I am looking to the idea of writing a book that will cover all the basics of getting started in this great hobby. i remember from my getting started that no one book answered all my basic questions and i want to write a book that does that but in a non specific way that anyone can use. my own photo collection is lacking images of s, o and z scale layouts. does anyone have images they would be willing help out with. i will of course give full credit to the photographer for the images. thanks in advance guys.
Not very convincing demonstration of ability to write - almost a dozen punctuation mistakes in a quarter page of text.
Not a very convincing book idea - a book of “non specific” tips for beginners, illustrated by a collection of apparently randomly selected images, which the author hopes to get for free from others.
I would not recommend quitting your daytime job to make a living from writing model railroad books.
But your call. Good luck to you.
Smile,
Stein
Admirable general sentiment, but…um-m-m-m…I would second Stein, only to add for the heck of it that when a Norwegian’s English is better than yours, you may want to reconsider how to best fulfill your good intention!! (No offense.)
first off i was just asking if anyone would help with pics due to my own photo collection being somewhat limited. second, non specific was intended to imply non scale specific as most books of this are geared to a specific scale. third, i decided not to waste time with punctuation just to post a question on a forum. the point is that newbies to this hobby have to suffer through a large learning curve to get the answers they need and there is no one place or way to do it without spending hundreds of dollars in the process.
NOTE: Punctuation and grammar not double checked on purpose.
we’re just kiddin’ ya
Geeez guys, give him a break, he’s just want some pictures. Would if his book sells and he becomes rich?
Why not? Punctuation, spelling and grammar all have a purpose - clear and accurate communication.
You don’t have time or use for that? Well there are some things I don’t have time or use for either.
Like it or not, how you speak or write affects how others view you - I have come to my opinion.
Sheldon
I wouldn’t hold my breath or invest the family fortune if I were you.
Not trying to ruffle feathers here. Perhaps using a higher degree of tackfullness and lesser rudness would go much better.
Have a good day…John
Criticism is tough but justified. It may not seem like it, but consider it as advice. Getting a book published is something a lot of people think about, but succeeding is rare - especially in an area where a lot of experienced writers / modelers etc have done it.
Here’s my two cents - while the idea of being non-specific and simple may seem good, I’m not convinced there is a market for it. Long before thinking about asking for any pictures, I would do some serious market research on the target audience.
Today - people find it faster and easier to get info from either the internet - your post being a case in point, or from magazines like MR. Any books that I have bought are pretty specific to what I want - ie: scale, layouts, bridges, scenery. If I’m going to lay out $ for a book - it better hit on my needs and not a lot of stuff I don’t need.
I’ve seen too many books in the $1.99 pile at Chapters/Indigo that won’t sell and feel bad for the person who put a lot of work into them.
If you ARE serious about publishing a book - get used to criticism - what you get here is nothing compared to when you go to publish or sell.
What about an online version? You could blog about it. Just an idea…
Well, the man certainly got some pointed advice. Does that qualify as “tackfullness” ?[:-^]
Grin,
Stein
Then he would be the first person to get rich in Model Railroading since Sir Topham Hatt.
I’m in HO, but if you’re interested in any of my pictures, let me know. I generally shoot at 1 megapixel, though, and I’ve got a point-and-shoot with no tripod mount. Publishers in general demand a higher quality of photograph, from a technical perspective, than I’m able to produce.
Well, the man certainly got some pointed advice. Does that qualify as “tackfullness” ?
Grin,
Stein
Yes he got a lot of pointed advice, “tackfullness” perhaps, perhaps not, depends on how the situation is presented and taked by others.[swg]
Have a good day…Johm
I think you guys scarred the OP away…
(sarcastic comment deleted by poster)
I think someone also told Billy Gates and Pauly Allen not to waste their time on a stupid idea too. Further stating you’ll never get rich on that. Hmmm… Maybe this poster is on to something. I’m tired of most of the Kalmbach releases. Maybe this book could be geared towards youth. Basics. I say go for it. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something. Look at Billy and Pauly. Richest men in the world. Microsoft and Apple. Good luck go for it!
I agree bigiron,let’s give this guy some credit for at least trying to help improve the hobby. I for one is sick of the same old pictures that Kalmbach always publishes. Don’t they have anything after 1960. Also why isn’t there any publications that are recent, everything was published in the 50’s and 60’s then reprinted over and over again. Just venting.
We have evolved into a society where literacy is only for nerds. How sad…
First off, as you put it, if you are asking for something “free” {albeit with credit due to the contributor} for a “book” for beginners in this hobby, one SHOULD “waste time with with punctuation just to post a question on a forum”, to demonstrate one’s abilities to write concise information.
“Wasting time” NOT capitalizing one’s sentences or paragraphs or the letter “I” also does not demonstarte abilities to write concise passages worthy of publication.
I am very well capable of making mistakes in spelling, grammer, punctuation, etc. here in this forum and being dyslexic doesn’t help. But neither am I attempting to solicit material to write a book for publication, just small banter around a basic shared forum.
Perhaps we should have “scared you off” as any publisher will NOT accept your ways and means towards publishment.
Also, what topics do you plan to cover in this book for the beginner that cannot be found elsewhere?
However, good luck in your endeavor, and perhaps we are all wrong about you and your abilities.
Car Forums, especally cars that are popular with kids are really bad for vulgarety, capitals, bad grammer, punciation, run on sentences, wrong words used, spelling, and so on.
Dennis San Fernando Valley CA.