Revised 1/1/2006

Anyone may submit articles for consideration. I am always interested in seeing material from new writers. Occassionally, I will commission articles, but for the most part OST will depend on submissions. I am looking for new, fresh, unpublished material for OST.

I am looking for articles from model builders, collectors, and enthusiasts who feel their models and/or modeling techniques and experiences would be of interest and benefit to other readers. In evaluating articles, I look at the quality of accompanying photos and illustrations (diagrams, drawings, etc.), content of the how-to-material, and to a lesser degree, the writing style. If the photos and content are good, the article can be reworked by an editor to enhance its readability.

So far, the feedback I'm getting says readers like how-to material; how-to paint, how-to scratchbuild, how-to kitbash, etc. Basically, readers want to know how to make their own models better. Therefore, any help or advice you can offer is what modelers want. Features on your own modeling projects make great articles. A step-by-step write-up with clear close-up photos can relay techniques and shortcuts to other modelers.

However, OST will also do articles other than how-tos. O scale vendor histories, features on O scale collections, layouts, and personal profiles of well-known O scalers will be welcomed. If I missed your favorite topic, feel free to send me a suggestion for an article.

Most articles should be brief; usually in the neighborhood of 750 to 1500 words. However, if you have a topic 2000 words or more, don't think I'm not interested. I might turn it into a multi-part feature. Remember, though, readers won't stay with you for too many pages of text unless it is interesting and illustrated. A short article focused on a specific model or modeling technique is best for a start.

OST is a model magazine, not a literary journal. However, you should try to follow these guidelines:

1. If at all possible, give your article a hook - something to grab the reader's interest in the first paragraph. Then run with this theme throughout the whole article.
2. Sometimes this is very easy because the whole focus of an article is to make a particular point. Interesting articles that have a point or theme tend to be read more thoroughly.
3. Let your personality come through in your writing and keep it simple and direct. Readers want a clear description of what you did, how you did it, and what tools and materials you used. The best way to do this is to write as if you were telling a friend how to duplicate your modeling project.
4. Organize your article in a step-by-step manner. Start at the beginning and end at the end. (Or, as my high school English teacher used to say "Don't count words. Make words count.")
5. Don't be afraid to tell how specific products performed for your project. Also, it is very helpful if you include a list of references and a list of sources for the materials you used.

Manuscripts should be typed using upper and lower case letters and should be submitted electronically by email or on a floppy disk or CD. If you have any recent version of Microsoft Word (5 and up), send us that file. If you have some other word processor, submit the file in ASCII (text only) format. Don't waste a lot of time trying to format text with bold or italics.

Before submitting an article re-read it and make any corrections or changes before sending it. Are product names spelled correctly? Are your instructions in the correct order? Page space is limited; is the article "wordy" or is it to the point?

Photo quality and content are very important when considering an article for publication. An otherwise good article might be rejected because of poor photo quality. Photos can be wet-film or digital.

Wet-film photos must be printed on plain glossy paper, 4x5 minimum, larger is better. Do not ask for textured or "silk" print because this makes the images fuzzy when we scan them. In a pinch, I will accept 35mm slides, but I'd rather not use them because scanning them is relatively expensive.

Digital photos must be a minimum of 1.3 Megapixels and here, bigger is better. If in doubt, contact me by email and I'll review your digital pix for suitability. There is no excuse for an out of focus digital photo. Review all the photos before submission and retake any that are out of focus. If you only have a few photos (5 or less) you can submit them and your text by email. If you have more than 5 photos, you should name them as described in the next paragraph and then burn them to a CD along with your text file. Mail the CD to us at our postal address.

Photos should be clearly labeled and noted where they go in the text. Do not make up long fancy names for photos. If you are building a model of a mill, for example, number the photos in sequence like this: mill_01, mill_02, mill_03, etc. Indicate the photos in your text like this: "Photo 1 (mill_01) shows the overall layout of the mill floor. Layout the floor as shown in Photo 2 (mill_02)."

This way, we know exactly where each photo goes in your article. Send only as many photos as you need to describe your work. A few extra photos of the completed item should be included to make a header photo for the article.

The same naming rules apply for illustrations, except illustrations are called out as figures, e.g., Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc. Illustrations should be done in a computer drawing or CAD program whenever possible. We can accept rough, hand-drawn sketches for illustrations as long as they are not overly complex or there are not too many of them, since we will have to get them redrawn. Too many sketches makes it too expensive to publish your article, so keep them to a minimum. Photos are always preferred to sketches.

For how-to articles, make sure to take pictures during the actual course of the project. It is difficult, if not impossible, to write and photograph a how-to article after the model has been completed. Photos should be taken on a plain background; white or light grey are good. Also, the more photos you send, taken from a variety of views, the better choice I have in selecting what to use with your article. Send more photos than you think is necessary to illustrate the article. You can't have too many photos.

How to mail a submission - If pictures are included, place a stiff piece of cardboard in the envelope so the photos won't bend. If you are sending a floppy disk or CD, please include a printout of the text so it can be cross referenced when necessary. And finally, if you want any of the materials back, please include a large envelope with sufficient return postage.

Payment is made on acceptance of your article. Typical payment is $100 for a brief article. We may pay more for longer and/or more complicated articles. I will let you know immediately what I am willing to pay. Once I accept your article that means you should not send it or anything closely similar to another magazine until after it appears in OST. I also ask that you wait at least 9 months before sending a similar article to another magazine.

Send your submission to O Scale Trains, PO Box 289, Exton, PA 19341-0289.