La Posta Publications publishes La Posta: The Journal of American Postal History, an independent quarterly journal devoted exclusively to the subject of American postal history.
    The journal was founded by Richard “Bill” Helbock in 1969 and, in 2018, celebrated 50 years of continuous production. Helbock, who retired to Australia, died in 2011 and Peter Martin was chosen to replace him as editor. Martin purchased La Posta Publications, which included the journal, from Helbock’s widow in 2013.
    La Posta is one of the few independent philatelic publications in North American and is the largest subscriber-based journal in that category.
    Each 72-page quarterly issue features a variety of the more than 50 different aspects of American postal history written by the leading postal history researchers, collectors, and dealers.
    From town postal histories, Prexies, and expositions, to Civil War, auxiliary markings, modern contract stations and social philately you’ll find a cornucopia of original research, new finds and detailed information about interesting and complex subjects not found anywhere else. La Posta production is top notch, with full color on coated pages and with a perfect binding.
    La Posta was entered in the 2018 StampShow and Chicagopex Literature Exhibitions and received Large Golds, the highest medal level, from the two major literature exhibitions in North America. La Posta was the only philatelic journal to receive this recognition from both juries.
   La Posta has always been supported by a strong fan base of leading postal historians. The renewal rate has continuously been near 90 per cent and many subscribers pay more than the $36 annual subscription price to support the journal. More than half of subscribers have been with the journal for more than 20 years.
    To recognize its authors, La Posta sponsors two annual awards. The Richard W. Helbock Prize, established in 2012, is awarded to the best postal history article appearing in the previous year’s La Posta: The Journal of American Postal History.
     The Charles A. Fricke Small Bites Award, established in 2016, is for the best one- or two-page article appearing the previous year’s La Posta.

    La Posta: The Journal of American Postal History seeks philatelic articles related to all aspects of North American postal history, including mail related to military units, American territories and Canada.
    While related history is often included in article submissions, history articles without a central postal history element are generally not accepted.
    Previously published material, unless substantially changed or updated, or from a publication with a very limited readership, is not solicited.
    Simultaneous submissions will be considered on an individual basis.

    Article submissions may be made by anyone interested in American postal history.
    Internet submissions via e-mail with attachments are preferred. Alternatively,submissions on a CD, DVDR, or thumb drive are acceptable.
    Typed manuscripts may also be submitted, but handwritten submissions cannot be accommodated.
    The preferred submission format for text is Microsoft Word, although other formats, including .rtf, .txt and searchable PDFs, are usually acceptable.
    For the font, 12-point Times or Times New Roman is preferred. Do not imbed any images in Microsoft Word files.
     Text submissions should be organized as follows:

1. Author Contact Information

    In the upper right corner of the first page of all submissions, the author should place:

    The name provided will be the one used in the article byline. One professional title (i.e., Ph.D., M.D.) may be used in the byline. Honorary titles are not used.
    The mailing address will be the one to which the complimentary copies are sent.
    The e-mail address will be the one to which PDF article proofs are sent.
    The phone number will be used only in the event that the author has to be contacted.
    If submissions on paper are made, be sure to include the author name and page number at the top of each page.

2. Suggested Title or Slug

    Authors may suggest an article title or use a slug to identify the manuscript. This should be centered at the top of the first page.

3. Byline

    The author byline should be listed following the title. It should be the same as the name provided in the author contact information. One professional title (i.e., Ph.D., M.D.) may be used in the byline.

4. Manuscript

    The manuscript should follow the byline. Manuscripts, and all other text, should be single spaced with one space after a period, or other punctuation.
    Do not send drafts. Send only the final manuscript.

5. Sidebars

    A sidebar is a short article dealing with a sidelight of the main manuscript. Sidebars can be used to discuss in detail a specific part of the manuscript that organizationally does not fit well or they can provide additional background about a specific part of the manuscript.
    Usually, the information in sidebars is not essential to the article, but complements it.

6-7 References and Endnotes

    If authors refer to, or rely upon, someone else’s information or images, provide appropriate credit in the form of references, a bibliography, endnotes or photo credits.
    References, bibliographies and endnotes should follow the format in Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (University of Chicago Press), which is based upon the Chicago Manual of Style.
    A bibliography or references list identifies the sources used in writing the article — not necessarily every work examined but those that were found relevant.
    Citations for personal correspondence or e-mails should be avoided, as readers will not normally have access to these sources.
    For Internet references, the complete URL (Internet address) should be cited, along with the date the page was accessed.
    Endnotes must be sequentially numbered with no repeating numbers.
    Note that, depending upon the program and the formatting, sometimes the endnote numbering and citations are “lost” when the manuscript is submitted.
    To ensure your endnotes are received, it is best to include a PDF version of the manuscript.
    Examples of a basic listing of each are shown below. Note the organization, name arrangement and punctuation used.

8. Author Biographies

    At the end of the manuscript text, authors should provide a short paragraph (usually two to five sentences) providing brief biographical information about themselves (city and state of residence, profession, collecting specialties and/or interests), including an e-mail address that readers can use.
    An author head and shoulders photo may be included with the illustrations.

9. Captions

    Captions, in numerical order, should follow the author biography. Captions should be brief, usually one or two sentences, and generally do not include new information that is not in the manuscript. All captions are preceded with “Figure X:” Figure is always spelled out in the caption and the manuscript.
    If the illustrations are not the authors, provide an italicized photo credit at the end of the caption, i.e., (Courtesy Bill Smith) or (Courtesy Library of Congress).

10. Tables

    Tables may be included and should be labeled in numerical order. Tables formatted in Microsoft Word or Excel usually work best.
    Complicated table formats should usually be submitted as a PDF.

