Frequently Asked Questions

How does this work?

We post great longform non-fiction daily.

You pick the stories you like, then save them to read later when you have the time using Instapaper or Read It Later. (Or, if you want, read them right away in your web browser.)

I’m new to the site. Where should I start?

We recommend starting with our list of favorites. If you’re interested in a story on a specific topic, try browsing the tag index or the by topic page.

How do you pick stories?

Longform.org is curated by Aaron Lammer, Max Linsky, and a small group of contributors. We make a point to read everything in full before posting it, and only feature stories we sincerely recommend. Articles that aren’t compatible with text-based reading services—namely PDFs and paginated pieces—do not appear on the site. (For more on how we pick stories, read this.)

How do I suggest a story for Longform.org?

The easiest ways are to reply to @longformorg on Twitter with a link (please use the single page or print version) or paste the link in the “suggest a story” form on the left side of the this page.

You can also send an email with the link to editors@longform.org.

We can’t promise to post every submission, but we’ll give each one a read.

Writers and editors: suggesting your own work is strongly encouraged. We don’t post fiction or poetry, however.

What is that “Read Later” button? What are Instapaper and Read It Later?

A pair of services that allow you to save the text of a web page–just the text, no ads or formatting–to mobile devices so you can read long articles later, when you have. (Longform.org has no financial relationship with either service; we just recommend them.)

To save a story with Instapaper, which is available on the iPhone and iPad, click the “Read Later” button. You’ll know it’s worked when the button says “Saved.”

To save a story with Read It Later, which is supported on several devices, click the “Share” button, then click “Read It Later.” You’ll know it’s worked when the button says “Mark As Read.”

Can I access Longform.org elsewhere?

Longform.org is designed to be read on a variety of platforms.

Newsletters: Get stories delivered straight to your inbox by subscribing in the form on the left side of this page. The weekly round-up, with links to every story posted that week, is sent on Friday afternoon. Subscribe here.

Twitter: Follow us at @longformorg, where we tweet a link to every story posted on longform.org.

Tumblr: New stories and occasional news about the site are posted at longform.tumblr.com.

Facebook: Links to new stories are posted our page. Also: like us!

RSS: We have both a full-site feed and one just for editor’s picks.

Flipboard: Longform.org is a recommended curator on Flipboard, a great app for the iPad.

I’m a writer and have stories in my archive that would be good for Longform.org. Can I submit them?

Of course. Even if you only have a document with the text of an article, send it along (editors@longform.org). If the article works for Longform.org, we’ll be happy to post it in full.