[Clipart] [Fwd: Calling for Tux articles!]

[Jon Phillips]

Anyone up for writing a good howto and getting published?

I'm going to write a howto on using Inkscape to create a file that is
then finally submitted to the Open Clip Art Library. Each howto can get
you $300.00, so why not?

Jon

-------- Forwarded Message --------
> From: Tux Editor <ed at tuxmagazine.com>
> To: Ryan Paul <gaerdin at gmail.com>, Ryan Paul
> <segphault at sbcglobal.net>, John Knight <knight.john.a at gmail.com>, John
> Knight <knightsy_j at yahoo.com.au>, Xavier Spriet <xavier at wuug.org>,
> Xavier Spriet <xavier at netmon.ca>, Kevin Brandes <blargity at gmail.com>,
> Michael J. Hammel <mjhammel at graphics-muse.org>, Daniel Jackson
> <dejackson at swbell.net>, Shane <shaneoneal at ev1.net>, Randall Wood
> <rsw22 at cornell.edu>, Shannon Baker <sbaker at cebridge.net>, Sean
> Carruthers <sean at globalhermit.com>, Matthew Downs <mwdowns at gmail.com>,
> Philip W. Raymond <tvphilip at comcast.net>, Allen Mercer
> <allenmmercer at knology.net>, James Roettger <roettger at gmail.com>, Josh
> <josh at bitbuckets.com>, joshuo at siu.edu <joshuo at siu.edu>, Karen Hall
> <karen at anthill.echidna.id.au>, Keith McElroy (home)
> <keithdmcelroy at digitalpath.net>, Lew Pitcher <lpitcher at sympatico.ca>,
> Phil Barnett <philb at philb.us>, Rod Davenport
> <rod.davenport at gmail.com>, Brander, Roy <Roy.Brander at calgary.ca>,
> Scott Nesbitt <scott at scottnesbitt.net>, Sudipta Chatterjee
> <sudipta_cht at yahoo.co.in>, Tony Godfrey <tonygodfrey at centurytel.net>,
> Aaron Peters <acpkendo at yahoo.com>, Bill Kendrick <nbs at sonic.net>,
> Blessen Cherian <blessen at poornam.com>, Dave Neary <dneary at free.fr>,
> David Thorarinsson <dabbi at bredband.net>, Dirk Elmendorf
> <dirk at economysizegeek.com>, Eric Goebelbecker
> <egoebelbecker at gmail.com>, Gar Nelson <Gar.Nelson at noaa.gov>, Jay
> Hamilton <JayHam at linuxquestions.net>, Jes Hall <jes.hall at kdemail.net>,
> jmak <jozmak at gmail.com>, John Hebert <johnahebert at yahoo.com>, Jon
> Phillips <jon at rejon.org>, Michael <mogmios at mlug.missouri.edu>, Michael
> Lim <michael at limyh.com>, Melissa Hardenbrook <pip at sonic.net>
> Subject: Calling for Tux articles!
> Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2005 16:35:23 -0500
> 
> Folks,
> 
> You are getting this letter because you have either
> written for Tux Magazine, or we have gotten the 
> idea that you have expressed an interest in writing 
> for Tux magazine.   Some of you are old-timers 
> already, but it might be useful to read through the
> whole email anyway.  
> 
> This has been a bad month for me - I was sick 2
> weeks, full-time single dad, sob story, etc., etc., 
> 
> The bottom line is that I'm behind schedule looking 
> for articles for the September issue.   If you have
> any original articles or article ideas you could turn
> around quickly, please write to me and let me know
> asap.   If you have an article ready, it is important 
> that the article has NOT already been published 
> elsewhere.  We get a lot of requests to re-publish
> something already published somewhere else, 
> and I'm afraid we do not do that, not even if the
> article was published in a different language.  
> 
> I don't expect many (or perhaps any) of you to have
> an article ready.   So I will follow up soon with a list
> of article ideas that are up for grabs.  If anything in 
> the list appeals to you and you think you are up to
> the task, then let me know asap.  I will need these
> articles as soon as possible.  
> 
> I will continue to send you ideas, and in the future 
> the short deadline problem shouldn't exist (at least 
> it should be rare).   Hopefully, we can get a nice
> backlog of articles piled up by getting submissions
> from many of you, which will make it unnecessary
> to go into "emergency mode" like this month. ;)
> 
> Okay -- for the newbies -- please read the brief
> guidelines for writing for Tux below, and have a
> look at the sample assignment letter we will send
> you if we accept an article pitch (or if you agree
> to write an article in my suggestions list). 
> 
> Thank you all for expressing an interest in Tux!  It's 
> great to have a long list of potential authors we can
> draw upon!
> 
> -Nicholas Petreley
> 
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Here are some quick guidelines for writing for Tux:
> 
> Keep it simple.  
> 
> Tux is for desktop users, many of which are newbies
> or Windows converts.  Most of them use KDE, but 
> we don't ignore GNOME entirely.  If there is a way 
> to do something point-and-click, then that's
> how to write it.  Avoid the command line like the
> plague.  Avoid hexadecimal numbers, etc., like the
> plague.  Point-and-click is how to do it. 
> 
> Our readers are, for the most part, totally 
> uninterested in open source issues, 
> free software philosophy, programming, 
