round.

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://www.indianruminations.com/contribute/

Mithila Reviews

Mithila Reviews is a journal devoted to science fiction and speculative writing. They appeal to explore speculative elements that explore ´´the interstitial spaces of politics, identity, and culture and reflect the diverse  experiences, perspectives, and nuances of the world we live in today´´

• Genre: Speculative fiction, poetry, and essays centered around stories, books, movies, television series, arts, comics, and other media, with speculative elements

• Submission fee: Nil

• Compensation: If/when their Patreon funds permit, they pay $10 for original poetry, essays, flash stories (under 2500 words), and reprints and $10-$50 for original stories between 4000-8000 words or longer. 

• Guidelines for submission: https://mithilareview.com/submission-guidelines/

Out of print

Out of print is an online platform (quarterly)  that specializes in short stories connected to the Indian subcontinent. Since its launch in 2010, Out of print has vouched to establish a platform where the traditions of storytelling layer a collective contemporary voice.

• Genre: Short stories 

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://www.outofprintmagazine.co.in/submission-guidelines.html

Spark

Spark is a non-commercial online literary magazine established to explore Words, World, and Wisdom. Since its conceptualization in 2009, they publish creative writing bound to each other by a common theme. 

• Genre: Creative writing

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://sparkthemagazine.com/write-for-us/ (No open calls as of Nov 2022)

Storizen

Storizen is an online monthly literary magazine that publishes a physical magazine annually.  

• Genre: Book Reviews, Short Stories, Poetry,  PR/Events coverage, and Author contributions other than stories and poetry

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://www.storizen.com/submission-guidelines/

The Bombay Literary Magazine

Bombay literary magazine is an ezine dedicated to promoting writers through their fine work. Though most of their works are concentrated in South Asia, they welcome talent from all over the world.

• Genre:  Fiction, poetry, and graphic fiction

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://bombaylitmag.com/submit/ (closed for submission as of Nov 2022)

The Bombay Review 

The Bombay Review is an internationally esteemed literary magazine publishing some of the finest creative writing from around the world. They accept stories for submission centered around themes and are on a rolling basis hence do not have submission deadlines.

• Genre: Fiction, Poetry, Photography, Essays, Excerpts, etc

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://thebombayreview.com/submit/

The Little Magazine 

Little magazine is an online literary journal with a special interest in work in translation from languages other than English. They also encourage original fiction in English. 

• Genre: essays, fiction, poetry, novellas, film and theatre scripts

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: http://www.littlemag.com/forms/submit.html

Punch Magazine

The Punch Magazine is an online monthly journal that endeavors to promote arts and literary and cultural traditions around the world and publishes various speculative writings with the core belief that these efforts are all connected and the process of creating good art is similar across disciplines.

• Genre: Essay, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, reviews, photos, and videos

• Submission fee: Undisclosed

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://thepunchmagazine.com/contribute#submissio

UNIverse journal 

The UNIverse journal is a quarterly open-accessible, multidisciplinary journal focusing on English Literature.  They strive to connect passionate writers with passionate readers who would in turn support their work.

• Genre: original Research papers, articles, book reviews, Interviews, Poems, Short-Story and Non-fiction

• Guidelines for submission: http://www.theuniversejournal.com/submission.php

Nether

Nether is an online quarterly that curates pieces based on predetermined excellent and alluring themes. They publish literature, art, photography, and work that overlaps across these forms.

• Genre: Literature, art, photography

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://netherquarterly.com/about/

The Madras Mag

The Madras Mag is an independent literary magazine that publishes at least one debut author each month and is committed to finding and promoting new literary voices.

• Genre: All genres

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://madrasmag.in/submit/

Himal Southasian

Himal Southasian is South Asia’s first regional magazine on politics and culture. For the last prestigious 30 years, Himal challenged and reconstructed the authoritarian and nationalistic orthodoxies and strive to cross border pro-people nature of possibilities.

• Genre: Long-form reportage, political analysis, essays and opinions, interviews, photo essays, reviews, and videos that relate to South Asia and fiction

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation:- USD 100-150 for an article

• Guidelines for submission:- https://www.himalmag.com/submissions/

Setu Bilingual

Setu is a prestigious bilingual literary journal that  ´´as the name indicates, is here to connect the extreme ends of the words, written and spoken across the globe.´´ Setu publishes separate monthly editions of English and Hindi.

• Genre: Theoretical or research articles, book reviews, interviews, poems, and short fiction

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://www.setumag.com/p/write-for-setu.html

Did You know? Purple Pencil Project also accepts submissions for essays, short stories, and book reviews.

Aleph

The Aleph Review is an annual anthology of creative literature that provides a space for emerging writers, poets, and artists to have their work published next to more established ones. 

• Genre: Currently closed for entries

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission:  https://www.thealephreview.com/contribute

Qissa

Qissa is an online literary publication with a focus on South India. They accept relevant and innovative short fiction, poetry, and essays from around the world.

• Genre: Short fiction, poetry, and essays 

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://qissamlbr.wixsite.com/home

Reading Room Co.

Reading Room Co. is an independent online publication platform dedicated to exploring literature, politics, society, and culture based in Kerala. They try to establish a progressive space that encourages writers to explore and experiment with their creativity as well as develop a strong sense of inquiry.

• Genre: Original, previously unpublished fiction, essays, reviews, and poetry

• Submission fee: NIL

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://readingroomco.com/submissions/

Lekh Magazine

Lekh Magazine is an independent online platform that focuses on literature, movies, culture, and lifestyle. It provides a creative space for writers, artists, and thinkers to share their thoughts, explore ideas, and celebrate diverse cultural perspectives. Based in India, the magazine covers a wide range of topics through essays, articles, and creative works, aiming to foster a vibrant intellectual community.

• Genre: Literature, cinema, lifestyle, cultural analysis, essays, and reviews.

• Submission fee: Nil

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://lekh.co/submission-guidelines/

Gulmohur Quarterly

Gulmohar Quarterly is an independent literary magazine focused on showcasing original Indian writings and translations in English. It aims to capture the essence of contemporary Indian thought and culture by offering a platform for authentic voices, particularly those speaking against oppression and marginalization. The magazine values literary integrity and invites writers and artists to explore diverse issues and experiences through essays, short fiction, poetry, and photo stories.

• Genre: Short fiction, poetry, essays, and photo stories in English and English translations.

• Submission fee: Nil

• Compensation: Nil

• Guidelines for submission: https://www.gulmohurquarterly.com/submission-guidelines