| OSN feature
articles that relate to 2-Rail O Scale modeling. Features and columns topics cover existing layouts (photos, layout
sketch, and at least a 750 word description); interviews or stories concerning 1/48 scale builders/clubs/companies;
product reviews; and as many how-to-do-it stories (as many words, photos, and sketches as you need; these are frequently
serialized) as we can fit into each issue including: How to build a kit into a more accurate or more representative
model; how to make parts you can't buy or parts that are better than what you can buy; how to paint a model or
how to paint a particular color scheme; how to build a display or diorama; and so on. Virtually every how-to aspect
of modeling, including hints, tips, and workshop techniques, is a worthwhile subject for an OSN article. |
| The magazine pays for print and electronic publication
rights to freelance manuscripts and images. Payment is made sometime after publication of the material in the form
of a check (or credit against future issues or other invoices; a confirmation letter for any credit will be mailed
if you arrange this option with the publisher). General feature material should generally be limited to 2,500 or
fewer words. Illustrative materials, including but not limited to photographs, graphics, charts and graphs, are
welcome and sketches may be scanned and redrawn at the discretion of our editors. The material must be original
and, where needed, referenced as to the source. |
Please send freelance material
in hard copy or disk format to:
48/FT., O SCALE NEWS
PO Box 51
Elmhurst,
IL 60126-0051
|
| Prepare a cover letter listing all the items in
your manuscript package. [PLEASE MARK EACH PAGE AND PICTURE WITH AT LEAST YOUR NAME!] If you are submitting more
than one article, send each in a separate package with its own cover letter. You also may send the manuscript and
illustrations (see below) as an E-mail attachment to osn@foxvalley.net |
Electronic Submission
*Scanned illustrations may be submitted in JPG or TIF format (RGB color only please). Each scan should be a minimum
of 300 dpi in IBM format, and unscreened or retouched. In terms of DIGITAL CAMERAS: a) many, many digital cameras
are sold that are just fine for preparing small images for a web site or for viewing on a computer... in order
to capture all of the details of your project and to print correctly in a magazine, you need to have a pretty LARGE
file. A 2MP/3MP+ camera which creates a minimum of a 1600x1200 pixel image will give you the best detail when reproduced.
A 1MP camera creating a 1280x960 image (which is then 'retouched' in PhotoShop to increase the resolution) is almost
as sharp, but the image that results should not be blown up too large or you end up with fuzzier details as well
as jagged pixel (sort of odd there, but it is the only way of describing the lesser part of the digital picture
which is almost oversharpened or stretched while the portion you want to emphasize in the enlargement fades back
from the original sharp image — these pix would look great on a web site, but once printed on a high resolution
printer on paper... they only look sad). At 1024x768, if you test your camera, you will note that the details will
begin to get a little soft (a flaw which only gets worse if you try to 'improve' it in a photo program — definitely
noticeable on the printed page!) and at 800x600 you will 'not' see your crisp sharp image when you reproduce it
in a magazine... We don't make this stuff up, we just learn from other magazines and/or photographers experience.
Good explanations on digital camera use, resolution etc. may be found at http://www.imaging-resource.com/ This site also has a lot of links and
may explain once and for all why one camera makes great web pictures, another great pictures on a laser printer,
another great pictures on a color ink jet printer, and then the leap of faith we take with the high-end cameras
when reprinting on photo-printers or Heidelberg presses...
|
*Test your digital images! If in doubt, email one as an attachment to Editor Greg
Heier at osn@foxvalley.net. Greg can check your file against his standards and review
your image. We would like a finished image with at least 300 PPI and the sharpest images are not interpolated or
overly compressed. These will be pretty large files. Then again, if all else fails there is always that pesky film!
|
*Text and illustrations should be submitted in separate files,
not embedded in Word or Wordperfect. ASCII or plain text files preferred. Please specify file source.
|
*Electronic files may be submitted in PC format on small floppies, zip disks
(please label with your name and address for return), on a CD-rom (single use rewritable, PC format please), or
as a file attachment to an e-mail. Acrobat PDF format may be used, but again please also submit the illustrations
separately as SEPARATE files.
|
Drawings & Other Illustration
*You don't have to be a professional
draftsman to include sketches, patterns, templates, or plans with your article. Our editors can work from rough
sketches. Draw the roughs as carefully and neatly as you can. If you can furnish reproduction-quality artwork your
article will qualify for higher rates of payment.
|
| *Please note if your drawing is either (a) exactly to scale i.e. 1/48 or (b) near to scale. |
| *Just one request on all drawings — Your name and "DO NOT USE SOFT PENCIL." The
lines of the drawings should be dark enough to be copied, preferably done in ink. |
| *If your drawing is to SCALE. Tell us and specify scale. DO put in dimensions (inches or
metric) on any drawing if at all possible. |
Payment
*OSN pays for all articles
after publication--normally payment is sent within a few weeks after the article appears in print, if in doubt
— inquire. Authors of features will also receive several additional copies of the issue containing their article.
