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Issue #397: Loving Destinations versus Selling Travel Stories May 02, 2022 |
| Greetings Fellow Travel Writers! . . . and WELCOME all new subscribers. Thanks for joining us.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
We’re thoroughly enjoying beautiful Split on the Adriatic Coast, Croatia's second largest city. It's reminiscent of Nice in the south of France and other Mediterranean coastal cities.
The heart and soul of Split is the 1700 year old Palace of Diocletian. Emperor of Rome from 284-305, Diocletian ordered this walled fortress to be built for his retirement when he turned 60. Diocletian lived in Split until he died in 311. The Roman Palace is at the core of the Old Town. Buildings were also constructed here from the Middle Ages and beyond - forming a lively and engaging urban complex.
What’s most fun about Diocletian’s Palace is that it's open 24 hours a day because it’s a big part of a living, breathing city. There’s no entry free - everyone wanders through the maze of streets, stopping in at shops, restaurants or cafes at any hour of the day or night. Choosing a picturesque little bistro is just as much fun as sipping the coffee in Split's cafe and restaurant scene. Turn any corner through the Old Town's maze of narrow alleyways you find scenes like these. There’s always something happening around the old town area. On our way to dinner last night we stopped and watched a ballet recital in front of the National Theater. And we've been told there's a concert every night in the Palace square. Split is an easy place to relax with the locals, stay engaged with history, enjoy people-watching and try something new on the menu. One week in, we're having a blast.
WORKSHOP REGISTRATION IS OPEN!Our Travel Writing Workshops Are The Best ANYWHERE!This year we’re giving you the opportunity to take both of our comprehensive & exciting travel writing courses back-to-back in the U.S.A!You can still register for our workshops - we still have a handful of seats remaining.
You'll also learn how to produce quality photographs that editors will love. You’ll practice by making a photo gallery while you’re in Charleston to help you sell and tell your story. By the end of the four days you'll have a completed draft story with photos - ready to pitch to an editor!
Learn more and Register at this link (or click the graphic)
In this exclusive program we'll explore, in detail, every single step of my travel writing, pitching and selling strategy. It's only offered once a year. If you want to learn how to break into travel writing, sell your stories to reputable paying print magazines, and get paid - you NEED to take this course!
Register at this link (or click graphic)
If you’re serious about travel writing, this is the best investment you can make to learn everything you need to know about mastering the art & craft of travel writing, travel photography, using your assignments to get complimentary travel perks, successfully selling your stories, and much more.
Register here (or click the graphic) for The Complete Package
To ensure a personal, quality experience for everyone, registrations is limited. What Makes Charleston An Ideal Destination For Our Travel Writing Workshops? Charleston, South Carolina well deserves its reputation as one of America’s most diverse and interesting small cities. Travel + Leisure magazine has named it the Best City in the U.S. for the last 9 straight years.
Editorial: Successfully Selling Your Travel StoriesAs a travel writer, I’ve visited plenty of destinations that I just itched to write about. These were places that excited me and that I connected with at some emotional level.After my first visit to Paris, for example, I just wanted to tell the world about this marvelous place. As a novice writer, I sent out 50 query letters pitching a standard roundup story about the City of Lights. The results were predictable: I didn’t hear back from any of the editors. Why didn’t editors want to buy my Paris story? Because Paris roundups have been flogged to death for decades, perhaps even centuries. While thumbing through an ancient 1960s copy of National Geographic I found a Paris roundup story. No wonder all those editors ignored my Paris query! If I wanted to see my articles in print — and be paid for them — I realized I would have to dream up some unique story angles about the destinations that resonated with me. Somewhat wiser, a few months later I had several Paris articles published in paying print magazines. The big difference from my previous approach was that I pitched unique story angles. One article was about the remarkable funerary sculptures at Pere LaChaise Cemetery. This was published in an in-flight. Another Paris piece was about the eerie catacombs deep beneath Paris’s bustling streets, published in Renaissance Magazine. When you fall in love with a place, you just want to share it with everyone. I get that. But selling story ideas about that place to a magazine editor is a different proposition altogether. When you're considering a story that you want to pitch and sell, your success will always come down to: If you answer "no" to any of these three questions, your chances of selling your story plummets. There are times when you’ll have to place your story idea in a back-burner file because it just doesn’t have enough juice or it’s just not the right time to pitch this piece. Get over it and move on. Work on more viable story ideas instead. It takes some experience to know what constitutes a viable travel story. So where — and how — do travel writers start their quest for a salable story? Here are 6 tips to help you Upcoming PostsMay 9: Writing For Inflights, Onboards, InRoom & InTrain MagazinesMay 16: What Are Your Travel Writing Goals? May 23: The Travel Writing Life in the Office and Online PitchTravelWrite.com Success StoriesBarb Harmon: A Travel Writing Success Story
“After the death of my youngest son, I sank into what appeared to be a dark, ugly, depression. I lost interest in everything, including a successful online business.
