How to Contribute

Valeon publishes long-form essays by invited authors. Contributors apply with a sample of their work; editors review applications and issue invitations directly. Start with the guidelines — they describe editorial standards and the rights you keep — then apply when you're ready.

What happens after you apply

Your application lands in an editor's review queue. We aim to respond within 7 to 10 days.
If we're a fit, you'll receive a personal email invitation. The link sets up your authoring account — no separate sign-up, no password creation before we've talked.
Once your account is active, you'll have access to a browser-based editor. You write, attach images, preview, and submit drafts for review without leaving the page. No git, no frontmatter, no asset folders.
Editors review submissions inline. You address comments, resubmit, and publish.

Prefer writing in Obsidian?

If you already write in Obsidian, install the Valeon plugin from the community catalog. Publish, sync, and lint posts straight from your vault — same dashboard underneath, same editorial process, same rights. Works on desktop and mobile.

Rights, originality, and licensing

Submit only work you created or have explicit written permission to reprint. You retain copyright at all times.
Accepted work is published under a 30-day exclusive digital license, followed by a perpetual non-exclusive license. After the exclusive window you may syndicate elsewhere with a canonical link back to Valeon.
Disclose any AI assistance, financial ties, sponsorships, or affiliate relationships relevant to the piece. Mark affiliate links clearly.
We comply with DMCA and applicable takedown law. Removal requests go through the contact page with supporting evidence.

Editorial standards

Voice and structure

Reader-first. Define jargon. Prefer clear language over insider shorthand.
Recommended length: essays 1,200 to 3,000 words; features 3,000 to 6,000 words. Poetry is exempt.
Keep sections focused on a single idea. Use headings to guide the narrative — they also drive the table of contents and the audio version.

Citations and fact-checking

Source factual claims, statistics, and direct quotations. Link inline to primary or authoritative sources.
No unsourced medical, financial, or legal advice. Cite qualified expertise or remove the claim.

Prohibited content

No hate speech, harassment, doxxing, threats, or discriminatory language.
No plagiarism, fabricated sources, or knowingly false claims.
No unlawful content, explicit material, or instructions for illegal activity.

Valeon may decline or remove submissions that violate policy or applicable law.

Covers, images, and math

Covers: PNG, JPG, or WEBP at 1536×1024. Authors can also generate covers in the dashboard via AI. Keep them illustrative — text on the cover competes with the title in feeds.
Every embedded image needs descriptive alt text — it doubles as the visible caption and the screen-reader description.
LaTeX renders natively. Wrap inline math in $…$ and display math in $$…$$; the audio pipeline speaks both correctly.

Audio distribution

Every published essay is synthesised into a narrated audio track and added to the Valeon podcast feed unless the author opts out. The narration runs through VocaSync, which produces word-level-aligned audio used for in-page playback and highlighting.

Audio-safe writing tips: give phonetic hints for uncommon names, avoid unexplained figure references, and note when a visual carries meaning that a listener won't get from prose alone.

Editorial process

Initial editorial response within 7 to 10 days of submission.
Drafts go through a submit ➔ review ➔ revise loop. Reviewers can request changes with inline comments; you address them and resubmit. Trusted authors can be granted direct-publish privilege.
Publication remains at the discretion of Valeon's editorial staff.
Posts with exceptional craft, insight, or research may be featured on the homepage and highlighted across channels.