Fiction, Poetry
Bayou Magazine
Bayou Magazine pays $150 for fiction of 3,000 words or more and $100 for shorter stories, and pays other genres in contributor copies. It reads poetry and fiction from 15 September to 15 December, publishes no work touched by AI, and excludes University of New Orleans students, faculty and alumni.
🟢 Currently accepting Verified 2026-10
The docket
The nine things that decide whether a pitch is worth sending. Every answer below is either taken from the publication’s own guideline or computed by BRYME from the 288-publication desk. Where the publication does not say, the docket says so instead of filling the gap in.
- Payment
- Fiction: $150 for stories of 3,000 words or more, $100 for stories under 3,000 wordsOf the other 63 records quoting in USD on this desk that state a figure, 56 state less, 1 state more, 6 state exactly this.
- Length
- Fiction up to 7,500 words, double spaced, 12pt Times New Roman
- Who can submit
- Not statedNo stated country restriction. Students, faculty and alumni of the University of New Orleans are not eligible to submit.
- Reading period
- The reading period runs 15 September 2026 to 15 December 2026
- Response time
- Contact the magazine if five months pass without a response
- Simultaneous submissions
- You may submit elsewhere at the same timeWe accept simultaneous submissions. If your work is accepted elsewhere, we ask that you immediately add a note to your submission specifying the piece/s are no longer available. — https://bayoumagazine.org/submissions (read 2026-10-01)
- AI policy
- AI-assisted work is prohibitedThe guideline forbids AI-generated or AI-assisted writing.
- Rights
- StatedAfter publication in Bayou Magazine, all rights revert to the author. Payment is one contributor's copy unless otherwise specified by genre, which for fiction means the stated cash rate.
- Experience
- Not yet assessedBRYME has read this publication's guideline but has not yet put the experience question to it, so this row is untouched rather than unanswered — it is our gap, not theirs. Treat it exactly as you would an unstated policy.
What this record does not tell you
This publication leaves 2 of the nine questions unanswered. BRYME publishes that gap instead of filling it — a generated answer would look complete and cost you a pitch.
- Who can submit — the guideline leaves this open, so ask before you spend an evening on the pitch rather than assuming a yes.
- Experience — BRYME has not assessed this one yet, so do not read the blank as either a welcome or a bar. Look at who the publication normally publishes before you pitch.
Record last human-checked 2026-10-01. Sources listed at the foot of this page. Figures are compared only against other records quoting in USD on this desk quoted the same way, so a per-word rate is never ranked against a flat fee.
Quick facts
- Payment
- Fiction: $150 for stories of 3,000 words or more, $100 for stories under 3,000 words
- Word count
- Fiction up to 7,500 words, double spaced, 12pt Times New Roman
- Submission
- Online form through Submittable only - mailed and emailed work is discarded
- International writers
- Yes
- Status
- 🟢 Currently accepting
- Last verified
- 2026-10
What this publication wants
This is BRYME's summary of the publication's focus — not a copy of their website. Type of writing: Fiction, Poetry. Official guideline: Bayou Magazine guidelines.
Topics, themes and styles they look for
- Original, previously unpublished poetry and fiction.
- Flash fiction and short-shorts, though only one story per submission.
- Work from both established and emerging writers.
Subjects they avoid
- Work composed, revised or edited by AI - the magazine states it will not publish it and reserves the right to check between acceptance and publication.
- Work already published in print or online.
- Submissions from University of New Orleans students, faculty and alumni.
- More than one story per submission, or more than 5 poems at a time.
- Work sent by mail or email - Submittable only.
Key requirements
- Read https://bayoumagazine.org/submissions before sending.
- Submit through Submittable only; mailed and emailed work is discarded without review.
- Fiction: one story per submission, up to 7,500 words, double spaced in 12pt Times New Roman.
- Poetry: one submission of up to 5 poems at a time.
- Include a cover page with title, author and contact details, plus a third-person bio - that bio is what the magazine will use.
- After a rejection, wait three months before submitting again.
- There is no submission fee stated on the page.
Who can submit
No stated country restriction. Students, faculty and alumni of the University of New Orleans are not eligible to submit.
Rights
After publication in Bayou Magazine, all rights revert to the author. Payment is one contributor's copy unless otherwise specified by genre, which for fiction means the stated cash rate.
AI policy
Prohibited
How to write for them
Official requirement: always follow the publication's own guideline exactly.
BRYME's practical advice: write for the publication's audience, use a clear structure, keep paragraphs short, lead with a specific angle, and confirm the word count before submitting. These are practical suggestions — they are not the publication's official rules.
How to pitch
Where a pitch is required, this is the general pattern BRYME recommends — always adapt it to the publication's guideline.
- Research the publication and read several recent pieces.
- Choose a specific idea that fits their beat and audience.
- Write a concise subject line naming your idea.
- Introduce yourself in one or two lines (who you are, where you publish).
- Explain the proposed piece in a short paragraph — angle, structure, length.
- Say why it fits this publication.
- Include 2–3 relevant clips or links.
- Close professionally and thank them for their time.
- Send through the official channel only.
Accepting submissions now, with no stated closing date.
How to submit
Online form through Submittable only - mailed and emailed work is discarded
Apply through the official channel below. BRYME only records submission destinations it has verified.
- Official guideline: opens the publication guideline (new tab)
- Submission: Online form through Submittable only - mailed and emailed work is discarded
What the guideline asks you to prepare
- Read https://bayoumagazine.org/submissions before sending.
- Submit through Submittable - the only channel the magazine accepts.
- The reading period runs 15 September to 15 December.
- Send one story, or up to 5 poems, at a time and wait for the decision before sending more.
What happens after submission
Expected response: Contact the magazine if five months pass without a response
If the publication does not state a response time, BRYME records that it is unknown. A follow-up is generally reasonable after a couple of weeks; if there is still no response, treat that as a likely non-acceptance rather than a rejection. Acceptance is normally communicated by the publication. If they accept, they will tell you exactly how to submit the final piece and, for most, how and when payment is made.
Check, question or correct this record
BRYME publishes its working, not just its conclusions. Last human check: 2026-10.