Nuts & Volts Articles

I got an email from the chief editor of Nuts and Volts magazine the
other day. He liked some of the circuits I had posted on my Discover
Circuits website and suggested that I publish some of them in their
magazine. Of course, they want a detailed circuit description of the
project, a schematic, a detailed material list, photos of the packaged
device and printed circuit board artwork. They pay only $100 per page
with a maximum of $450. Why would anyone spend a week or two putting
together such a circuit for only a few hundred bucks? No wonder the
magazine seldom has anything interesting in print. Other than vanity,
seeing your name in print, I don't see the point. Has anyone really
gotten any consulting work from publishing such articles? In all the
circuits I have published in EDN and Electronic Design, I have yet to
get anything.

David A. Johnson, P.E. --- Consulting Engineer
http://www.djandassoc.com
Home of http://www.discovercircuits.com A collection of over 9,000
schematics.

 

[Tim Shoppa]

They pay only $100 per page
with a maximum of
$450. Why would anyone spend a week or two putting
together such a circuit for only a few hundred bucks?

Most academic journals charge the author who is publishing... after
getting through the refereeing process.

Admittedly, Nuts&Volts isn't an academic journal.

All that said, most folks writing in either medium aren't doing it for
that money. You will note that "Radio-Electronics" and "Popular
Electronics" construction articles of the 70's, 80's, and 90's (while
the magazines existed) were largely promotional vehicles for selling
kits.

Tim.

 

[tlbs]

Since you are getting nothing for your published work, now, I would
think that ANYthing would be a "bonus".

I wouldn't want to do it for a "living", though.

Tom Pounds

BTW: I really appreciate your contributions to Discover circuits, and
Electronic Design (I don't get EDN).