Writers' Guidelines for ODYSSEY TMGeneral InformationFollowing are writers' guidelines for ODYSSEYTM. ODYSSEY TM is interested in articles rich in scientific accuracy and lively approaches to the subject at hand. The inclusion of primary research (interviews with scientists focusing on current research) are of primary interest to the magazine. Keep in mind that this magazine is essentially written for 9- to 14- year-old children. Writers are encouraged to study recent ODYSSEY back issues for content and style. (Sample issues are available for $6.95 plus $2.00 shipping and handling. Sample issues will not be sent without prepayment.) All material must relate to the theme of a specific upcoming issue in order to be considered. ODYSSEYTM purchases all rights to material.Illustrators, please click here to access Illustration Guidelines for ODYSSEY TM. Procedure
A query must consist of all of the following information to be considered:
- a brief cover letter stating the subject and word length of the proposed article,
- a detailed one-page outline explaining the information to be presented in the article,
- a bibliography of sources (including interviews) the author intends to use in preparing the article,
- a self-addressed stamped envelope
A writer may send as many queries for one issue as he or she wishes, but each query must have a separate outline, bibliography, and self-addressed stamped envelope.Queries may be submitted via email or regular mail. Telephone queries are not accepted unless the material is extremely time-sensitive to a specific issue. Please, type all queries. Guidelines
- Feature Articles:
- 750 - 950 words
Includes: in-depth nonfiction articles. (An interactive approach is a definite plus!) Q & A interviews, plays, and biographies are of interest as well
- Supplemental Nonfiction:
- 200 - 500 words
Includes: subjects directly and indirectly related to the theme. Editors like little-known information but encourage writers not to overlook the obvious.
- Fiction:
- up to 1,000 words
Includes: science-related stories, poems, science fiction, retold legends, etc., relating to the theme.
- Department Features:
- 400 - 650 words
Includes: "Places, Media, People to Discover." Not a bad idea to consult back issues for direction on these departments that are also theme-related.
- Activities:
- up to 750 words.
Includes: critical thinking activities, experiments, models, science fair projects, astrophotography projects, and any other science projects that can either be done by children alone, with adult supervision, or in a classroom setting. Query should be accompanied by sketches and description of how activity relates to theme.
The above five pay 20 to 25 cents per printed word.
Photo Guidelines
To be considered for publication, photographs must relate to a specific theme. Writers are encouraged to submit available photos with their query or article. We buy one-time use.
Our suggested fee range for professional quality photographs* follows:
| ¼ page | to | full page | | b/w | $15 | to | $100 | | color | $25 | to | $100 |
* Please note that fees for non-professional quality photographs are negotiated. - Cover fees are set on an individual basis for one-time use, plus promotional use. All cover images are color.
- Prices set by museums, societies, stock photography houses, etc., are paid or negotiated. Photographs that are promotional in nature (e.g., from tourist agencies, organizations, special events, etc.) are usually submitted at no charge.
- If you have photographs pertaining to any upcoming theme, please contact the editor by mail or fax, or send them with your query. You may also send images on speculation.
| Theme list for 2013 | [query due date] | |
Flash Back! Flash Forward! Science of Photography
(January) -
We're taking more pictures via phone and digital cameras than ever
before. And our images move around the world instantaneously. Imagine a camera
that you focus after you click. It's
here. Everyone loves Instagram! How do science and technology make it all
possible? Where is photography headed? Will our photos last? The impossible
photography of Erik Johannson.
| [5/31/2012] | |
Animals in the City
(February) -
A look at urban ecosystems, the impact of human-made environments on
other creatures and how we encourage the species we like in our cities
(songbirds) and discourage those we don't like (rodents, bedbugs, geese). Pets
in the city. City parks. Try this at home-take a species tally.
| [6/15/2012] |
Thirsty World
(March)
-"There is a water crisis today. But the
crisis is not about having too little water to satisfy our needs. It is a
crisis of managing water so badly that billions of people-and the environment""-
suffer badly." World Water Vision Report
This issue will look at The
Clean Water Act, the impact of "fracking" (the process of extracting natural
gas from shale) on the nation's water supply, and the shortage of clean water
throughout the world and what might be done about it.
| [7/9/2012] |
Sushi Mania: For All the
Fish in the Sea
(April)
Whether you love sushi . . . or hate it, the world's appetite for this
raw fish/seaweed combo is imperiling the bluefin tuna, and depleting big-eye
tuna, yellowfin tuna, red snapper, Japanese yellowtail, and salmon. What can be
done about overfishing? Is raw fish really safe (the flash-freeze)? Healthy?
What is Zobellia? Are the Japanese
genetically adapted to eat sushi? Save the tuna!
| [9/3/2012] |
The Future of Fun
(May/June)
Playgrounds you'd never expect, the most extreme sports (concussion
alert), mobile gaming (Angry Birds), Sphero and other gadgetry, tech at the edge.
The brain and the pursuit of pleasure. What makes us smile?
| [10/12/2012] |
Speed! Racetrack Science
(July/August)
A racecar is a science experiment on wheels. It
must be agile, powerful, fast, and safe. How does it get that way? Evolution
of a Formula 1 racing car from computer screen to race (Maclaren Technology
Centre), racetrack engineering, the physics of NASCAR, the drivers's skill, and
more.
| [11/2/2012] |
Cobblestone Magazine family
theme to be announced July, 2012.
(September)
| [1/4/2013] |
Unsolved Mysteries (of
Science)
(October)
What do scientists really want to know? What are the outstanding
questions: What is consciousness? What is gravity? What are dark matter and
dark energy? Does the Higgs particle exist? Why is there no pattern to the
series of prime numbers? This issue will profile some amazing scientists and their
research to find the answers.
| [2/1/2013] |
Imagine a 10-D World!
(November/December)
How many dimensions can you imagine? String theorists bet that extra
dimensions do indeed exist. Superstring theory requires a universe with no
fewer than 10 dimensions. What might they look like? (See Brian Greene TED talk.) Imagine! (To include digital
3-D technology.)
| [3/1/2013] |
PLEASE NOTE: New themes for upcoming issues of ODYSSEY will be announced during the summer of 2013.
Updated 5/10/12
Queries may be submitted at any time, but queries sent well in advance of deadline MAY NOT BE ANSWERED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. Go-aheads requesting material proposed in queries are usually sent four months prior to publication date. Unused queries will not be returned. To be certain that your query is received, it is best to send it by regular mail. Receipt of email queries can not be guaranteed.
Mail queries to:
Editorial Department
Cobblestone Publishing
Attn: Elizabeth Lindstrom
30 Grove Street, Suite C
Peterborough, NH 03458
Or email them to: blindstrom@caruspub.com | Mail sample requests to:
Editorial Department
Cobblestone Publishing
Attn: Sample Requests
30 Grove Street, Suite C
Peterborough, NH 03458 |
|
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