The American Writers & Artists Inc. presents
Turn Your Interest in Eating into a Paycheck…
and Your Dining Adventures into
Tax-Deductible Excursions…
How to Break into Food Writing Workshop
Hotel Monaco ● Denver, CO
Saturday, June 21, 2008
9AM to 6PM
Dear Reader,
You should see the look on people's faces when you tell them things like, "I'm taking a trip to Paris and while I'm there I'll do a story about little neighborhood restaurants. You know, the kind of places visitors overlook, where you can eat amazingly well on the cheap."
The look you get is sort of half incredulous, half envious. And then they usually say something like, "I cannot believe you get paid to do that sort of thing..."
Yeah, it's a nice gig. And it's exactly the sort of thing we're gearing up to show you how to master this summer.
As I mentioned last week, on June 21 in Denver, we're hosting a one-day Breaking into Food Writing extravaganza.
It's going to be everything you need to know to turn your interest in eating into an expertise you can get paid for, get your foot in the door at "foodie" publications, sell food-focused articles to mainstream magazines, and transform your ordinary travels into dining expeditions where you get paid to eat well... and sometimes even eat for free.
And it gets even better than that.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Break into Food Writing Workshop
June 21 * Denver, CO
Because the truth is:
- This is one of the highest-paying niches out there.
- And it's a lot easier to break into than you probably imagine.
But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let me back up for a second and give you a little more background so you can see why I'm so excited about this opportunity.
A “HOT” Trend = An Opportunity For You
First of all, we're putting this program together now because the timing is right. You see, there's a real "food trend" gaining steam today. Slow food. Organic food. Local food.
And not to be blunt: But if you're not profiting from it, you're missing out big time. Because this is one of those niches where the freelance action is "hot" right now.
More than ever, people are just more aware of what they're eating, how they're preparing it, where it came from. I mean 30 years ago you had Julia Childs on PBS. That was it. Today there's an entire television network devoted to food and chefs have become celebrities in their own right.
And just think about all the publications... Saveur, Bon Apetit, Cooking Light... that's just off the top of my head. And then there are all the market-specific ones you've probably never even heard of, like... Chile Pepper, Better Nutrition, Coffeehouse Digest, or Conscious Choice.
What kind of “food writing” are you going to learn?
This summer in Denver, you’re going to learn how to turn your interest in eating into a paycheck… and your dining adventures into tax-deductible excursions…
You’ll learn how to write about a dining experience so that editors and other readers are truly transfixed.
You’ll learn what to notice about a place, how to order, what you should think about when you’re eating so you know what to say about the food.
You’ll learn how to “prep” before you go to dine someplace and the questions you should ask when you’re there and after.
You’ll rarely read a travel article that doesn’t have some food- or dining-related focus. After all, people have to eat when they’re on the road. And so editors expect you to include recommendations. But you can’t just say, “the food is good.”
So what do you say? What do editors expect you to say? Particularly if you only have two or three sentences to play with, how do you use them most effectively? It isn’t hard once you know the “formulas.” And we’ll hand them right over.
PLUS, you’ll learn how to give your travel articles themselves a “food focus.” That’s more important today than ever because food is such a hot trend right now.
We’ll show you how to come up with -- and pitch to editors -- articles that capitalize on that trend. And that’ll have publication doors swinging wide open for you.
I just grabbed at random from my shelf four travel magazines and a newspaper travel sections. And in each one there’s at least one article with a heavy food angle…
- Frontier Airlines’ Wild Blue Yonder has a profile of an entrepreneur/venture capitalist who’s building food-related ventures (like Papa Murphy’s, Noodles & Company, and Gelazzi)
- Caribbean Travel & Life has an article about exotic tropical fruit
- The NY Times Travel section from April 20 has two food-related pieces. One is called “From London to Rome on a Metro Card,” which recommends 16 European restaurants in New York. And the other is called “Amid the Gran Cru, a Rich Harvest of Chefs,” about the new culinary stars of Bordeaux
- One single issue of My Midwest (Midwest Airlines’ magazine) has four food-focused articles: one on hip, gourmet hot chocolate; another on the difference between a sweet potato and a yam; a third on Wisconsin cheesemakers, and a fourth on Kansas City’s best coffee bars.
You see my point. These things are positively invading travel publications. We’ll show you, this June, how you can quickly and easily get yours into the fray, too.
Keep in mind, as well, that writing about food is really fun. I mean, if you’re somebody who likes to eat out… likes to try new things and discover new dishes… likes to learn about the culture and food of a place through its culinary traditions, then you’ll want to be with us in Denver. We’ll show you how to turn that interest into VIP adventures… and cash, too. – Jen Stevens
And that doesn't even touch on outlets that include food-related articles in addition to their main editorial line-up, too, like... Better Homes and Gardens, Southern Living, Sunset, and the like...
I haven't even gotten to the online outlets. I could fill up seven pages just listing them.
My point is: There's great opportunity right now for getting food-, dining- and even drinking-related articles published.
In fact, editors are clamoring for them in a way they never have before.
And, no denying it: It's glamorous, too. I mean, when you tell people you write food articles for magazines, they turn green with envy.
And, as I said: It can pay very well. Anywhere from $100 for a quick piece to $1,800 for a full feature.
In fact, it's one of the best-paying niches out there today.
Plus the truth is, most people don't know how to do it well. Which means the competition is a lot less fierce than you'd think.
Don't get me wrong: The folks selling articles to Saveur are very good at what they do.
But they aren't doing anything we can't show you to do in Denver this summer.
