Edited by Lori Appling in Bethany Beach, DE.
“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare,
it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”
– Marcus Annaeus Seneca
Today:
- $2,000-$3,000 for a Single Article-Photo Package, Here’s How…
- Retire This Year... Writing
- The Secret to Selling and Reselling Your Articles, Part I
- This Week’s Featured Travel Publication: Travelers Tales
- More Opportunities and Resources for Writers
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Dear Reader,
You’ve heard us say it before: When you package your travel articles with the right photos you’ll find them easier to sell than when you’re hawking words alone.
Successful freelance travel writer and photographer B. Howard says we should add: “They’re easier to RESELL too.”
He should know. B. Howard has sold more than 600 articles and 3,000 photographs to publications like Delta’s Sky magazine, Golf Illustrated, British Heritage, the Daily Mail Sunday Edition (the Mail on Sunday is Great Britain’s most popular tabloid newspaper), Writer’s Digest, TWA Ambassador magazine, American Geographic magazine, the Boston Herald, the Detroit Free-Press, the Anchorage Times and many more…
And he has earned as much as $2,000-$3,000 for a single article-photo package. You can do it too. I’ll let him tell you how, below.
But first, here’s your chance to meet B. Howard and ask him about all the tricks yourself…
You see, B. Howard will be joining us in Paris next month for our first-ever travel-photography workshop. He’ll be working first-hand with our attendees, teaching them not only how to take good pictures, but how to make a living -- a good living -- as a freelance photographer.
And what better place than Paris to learn about great photography? We’ll float under the bridges of the Seine… sit in the cafes where Hemmingway held court… look down from the heights of Montmartre, where some of the world’s most renowned artists captured the spirit of the city on canvass and on film…
We’ve got boat rides and walking tours planned… memorable sunrises and sunsets on the agenda… and we’ll take you to explore and capture on film the most beautiful corners of the city.
Not only that, but three students will walk away with cash for their pictures ($50 prizes for the best shots, as determined by the instructors). Plus International Living has agreed to give a byline for each photo the editors select to include in their Paris photo library. It means that you can walk away from this Paris program with a professional start to your photo portfolio.
And I feel perfectly comfortable predicting: Several more attendees will sell their photos the very same week they get home. That’s because we’re making it our business to teach you how to know exactly what editors want.
B. Howard’s presentation on selling and reselling your photographs includes everything from taking the right kinds of photographs… to picking the best ones for each publication… to labeling them and sending them off to an editor. (Did you know, for instance, that magazines often want photographs that include more blank space then you’d ever imagine -- because they like to put text and headlines over the pictures?)
What’s more, every workshop participant will leave with an interactive CD that teaches the ins and outs of photo-editing software like Adobe Photoshop -- so even your less-than-perfect shots can be sold for a byline and a check.
Whether you have little experience and modest equipment or you’re already a talented amateur photographer, you’ll benefit from this program. It will teach you the tricks the pros use to take photos editors buy… and teach you, too, how to turn your snapshots into profits again and again.
Plus, you’ll learn to look at life with an artist’s eye, to have your photography reflect the feelings you experience when you look at a scene. You’ll understand what makes a great composition, and how to get the perfect exposure with every shot. (And don’t forget the money: You’ll find out exactly what you need to do to make your photographs saleable, too.)
For more details about The Ultimate Travel Photographer’s Workshop and to reserve your place, visit: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/parisphoto now or contact Schuyler Hoffman (he’ll be in all weekend) by phone toll-free at (866) 529-0538 or locally at (310) 593-4741 or email him at photos@thetravelwriterslife.com
I hope to see you there,
-- 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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HOW TO MAKE REAL MONEY WRITING TRAVEL ARTICLES
(A Three-Part Series to Help You Double,
Even Triple, Your Writing Income)
By B. Howard in Cleveland, TN
Part 1 – The Types of Articles that Sell and Resell Best
There are two secrets to making real money writing travel articles. The first is to write articles you can sell more than once. The second is to support your articles with stunning photographs.
Over the years I have sold more than 600 articles to magazines and newspapers all over the United States and in England. Some of those articles have sold many times. An article I wrote some years ago for PHOTOgraphic magazine eventually sold 11 times. Another written for Tours and Resorts sold 14 times. Yet another has sold 17 times.
Most of the articles I write sell at least a half-dozen times. Initially, each article will sell for $250 to $450, and occasionally for much more. Re-print sales on those articles will run anywhere from $50 to $250. That means any given article can bring in as much as $2,000 or even $3,000.
