Chemical & Engineering News Market Guide

Fees: For news stories, which range from 250 to 500 words, the publication pays $360 for stories with a single source and $650 for a story with outside comment. For feature stories, which usually range from 800 to 2,000 words, it pays $1.70 a word for a single-source piece such as a Q&A and $2 a word for a multi-source article. 

Submit to: For news pitches, email Chris Gorski at c_gorski@acs.org. For feature pitches, contact the general freelance inbox at contentpartnerships@acs.org or specific editors listed below:

• Business-related and policy-related pitches: Mike McCoy, m_mccoy@acs.org. 
• Life science pitches: Laura Howes, LHowes@acs-i.org, or Manny Morone, m_morone@acs.org.
• Physical science pitches: Mitch Jacoby, M_Jacoby@acs.org, or Manny Morone, m_morone@acs.org.

Website: https://cen.acs.org/index.html 

Owner: American Chemical Society 

Readership demographics: Readers of the print magazine are members of the American Chemical Society. The website is also accessible to the public. “We aim for the complexity level of someone who has a bachelor’s degree in any science,” said Senior Editor Manny Morone. 

Frequency of publication: The print magazine is published weekly, and the website is updated daily. 

Our stories center around new developments or emerging trends in science. Make sure those current or new elements shine in your pitch and story.

C&EN Senior Editor Manny Morone

What they look for in a pitch: News: “Science news stories usually center around a newly released study, but there are obvious exceptions, such as news about scientists themselves, although we rarely report on awards besides a few big prizes, such as Nobel Prizes, MacArthur Fellowships won by chemists and the Wolf Prize,” said Morone.

Study stories should answer the following questions: 

• Why did the researchers perform the study? 
• What did the researchers do? 
• Why should we care? 

Finally, freelancers should say how they plan to illustrate the story and include a short bio and links to some clips, Morone said.

Features: Freelancers should explain why this story should be covered now, including whether there is a news hook and the most recent developments. In addition, you should explain the proposed structure of the story, including what questions you plan to answer, and discuss the main characters, engaging anecdotes and the narrative arc of the piece. Identify at least three sources you’ll be interviewing and what you’ll be talking to them about. As with a news story, include how you plan to illustrate the story, a short bio and clips. 

Editors welcome feature pitches in the biomedicine field. Most of these stories would be about the biotech or pharmaceutical industries and the chemistry of their products, said Morone.  For example, the publication ran a story about finding better biomarkers  — molecules in people’s blood — for diagnosing diabetes. 

Editors are also interested in stories about atmospheric and environmental chemistry and the impact on public health. For example, the publication ran a story about how the high temperatures of wildfires can melt the plastic used in water infrastructure and cause chemicals to leach into the water supply. 

Do editors accept pre-pitches: Yes.

Most common mistakes seen in pitches:  “A lot of people give me a topic and not a story,” said Morone. Also, they neglect to search C&EN content to review past coverage and how it overlaps with their pitch. And they don’t explain why it’s important to publish this news or feature story now. 

“Our stories center around new developments or emerging trends in science,” he said. “Make sure those current or new elements shine in your pitch and story.”

Lead time for pitching: News pitches are reviewed quickly and, if accepted, a draft might be expected within 24 hours. Be sure to put “time-sensitive” in the subject line of your email if the piece needs to run right away. For features, editors try to respond within a week and a half. Freelancers are expected to deliver a first draft usually a month after the piece has been assigned. It takes about another month for it to be finalized and ready to publish.

Best place for a freelancer to break into the publication: Pitching a news story is probably best if you are new to the publication.