Chamber Executive Author Guidelines
ACCE is always looking for talented chamber professionals to handle assigned stories as well as submit original story ideas for consideration to appear inChamber Executive magazine.
Not only will you be published and receive a byline in a respected journal for your peers, you'll earn five points toward your Certified Chamber Executive (CCE)designation.
Review the author qualifications below, and if you're interested, email two writing samples to the Editor.
- At least three years of experience in a chamber of commerce or economic development
- Currently employed in the chamber profession
- Willing to conduct some interviews or gather other background material for the article
Chamber Executive articles feature proven solutions to the problems chamber professionals are facing. Help us by sharing your insights, approaches and lessons learned as a result of a challenging situation.
Tips for Getting Started
Review the magazine editorial calendar for the topics we're covering in a particular issue.
Write from experience. Choose a topic you feel comfortable talking about, then focus on the valuable lessons you've learned from the experience. Think beyond your specific chamber, and show readers how to apply your expertise to their situations. In writing your article, ask yourself the following questions:
- How can other chambers adapt what I've done?
- How can other chambers avoid or recuperate from unforeseen pitfalls?
- What resources, both time and money, are involved?
- What barriers might they face in developing and implementing the solution?
Be relevant and concise. Make your article as practical as possible and include sufficient examples and "how-to" information. Be brief and to the point. Stick to the basics or what readers need to know to follow in your footsteps. Keep sentences short and simple. Write as you would speak. Always attempt to use active verbs verses passive sentences. Use details to add clarity, such as statistics and dates that support your points.
Draw in the reader. Keep your title brief (usually four to six words) and aim to be clever but not so clever that the meaning or connection is lost. Make your lead sentence or paragraph compelling so that your audience will want to keep reading. Make it relevant to your topic and get to the point quickly. A strong close is just as important. So instead of merely summarizing, make your conclusion as memorable as your lead.
Submitting Your Article
- Articles should be no more than four double-spaced pages (1,500 words maximum) and follow Associated Press (AP) editorial style. Typical articles are between 900 - 1,200 words.
- Please include a brief biography and contact information at the end of the article, including name, title, suffix, and company/chamber.
- Submit your article as a Microsoft Word attachment in an e-mail to the Editor.
- Please refrain from using automatic formatting features, such as bullets or boldface, in your article.
- Submit any charts, tables, graphics, or photos that support your article in separate files.
- Allow four to six weeks for review of your article. Publishing will be on a space-permitting, topic appropriate basis.
- If you are submitting the article simultaneously to any other publication, please notify us in writing at the time of submission.
