Question for anyone who can answer

[Anonymous]

Well... I gonna ask a question that I'm sure I'll get flamed for... but... I want to aplly to put my layout into the MR magazine. Does anyone know where I can do this???

[Anonymous]

You can probably find "Contact Us" info at the trains.com web site. They have specific criteria for photos and so on that you will need to know ahead of time.

Good luck!

Andrew

[GerFust]

Neferdias:

Ah, the Model Railroaders dream! Check out:

http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/003/103ohnbr.asp

-Jer

[ndbprr]

Why would you get flamed for that question? Chnaces are you will be rejected however which I gues is the ultimate flame.

[ClinchValleySD40]

Pictures is the key. I've heard that most rejections are because photos do not meet the standards. So if you're going to send photos with the article, be sure they are of printable quality.

[Anonymous]

It's a weird thing, but do you think Sport's Illustrated make sports teams phototgraph their games or do they send photographers? How about Newsweek? Can anyone think of any magazine other than the one's ran under the Kalmbach logo that require readers send them pictures and articles to print? That's part one, now part two. What's the most expensive magazines at the newstand? Weird isn't it? FRED

[Anonymous]

If you get rejected by one magazine, try another. I have had several articles published and most of them were rejected by one magazine or another. MR was the toughest. I have pitched 2 manuscripts and one proposal to them and they haven't nibbled on any, although both manuscripts were published by other magazines. For example I wrote one on track warrant operation and then turned it down because they had just accepted another article on track warrants. Just bad timing on my part.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

Why don't you post photos on the net where everyone can see them.
Whats the big deal about having your photos in their magazine?

[wp8thsub]

MR does NOT require that you take your own photos. If they like your article and find the subject to be sufficiently photogenic, they may send a staff photographer or hook you up with a photographer that they use frequently and whose work they trust. You may want to see if MR could get you in contact with a photographer if sample photos you send are not useable.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by flee307

It's a weird thing, but do you think Sport's Illustrated make sports teams phototgraph their games or do they send photographers? How about Newsweek? Can anyone think of any magazine other than the one's ran under the Kalmbach logo that require readers send them pictures and articles to print?

"Require" is a distortion.There's no "requirement" for readers to send any magazine anything. Many to most hobby magazines rely on submissions from readers; and it's downright a tradition in model railroading. RMC relies on reader contributions, so does N-Scale, Mainline Modeler, CTC Board and Trains. Ad RMJ, Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette, and Model Railroading to the list.

The other option is $12 per month cover prices to pay for a staff the size of Sunset's or Better Homes & Garden's to generate all the model railroading articles in house. There's no way advertising rates, even for MR, could support that size of staff, nor would the hobby support a magazine that expensive.

Paul Schmidt

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by flee307

It's a weird thing, but do you think Sport's Illustrated make sports teams phototgraph their games or do they send photographers? How about Newsweek? Can anyone think of any magazine other than the one's ran under the Kalmbach logo that require readers send them pictures and articles to print? That's part one, now part two. What's the most expensive magazines at the newstand? Weird isn't it? FRED

FRED : No, it's not weird. [:p]
Your lack of understanding of how virtually all hobby-based magazines get their material IS rather weird.[:0]
All of the gardening, woodworking, and other hobby magazines that I'm aware of, solicit articles and photos from their readers, and follow up later on the ones they find might be of broad interest to the general readership.[:)]
Were you expecting a Kalmbach video truck to just pull up outside your house someday, out of the blue, because your layout is as well known as the LA Lakers or something ?[?]
...They didn't, right ?...and you're not pleased...That's it.[:D]
regards
Mike

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your suggestions guys... much appreciated... I will give it a try... My table's just being started so I don't have any pictures worth taking.

But yes... I will give it a shot...

[locomutt]

What question[?]
How old are you[?]
Go a few years,and you will get something
done!
I think what you are doing is very admribale[:D]
Keep going[:p]
locomutt[8D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Ray Marinaccio

Why don't you post photos on the net where everyone can see them.
Whats the big deal about having your photos in their magazine?

You mean, other than the fact that they give you MONEY for being in the magazine and your material will be seen by far more people than if you put them on the intert? Is that all?

Loved the "Sports Illustrated" comparison. Poster wants to know why SI, which comes out weekly and has a circulation of about 3 million vs. MR's 177,000, can afford to send staff and freelancers out to do every story. Hmmm.

[Anonymous]

Oh , You wanta get paid for model railroading And have your name up in lights.
Quite a dream. The enjoyment I get from the modeling railroading I do is enough for me.
To each their own.

[Anonymous]

For what its worth the oldest (Best?) model rail magazine in Australia up until very recently was run totally by volunteers with a single paid officer. All articles are submitted by amateur authors who happen to love the hobby. In this day and age of "It's my intellectual property - you want it you pay for it" is slowly taking over, but volunteerism is still alive and kicking Down Under

Keep trying

David Stokes

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ACL Fan



Loved the "Sports Illustrated" comparison. Poster wants to know why SI, which comes out weekly and has a circulation of about 3 million vs. MR's 177,000, can afford to send staff and freelancers out to do every story. Hmmm.

177,000 X $40 = $7,080,000 + ? from special editions + ? advertising revenue for 2/3 of the pages being paid advertising + ? from book sales +? from other mags like TRAINS... I wonder how they stay in business??? I feel that they could do more to help promote the hobby and hobbyist that help pay their salary. I feel they are out of touch with the real hobbyist and their needs. They also are the big business I hear people knock as being greedy money mongers. Of course we overlook them doing it because we like them but hate Union Pacific, Tyco, Microsoft, and Enron. FRED

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by flee307


177,000 X $40 = $7,080,000 + ? from special editions + ? advertising revenue for 2/3 of the pages being paid advertising + ? from book sales +? from other mags like TRAINS...

Fred,
Now that we all know the exact income figures would you post for us the cost factor? We're all waiting for the bottom line... the profit margin. [:o]

[Bikerdad]

QUOTE: Originally posted by flee307 177,000 X $40 = $7,080,000 + ? from special editions + ? advertising revenue for 2/3 of the pages being paid advertising + ? from book sales +? from other mags like TRAINS... I wonder how they stay in business??? I feel that they could do more to help promote the hobby and hobbyist that help pay their salary. I feel they are out of touch with the real hobbyist and their needs. They also are the big business I hear people knock as being greedy money mongers. Of course we overlook them doing it because we like them but hate Union Pacific, Tyco, Microsoft, and Enron. FRED

As Snake said, your figures are meaningless without consideration of cost. As for the rest, "big business" they ain't. They have only about 300 employees, which covers ALL of their businesses. That's 14 magazines, their trade publications, books, websites, etc. "Big business"?? pfffft [V]

Finally, in the immortal words of SNL's "Tonto", "What you mean 'we', white man?" I don't hate UP, Tyco, Microsoft and/or Enron. I may be appalled by the behavior of Tyco's and Enron's executives, and am mightily annoyed by some of the things Microsoft does, but hate?

Next time anybody has a knee-jerk reaction to "big business", ask yourself this: how is a "small business" going to build a transcontinental railroad or an airliner?