Submission Rules Update for The Orange Journal

Please read this to get your piece published faster.

Hello friends,

It’s been a while since I sent out an email because I didn’t have much to say.

I was busy writing more than I have ever written before. And this is only the beginning…

I have been doing a lot of experimenting, reading, and researching this past three weeks in regards to writing online, copywriting, and Medium specifically.

As 𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒪𝓇𝒶𝓃ℊℯ 𝒥ℴ𝓊𝓇𝓃𝒶𝓁 evolves, the rules will, too.

I am learning more about the platform every day, and want the best experience for readers and writers alike.

Just a few notes. Thanks for your time. Please reply in the comment section with any questions, concerns, comments, or suggestions.

I see all comments and reply to as many as I possibly can.

If you have specific questions that haven’t been answered, consider signing up for a tier with me to receive one on one attention.

The Orange Journal Submission Adjustments

Moving forward, all submissions must include ‘the orange journal’ as one of the tags. I have noticed this is fairly standard across publications, and I have chosen to implement this new rule as well. If you forget or fail to add it as one of the tags, myself or one of the other editors will remove your last tag and add ‘the orange journal.’
All CTA’s or calls to action shall not exceed 10 lines. It is becoming too bulky and takes away from the reader experience. I kindly ask that you put your CTA in a block code. You can learn how to do that here.
Embeds are to remain at two per story. This is regardless of whether or not it’s the author’s story or someone else's. Poetry + shortform do not get embeds. Per Medium’s rules, stories with embeds that cover 20% or more of your story will not be eligible for curation.
No more bios at the bottom of your story. You can refer folks to your main page. The bottom half of many stories are becoming intros and CTA’s. I have noticed overall read ratio decrease across stories that have longer CTA’s at the bottom.
No more title case mandatory for body subtitles. Enforcing this rule has been like pulling teeth, so I will drop it. All subtitles still get small t and no periods at the end.
All articles will still be published one hour apart. I don’t think this will ever change. Moving forward, pieces will be scheduled at all hours of the day. Since there are readers all over the world, I believe this will be a valuable experiment for writers and readers alike. It will also help us publish you faster.
All published articles sent in to The Orange Journal will automatically be removed from queue. TOJ accepts drafts only, as do most pubs. No more courtesy note. Our time is valuable.
If you ask a question after we have scheduled to publish, we will likely not see it. Ask any questions when you submit by adding a private note.
Do not send in articles having to do with Medium or your earnings. They will not be accepted at this time.
All articles receive one critique. If edits are not made in one round, the piece will be removed from queue.

I know I sound like an uptight professor, but I’m here to run and scale TOJ in a sustainable, long-term fashion that’s inviting to readers and writers, all while maintaining quality control.

We welcome all writers, new and old to write for us. We also provide ample resources for free. It is up to you, the writer, to utilize these resources and come prepared.

Friend links provided upon request.

Our editors

Remember to introduce yourself to TOJ’s new editors.

Nicole Dake

The Sober Vegan Yogi (Michele)

Alessia May

They are working hard to get you published as fast as possible!

Socials

And remember that after we publish your work, connect with us on Instagram @theorangejournal_ so we can feature you. At this time, we can only share Instagram stories. Remember to tag us in your post!

Prefer Twitter? Tag me @Susie_Pinon and I will retweet your story that has been published in The Orange Journal!

New to TOJ? Start with this.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Best,

🆂🆄🆉🍊

Have more questions? Sign up for a tier to get 1on1 access with me.