Dear Reader,

This week’s Featured Publication is a big, glossy airline in-flight magazine that pays well AND needs plenty of freelance content to fill its pages.

Scroll down to find out more...

-- Lori

Lori Allen Director, AWAI Travel Division

P.S. Whether you’ve been published or not, you should set yourself up to look like a professional writer before approaching any editor... especially if you want to write for a big, glossy in-flight magazine. Learn industry etiquette for approaching editors, plus tips on how to make yourself look like a pro (even if you’ve never been published) in our new Business of Writing Guide. We just finished updating this guide this week and are going to raise the price as soon as it’s ready to fulfill online. When you order here you’ll not only get the newly updated version at the old price, but you’ll also get a free copy of our e-book: Travel Better for Less: 101 Secrets for Traveling Well (And Even Getting Paid to Do It).

August 13, 2009

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Featured Publication: Alaska Airlines Magazine
Website: www.alaskaairlinesmagazine.com
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Lively Prose and Striking Photos for A Captive Audience

Alaska Airlines Magazine, the in-flight magazine for Alaska Airlines, reaches 1.8 million travelers each month. In most cases, the magazine focuses on subjects within the airline’s route system. Coverage includes the entire West Coast plus Denver, Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Miami, Orlando, and Hawaii.

The publishers of this glossy, four-color magazine hire freelance writers for 75% of its content. To get an idea of the magazine’s style without buying a plane ticket, request a sample copy. Just send a self-addressed 9" x 12" envelope with sufficient postage (about $4.60) to Alaska Airlines Magazine, 2701 First Avenue, Suite 250, Seattle, WA 98121.

Another way to find out more about Alaska Airlines Magazine readers is to go to the website and click on “Advertising Information.” There, you’ll find useful tools like reader demographics, an editorial calendar, and an airline route map.

Alaska Airlines considers its passengers well-educated, sophisticated, and affluent. The magazine is intended to entertain as well as inform, with vivid photography and interesting anecdotes.

Business articles should be insightful. Stories should have a strong narrative flow. And a sense of humor is appreciated. (After all, no matter how superior the airline is, the passengers are still stuck on a plane.)

Take a look at the complete contributor guidelines.

A good way to break into the magazine is by pitching an article to the “Journal” column. Journal is a collection of short pieces that range from business personality profiles to new museum exhibits in cities served by Alaska Airlines.

Start by sending a query that includes a sample story lead. Make sure it represents the direction, tone, and style for your proposed story. If you’ve been published before, include clips of your previously published work.

Send everything by standard mail to: Paul Frichtl, Editor, Alaska Airlines Magazine, 2701 First Avenue, Suite 250, Seattle, WA 98121. Don’t forget to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). You will receive a written response within six weeks.

Rates begin at $150 to $250 for short articles in the Journal section and for restaurant and hotel reviews (300 to 800 words). Business shorts (500 words) are $150. Columns (1,600 words) are $500. And features (2,000 to 2,500 words) are $700. Expenses, if agreed to in advance, are paid on invoice.

Alaska Airlines Magazine publishes its editorial calendar for the entire year, which should spark some ideas and help you plan your submissions. Editorial highlights for 2009 include Artisan Breads, Mexico Travel, College Hoops, Romantic Hawaii Getaways, Leaving Disabilities Behind, Engineers Without Borders, Alaska Summer Festivals, and Holiday Gift Guide, to name just a few.

If you have appropriate photos to go with your submissions, or photos that you think would stand alone, check out the photography guidelines.

The magazine will not accept unsolicited artwork. Instead, submit edited stock lists and/or samples that reflect areas or topics that are relevant to Alaska Airlines Magazine’s route system. Send your photo queries directly to the art director, Patty Warkentin.

Rates for photography start at $175 for a quarter page inside. Cover rate is $600. The magazine does not pay research fees.

[Ed. Note: Airline in-flight magazines are one of the best-paying travel writing markets out there... and it's easy to get your foot in the door if you know how the industry works. I say that because in-flights aren't like other travel publications. Freelance writer Jennifer Stevens writes for in-flight magazines, and she has the formula down. She shared it with attendees at the Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop last month in Denver. If you couldn't make it, you can get the recordings to the entire workshop, along with instructor PowerPoint presentations, hand-outs, exercises, and special free bonuses.]

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