Longreads is dedicated to publishing and sharing the best longform nonfiction storytelling on the web. Thank you for your interest in our publication—please read these guidelines on pitching and submitting to us.

If you’d like to nominate a story as an editor’s pick

To recommend an already published story at another publication for our editors’ picks section, the best ways to reach us are via email (submit the link to [email protected]) and Twitter/X (share the story in a tweet and tag us @longreads).

If you’d like to pitch us an original story for publication

Longreads accepts pitches for original work and pays competitive rates. We’re not accepting any fiction at this time.

We are a very small team and receive many pitches and submissions each day. We generally only respond if we are interested in publishing your piece, so we strongly recommend submitting simultaneously to other publications. Please email essay submissions, feature pitches, reading list ideas, and other queries to [email protected]. Adding a bit of detail and context in your subject line makes your message stand out.

Longreads will not accept any submission or pitch written or edited using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT.

Essays (Personal, Researched, Reported, Critical) and Columns

Essays and columns typically run between 2,000 and 6,000 words. Pieces may be longer or broken up into a series depending on the length and subject matter. 

Personal essays should be submitted on spec. We look for smart, unexpected angles and fresh, distinct voices. We publish both established and emerging or unpublished writers. Our personal essay rate is $500. Here are a few of our favorites: 

We accept pitches for researched and reported essays, critical essays, and columns. Rates start at $500, with the fee depending on the reporting and research required, as well as the total word count. Essays and columns, including some personal essays, may be fact-checked as necessary. Here are a few examples of columns and essays with varying levels of research and reporting: 

Reading Lists

Longreads seeks writers who are eager to explore topics through curated reading lists. A reading list typically includes an essay-style introduction, followed by a collection of links to longform stories (and sometimes books and other resources) related to the theme. We pay $350 per reading list. Please email [email protected] and include “Reading List” and the proposed topic/theme in your email subject line. Timely topics, but also offbeat and unique angles, are especially welcome, as is a diverse mix of featured publications and writers. Not sure what to pitch? Browse our reading lists to see what we’ve published, or read a few that we love:

Features and Investigations

Longreads is not currently fielding investigative or deeply reported features.

Some tips

It can take us a considerable amount of time to review pitches and read submissions, which means we are unable to respond to everyone. For this reason, we recommend that you pitch your stories to other publications in addition to Longreads—but please include a note to us if you are doing so.

If you do decide to pitch something exclusively to Longreads, give us a deadline to consider your idea before taking your pitch to other outlets.

If we don’t accept your initial pitch, pitch us again! We reject stories for a variety of reasons: a story may not be quite right for us, and sometimes it’s all about timing.