Edited by Lori Appling in Washington D.C.
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hardwork, and learning from failure." -- Colin PowellToday:
- He Put His Photos on eBay and Six Hours Later... $137.04: A Note from a Fellow Reader
- Tele-Seminar for Travel Lovers: How to Make $100,000 a Year (or more) Traveling the World like a VIP
- How Much Can You Really Expect to Make as a Travel Writer or Photographer
- The Tax Year's Nearly Over - Are You Taking Advantage of the Tax Savings You're Entitled to?
- This Week's Featured Travel Publication: Go World Travel Magazine
- More Opportunities and Resources for Writers
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http://www.thephotographerslife.com/ph2/website/
Dear Reader,
He put his photos on eBay and six hours later he'd racked up $137 in sales. Thom Fontannaz, a fellow reader and Turn Your Pictures into Cash member (http://www.thephotographerslife.com/ph2/website) sent me this note:
"Lori - Just thought I'd tell you of a little unexpected success I've had in this past week. I have my own online newspaper for my hometown of Wildwood, NJ called TheWildwoodsReporter.com...
"About three weeks ago, I decided to start offering my best photos of local special events I shot for my paper for sale. I listed my 17 best shots of one event with payment links directly to my PayPal account.
"Three days ago, we had a massive 8-alarm fire in Wildwood that totally destroyed a popular local hotel. As a reporter, I rushed over to the scene and took many photos and added the best ones to my news story. I was so surprised with how great and dramatic the photos turned out that I realized, hey, millions of people have vacationed in the Wildwoods through the years, maybe some of them would be interested in really good 8 X 10's of unique events or scenes from the Wildwoods, especially an historic fire that burned for two days and destroyed a popular hotel that they might have stayed in at one time.
"I posted 6 or 7 photos on eBay for sale at a flat rate of $19.99 plus s/h (no bidding this time, if they like the photo, they'll buy it, I thought). Anyway, within eight hours, I had orders for six photos. One man bought four and a lady bought two. That's $137.04 in six hours. All I did was post them on eBay and sit back and wait. Now I plan on listing all my best news and feature photos for sale.
"I don't even have to categorize the photos for sale, people seem to be searching for the name of my city, Wildwoods. Everything for sale under that name shows up in the results. I found that historic old postcards of local scenes are very popular on eBay. People pay from $5 to $20 each for postcards. Now, they can get contemporary scenes and news photos, too.
"I'm still taking the photo course, but now that I've sold some of my photos, I guess this means I am a professional photographer. Thanks - Thom Fontannaz, TheWildwoodsReporter.com"
It's true. You really can make money selling travel articles and photographs -- even if you don't leave home. In fact, Rich Wagner, co-author of AWAI's Turn Your Pictures into Cash (http://www.thephotographerslife.com/ph2/website) does just that with great success.
Earlier this month, I introduced Rich to a few other professional writers and photographers I know and asked him to share his secrets for success.
He told us how he started his career by taking photographs of the community where he lives in New England. He sells them for anywhere from $40 to $500 a piece, depending on their size. Today he has his own store, and in it he sells his photos as fine art prints. One in particular - one we talk about in detail in Turn Your Pictures into Cash -- has brought in over $10,000 in sales!
It turns out that Rich doesn't sell many photographs from his travels even though he's always on location with a camera in hand. For him, the best-selling shots he has are snapped right in his own back yard.
"Local photos sell best in my neighborhood," he said. "B. Howard [Howard] travels and has found a way to make money from the photos he takes on his trips. I make money from my photos at home and then use that money to travel. We're kind of the opposite in that respect."
Rich and B. Howard were both on the conference call where I introduced them to Jennifer Stevens, author of AWAI's Ultimate Travel Writer's Course (http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/kp/website)... freelance travel writer and photographer David Morgan... and import/export entrepreneur, Reece Guth.
To find out how you can get your hands on a recording of that call, visit: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/twcall
You'll learn: How to make a six-figure income as a traveler, living anywhere you want in the world... How to get pampered in paradise, then profit from it...How to make $12,600 on a ten-day trip... Why your hometown is a $700/day goldmine if you know these secrets... and more...
