Official information
Overview
- Publication
- Asimov’s Science Fiction
- Eligibility
- Official: Asimov’s will consider material submitted by any writer, previously published or not. No country list.
- Writing
- Science fiction short story (some borderline fantasy/slipstream)
- Payment
- 8–10¢ per word (8¢ after 7,500 words)
- Currency
- USD
- Payment conditions
- Official: 8–10 cents per word for short stories up to 7,500 words, and 8 cents for each word over 7,500. They seldom buy stories shorter than 1,000 words or longer than 20,000 words. Poetry is a separate $1-a-line rate, not copied onto this card.
- When paid
- Not publicly stated on the guidelines page
- Word count
- Seldom under 1,000 or over 20,000; no novel serials
- Response time
- Average about five weeks; query after 45 days
- Status
- Open
- Deadline
- Not publicly stated
- How to submit
- Official online submissions system — not email
- AI policy
- AI-generated work prohibited
What they want
- Character-oriented science fiction. Official: SF dominates; they also buy some borderline fantasy, slipstream and surreal fiction.
- Serious, thoughtful, accessible fiction; humour is allowed.
- Standard manuscript format (.DOC, .DOCX or .RTF) via the online form.
What they don't want
- Sword and sorcery. Explicit sex or violence.
- Reprints. Simultaneous submissions.
- Email submissions.
- Any submission written, developed or assisted by AI writing tools. Official: that can get you banned.
Requirements
- Online system only
- No simultaneous submissions
- No AI
- Standard manuscript format
Rights
Official Must Read Magazines rights: exclusive first English-language publication rights for one year; then non-exclusive archive, translation, anthology and limited paper-goods excerpt rights. Major award anthologies may be licensed by the author without asking.
How to submit
- Read https://asimovs.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines/.
- Submit at https://asimovs.magazinesubmissions.com/.
- Keep the tracking number. Query asimovs@mustreadbookspublishing.com only after 45 days.
Official source
Asimov’s — Writer's Guidelines (official)
Last verified 2026-08-19. Always re-read the official page before you send work.
Information can change. Payment rates, submission requirements, eligibility, deadlines and response times are subject to change. Always check the publication's official guidelines before submitting. BRYME verifies listings as carefully as possible but does not guarantee acceptance or payment.