How easy is it to get an N scale article published in (HO) Model Railroader Mag?

[Coxy]

Model Railroader Mag has been almost exclusively about HO model railroading for a while now so it comes as no surprise to see the Oct 2013 issue filled almost entirely with HO articles, except for a product review on a re-release of N scale Athearn Challengers and Big Boys and a nice trackside photo of Dave Vollmers layout. That's 2.5 pages out of 90 pages in the issue. Basically a HO magazine in all but name.

Not wanting to start a flame war here. Just curious as to whether the strong HO bias is just driven by publishing policy at MR (I know many of you think this is the case), or, whether it reflects the overabundance of HO articles available to the editors relative to good publishable N scale articles. Do you guys find it hard to get published in MR? If so, what sorts of reasons were cited by MR for not publishing your article?

For myself, I only have one publishing credit in MR, I picked up 2nd place with a friend in the last MR track planning competition. Ours was an N scale plan and we have mused from time to time that maybe we could have done better with an HO plan, despite N making better use of the space.

What's been your experience getting an N scale article published in MR of late?

Cheers, Steven.

[Philip H]

Dave Vollmer will be in their Great Model Railroads 2014 annual - and he reports it was as much about raising his hand at the right time for the "token" MR layout as anything.

MR claims it's all about what they get sent, but considering the number of  's who get published elsewhere (I've had MRH and N Scale Mag by-lines), I sense that our author's collective hasn't pushed the MR boundary much.

So, actually with your track plan - which I like, BTW - you may know more then we do.

[mcjaco]

MR claims it's all about what they get sent, but considering the number of  's who get published elsewhere (I've had MRH and N Scale Mag by-lines), I sense that our author's collective hasn't pushed the MR boundary much.

Or the entries that might have gone to MR if it were the only mag in town, are going elsewhere.  It's a chicken/egg thing at this point.

I used to reviews for products for Model Retailer Magazine for Kalmbach, granted it was easier for my stuff to get published since I was given items that Kalmbach wanted reviewed, but they still had to go through a review process, which was pretty easy. 

There's so much that goes into publishing a monthly periodical that I think the haters don't think about, which is why the HO scale bias thing really irks me sometimes.  And let's be honest HO, has more product, and has a larger audience right off the bat.  It's about circulation/subscription numbers, not placating the all the scales out there.  Imagine if you modeled in S scale!

[Dave V]

Yep.  I think my opportunity was all about timing...I answered a request for N scale submissions.

That said I found the Kalmbach crew very easy to work with.

EDITED to remove an unfair comment about "token."

[DKS]

What's been your experience getting an N scale article published in MR of late?

I haven't sent MR anything since 2000. After a few unpleasant experiences--a ham-handed editor who revised my copy and made me look as though English was my second language, an artist who accepted credit for artwork after having only added captions to my art, and other fun adventures--I started to shy away from getting stuff into print. Not to mention that it's usually a lot of work, and when you're short on time, it's not a priority.

IF I was to publish anything going forward, I'd likely send it to one of the N-scale-specific mags before I'd bother with MR again. MR claims they can only publish what they receive, but they also have a paid staff, and if their staff doesn't have much experience outside of HO, that's their fault, IMO. I understand the bottom line is circulation, so it's telling that their occasional half-hearted efforts to represent N scale better all seem to fizzle.

[CVSNE]

Wait, let me get some popcorn....

I don't want to miss anything.....
 

[Coxy]

Actually, these are exactly the kind of perspectives I'm looking for. It's about understanding the process and interactions with MR, or, choosing instead to publish elsewhere. I'm also hoping it's not a case of MR ignoring good N scale articles on offer to them.

[DKS]

I'm also hoping it's not a case of MR ignoring good N scale articles on offer to them.

MR does stockpile articles. This makes sense, but even with an apparent dearth of N scale material, some N scale articles I submitted sat in their files for 2-3 years before seeing the light of day. Not that I'm in any rush, but it did seem odd. Kalmbach doth work in mysterious ways.

[CVSNE]

I can offer the following based on some limited experience.  MR would be happy to discuss quality N scale articles with anyone. The "token" N scale comment is not really fair - the fact is they are always looking for good N scale material. There's more competition for N scale material than any other scale since there are four print magazines, and one online magazine, all competing for "N scale stuff."
Frankly, a good N scale submission - with quality photos, and good modeling, has a better chance than an equivalent HO project of getting accepted.
I suggest you pick up the phone and talk to them - 262-796-8776 - ask for Neil Besougoloff or David Popp. Both are really nice guys to talk with.