...and, listeners get a $500 discount on our next live event -- where they'll learn first hand how to become a lucrative traveler.
Speaking of turning your travels into cash... this week I've asked B. Howard to answer a question we hear all the time: How much can you make in this industry? Six figures?
He reveals the answer below... and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Scroll down for details.
And, as always, remember to keep me up-to-speed on your success. If you have good news to share, send me a quick note at lori@thetravelwriterslife.com.
I hope you have a great 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
* Highly Recommended*
HOW TO MAKE A SIX-FIGURE INCOME TRAVELING THE WORLD
Learn travel secrets designed to fund your vacations and make you $100,000 or more a year as you explore the world like a VIP.
After several friendly battles about "who had enjoyed the best and most vacations," five savvy, sophisticated travelers finally agreed to meet for a special round-table discussion about the three tools they use to consistently fund and profit from their vacations.In the past, people have paid $1,597 to learn the secrets for mastering just one of these travel tools. But today you're invited to discover three lucrative travel tools... for less than $20. You'll learn: How to make a six-figure income as a traveler, living anywhere you want in the world... How to get pampered in paradise, then profit from it...How to make $12,600 on a four-day trip... Why your hometown is a $700/day goldmine if you know these secrets... and more...
For more information about how you can listen to the recording of this The Fund Your Travels Tele-seminar, click here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/twcall
Sign up today and you'll receive $500 off our Lucrative Traveler Conference in February.
HOW MUCH CAN YOU REALLY EARN AS A TRAVEL WRITER/PHOTOGRAPHER?
By freelance travel writer, guidebook author, and photographer, B. Howard in Cleveland, TN.
"How much can you really earn as a travel writer/photographer?"
You know, if I had a dollar for every time I've been asked that question, I wouldn't have to work at all...
To tell the truth, however, I have no straightforward answer.
How much you can earn as either a travel writer or a photographer (or both) depends on several things...
First, you have to decide what it is you want to be: a travel writer, a photographer, or someone who combines the two.
I, for instance, write travel articles and travel guidebooks (that makes me a travel writer). I shoot photographs for a major New York stock agency, only a fraction of which are travel-related (that makes me a photographer). And I shoot travel photographs to accompany my articles and guidebooks (that makes me a travel-writing photographer).
As a travel writer, I have more than 600 magazine and newspaper articles to my credit. I also have 13 travel guidebooks under my belt, 29 editions, in fact. This year I'm updating my Adventure Guide to the Bahamas (you might remember that we took twenty some readers down to the Bahamas this past November to help me tackle the task). And in 2006 we'll do the same for my Adventure Guide to Bermuda.
When it comes to compensation, I get paid for every article or book that I write. And I get royalties (or resell fees) every time I update or resell my writing. As a stock photographer, I receive royalties each time my New York agency sells one of my photos.
And as a travel-writing photographer, I shoot the images that illustrate my books and articles. The photographs I shoot while traveling have more than tripled my writing income -- because without them I would not have sold the numbers of books and articles that I have. You might remember that I got the cover photograph and cover story for the December 2005 issue of PHOTOgraphic Magazine, for instance. I never would have landed that article were it not for the photos, which really defined it.
All that said, back to the question at hand: How much can you make as a travel writer or a photographer? Let me answer it this way:
As a straight travel writer, I would guess that it'd be difficult to make a six-figure income. I'm sure there are people out there that do it, but the odds against it are probably like that of winning the lottery.
People don't become travel writers for the paychecks. They become travel writers for the perks and the ability to turn their travels into a second income stream. Some just love to travel and this gives them a way to do it for next to nothing in terms of expenses. As a travel writer alone, a dedicated individual can, without doubt, earn $30,000 to $50,000 a year.
As a photographer - stock or travel - again, the odds of bringing home six figures a year are slim. I'm sure there are people out there only too willing to prove me wrong. But to build a stock-photo library that would bring you a steady $100,000 annual income, you'd need at least 100,000 photographs, and that would take you at least a decade to amass.
