Edited by Lori Appling in Las Vegas, NV.
"Traveling is not just seeing the new; it is also leaving behind. Not just opening doors; also closing them behind you, never to return. But the place you have left forever is always there for you to see whenever you shut your eyes." -- Jan Myrda
Today:
- Let Us Help You Double Your Travel Writing Success
- More Success Stories Than You can Shake a Stick At
- Tax Savings Every Freelancer Should Take
- How to Get the Assignment Letters that Lead to Press Trips
- WANTED: Stories about Selling Your Snap Shots
- This Week's Featured Travel Publication: Kansai Time Out
- More Opportunities and Resources for Writers
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Dear Reader,
Over the last few weeks we've received more success stories than you can shake a stick at.
Suzanne Ganatta just got word that the very first article she wrote (she started Feb. 3rd, mind you) will appear this summer in The Traveler.
Steve Weisman wrote to say that he sent his second send-in assignment from The Ultimate Travel Writer's Course to an editor who recently published it LAKEHOME Magazine. The editor also gave him a feature assignment in Maui, where he and his wife are headed next month. He writes, "I have been a freelance writer for over 11 years, but taking your course gave me little hints and a focus on how to break into the travel writing market. I also greatly enjoyed the critiquing I received. It had been years since I had that opportunity."
(For those readers not familiar with the second send-in assignment in our Ultimate Travel Writer's Course, you'll find more details here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/sh/tw89 )
And speaking of second send-in assignments, Hayley Clarke had similar success. She too sent her second send-in course assignment to an editor and got it published. Her article about Christmas Island is set to appear in the Australian magazine, Travel Talk.
And remember Maigii Sterling? Maigii wrote us a few months back with a question about submitting the same article to multiple editors at the same time. We answered her question in issue # 47 of this e-letter (http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/archive ) and she has since sold that same article not once, not twice, but three times. It just appeared in the Toronto Sun.
That article, I should mention, was one she worked on in class at last year's Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop in San Diego. (Hint: If you haven't done so already, you should check out our next event -- it's filling up fast: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/workshop/argentina)
Olivia Skory is another workshop graduate. She wrote to say she just had another piece published. This one, about Thailand.
Again, I can't say enough good things about these events. And with our next one in Argentina, there's an extra incentive to go: there will never be a more affordable time to travel there. You'll find more details here, including the deadline for the Early Bird discount: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/workshop/argentina
In the meantime, a student writes, "I want to get an assignment letter from an editor to go on a press trip to Mexico. Do I phone them up to ask, or do I write to them."
I'll let course author, Jennifer Stevens answer that below.
Don't forget to keep me up-to-speed on your travel-writing success. If you have a story to share, send me a quick note at lori@thetravelwriterslife.com.
Have a good weekend!
-- Lori
Lori Appling
Director, AWAI's Travel Writer Program
P.S. Know a friend or two who'd enjoy the freedom and independence of a writer's life? They, too, can sign up to receive this free e-letter weekly at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/eletter
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You'll find The Writer's Tax Guide: A Money-Saving Manual for Travel Writers and Other Freelancers here:
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ASSIGNMENT LETTERS: WHY THEY OPENS DOORS... AND HOW YOU GET THEM
By Jennifer Stevens in Crested Butte, CO (at 11,000 feet)
“Preference given to writers on assignment.” Scroll down to the bottom of a press-trip announcement and you'll often see those words or something to that effect.
It means that the sponsoring organization – the hotel or travel company or tourist board or whatever it is -- wants to be as certain as it can that the trip will generate media coverage. The hosts are looking for the best odds they'll “get press” in exchange for their hospitality.
You can hardly blame them. After all, if they're going to fly you in, put you up, feed you, and make sure you've met all the folks you need to meet... then they want to be sure they're getting some reasonable return on their investment.
When You Can Ask for an Assignment Letter
So how do you get one of these magical assignment letters that can land you a place on a press trip?
You need to write an editor and ask for one. And if you have a firm article assignment, then it's perfectly natural for you to do so. You simply get in touch with your editor and say something like: "Hello, Jim, I'm working on that article we discussed -- on non-Disney travel in Northern Florida -- and I wonder if you might write me a quick letter of assignment to flash around to PR folks and whatnot? Thank you."
Will an editor who has never heard from you before just dish out an assignment? Probably not. (That's why it's so important that you get those first few articles published... they not only give you some track record, but they give you editorial contacts, too.)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: See issue # 45 in our e-letter archives at: www.thetravelwriterslife.com for: The #1 Easiest and Fastest Way to Get Your First By-line (and Check)]
Once you have a few published articles under your belt, the chances are much greater that you'll be able to land those firm assignments up-front.
If you have one, and you've asked the editor for a letter of assignment, that letter is likely to read something like this one I've just made up: "To Whom it May Concern: Jane Doe is working on an article for me about non-Disney travel in Florida. I expect to publish it in the May issue of Historic Travel. We have a readership of 200,000 and publish 8 times a year. Our readers tend to be well-educated, affluent, and frequent travelers. Please extend to Ms. Doe any help you can as she completes this assignment. Thank you. Sincerely, JD Smith, Editor, Historic Travel"
Making "On Spec" Work to Your Advantage
Even if you have an editor who agrees to look at your article "on spec," that may be good enough to satisfy a PR official looking to fill a press trip. You'll need, however, to be up-front with that PR official in saying that you've got a "spec" assignment. You might increase your chances of garnering a spot on the trip if you've got two or three such jobs lined up.
