der Bayerische Article Submission Guidelines

So, you want to write an article for der Bayerische (dB)?  Well, we’d love to publish it!  Please read through this document to learn about our submission and publishing process as well as how you (the aspiring or seasoned author) can prepare your article submission for the magazine.

Article Format

  • .doc or .docx file format, please!
  • Use Arial, 11pt font, single-spaced.
  • Do not embed photos within the document (see Photos section below).

Article Content

  • What should you write about? Something related to our shared automotive passions within the National Capital Chapter (NCC) would be a great start!  Cover an NCC event or write about a noteworthy automotive experience.  If you would like to propose an idea, feel free to email us at editor@nccbmwcca.org.
  • Please include an article title at the top of your submission document.
  • Please include the names of the author(s) and photographer(s) below the title.
  • dB is an online publication, so please feel free to use explicit hyperlinks in your text with short, clean URLs, such as https://www.nccbmwcca.org/. These will become “live” (clickable) hyperlinks in the online publication.  Please minimize the use of embedded hyperlinks in plain text, such as click here for our chapter’s website, since they require extra effort to set up when we import your article.
  • If the event took place at a sponsor’s venue, do acknowledge and thank the sponsor. It is ok to mention the sponsor’s name, location, contact info or website URL, and what kind of work they do. Don’t turn the article into a feature-length ad for the sponsor; focus on the event.
  • dB editors follow AP (Associated Press) Stylebook standards for writing style: https://store.stylebooks.com/apstylebookonline.html

Article Length

  • Articles should not exceed 6 single-spaced pages of text (not counting photos).
  • Most articles are roughly 3 single-spaced pages of text.

Photos

  • Submit high-resolution photos as email attachments (see Submission Process below).
  • If you did not take the photo, please ensure permission to use the photo and provide the photographer’s name for proper credit, by noting the photographer at the end of the caption.
  • Include a photo filename to caption mapping at the end of your article. For example:
    • 1.jpg – The beautiful E30 slides gracefully through the turn. Photo by John Smith.
    • 2.jpg – I changed the oil and the car is running well. Photo by Jane Smith.
    • 3.jpg – Look at the difference between these brake pads. Photo by Jane Smith.
    • ….
  • For every page of article text, please include 2 to 3 photos.
  • The editors and layout manager will choose which photos are used and their placement in the article.

The Submission Process

  • Submit your articles via email to editor@nccbmwcca.org.
  • All articles must be received by the 14th of odd-numbered months (January, March, …).
  • Attach your photos to the email submission, include a link to a Google Drive folder, or include a link to a DropBox folder. (This may require multiple emails depending on the size of the photos).
  • Upon submission, your articles will be edited to correct spelling, grammar, and conform to dB standards.
  • Your edited article will be returned to you via email.

First article submission?  Here are a few tips:

  • Check for proper spelling and grammar. Most word processing software has these features built-in.
  • Read your article out loud a few times before submitting it. This is an easy way to catch mistakes.