Because to a large extent it's just a matter of knowing the formulas, the tricks.
There are rules about what to order when you're out... what to "taste" for... simple rules about the questions you should ask and the couple of items you should notice when you're eating.
It's not rocket science. It's really just a matter of eating with the right mindset and knowing how to show an editor that you really do "know what you're doing." It's not hard. And it's always fun.
And on June 21, we're going to show you exactly how to do it.
Discover How to Take One Research Trip and
Come Home with Three Articles
This is an excellent way to enhance your travel writing income. From just one trip you can come home with two or three articles... which can mean two or three times the pay.
We’ve got on board Kyle Wagner (Travel Editor at the Denver Post who, for 15 years prior, was a food editor).
Having worked in this niche for so long, Kyle not only knows exactly what food editors are after... but maybe even more importantly -- she will tell you what they DON'T want. And that can be invaluable information for anyone getting started in this niche.
Now, I should be clear... this workshop is not just for people who want to write exclusively about food -- though we'll certainly talk about how you do that.
Really it's for anybody who's including any restaurant or dining recommendations in their articles. Anybody who's interested in integrating more about food into what they write. And that's you! Or, at least, it should be.
After all, eating is an intimate part of traveling. I mean, what's the first thing that you do when you land someplace? You figure out where to grab dinner.
It's seldom these days that you see an article about a destination that doesn't include at least a handful of recommendations about where to eat.
When you write that portion of your articles well, you give yourself a real leg up.
And, as I've said, writing about where and what to eat isn't hard. Not when you know the insider's secrets, anyway. And often the tricky part is just squeezing the right stuff in without changing your whole story around or making it feel disjointed.
Jen Stevens (our resident travel-writing expert) will be on had too, to give you some pointers on...
- How to position yourself in your own hometown so you're perceived as a "local expert." (Well, more than that: how to actually become that expert -- so that when editors are looking for writers who know how to write about travel and food, you're the one they find.)
- How to make writing easy. Jen's technique is simple, really. You'll learn how to get information to come right to you -- you'll never be at a loss for a story idea or the meaty content that will make writing a breeze.
- And she'll give you a simple technique for tripling your travel writing income... with almost no additional work.
These two veteran food and travel writers are gearing up to hand you everything you need to know to turn your passion for food into income.
Plus have fun, eat well, and bask in the glamour of one of those cool jobs other people wish they had.
A One-Day “Success Accelerator”
We've done one other one-day workshop similar to this one before. That was our Breaking into In-Flight Magazines program last December in Houston.
And I have to say: We design these events to be highly effective. We tell you exactly what you need to know. No more. No less. It's like a "success accelerator."
You don't need any experience to show up... and you'll leave, eight hours later, with all the secrets you need to know to break into this glamorous, well-paying, and very fun niche. And break in fast.
I'm not exaggerating. People who'd never published anything before our In-Flight Magazines workshop landed by-lines in a matter of days. They sold articles that instantly paid for their workshop fee. Talk about a worthwhile investment.
And it's going to be no different this summer in Denver.
Our workshops typically sell out, and food writing is a subject people have been begging us to tell them more about for months now.
The response has already been very enthusiastic and seats are filling up. So if you think you'd like to come -- and I hope you do -- I encourage you to act today while you can still get a great discount.
To take advantage of this early-bird discount now…
Hope to see you in Denver!
Cheers,
Lori Allen,
Director, AWAI Travel Division
P.S. Kyle is working on a book that'll be a companion guide to this event. It's not finished yet but it'll include a listing of markets where you can get started, story ideas, and her tried-and-true formulas for writing about food.
It's a great resource and it's yours FREE along with a copy of the recording of the workshop when you join us in Denver this June.
Our workshops are so intense and content-rich that many attendees at our live events have asked for recordings, saying they want to be able to review and absorb the information at home at their own pace.
Secure your seat today. Why wait and pay more?
Price & What's Included
How to Break into Food Writing Workshop
Saturday, June 21, 2008 — 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Hotel Monaco, Denver, CO
Pricing:
Regular price - $999
Early Bird Discount - -$200
Go here for more discounts.
The workshop includes:
- Admission to a full day of intensive workshop sessions led by expert travel writer and editor, Jennifer Stevens and Kyle Wagner
- Morning and afternoon breaks
- Assistance throughout the program from our staff
- Special Bonus # 1: "Breaking into Food Writing Resource Guide -- a $100 value, but free to attendees.
- Special Bonus # 2: Recordings of this exclusive one-day event. $100 value, but free to attendees
** This price includes the workshop only. The cost of your transportation to and from Denver, your in-town transportation, meals not listed above, and any overnight accommodation, is extra.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites. This workshop is for people of all writing levels and experience and the concepts discussed are doable by anyone.
Hotel Information:
Hotel Monaco Denver
1717 Champa Street
Denver, CO 80202 USA
Phone: 303-296-1717
http://www.monaco-denver.com/
More Details:
For more details about this event and to register: Contact Terry Frank at terry@thetravelwriterslife.com and she'll get right back to you.
Cancellation Policy: The Breaking into the Food Writing Niche Workshop is non-refundable. If, however, you are unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances, we will be happy to apply your payment toward a future workshop. If you cancel due to medical reasons that are covered by your purchased travel-insurance policy, we will advise the insurance company that your travel and workshop fees are non-refundable.
Program sponsored by:
American Writers & Artists Inc.
245 NE 4th Ave., Ste 102
Delray Beach, FL 33483
American Writers & Artists Inc.