Write one new article a month and you will have an annual income in excess of $30,000. Write one every couple of weeks and…. well, you get the idea. Today, I would not consider writing an article unless I knew I could sell it at least five times.
The truth is, these articles don’t have to be complicated or even very long. I rely on a tried-and-true format for producing an endless string of resalable articles. Next week, I’ll show you how it works. In the meantime, here are five tips to help you produce articles that will sell… and sell again:
1.) For an article to sell multiple times, it needs to have universal appeal. In other words, it should be an article that will interest a wide cross-section of readers, which means you’ll need to thoroughly research all of your target publications. It may be that you can find five magazines that regularly publish music-related travel articles. And maybe all five will publish your music-related piece. But chances are you’ll have more luck targeting a more general audience -- the over-50 traveler, for example.
2.) The easiest article to sell contains between 800 and 1,200 words. Editors, especially newspaper editors, can often find a spot for shorter articles even when they might not have planned such an article.
3.) You should include with your article at least 10 outstanding photographs. Great photographs will sell almost any type of article
4.) Write your piece in a free-and-easy, conversational style. (You’ll find excellent, concrete guidance abut how to do that in Lesson 13 of Jen Stevens’ travel writer course: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/kp/tw89 )
5.) Make sure your piece is thoroughly proof-read. Check your grammar and eliminate typos. Ideally, get someone to read it through before you submit it. Don’t expect an editor to do this for you, especially if you are trying to break in. The easier you make it for an editor to publish your work, the more success you will have.
As your articles sell, you’ll begin to build a database of clients -- that is, editors who like your work. That database is the key to making real money writing travel articles, because you can go back to editors you know again and again. And if you’re easy to work with and they like your stuff, you’ll have no problem selling them every new article you have to offer.
Next week we’ll focus again on reselling articles for big profits and talk about the easiest kind of “resellable” article you can write. Plus we’ll tell you how to shoot the photographs you’ll need to support it. Then the following week we’ll focus on that all-important database… how to expand it, and how to turn into a pot of gold.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: You can meet B. Howard in person this May 25-28 in Paris, France, where he’ll divulge his insider secrets to taking photos editors love to buy… and then buy again and again. For details about our upcoming workshop (it’s filling up fast): http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/parisphoto ]
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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:
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THIS WEEK’S FEATURED TRAVEL PUBLICATION
Travelers Tales publishes anthologies of nonfiction travel essays. Each book is based on a theme. Currently they are seeking stories for books on the South Pacific, cooking and travel, humorous travel tales, Prague & the Czech Republic, and Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia. You can find out more about their needs for each book and the deadlines at http://www.travelerstales.com/guidelines
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:
- GET YOUR FIRST PUBLISHED CLIP IN LESS THAN 6 MONTHS --
Join the International Travel Writers & Publishers Alliance (ITWPA) today and use their many membership benefits to land your first assignment -- fast. Membership includes: writer credentials (a membership ID badge vouching for your status as a travel writer), business cards with the ITWPA logo printed on them and monthly newsletters that list available press trips as well as markets where you might consider publishing your articles. Plus $200 off any writing-related event sponsored by the organization (including Jen Stevens’ live travel-writing workshops). For more details visit their website: www.itwpa.com - 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?
If yes, you could be in big demand, earning big money, writing just a few hours a day from anywhere in the world you choose to be. Here’s how you can learn the secrets of this little-known, lucrative business:
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-- Get the Details and Your Free report at:
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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 - BIG BUCKS FOR SNAPSHOTS
Photos can be a remarkably strong sales tool when you’re approaching an editor with a story. They can significantly increase your chances of getting published (and earning extra income) -- that is, if you know how to take the kinds of photos editors like. Find out the simplest and best camera to take with you (you don’t want to be lugging a trunk full of equipment)... how to use time of day... create a mood... how to photograph people versus landscapes and wildlife... and more. You’ll find Big Bucks for Snapshots: 53 Can’t Miss Techniques for Becoming a Money-Making Freelance Photographer here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/photos/tw4 - DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO WRITE FOR THIS MARKET -- 76.1 million baby boomers are turning 50 at a rate of 3 to 4 million a year. Their knees hurt, their backs hurt, their cholesterol is high, their prostates hurt, they’re going through menopause, they’re having trouble sleeping, they’re anxious… If you have what it takes to sell to this market, you can make very good money in a specialty field that will give you as much work as you can handle…and that routinely pays $8,000 and up – with royalties – for each sales letter you write… Find out more at: http://www.thewriterslife.com/health/tw4
The Write Way to Travel is a FREE weekly newsletter from the American Writers & Artists Institute, available to AWAI students and friends.
© 2004 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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