> server issues, how something works under 
> the covers, etc.  They want to know what to 
> click and when in order to do a certain task.  
> In other words, if they want to remove red-eye 
> from their photos, they want to use the 
> easiest program for doing that, and they 
> just want to know what buttons
> to click, which menu selections to make, 
> how to select an area of the photo, etc.  
> 
> As for hardware, they want to know what 
> works and what doesn't work.   And if they 
> already have something that doesn't work, 
> they want to know if there is an easy way to
> make it work.  When I say "easy way", I 
> mean they REALLY, REALLY don't want 
> to compile anything to make their hardware
> work!  
> 
> 
> WRITING STYLE TIPS:
> 
> Avoid Passive voice.  Use active voice.
> 
> BAD: 
> 
> "Color settings can be changed by..."
> 
> BETTER:
> 
> "You can change color settings by..."
> 
> BEST: 
> 
> "Here is how to change the color settings.  
> First, click on X..."
> 
> 
> If your article has screenshots (and most of 
> them should), then here's how to handle them
> in the text.  Refer to them in the text so that
> the reader knows which picture to look for 
> when reading that part of the article.  Then
> place a marker in the appropriate spot within
> the text, identifying your screenshot file, and
> the caption that should go with it.  
> 
> Example:
> 
> ....article text....
> The Konqueror window should now look something
> like what you see in Figure 4.  
> 
> ....possibly a bit more article text, but not enough
> to lose the context....
> 
> [insert konq_example.jpg]
> Figure 4.  Caption:  Konqueror Split Windows
> 
> ....more article text...
> 
> 
> For those who haven't seen it yet, I've included a
> sample assignment letter below.  Note that we
> prefer PLAIN TEXT articles.   In a pinch, we can
> convert from almost any word processor format, 
> but whatever you do, please!!
> 
> DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE AS HTML! 
> 
> 
> Okie dokie -- now here's the sample assignment
> letter. 
> 
> ---------------------------
> 
> Dear ____________,
> 
> Your article "___________" has been accepted for possible
> publication in TUX magazine. We expect your article will cover the
> following: gadgets for use with Linux, and that it be kept
> around 1,000 or more words.  
> 
> In the following portion of the assignment letter, please be careful
> to use the correct email addresses specified.  It is easy to confuse 
> them because the email addresses are similar -- ed at tuxmagazine and 
> editor at tuxmagazine.  These are two different editors, however. 
> 
> The deadline for the final version of your article is ________. The final
> version of your article must be sent to editor at tuxmagazine.com. Keep in
> mind that we do not accept multiple drafts of articles, and therefore,
> we expect a complete and final version on or before the deadline.
> 
> If your article is published, we pay $300 for "how-to" articles and 
> $100 for reviews.  If your article falls into another category, we
> will negotiate a payment. 
> 
> All writing is done on speculation. If TUX magazine decides to use 
> the work, we will purchase first rights and compilation rights to 
> the article. However, we are under no obligation to publish
> the work. If the article is selected for publication, your payment will be
> $________. 
> 
> Your article will be copyedited according to TUX style, and
> English grammar and spelling, though we ask that you carefully review
> the materials you submitted for accuracy and completeness. We expect
> that you submit your article in text-only format and that any
> figures, tables, listings and sidebars be sent as separate files; provide
> titles or captions for all figures, tables, listings and sidebars, and
> indicate in the text where such items should be placed. 
> 
> Please insert the titles/captions and references to figures, etc., 
> within the text itself at the appropriate places.  Place them on 
> separate lines from the article text.  For example:
> 
> .....article text....
> 
> [insert configuration.jpg]
> Caption: The configuration dialog
> 
> .....article text....
> 
> Please send a photo of yourself, a brief bio, and your mailing address
> along with your article. 
> 
> Once your article is submitted, it will be in the publication queue and
> therefore cannot be submitted elsewhere unless 1) TUX magazine formally
> rejects the article, or 2) the author notifies TUX magazine of his/her
> intent and TUX magazine agrees to release the article at that time.
> 
> If you have any questions, please feel free to send email to
> editor at tuxmagazine.com, and please cc ed at tuxmagazine.com.
> 
-- 
Jon Phillips

San Francisco, CA
USA PH 510.499.0894
jon at rejon.org
http://www.rejon.org

MSN, AIM, Yahoo Chat: kidproto
Jabber Chat: rejon at gristle.org
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