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A Guide for Jazz Journalists Association Members

Interested in Contributing to All About Jazz? Start Here.

If you're a member of the Jazz Journalists Association and are interested in contributing to All About Jazz, welcome.

We share a commitment to thoughtful jazz journalism, documenting the music and the people who make it, and helping jazz reach the widest possible audience.

All About Jazz operates somewhat differently from many traditional publications, however, so before you apply, we'd like to explain how our contributor model works, what you can expect from us, and what we'll expect from you.

Our Volunteer Model

All About Jazz is a professional publishing operation powered by volunteer contributors.

Many AAJ contributors are accomplished writers whose work extends well beyond All About Jazz. Members of our team have published books and papers, written liner notes, artist biographies, press releases and other professional materials, contributed to newspapers and radio stations, taught at colleges and universities, and built decades of experience covering jazz and the arts.

They bring that experience to All About Jazz because they believe in what we're building, value being part of our community, and want their work to reach a worldwide audience.

All About Jazz does not pay writers for articles. If you're looking primarily for paid freelance assignments, AAJ will probably not be the right fit. If you're interested in becoming part of an established international jazz publication and contributing alongside an experienced team of writers and editors, we'd be delighted to hear from you.

What It Means to Write for All About Jazz

Contributing to All About Jazz means joining the publication, not simply submitting articles to it.

Our writers take an active role in the publishing process. Rather than emailing a finished article to an editor who then enters, formats and prepares it for the website, AAJ contributors use our publishing tools to submit their own work.

Our editors review submissions, edit when necessary, provide guidance and prepare articles for publication. Writers are responsible for learning our system, following our guidelines and submitting complete, properly prepared work.

This approach allows our editorial team to concentrate on what editors do best while enabling writers to take greater ownership of their work.

Experience and the AAJ Process

We respect the experience every writer brings to All About Jazz.

Some new contributors have been writing professionally for decades. Others are developing their voices and building their first substantial body of published work. Regardless of background, previous publications, professional credentials or organizational affiliations, everyone learns and follows the same AAJ publishing process.

Like any established publication, All About Jazz has developed its own house style, editorial standards, submission guidelines and workflow.

We want writers to retain their individual voices—that variety is one of AAJ's strengths—but those voices exist within a consistent editorial framework.

Joining AAJ therefore means bringing your experience to the table while also being willing to learn how we work.

How Onboarding Works

We want new contributors to succeed, which is why we've developed an onboarding process rather than simply giving writers access to our publishing system and wishing them luck.

Start by reading our contributor opportunities and completing the contributor form. We'll also ask you to share a sample of your writing.

If we believe you're a good fit, Scott Lichtman will contact you and guide you through the onboarding process. Scott will introduce you to our submission guidelines, publishing tools and editorial workflow and answer the questions that naturally arise when learning a new system.

You'll then be prepared to work with your editor and submit your first article.

The goal is straightforward: invest a little time at the beginning so you can hit the ground running.

Once onboarded, AAJ contributors should be able to develop an idea, prepare an article, submit it properly and work efficiently with their editor with minimal administrative back-and-forth.

The AAJ Way

All About Jazz has grown and evolved for more than three decades through collaboration.

Writers, editors, photographers, radio & podcast hosts, musicians, administrators and technologists contribute their time and expertise to create something none of us could build individually.

That collaborative culture depends upon personal responsibility.

We ask our writers to learn our guidelines, use the tools we've built, submit complete and carefully prepared work, communicate clearly, meet commitments, respect editors' time and take ownership of their contributions.

Our editors are here to edit, advise, answer meaningful editorial questions and help writers produce their best work. They should not routinely need to perform submission or administrative tasks that our publishing system enables contributors to handle themselves.

This isn't about bureaucracy. Quite the opposite. The more self-sufficient each of us becomes, the more time everyone has to devote to jazz journalism.

That's the AAJ Way: professional standards, individual responsibility, collaboration and a shared commitment to the music.

What You Can Expect From All About Jazz

The expectations go both ways.

We provide contributors with an established publishing platform, editorial guidance, publishing tools, an individual contributor page and access to a worldwide jazz readership.

You'll work alongside knowledgeable writers and editors who care deeply about jazz and take the work seriously. You'll also have opportunities to explore your interests, develop ideas, discover new music and artists, and build a substantial body of published work.

Most importantly, you'll become part of a community that has spent more than three decades documenting jazz and helping people discover it.

Before You Apply

Please make sure you're comfortable with these fundamentals:

• All About Jazz is a professional publishing operation powered by volunteer contributors. Contributors are not paid for articles.
• Writers submit their own articles using the AAJ publishing system.
• All writers follow AAJ's editorial standards, submission guidelines and house style, regardless of previous experience or professional affiliations.
• New writers complete our onboarding process before becoming active contributors.
• Contributors are expected to take responsibility for their work and become increasingly self-sufficient within the AAJ publishing process.

If that sounds like an environment in which you'd enjoy contributing, we'd like to hear from you.

Bring your experience. Bring your ideas. Bring your individual voice.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard.

READY TO CONTRIBUTE? JOIN US