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.) 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. Telephone queries are not accepted unless the material is extremely time-sensitive to a specific issue. Please, type all queries. Articles should be submitted via email using a word processing program (preferably Microsoft Word - MAC). Text should be saved as ASCII text (in MS Word as "text only"). 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 2010 | [query due date] | Art in Science. . .Science in Art (January) Science is rarely linked to art, although no other discipline, except
art, offers so much inherent or natural beauty. With today's imaging
techniques, light microscopy can turn a honeybee's eye or a lobster egg into a
magnificent "bioscape." And everything from the chemistry of paints and
pigments to the mathematics of a pleasing painting composition involves
science. This issue will blend art and science logically and aesthetically.
| [5/15/09] | It's Just Money! The Science of Spending (February) The new "paper" money, digital money, filthy lucre, foiling
counterfeiters, risk-taking, the Stock Market. What is a Ponzi scheme? "Don't
leave home without it."
| [6/18/09] | Bloody Good Science! (March)
What is blood anyway? What
does it do and what can go wrong with it? What do blood tests tell us about our
health? How do we keep our blood supply safe? What is that fake stuff used in
movies?
| [7/3/09] | Fly Me to the Moons (April)
A look at the latest
information on the moons of the solar system (including our own), with emphasis
on the Cassini mission's images of Enceladus and Titan. An interview with
Carolyn Porco, leader of the imaging science team for the Cassini mission and
imaging advisor for the new Star Trek
film.
| [8/3/09] | Wild Horses (May/June)
A look at the journey of
the horse (55,000 years ago to the present). Genus Equus (modern horses, zebras, asses, donkeys). Are horses native to
North America? Social lives of wild horses, the diminishing "range," horse "gathers"- humane or not? To own a horse.
| [2/26/10] | That Rocks!(July/August)
A look inside Earth for
naturally formed mineral and petrified matter. How it got there. How we find and retrieve it. Marble,
gemstones, soapstone and more.
| [3/15/10] | Am I a Borg Yet? (September)
A cyborg is a cybernetic organism, an organism that combines natural
and artificial systems. People who have an insulin pump, glucose monitor,
artificial heart, pacemaker, or a neural network-controlled prosthesis are part
borg. This issue will look at high-tech's role in improving life for many of
us.
| [4/15/10] | The Magic Half (October)
How methods of magic work
in the brain. How to make anything disappear. The covert manipulation of
attention and awareness, neural adaptation, illusions, afterimages, optical
illusions, cognitive illusions, in-attention blindness.
| [4/30/10] | On Ice! (November/December)
Everything that's cool
about ice. How does a Zamboni work?
How are crops protected with ice? Ice in first-aid, icing on airplane wings.
Why is ice always 32 degrees F? Ice ages, ice fishing, the Greenland ice sheet
and more.
| [5/28/10] |
Note: Query due dates for May/June 2010 through November/December 2010 issues have been adjusted to allow more time for query submissions.
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 be returned approximately three to four months prior to publication date. 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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