Contributing
Guest Guidelines
What to expect as an Acquire Publishing interview guest — the process, the standards, your rights, and what we ask of every participant.
Purpose of This Page
The Acquire Interview exists to document practical knowledge from experienced practitioners — people who have done the work, not people who comment on it from a distance. This page explains how guests are selected, what the interview process looks like, what rights you retain, and what Acquire Publishing commits to in return. If you have been invited to participate, or are considering applying, read this page first.
How Guests Are Selected
Acquire Publishing selects interview guests based on demonstrated experience — not celebrity, not social media following, not willingness to pay. Every prospective guest is evaluated against five criteria:
- Demonstrated Experience. The guest must have direct, verifiable experience in the subject they would discuss. This means years of practice, documented results, and a track record of decision-making in the relevant domain — not theory, not commentary, not "I've studied this."
- Practical Knowledge. The guest must be able to articulate what they did, why they did it, what worked, what did not, and what they would do differently. Abstract principles without specific application do not meet the standard.
- Credibility. The guest's claims must be verifiable. Credentials, professional history, and asserted results are checked before an invitation is extended. Guests who exaggerate, fabricate, or misrepresent themselves will not be published.
- Willingness to Be Candid. The most useful interviews include what went wrong. Guests who are only willing to discuss successes — or who require approval over editorial content — are not a fit for The Acquire Interview.
- No Undisclosed Conflicts. Guests must disclose financial interests, affiliations, and relationships that could reasonably be seen to influence their comments. These disclosures are published alongside the interview.
1. Pre-Interview Research
Before an interview is scheduled, the Acquire Publishing editorial team researches the guest's background, published work, public statements, and professional history. We prepare questions informed by that research — not a generic script. The guest receives the general topic areas in advance so they can prepare, but not the specific questions.
2. The Interview
Interviews are conducted by an Acquire Publishing editor or researcher. They typically last 45–90 minutes. The format is conversational and focused on extracting practical knowledge — what you did, what you learned, what you'd do differently. Interviews are recorded with your explicit consent. You may decline recording; we will work from notes instead. You may request that specific portions be off the record, and those portions will not be published.
3. Editorial Review & Draft
After the interview, our editorial team organizes your insights into a coherent publication. You will receive a draft for review before publication. Your review is for factual accuracy — you are verifying that the substance is correct. You are not approving writing style, editorial structure, or the editor's framing. The editorial team retains final authority over publication decisions, structure, and presentation.
4. Fact-Checking
Factual claims made during the interview are verified before publication. If a claim cannot be verified, it is either removed, qualified, or clearly labeled as the guest's assertion rather than established fact. The guest may be contacted for supporting evidence during this phase.
5. Publication
Once fact-checking is complete and the guest has reviewed the draft for accuracy, the interview is published as part of The Acquire Interview collection. It may also be repurposed into learning materials, research reports, case studies, or other Acquire Publishing formats — consistent with the rights described below.
Publishing Rights
By participating as a guest, you grant Acquire Publishing the right to publish the interview and derived content as part of our collections, research, and publications — in any format or medium. You retain the underlying intellectual property of your own ideas, experience, and prior work. You may republish or reference your own contributions with attribution to the original Acquire Publishing publication. Acquire Publishing may repurpose, excerpt, translate, or adapt the interview content across platforms and formats without additional approval.
No Payment for Editorial Interviews
Acquire Publishing does not pay guests for editorial interviews, and guests do not pay to be interviewed. Editorial interviews are selected on merit — the guest's experience and the practical value of their knowledge. There is no pay-to-play. If a guest or their organization commissions a Sponsored Interview, that interview is clearly labeled as sponsored and subject to the same editorial standards — but the commercial arrangement is disclosed prominently.
No Guarantee of Publication
Participation in an interview does not guarantee publication. The editorial team may determine — at any point in the process — that the interview does not meet Acquire Publishing's standards for practical knowledge, verifiability, or editorial quality. If an interview is not published, the guest will be notified and the reason will be explained. Acquire Publishing is not obligated to publish any interview it determines, in its editorial judgment, does not serve the reader.
Editorial Independence
Guests do not control the editorial framing, structure, conclusions, or presentation of their interview. The editorial team retains final authority over what is published and how it is presented. Guests may correct factual errors during the review phase. They may not suppress critical discussion, remove uncomfortable topics, or reshape the interview to serve promotional purposes. Editorial independence is non-negotiable.
Corrections
If you identify a factual error in a published interview, contact corrections@acquirepub.com. The same corrections policy that governs all Acquire Publishing publications applies to guest contributions. Errors are corrected promptly, and corrections are documented publicly. Minor clarifications may be applied without a correction note. Substantive corrections are always noted.
Conflicts of Interest
Guests must disclose any financial interests, affiliations, or relationships that could reasonably be seen to influence their comments. This includes ownership in companies discussed, consulting relationships, board memberships, affiliate arrangements, and any other material conflicts. Disclosures are published alongside the interview. Failure to disclose a material conflict may result in the interview being removed after publication.
Ready to Participate?
Suggest a guest you believe should be interviewed, or apply to be interviewed yourself. Both paths go through the same editorial evaluation.