Now, with our photography program and workshops (see our website: www.thephotographerslife.com), we teach you how to turn your pictures into cash, fast. We show you how to create a second income with your photos, even how to use your photos to turn a profit on your vacations. I think it's safe to say, you could certainly earn $40,000 to $60,000 a year doing photography alone.
The good news is: If you marry the two careers -- writing and photography -- it really is quite possible to make a six-figure income.
Take, for instance, my much-vaunted trip to England. In less than 10 days I made more than $12,600. Now, you only have to do that once every two months -- six times a year -- and you have an income in excess of $75,000. And you'd still have plenty of time to write other articles and sell other pictures -- certainly enough to bring in an additional $25,000 -- which would land you in the six-figure income bracket.
That said, I should offer a quick reality-check.
Keep in mind that working as a freelance writer and photographer means being self-employed. And that means that if you want to ensure yourself a steady living, you have to be a self-starter. You must be able to work on your own without supervision. You have to be self-disciplined and work even when you don't feel like it. And you have to understand that if you don't work, you don't get paid at all.
Now, in my view, the plusses far outweigh those caveats. You get to work for yourself. You make your own hours. You can live anywhere in the world you want. You gain a measure of freedom you'd probably never achieve in the "working world."
To be sure, the amount you earn will depend entirely on how badly you want to succeed and on your ability to persevere, year in and year out. I acknowledge: In the early days, it can be tough to land assignments and to build up a library of excellent photos.
But face it: all high-paying jobs are tough in the beginning. Nobody walks into a six-figure income without paying some dues. And in most cases, it would take a college degree, 10 years on the job, and half-a-dozen promotions before you'd earn that kind of cash.
Not so in this field. As a full-time freelance writer and photographer, you can certainly earn a six-figure income working for yourself. And you benefit from all the perks that go along with the job, too.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: B. Howard has sold more than 600 articles and 3,000 photographs to publications like Delta's Sky magazine, Golf Illustrated, British Heritage, Writer's Digest, 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.
Earlier this month, we asked B. Howard to be part of a special roundtable discussion to tell us how he made over $12,600 on a single 10-day trip. To find out how you can get your hands on a recording of that call, visit: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/twcall
Listeners get a coupon for $500 off our upcoming live event in San Antonio, which will focus on three lucrative travel tools -- travel writing, photography, and import/export.]
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THE TAX YEAR'S NEARLY OVER - ARE YOU TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE TAX SAVINGS YOU'RE ENTITLED TO?
Especially designed with freelancers in mind - 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 don't overpay 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/website
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED TRAVEL PUBLICATION
Go World Travel Magazine is a monthly publication that covers destinations worldwide. Written from an international perspective, Go World Travel Magazine wants stories that will entertain and inform and that go deeper into the culture and uniqueness of a destination. They prefer to review completed manuscripts from writers writing for them for the first time, but you can send a query accompanied by clips instead, if you choose. Submissions and queries should be sent to submissions@goworldtravel.com. View the complete writer's guidelines at http://www.goworldtravel.com/writersguidelines.htm.OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:
HOW TO MAKE A SIX-FIGURE INCOME TRAVELING THE WORLD -- Learn travel secrets designed to fund your vacations and make you $100,000 or more a year as you explore the world like a VIP. Two days ago, five savvy, sophisticated travelers met for a special round-table discussion about the three tools they use to consistently fund and profit from their vacations. In the past, people have paid $1,597 to learn the secrets for mastering just one of these travel tools. But today you're invited to discover three lucrative travel tools... for less than $20: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/twcall
THE AWAI FORUM FOR TRAVEL WRITERS -- You'll find this excellent online resource at: www.thetravelwriterslife.com/forums . It's a place to get answers to your questions, discuss your story ideas, find readers to review your articles, and stay connected to a community of writers.
RETIRE...AND GET PAID TO TRAVEL -- Get the details and your free report at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/kp/website
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/website
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/tw4The Write Way to Travel is a FREE weekly newsletter from the American Writers & Artists Institute, available to AWAI students and friends.
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