Say you've pitched three "Northern Florida" articles to three different editors at three different publications, and each has come back with a "Sure, sounds good. Send it to me on spec, and if it's something we really can use, then we'll buy it."
Now you can tell the PR official offering a tour to Northern Florida:
"I'm interested in participating in the Northern Florida trip you're sponsoring from May X-Y. I've been in touch with editors at several publications and have lined up spec assignments as follows:
Parents Magazine -- spec article accepted on the non-Disney Florida, a deep-south experience with history, beaches, and wildlife to keep the kids entertained.
Florida Today -- spec article accepted on the "genteel south" part of the state, positions N. Florida as the state's culturally rich, and best-kept travel secret.
Chicago Tribune -- spec article accepted on the "genteel south" part of the state, also positions N. Florida as the state's culturally rich, and best-kept travel secret with news peg being affordable flights in and out of Pensacola from O'Hare.
I'm a freelance travel writer based in Chicago. In the past, my work has appeared in International Living, Parents, and The Traveler.
Thank you for your consideration."
One quick note on this front: If you're in this situation and pitching an article to an editor, check the publication's guidelines ahead of time to make sure the editors don't have any rules against publishing articles written by writers who have received special rates or consideration while on the road. Some publications make a point of publishing stories written only by people who have paid full-fare. You'll just need to make sure you're not stepping on anybody's toes. Plenty of publications don't mind if an article is generated from a press trip.
[Jennifer Stevens has spent the balance of the last decade gallivanting through Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe writing about the best locales for overseas travel, retirement, and investment. She is the former editor of International Living and Island Properties Report and the author of AWAI's The Ultimate Travel Writer's Course: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/kp/tw4 You can meet her in person this March in Buenos Aires at our next live workshop: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/workshop/argentina]
ATTENTION Novice and Pro Photographers!
Has a magazine or newspaper ever published your photographs? Did they accompany a travel article you'd written or did you submit them alone? Were you paid for your snapshots? Who published them?
Can you tell... we're dying to know! Send a (short) email with your story to lori@thetravelwriterslife.com . If we publish your story in The Write Way to Travel, we'll send you a sneak preview of our upcoming course on photography... fre.e
The deadline for submissions has been extended to Tuesday, February 22, 2005 so don't delay. Email us TODAY!
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I haven't paid for a hotel room in FL for more than 10 years. I've sold 600 articles, 13 guidebooks, and 3,000 photographs. But it took me years to build my career.
You, on the other hand, don't have to wait. I'd like to show you, personally, exactly what I do... I'll call you, review your articles, and let you in on the secrets I use to land the best assignments and the most rewarding travel deals:
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THIS WEEK'S FEATURED TRAVEL PUBLICATION
Kansai Time Out is a monthly publication focused on Kansai in Japan. They publish travel articles about things to do and see around Kansai as well as articles about overseas destinations that are fairly accessible to Kansai residents. Articles must be clear and entertaining, even humorous. They should run 200 to 1500 words, and queries are strongly recommended. You can send your queries to ktoedit@kto.co.jp. You can view the full submission guidelines at http://www.kto.co.jp/submissions/guidelines.html.
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:
- More By-lines ... More Vacations ... More Money
I haven't paid for a hotel room in FL for more than 10 years. I've sold 600 articles, 13 guidebooks, and 3,000 photographs. But it took me years to build my career. You, on the other hand, don't have to wait. I'd like to show you, personally, exactly what I do... I'll call you, review your articles, and let you in on the secrets I use to land the best assignments and the most rewarding travel deals: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/coaching - TAX SAVINGS EVERY FREELANCER SHOULD TAKE
Find out where you can save... what the IRS really needs to know... how to make the most of those deductions for travel, meals, entertainment, home office, and more including practical worksheets you can use to make sure you're paying as little as possible to Uncle Sam. You'll find The Writer's Tax Guide: A Money-Saving Manual for Travel Writers and Other Freelancers here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/tax/tw4 - MAKE MONEY AND SAVE THE WORLD
What if something you wrote could... Help 3 million people in 29 countries get access to clean drinking water... Provide safe, secure housing for 5,400 families in the U.S. ... Protect 160,000 acres of timberland in Tennessee and Oregon... Put 23 new computers in the elementary school down the street... http://www.thewriterslife.com/fundraising/tw89/ - CAN YOU WRITE A SIMPLE LETTER?
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AWAI students and ITWPA members receive a 25% discount to the Writer's Market web site at www.WritersMarket.com. When signing up, just use the coupon code WM04G1 to receive $7.50 off the annual $29.99 subscription rate. The 2004 Writer's Market Book can be purchased for $29.99 at:
http://www.writersdigest.com/store/booksdisplay.asp?id=10851 - WHAT'S STOPPING YOU?
The difference between great success and mediocrity is so often a matter of the small things... just a little extra here... a little more there. If you're falling short of achieving your most important personal goals, get more details about the Early to Rise Goal Setting Check-up Program at:
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http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/kp/tw4 - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF WRITING
Learn how to find the best story ideas and places to publish them…how and when to follow up with an editor…what you need to know about buying rights, contracts, and agreements…how to use syndication to increase your exposure and boost your earnings…and more. You'll find The Business of Writing Guide: A Practical Guide for Travel Writers (and Other Freelancers) Ready to Turn Words into Profits here:
http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/biz/tw4
The Write Way to Travel is a FREE weekly newsletter from the American Writers & Artists Institute, available to AWAI students and friends.
© 2005 American Writers & Artists Institute
To ADVERTISE in The Write Way to Travel or to send comments, news, research, or story ideas, e-mail Lori Appling at lappling@awaionline.com.
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