ICMA has established a reputation as the authoritative publisher of materials on local government. Our publications are distributed internationally to practitioners and students. When you become an ICMA author, you get:
- The opportunity to reach a wide audience through a well-known and highly respected publisher
- The chance to develop a manuscript with the assistance of expert reviewers (practitioners and academics)
- Access to ICMA's resources (data, illustrations, examples, contacts)
- The help of professional editors who specialize in local government
- Marketing expertise
- The opportunity to make a lasting contribution to professional management in local government.
Audience
ICMA Press publishes for local government practitioners, including managers, assistant managers, and department heads, as well as for students of public administration.
Subject Areas
ICMA publishes books, reports, and articles on:
- General local government management
- Finance and budgeting
- Human Resources
- Technology and telecommunications
- Public safety (police services, fire services, and emergency management)
- Local government services
- Service contracting
- Planning and community development
- Economic development and capital budgeting
- Leadership, community engagement, and ethics
- Supervisory practices
We welcome proposals on any of these topics as well as their subcategories – such as strategic planning, capital improvements, productivity, emergency medical services, and solid waste management.
How to Submit
publication Proposals
ICMA welcomes proposals for several kinds of publications:
- Handbooks for practitioners (introductions to current topics, program planning guides, how-to guides, manuals providing guidance for complying with legislation and regulations)
- Textbooks for classroom use
- Casebooks for use by students and practitioners
- Brief reports that offer experience-based, how-to information.
Your proposal should include the following:
- A cover letter
- A short outline summarizing chapter contents and giving a list of topic headings for each chapter
- A current curriculum vitae
Please do not submit a completed manuscript. Please do address the following questions in your cover letter:
- What is the overall purpose of the publication?
- Who is the intended audience? How will the publication benefit members of this audience?
- If you were marketing your publication to this audience, what other major selling points would you emphasize?
- Are there competing publications in the same topic area? If so, what publications would be the major competitors with yours? What makes yours different or unique? What would make your intended readers buy your publication instead of other books available?
- How short (in a number of words) can your publication be? What would be its maximum length (in a number of words)?
- Will it include illustrations of any kind (tables, charts, drawings, or photographs)?
- When would you anticipate completing the first draft?
Send your proposal to:
Ann Mahoney
Director, ICMA Publications
By mail: ICMA, 777 North Capitol St. NE, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20002
By E-mail: amahoney@icma.org
Short Report Proposals (InFocus)
ICMA publishes a series of short reports called InFocus on a wide variety of local government management topics. In Focus reports are written to help managers, assistant managers, and department heads implement programs or resolve management issues. They provide practical information that can be applied to local situations. If a report is about a program, it is a "how to" manual; if it is about an issue, it explains concepts and discusses the opportunities and pitfalls associated with various approaches.
We welcome proposals for new reports. Your proposal should include the following:
- A cover letter describing the proposed report's purpose and your expertise
- A short outline summarizing the content.
Send your InFocus proposal to:
Ann Mahoney
Director, ICMA Publications
By mail: ICMA, 777 North Capitol St. NE, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20002
By E-mail: amahoney@icma.org
Manuscript Guidelines for InFocus
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Articles
Public Management
Public Management, ICMA's monthly member magazine, publishes short articles on current topics of interest to local government managers. Public Management welcomes contributions from all parts of the world. Contributors are advised to review the Editorial Guidelines for Public Management and consult past issues of Public Management before submitting articles.
Send articles intended for publication in ICMA's member magazine Public Management directly to:
Beth Payne, Editor of PM Magazine
By fax: 202-962-3500
By mail: ICMA, 777 N. Capitol Street, NE, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20002-4201
By E-mail: bpayne@icma.org