 

[DKS]

As a prospective author, one must address the following question: with so many outlets clamoring for N scale content, which one is the most appropriate venue? Are you looking for the biggest bang for the buck? Are you trying to reach a specific audience? Do you have a preference for a publisher with which you wish to appear allied? It could take some research to determine the answer. Then of course you would want to submit a letter of intent first to each prospective publisher. Depending on the answer you receive, it might help you make a decision.

[CVSNE]

As a prospective author, one must address the following question: with so many outlets clamoring for N scale content, which one is the most appropriate venue? Are you looking for the biggest bang for the buck? Are you trying to reach a specific audience? Do you have a preference for a publisher with which you wish to appear allied? It could take some research to determine the answer. Then of course you would want to submit a letter of intent first to each prospective publisher. Depending on the answer you receive, it might help you make a decision.

.... and when you want to get paid - or if it's about the money.

Everything David says above is true. Go ahead and discuss the ideas with an editor but remember an "unknown" (that is, someone not familiar to the editor reading the proposal) is not going to get an acceptance based on an idea. You'll get told "it sounds interesting and I look forward to reviewing your article when it's complete."

One last thought - even if you have an idea for a long article start out with something small and short - a one- or two-pager. When I was at MR we would get lots of letters and phone calls with grandiose plans - everyone wanted to write a 10-part series that would be final word in (fill in blank). 

Marty

[rochsub]

I have found N Scale Railroading much easier to work with and less heavy handed when it comes to editing.  My last Kalmbach article was in Model Railroad Planning editing be Tony Koester.  That was a real experience.  I still prefer Kalmbach because of the wider audience and, hopefully, the opportunity to lure some HOers to N Scale. 

Daryl

[spookshow]

I haven't sent MR anything since 2000. After a few unpleasant experiences--a ham-handed editor who revised my copy and made me look as though English was my second language.

That cracks me up as I once had a somewhat similar experience getting an article into print. "We love your writing style! You're so entertaining! Please send us something!!". And of course once they had my article in hand they proceeded to completely remove any semblance of style or entertainment value from it.

Never again, man. Magazines may say they want something, but when it gets right down to it... 

Cheers,
-Mark

P.S. I should point out that this was not MR.

[unittrain]

I think overall there are fewer top notch prototypical N scale layouts period the average modeler is satisfied with the really bad models and simple Kato unitrack with toy like looking scenery I find so much of this on youtube and when you search HO there are much more convincing layouts from an prototypical accuracy stand point. Which is frustrating because N can be just as good if not better than HO do to the ability to include more scale size scenes. The work on this forum is top notch but unfortunately scarce elsewhere I think due to the fact it is harder for most to work in great detail and scale fidelty in a smaller scale and also because it is just in the last few years we have been getting models we don't have to lower and all that. A lot of the older rolling stock kills the appearance of an otherwise awesome video shot or photo. We also recently in N have finally got more accurate structures and signals ect that rival any HO model thanks to people like DKS and Traincat but few of the videos I see use these awesome models they usually use older model power, con cor, bachmann ect ect signals and rolling stock Youtube is a good indicator of whats out there in my opinion and the great layouts in N are few and far in between.

[John]

I think overall there are fewer top notch prototypical N scale layouts period the average modeler is satisfied with the really bad models and simple Kato unitrack with toy like looking scenery I find so much of this on youtube and when you search HO there are much more convincing layouts from an prototypical accuracy stand point. Which is frustrating because N can be just as good if not better than HO do to the ability to include more scale size scenes. The work on this forum is top notch but unfortunately scarce elsewhere I think due to the fact it is harder for most to work in great detail and scale fidelty in a smaller scale and also because it is just in the last few years we have been getting models we don't have to lower and all that. A lot of the older rolling stock kills the appearance of an otherwise awesome video shot or photo. We also recently in N have finally got more accurate structures and signals ect that rival any HO model thanks to people like DKS and Traincat but few of the videos I see use these awesome models they usually use older model power, con cor, bachmann ect ect signals and rolling stock Youtube is a good indicator of whats out there in my opinion and the great layouts in N are few and far in between.

I think this is pretty accurate ...