About Our Fees

Why We Charge Submission Fees
Let's address something that might raise eyebrows: we charge submission fees for The Stygian Zine.
A Decision We Didn't Take Lightly
For three years, Stygian Media operated without charging submission fees. This change came after careful thought and consideration. We're a "for authors, by authors" company, and we recognise that introducing fees could feel like a departure from that ethos. But we believe in community, and community means supporting each other as we grow.
We hope that just as we support authors by providing a professional platform and fair compensation, authors will support us in building something sustainable. As we grow, our authors can grow with us. We want to expand The Stygian Zine and publish more than two issues per year. With community support, we can create more opportunities for creators to see their work in print. One day we hope to return to a no-fee system, but right now we need the resources to establish ourselves properly and continue expanding what we can offer. And hey - once you’re in, you’re in. Accepted once? Don’t pay again.
The Reality of Independent Publishing
Running a literary magazine requires real labour and real costs. Here's what happens behind the scenes for every submission cycle:

Reading & Editorial Work: Every piece is read carefully by our editorial team. We're looking at hundreds of submissions per cycle, evaluating each one against our standards and the issue's vision.
Production Costs: Formatting, layout design, printing, and distribution all cost money. These aren't tasks we can skip or automate.
Platform Maintenance: Website hosting, email management, payment processing, and digital infrastructure require ongoing investment.
Honorariums: We pay selected contributors $20 CAD per published work. That money has to come from somewhere.

We're an AI-free when it comes to our print media, which means we're not taking shortcuts. Humans read every submission, make every editorial decision, and handle every aspect of production. That personal touch costs time and money, but it’s what makes our publication worth reading.
Community Works vs. Traditional Publishing
As our founder Holly Rhiannon has written about before, there’s an important distinction between paying submission fees and paying to be published. Traditional vanity publishing asks you to pay thousands of dollars with little editorial oversight and no guarantee of quality. Submission fees for magazines and anthologies serve a different purpose. They help sustain community-driven projects where editors work to cover operational costs and ensure that only serious submissions come through, allowing us to focus on quality rather than volume.
If your work is selected, you receive an honorarium and the opportunity to be part of a professional publication. You're paying for your work to be seriously considered by people who care about the craft.
Why This Model Works
Stygian Media operates as an independent publisher without grants, institutional backing, or major funding. We're building this from the ground up with our own (limited) resources and the support of our community. Submission fees allow us to:

We understand that $5 might feel like a barrier, especially for writers submitting to multiple venues. That’s why we offer tiered pricing (3 submissions for $12, 5 for $20) to make it more accessible if you’re sending multiple pieces.
The Bottom Line
If submission fees don’t work for you, that’s okay. There are free submission opportunities out there, and we encourage you to pursue them. But if you want to be part of what we're building at Stygian Media—a sustainable, author-friendly publication that pays its contributors and maintains high editorial standards—then a small submission fee is how we make that possible.
We're committed to transparency about where your money goes and why we operate this way. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to us at minion@stygiansociety.com. We're always happy to explain our process.

Why We Charge Submission Fees