Payment for articles is usually by check in US funds, but may also be applied to an existing account, subscription,
or credited against a future order.
|
| *We reserve the right to increase the per-page rate when an author does a
good job, when the material is especially timely or interesting, regular submissions, or for any other reason that
strikes the publisher's fancy. |
| *Articles that are submitted electronically (including photographs), include
camera-ready scale drawings, or with special artwork may also qualify for increased payment. |
Photographs
*PRINTS: We prefer well-lit color, glossy prints.
Kodak film and processing seem to retain the greatest level of detail when enlarged. All prints should have borders
on all four sides, to allow layout crop marks which indicate how much of the image will be used. Negatives may
be included in a separate envelope marked with your return information (name/address), date, and article reference.
|
| *SLIDE
FORMAT:
We
prefer to work from original 35mm color slides; transparencies of 2 1/4-square, 4x5-inch, or larger format are
usable only if they're sharp. Please submit no more than 20 slides at a time. The fewer you send, the quicker we
can review them. |
| *CAPTIONS: Each slide mount
or print must have the photographer's name and address on it, should it become separated from other material submitted
with it. Do not type/write on the print, and do not use glue. I prefer small self-adhesive labels that you may
write or type on and then affix to the back of the print. Address labels used on the back of a print also work
out well. Avoid felt-tip pens, they tend to 'bleed' into the prints. Prints should have caption material on them,
slides should have as much information as possible (location, date, subject). The longer caption description may
accompany on a separate sheet-just mark the photo or slide 1, 2, 3, etc. and refer to this notation on the caption
sheet. |
| *ARROWS/MARKINGS
ON PHOTOS: We often include arrows, circles, and words in photos to point out what's going on. You
can suggest pointers by attaching tracing-paper over your photo and marking your ideas on this overlay. |
| *FILM: We recommend three
types of film: Daylight color transparency film (Kodachrome 64, Ektachrome Lumiere 100) for outdoor use. Tungeston
color transparency film (Fujichrome Professional 64T) for use with 3200K floodlights. Color negative film (Kodacolor
100 or 200) for use with daylight or fluorescent lights. Not for use with floodlights. |
| *Use
a suitable background for locomotives, cars, structures, etc such as a large piece of poster board. Please don't photograph subjects against paneling. |
| *Layout
photographs or other subjects using floodlights require care so that everything is evenly lit. When
using more than one light, try to simulate sunlight. Watch out for multiple shadows. |
| *Bean
bags & wallets are great for stabilizing and positioning a digital camera at track height for some "railfan"
shots. |
| *Outdoor
shots
may
be done best on a bright, but overcast day. On a sunny day, harsh shadows can block details and turn even the finest
trucks and wheelsets into dark, undetailed shadows. |
*Bracketing. When possible,
bracket your exposures (on color transparency film) and send us several differently exposed views of the same scene
to choose from.
Please don't send in "cut up" portions of a larger photo — try a piece of paper OVER the photo to emphasize
the portion of the shot you would suggest for an enlargement. Scraps of photos are almost impossible to reproduce
in print! |
| *Photo
Credits. Be sure to let us know who took the pictures you submit so that we can give proper credit.
Spelling counts |
Tips
| *The first two or three paragraphs (the "lead") must grab the readers' attention
and tell them what the article will be about. The article should contain a thread, or argument, that develops in
a coherent direction as details supporting the lead are delivered, and which ends in a meaningful conclusion that
summarizes the article content. |
| *The body is where the main discussion of your topic takes place. Give detailed descriptions
and how-to steps. |
| *Your conclusion should sum it all up in a short paragraph or two. Repeat the most important
points. Give encouraging tip(s) and/or acknowledge other people who have helped you. |
| *Use active verbs and avoid passive voice. i.e. is, are, have, do, paint |
| *Vary the lengths of sentences and paragraphs, but on average keep them short. |
| *Your best articles are likely to be about subjects with which you have had
first-hand experience. Please be thorough with technical information, and assume the reader has no knowledge of
the topic about which you are writing. |
| *Do not hesitate to provide information on specific products, supplies, or
equipment, along with name/address/telephone number of respective suppliers, if such information is relevant to
your article. |
| *Keep in mind that all submissions should provide readers with specific information
which they can apply to their own works or methods of operation. |
| *How-to articles are best accompanied with photos in a series which illustrate
the different steps/stages of the process. |
| *Please type (double-spaced) or print. If submitting on disk, identify your word processor. |
| *Captions are required with all photos & line art. |
Style
| *Keep your writing simple and direct, but give lots of detail. Our readers need a clear
description of what you did to the model, how you did it, and what tools and materials you used. Be specific. Did
you use sheet or tube styrene? Tell us the sizes. What brands and colors of paint did you use? What sort of putty,
epoxy, acrylic, did you use? Tell us how you did it, step by step. |
| *The best way to do this is to write as if you were telling a friend how to duplicate your
modeling project. The best method for organizing your text is in chronological order, from the start of the project
to its completion. |
| *Be sure to provide a complete list of materials you used (supplier, part #, description,
quantity) and a list of article references, if applicable. If the part came from your general scrapbox, say so.
If you fabricate it, explain. |
