Publishers of African Speculative Fiction

Curated by Ezeiyoke Chukwunonso

This is a list of venues we know have published speculative fiction by Africans. With one exception all the venues are English language.

It’s based on the List of Published African SFF, also published on the ASFS website. Even though this is not an exhaustive source of where African writers might be able to place a story, we hope that this list will give you an idea of where to start.

We have divided the list into two parts: African venues first, then international.

International venues are almost always for specific genres. Check out the submission guidelines on their venue’s website.

Among international venues, note that Afrocentric Books, the AfroSF anthology series, Fiyah, Fireside and Hope Road Publishing are specifically for African writers, black writers or PoC.

Apart from the webzine Omenana, the venues in Africa tend to be interested in any story that piques interest and are not devoted to speculative fiction or other genres.

One could argue that this may be due to the lack of publishing opportunities in Africa, that Africa publishing companies are too young to specialize, or that African readers and editors are less concerned with genre boundaries.

Always check both for the kinds of stories sought or theme issues, and for when submission windows open and close. Some magazines use submission software, so make sure you submit effectively.

Much work these days is originally published in book anthologies. Keep an eye out in the African Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Group on Facebook for calls for submissions to anthologies.

Are you a magazine, book, or other kind of publisher who has actually published speculative fiction by Africans? Not listed here? Please email info@africansfs.com with subject heading PUBLISHERS LIST.

African venues:

Afreada https://afreada.com/submissions/

Afridiaspora https://www.afridiaspora.com/contact/

African Writer https://www.africanwriter.com/submissions/

AmaBooks http://www.amabooksbyo.com/contact/

Bahati Books https://bahatibooks.com/contact/

Blackbird Books http://www.jacana.co.za/publishers/blackbird-books

Black Ghost Books http://blackghostbooks.co.za/about/

Black Letter Media, Long Live the Short Story, http://blog.blackletterm.com/call-for-submissions-2018-short-story-competition/

BrittlePaper https://brittlepaper.com/

Clockwork Books https://clockworkbooks.co.za/submissions/

Chimurenga/The Chronic https://chimurengachronic.co.za

Dwarts https://dwartsonline.com/submissions/

Enkare https://enkare.org/about/submissions/

Expound magazine http://expoundmagazine.com/submit/

Jalada: a Pan-African writers’ collective https://jaladaafrica.org/submissions-ja06-afterlife/

Johannesburg Review Of Books https://johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/the-jrb-vol-2-publication-schedule-2018/

The Munyori Literary Journal http://munyori.org/guidelines/

Omenana https://omenana.com/submissions/

The Kalahari Review https://kalaharireview.com/submissions-63a75f5505bb

Type/Cast https://typecast.org.za/submissions/

Saraba http://sarabamag.com/submissions/

Short Story Day Africa http://shortstorydayafrica.org/the-ssda-prize/

StoryTime (publisher of the AfroSF series) https://storytime-african-publisher.blogspot.com/

Sub-Saharan Magazine https://subsaharanmagazine.com/submissions/

Will This Be a Problem http://willthisbeaproblem.co.ke/category/uncategorized/

Writivism anthologies with Black Letter Media http://writivism.com/sundown-and-other-stories-the-writivism-anthology/

The Caine Prize anthologies draw on stories written by participants in the Caine workshops held in Africa. They have often published speculative fiction by Africans—but you have to be a participant in the workshops.

International venues

The is a list of all genre venues geographically located outside Africa that have published works by Africans, some of them relatively small, others the biggest in the field.

Note that Afrocentric Books, the AfroSF anthology series, Fiyah, Fireside and Hope Road Publishing are specifically for either African writers, black writers or PoC.

Leading Western genre magazines on this list include: Apex, Asimov’s, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, (The Magazine of ) Fantasy and Science Fiction, tor.com, and Uncanny. Most Western journals these days are open to work by Africans. This is a list of those that have actually published SFF by Africans.

Please go to the submission guidelines on the websites. Note the kinds of stories being accepted or issue themes and when submission windows open and close.

Some big international mainstream journals have published a little SF by Africans, including Nature who published a story by Blaize Kaye and The New Yorker who published two stories by Lesley Nneka Arimah.

Afrocentric Books http://www.mugwumppress.com/afrocentric/contact/

AntipodeanSF http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10063/20171120-0002/www.antisf.com.au/submission-guidelines.html

Apex Magazine https://www.apex-magazine.com/submission-guidelines/

Andromeda Spaceways TEMPORARILY OFFLINE http://andromedaspaceways.com/submissions-form/

Anathema Magazine http://www.anathemamag.com/submissions/

Asimov’s Magazine http://www.asimovs.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines/

Brick Moon Press http://brickmoonentertainment.com/

Beneath Ceaseless Skies http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/submissions/

Cast of Wonders http://www.castofwonders.org/submissions/

Celenic Earth Publications https://celenicearthpublications.wordpress.com/submissions/

Clarkesworld Magazine http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/submissions/

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores https://cosmicrootsandeldritchshores.com/submissions/