Volunteer Opportunities

Abandoned Towers is always looking for more people to help and contribute to either the print or the online editions. Check out the current job descriptions, or the staff page to see if there are opportunities that interest you. If you don’t see something that suits you, but you’d still like to help out drop us a line.

Advertising Manager

The Advertising Manager reports to the Managing Editor and consults with the Webmaster and Print Editor. The Advertising Manager is primarily responsible for generating and following up on leads for advertising.

This advertising can be for AbandonedTowers.com, print editions or other innovative avenues. As this is one of the few positions which would generate revenue for Abandoned Towers, commission based compensation is possible, although we’d prefer a volunteer at this point.

The Advertising Manager would (in consultation with the Managing Editor, Webmaster and Print Editor) set advertising rates for our various advertising vehicles. Additionally they would solicit advertising for our print editions, and manage the relationships with advertisers.

If you’d like to come on board as our Advertising Manager let us know!

Assistant Editor(s)

Assistant Editors, in general, are the middle layer between the Slush Readers and the actual Editors. If a given genre or form has an Assistant Editor, it is the Assistant Editor who will be the first point of contact for those Slush Readers.

The Assistant Editor, at the discretion of the Editor, may also assign new material to slush readers.

Assistant Editors will also perform other duties as assigned by their Editor or the Managing Editor. If this sounds like you, let us know!

Bloggers/Columnists

Bloggers and Columnists post periodic content to AbandonedTowers.com, in exchange for which they receive increased exposure and a biography page.

We are interested in people who can commit to at least one post/column every two months. We’re interested in content which will be of interest to the Abandoned Towers community, so specifically things like:

From our perspective, the key difference between a blogger and a columnist is that the blogger will tend more towards opinion pieces and that there likely will not be an overarching theme across their posts. A columnist, however, should have a continuing theme throughout their columns. That is not to say that someone cannot do both.

Want to give it a try? Let us know!

Copy Editor(s)

Copy Editors primarily would work with the Print Editor and ensure that all material in print editions was indeed print ready, although if time and interest allows, Copy Editors could also review online content and pages.

If this sounds like something you’d like to help with let us know!

Contest Judges: Preliminary Round

We are currently looking for a number of people to act as preliminary round judges in the Abandoned Towers Writing Contest. If you’re interested, please check out the description on the Judges page, and then contact us and let us know you’re interested.

Note: you can be a judge and still enter the writing contest.

Contest Judges: Final Round

We are currently looking for a number of people to act as final round judges in the Abandoned Towers Writing Contest. If you’re interested, please check out the description on the Judges page, and then contact us and let us know you’re interested.

Note: you can be a judge and still enter the writing contest.

ePub Specialist

Abandoned Towers will be making our print editions available in ePub editions as well, and as such we are seeking someone with expertise in converting print books or magazines into usable ePub editions suitable for reading on a variety of eReaders. If you’re such a person and are interested in being involved with Abandoned Towers let us know!

Fiction Editor

The Fiction Editor reports to the Managing Editor and may manage multiple Assistant Editors and/or Slush Readers. The Fiction Editor is primarily responsible for deciding (in consultation with the Managing Editor) which short stories, serial stories and flash fiction appear on AbandonedTowers.com or in our print editions.

It may become necessary or beneficial in the future to split the role of Fiction Editor into multiple Genre Editor positions. So if you are interested in being our Fiction Editor, or in being a Genre Editor let us know!

Graphic Designer

The Graphic Designer would report to the Print Editor and Webmaster while consulting with all senior editors. The graphic designer is primarily responsible for creating or acquiring graphics for AbandonedTowers.com and our print editions.

In addition to those responsibilities, they may also assist the webmaster with site design and layout of AbandonedTowers.com and the Print Layout Specialist and Print Editor with design and layout of print editions.

If you’re interested in being involved with Abandoned Towers in any of those capacities let us know!

Nonfiction Editor

The Nonfiction Editor reports to the Managing Editor and may manage multiple Assistant Editors and/or Slush Readers.  The Nonfiction Editor is primarily responsible for deciding (in consultation with the Managing Editor) which nonfiction pieces appear on AbandonedTowers.com or in our print editions.

It may become necessary or benficial in the future to split the role of Nonfiction Editor into multiple Form Editor positions (e.g. Essay, Editorial, etc…).  So if you are interested in being our Nonfiction Editor or in being a Form Editor let us know!

Print Editor

The Print Editor reports to the Managing Editor and works with all other senior editors to determine what content will appear in which print edition of Abandoned Towers.  Additionally the Print Editor will at least interact with, if not manage, the Print Layout Specialist, Graphic Designer, Advertising Manager, Marketing Manager, Copy Editors, ePub Specialist and Proofreaders.

In addition to determining the content of the print editions, the Print Editor is also responsible for determining the schedule of and meeting the schedule of print editions.  The Print Editor may also determine which mechanisms are used to provide print editions.

Given that this is not a small role, it may be divided into multiple roles, either Co-Print Editors or a Senior Print Editor with one or more Assistant Print Editors.

If this challenge appeals to you let us know!

Print Layout Specialist

The Print Layout Specialist will work primarily under the guidance of the Print Editor, but will also liaise with the Graphic Designer, Advertising Manager and other senior roles.  The Print Layout Specialist will be primarily responsible for generating the overall layout of each print edition of Abandoned Towers.

If that sounds like fun to you let us know!

Proofreader

Proofreaders are necessary to maintain the integrity of any large volume written word presentation.  We have the need for proofreaders, both for our online content and of print editions before they are released to the public.

If you enjoy proofreading let us know!

Slush Readers

Slush Readers are the backbone of any submission based enterprise. Every submission for potential acceptance needs to be read by at least someone, so that a determination can be made as to whether the work is ready for publication, needs more work, is inappropriate for Abandoned Towers or is otherwise fatally flawed.

We ask that our slush readers be able to commit to reading at least 4 submissions a month, although we prefer higher volume if you’re able to do it. We also ask that you provide meaningful feedback on the pieces that you read (this is why we’re not asking you to read as many pieces as other publications might).

After reading a piece, you will make your recommendation to the appropriate editor for the piece. The editor will then make their own determination on the piece, and will provide you with guidance if they disagree with your recommendations. In this way the editors and slush readers are able to build a relationship and come to a common understanding of what pieces are appropriate.

In general, an editor will be spending less time with a piece than the slush reader, so you can expect that your recommendations to the author will be forwarded to them.

Being a slush reader can be fun, but is an often relatively thankless and overlooked job. We are making efforts to highlight slush readers at Abandoned Towers which we feel is fun, innovative and beneficial to the community. First off, every slush reader will get a bio page on AbandonedTowers.com so that our readership can get to know you. Secondly, every piece that is posted or printed in Abandoned Towers will include the name of the Slush Reader who recommended that piece for posting or publication. As such it will be possible for our readers to specifically find content which was recommended by YOU! How cool is that?

If you’re interested in being a slush reader for us, let us know!