Mysteries are one of the most popular genres of stories in existence, from terrifying supernatural tales to the classic Sherlock Holmes stories. For writers with a good "whodunit" brewing in their minds, publishing mystery short stories might be a good source of extra income.
There are many print magazines and ezines that specialize in all types of mystery stories. Here are a few that offer payment for mystery short stories from novice to previously published writers.
Publish Mystery Stories in The Strand Magazine
The Strand Magazine is interested in all forms of mysteries, including detective tales and more ghostly stories in any setting. Founded in 1891, The Strand has published some of the world's foremost mystery writers, including Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and H.G. Wells.
The Strand does not impose a word length limit on submission, but prefers stories between 2,000 and 6,000 words in length. Payment ranges from $25 to $150. Submissions may only be made through regular mail, and the response time is between four and ten months.
Publish Mystery Stories on Flashquake
Flashquake is an online magazine that is interested in a wide variety of stories, including mysteries. They only accept submissions during specific dates of the year, so please see their website for details.
Flashquake specializes in flash fiction, so stories should be less than 1,000 words. Payment ranges from $5 to $25 per story.
Publish Mystery Stories in Over My Dead Body Magazine
This online mystery magazine is interested in all types of mysteries, from cozies to detective and crime stories. They keep to a strict word count between 750 and 4,000 words.
Payment with Over My Dead Body is $.01 per word for fiction stories. The editors prefer receiving a query first, either by regular mail or email.
Publish Mystery Stories in The Thrilling Detective Magazine
The Thrilling Detective is an online magazine that seeks out stories featuring a private eye as the main character. The editors prefer receiving a query first via email, then the manuscript upon request.
For first submissions, The Thrilling Detective pays $10 for a story. For specific manuscript formatting instructions, see their website.
Get Paid to Write Mystery Short Stories
While the pay is low at first, it is possible to build up a steady stream of income writing mystery stories. For more variety, writers can consider introducing tropes of another genre into their mysteries and write mystery-fantasies, or mystery-science fiction stories.
Very often, magazines are open to all types of genres, including mysteries. When trying to find a home for a mystery short story, also consider these magazines:
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