Passionate about literature? Interested in building a quality home for outstanding and challenging fiction? The Long Story, Short Journal is currently looking for a Publicity Manager, an Editorial Assistant and an Art Editor. Interested individuals should forward a very brief CV outlining previous experience, whether academic, volunteer or professional, to longstoryshortjournal@gmail.com . Additional details can be found below regarding the application process for each individual position. As this journal does not receive funding, these are unpaid roles (as is the role of the Publisher/Editor in Chief); the workload is estimated to be a commitment of roughly 10 hours per month.
About Long Story, Short Journal
The Long Story, Short Journal was established in September 2012 by Jennifer Matthews, as a home for longer fiction which had difficulty finding publication in print journals where word-counts were restricted to 3000 or less. The journal features both emerging and professional writers from around the world (but includes a significant proportion of stories from Ireland, where the journal is based). The average monthly readership is solid and growing, with most stories getting upwards of 150 or 200 (real, non-robot, no bounce-back) readers. We’d like to grow the readership, and spread the love for the long short story.
Publicity Manager
The ideal candidate is passionate about spreading the word about great stories, and an avid reader of short stories themselves (being familiar with contemporary writers is a must). You should be a fluent Twitterer and at home on Facebook, as this role will include promoting current stories on social media multiple times weekly, and creating blog posts at Short Stops monthly to help get the word out about new stories. Additionally, the Editor in Chief and the Publicity Manager will liaise to create a strategy to increase the readership of Long Story, Short Journal, reaching out to other fiction resources on the web and beyond. The Publicity Manager will also link up with past contributing writers of the journal, spreading the word about their newest publications, awards and book launches as appropriate on social media. Candidates familiar with interpreting metrics would be most welcome, but this is not required. Along with your CV, please choose a previously published story from Long Story, Short Journal and include an example of one Facebook post and two Tweets you would have used to promote that story in a creative, attention-catching, but professional manner.
Editorial Assistant
The ideal candidate would be an individual who has at least once fantasised about defacing a sign with incorrect use of an apostrophe, and for whom the pitfalls of autocorrect are navigable. Proofreading stories in a timely manner and working to a deadline are central to this role. Stylistic editing issues will remain with the Editor-in-Chief, but suggestions which are in keeping with the author’s intentions will always be welcome. Additional duties include replying to general email queries on a weekly basis, and issuing acknowledgement of submissions on a daily basis during submission periods. When a candidate sends their CV, they will be given a sample text (2 – 3 paragraphs) for the purpose of making proofreading suggestions as part of the application process. Candidates should be aware that this is a journal for longer short stories—although most texts centre around 6000 or 7000 words, there is the potential for being asked to work with a piece which runs 15,000 words or more.
Art Editor
If you are an avid reader with a background in the visual arts (whether as a hobbyist or a professional), this position is ideal for you. The Art Editor will work under a strict deadline to source a photograph, and written permission to use the photograph, for each issue. Although this role will be largely independent, approval from the Editor-in-Chief will be required before permission to use the photo is sought. Additionally, the Art Editor will take on a one-off side-project of sourcing a new Squarespace template for the journal, to give the publication a new look. Along with your CV, please choose a previously published story from the archives of Long Story, Short Journal for which to suggest three alternative photographs from sites such as Flickr or DeviantArt. (This is only an exercise—please do not contact the photographer.) Send links to your photo suggestions on for your in the body of the application email. Applicants must love reading, and the photographs should echo elements within the stories. They aren’t illustrations, and needn’t ‘match’ the plot or characters, but must somehow reflect the tone or themes found within the story.
