A forum for N scale articles -- thoughts?

[OldEastRR]

There are forum threads here that are  almost model railroad articles already, why not have a forum completely dedicated to magazine article-type submissions? No payment, just the payoff of getting your idea or technique or kitbash how-to out to other modelers? Instead of some editor rejecting it because he's got too many like it, or letting it sit unused in some magazine's file cabinets for years, the piece has a chance to at least let the author have others see all the work he put into it.
I'm not convinced magazine editors know everything that's good or wanted by the entire model railroad community. Plus they are too many times in their decision-making controlled by personal biases, advertiser reaction, and profits. In a world where now anybody's work can be displayed to almost any audience, why not let the public decide what it likes?
I advocate N scale articles because, well, there's not many places where N scale stuff  gets published. We all know it's an overwhelmingly HO media presence out there, even to the extent the same material is covered over and over.
So ... What's your opinion?

[mcjaco]

Isn't that kind of the Best of Forum???

[skytop35]

I advocate N scale articles because, well, there's not many places where N scale stuff  gets published. We all know it's an overwhelmingly HO media presence out there, even to the extent the same material is covered over and over.
So ... What's your opinion?

Can't say I agree since we have 2 dedicated N scale magazines.

[Denver Road Doug]

I think: (a) either you have put enough effort into an article that you might as well at least try to get it published, or (b) it's simply a good forum post, and generally if it is that good, relevant, and well-received then it would probably find its way into the "Best of..." area.

[Santa Fe Guy]

For what it's worth I'm with Bill.
I live in Australia and am fortunate enough to have had several articles published in the Modeling Magazines, mostly in N Scale specific. Without contributors these magazines could not exist. So get to it and send them in that way more can view them.
Rod.

[peteski]

OldEastRR is an author of several articles published in printed magazines. 

And to give my answer: I think the Best of Railwire section serves that purpose already.

[OldEastRR]

So we place these articles in  the Best of, or just in any forum? Or the Best of stuff is chosen by administrator or number of hits?
As for the mags -- all  the editors moan that they don't get enough N scale stuff. Then they reject a lot of the submissions. Draw your own conclusions. I think that putting quality material out there for free on a site such as TRW is a much better option.   

[mmagliaro]

I don't know about that last statement, that the magazines reject a lot of submissions (and that this
leads to a dearth of N scale articles in the magazines).

Is that the experience of a lot of people here?  Have many of you submitted articles to
magazines (and I mean the non N Scale specific ones) and been rejected?
When those magazines say they want more N Scale stuff, I believe them. 
Is there any evidence that they reject a higher percentage of N Scale submissions than other scales?

[mark dance]

My experience has been very positive. I have submitted 10 articles to 6 different general model railroading periodicals with nine published to date and the final one in process for publication later this year. I haven't submitted an article to an N scale specific mag so can't compare rejection rates although the layout has been used for photos for n-scale specific mags and I believe all/most that were sent in have ended up being printed. 

I always take the step of checking with the editors as to whether a specific topic might be of interest to them before I write and then submit an article...perhaps this is a difference?

Also, while the layout happens to be N scale - and therefore the articles I have submitted have been about an N scale layout - I am not sure they are strictly "N scale articles" as I try to write them scale agnostic.

Several editors have told me they would love more submissions featuring n scale layouts...note that I am not sure this is the same as asking for articles which are principally relevant only to n scale like modifying N scale models. Just wondering if this could explain any confusion between their words and actions.

Happy New Year all!

Md

[mmagliaro]

Mark, that has been my experience too. In all the years I've been writing for train magazines, the only rejection I ever got was, ironically, from N Scale Railroading, and the piece they turned down will be coming out in one of the bigger non-scale-specific mags this year (2015). So much for the mainstream magazines not wanting N Scale material!

I have never done a layout piece. Mine have all been on locos, structures, or electronics. 

I don't see where this belief comes from that N Scale stuff can't get published, or that there isn't an adequate venue for it.

[Dave V]

I had N Scale Railroading turn down a piece (it needed major revisions Kirk said) but N Scale ran with it.

GMR 2014 was surprisingly painless and fun.  Paul Dolkos was great to work with.

I'm wondering if any of my Midland stuff might be worth writing up since it's about as esoteric as any N scale subject I've seen.

[spookshow]

Over the years I've had a number of MR magazine representatives contact me out of the blue re submitting articles (these were multi-scale mags). So, the interest does seem to be there.

My guess is that any perceived under-representation of N scale is more due to a lack of submissions than it is some sort of anti N scale bias.

Cheers,
-Mark

[peteski]

My guess is that any perceived under-representation of N scale is more due to a lack of submissions than it is some sort of anti N scale bias.

There!  He said it!

[SAH]

I read Stephen Priest's Editor's Notebook piece in the most recent RMC issue as an indication he plans to point the magazine to a more prototype based modeling direction.  I hope so.  I've always believed N scale is THE BEST vehicle to represent the whole of railroading in a dynamic setting, as opposed to nice models presented in a caricature of the real world.  The modeling here in The Railwire certainly supports that position.  If you have a good story to tell about your efforts to model railroading as practiced in days gone by, or today for that matter, and can back it up with photos I suspect RMC would be very interested. 

I realize there have been payment issues at RMC prior to the Carstens shutdown.  Hopefully that saga is behind them.

Steve

[jmlaboda]

Isn't that kind of the Best of Forum???

Would have to agree... went by it and found a great example in mmagliaro's SP&S 4-6-2 #626 Project.  It covers so much that it would likely have had to be spread across a half a year or better magazine issues because of the depth of the work involved.  And I would bet that some would have loved to have had it submitted as a series.

The modeling here in The Railwire certainly supports that position.

It does in deed!!!