    Quality illustrations are an important part of any submission.
    While scans of the original stamps and covers to be illustrated are preferred, high quality color photocopies usually reproduce well. Also, scans are preferred over digital photographs. Scanning produces much better images of stamps and covers.
    Scan stamps at 600 dpi and 100 percent of their original size. Scan covers at 300 dpi and 100 percent of their original size. Preferred formats are: .jpg, .tif, .eps, or a press quality PDF. (If you are creating a PDF file to send, be sure to select “Press Quality” from the drop down list of options. Do not select “Standard.”
    Images from the Internet or files that were created for a website should be avoided because they are usually 72 or 96 dpi, which results in poor quality reproductions.
    Changing the resolution of an image after scanning will cause it to lose sharpness, especially when trying to go from 72 dpi to 300 dpi. The image will become pixilated or look like Legos. A converted 72 dpi scan may look okay on a computer screen, but it will not work well in print.
    When scanning, place the material on a contrasting (usually black) background. Scan each philatelic item individually (separate files).
    Remove philatelic material from protective coverings — mounts, glassines, Mylar sleeves, etc. Scanning items inside a protective covering produces blurry images and sometimes may add a pattern to the image.
    Please do not attempt to create collages, overlapping images, inserts, etc.
    When sending files via e-mail, authors should check with their provider regarding the handling of attachments. Some providers have restrictions on the size of an attachment. La Posta can usually receive files up to 10 MB in size via e-mail.
    When sending your manuscript and/or scans as e-mail attachments, please send a second message to let us know what you sent. Sometimes the message with the attachments never arrives.
    If you are not comfortable creating digital images of your philatelic material or you don’t have a scanner, Kinkos, Staples, or Office Depot can scan your items for you.

    When articles are laid out, authors will receive a PDF proof at the e-mail address provided by the author. This is the final chance to make any last minute changes, updates or corrections. Author comments should usually be provided within three to five days.

Copyright

    All article submissions must be the original work of the author(s).
    Unless separate agreements have been made, by submitting an article to La Posta: The Journal of American Postal History authors are granting to La Posta Publications exclusive first North American Serial Rights and onexclusive rights to publish the article in other formats, such as a compendium, a reprint, in a digital format, or on the La Posta website.
    The full contents of each issue of La Posta: The Journal of American Postal History are copyrighted in its own name each quarter.
    After an article is published, authors retain the copyright to their individual articles and may use their articles in future works of their own. For reprints, contact the editor.

Permissions

    Obtaining permissions for the use of copyrighted material within a submitted article is the responsibility of the author. Permissions should accompany the manuscript.

    While La Posta does not offer honorariums, all published articles are automatically eligible for the annual La Posta Richard W. Helbock Prize and Charles A. Fricke awards, which do provide cash prizes.
    Authors automatically receive two complimentary copies of the issue in which their article appears and a limited edition La Posta author bookmark.
    If additional author copies are needed for a specific reason, this information must be provided to the editor when the submission is provided.
    Likewise, if complimentary copies are not needed, this information should be provided to the editor with the submission.

    Authors interested in learning more about La Posta should visit the La Posta website at www.lapostapub.com. It includes a wide variety of postal history information, including the La Posta 50-Year Table of Contents index, where authors can examine the type of articles that have appeared in La Posta.

Catalog Numbers — Use Scott Specialized catalog numbers in the proper format.

Dates — Use American style dates: January 15, 2018 (not 15 January 2018).

Endnotes — If used, number them sequentially and provide a PDF of the article to avoid losing them in formatting.

Figures — Identify illustrations by consecutive figure numbers. Always spell out “Figure.”

Military Ranks — Abbreviate ranks when used before a name. Examples are: Gen., Lt. Gen., Maj. Gen., Brig. Gen., Col., Lt. Col., Maj., Capt., 1st Lt., 2nd Lt., Sgt. Maj., Sgt., Cpl., Pvt., Adm., Vice Adm., Rear Adm., Cmdr., Ensign, Seaman.

Names — Double check all name spellings. Circle or underline the name the first time it is used. If there is a subsequent discrepancy, the first spelling will be used.

Numbers — In general, spell out numbers one through nine; use Arabic numbers for numbers 10 and higher.

Quotes and Quotation Marks — Use double quotation marks for direct quotes. Use single quotation marks for quotes within quotes. For space reasons, single quotation marks also are usually used in headlines and captions. In most situations, punctuation goes inside the quotes, not after them.

Text Spacing — Use one space after a period or other punctuation. Two spaces are from the age of the typewriter and not appropriate for journals.

Ship Names — There are no periods in USS and only the actual ship name is italicized, i.e., CSA Virginia, USS Missouri.

State Names — Always spell out in the article. Use standard state abbreviations (not the twodigit USPS abbreviation) in captions. Always spell out Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.

United States — Spell out unless used as an adjective, i.e., U.S. Army.

Richard W. Helbock Prize

To recognize its authors, La Posta sponsors two annual awards. The winners are selected based upon annual voting results by the La Posta editorial staff and the subscribers of La Posta.

The Richard W. Helbock Prize, established in 2012, is awarded to the best postal history article appearing in the previous year’s La Posta: The Journal of American Postal History. The Richard W. Helbock Prize is named in honor of the founding editor of La Posta who died from a heart attack in 2011. Helbock founded La Posta in 1969 and continued to edit the journal for more than 42 years until his death.

The Charles A. Fricke Small Bites of Great American Postal History Award., established in 2016, is for the best one- or two-page article appearing the previous year’s La Posta. The award is named for Charles A. Fricke, a postal card specialist, long time author and La Posta columnist, who died in 2017 at age 94. A list of the annual award winners is on the La Posta website under Journal/La Posta Awards.

    All article submissions and illustrations should be sent to the editor at:

    If sending articles by e-mail, place “La Posta Article” in the subject line.