My grief counselor pronounced a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I was shocked but relieved when she assured me she could help me cope with the symptoms.
She asked, "What do you want to do with your life?" Without hesitation, I replied, "I want to be a travel writer." The first step was to gently dip my toes in the water by creating a new blog. I was writing again and it felt good. I spent hours online reading masses of information on travel writing. I didn't know if anyone would be interested in my stories, but I was determined to write them. An editor mentioned she might like a roundup story about Guadalajara in the future. She asked if I was interested. Of course, I said, "yes." But what’s a roundup story, I wondered?”
Pitch Travel Write: Most Requested Links About Specializing vs DiversifyingShould you specialize in one genre or diversify into many? I recommend you do both. Start out by writing in one genre then expand out.When you increase the specialty areas and genres you write in, your potential market increases exponentially. Writing in multiple genres expands your writing bandwidth and prevents you getting bored with one subject. And, financially, you’ll be better off because it’s easier to sell more stories when you write in multiple genres. Write in as many genres as you can. If I had just written in one genre, I wouldn't have had anywhere near as much success. By writing in multiple genres, I’ve sold more than 1,000 stories to 200+ regional, national, and international magazines, newspapers, trade journals, custom publications, specialty magazines, in-flights, on-boards, and online travel magazines. Although you’ll obviously pitch and sell more stories about your interests and passions, you should always strive to get your stories published in as many different genres and magazines as you can. Here's more reading on this subject:
Inspirational Travel Quote
RESOURCES FOR TRAVEL WRITERSFeatured Bundle : The Creative Pack
This bundle already is discounted 10% from the price of single books. For the next few weeks you can get an additional $10 off by using Promo Code AMTEN at checkout. Get all three of these books for only $24.95! Here's how these reference guides will help you. The Art & Craft of Travel Writing is a handy reference guide to make your travel stories sparkle and help you become a more successful writer. The tips and techniques packed into the 170-page book will help you develop your craft, hone your skills, and work smarter. In Find Your Niche you'll learn why it’s important to write in a variety of genres. It explores the multitude of opportunities available to travel writers and other freelance writers. You'll learn to identify the niches that are most interesting and meaningful to you. And you’ll find out how to hone in on the most profitable niches. Full of tips, advice and inspiration, this 85-page book will help you find your niche! Story Ideas that Sell guides you along the highly creative path of inventing and discovering potential travel stories to pitch and sell to travel magazines. Conjuring up viable story ideas are the very bedrock of every successful travel writer today. In this 76-page book you'll learn my winning system to generate story ideas that sell. Master this first step - and combine it with a great pitch - and you’ll soon find yourself immersed in exciting experiences with fascinating people.
Note: Don't forget to use promo code AMTEN at checkout to get your $10 discount during this month.
Group Coaching Mastermind CommunityOur first Group Coaching Mastermind Community kicked off in October, 2020, and we’ve got a global group with members living in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Indonesia and the U.S. We're very excited about this group of writers and our new community! We added new members to our community in 2021 and they're getting to know the group and participate in writing activities.If you missed out on the opportunity to join earlier sessions, you can get on the waiting list for the next session starting later this year:
Did You Know . . .Our Complete Marketing Master Class for Travel Writers is ranked #1 on TravelWritersExchange.com’s Top Ten Travel Writing Workshops.Your next opportunity to attend these classes will be in Charleston, South Carolina in June, 2022. There are still a few open seats in these workshops, so sign up while we have space. Our travel writing & marketing workshops are highly informative and a blast, socially.
At Your ServiceCoaching
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Consulting PitchTravelWrite.com, is our information-packed website for travel writers. This e-zine, a series of travel writing books and reference guides, coaching programs, and our workshops all work together to give you guidance in this field. Our aim is to provide you with practical, nitty gritty information to help you gain entry into the travel writing realm and all the enjoyment that comes with it.
Awards and AccoladesWe're thrilled to announce that www.PitchTravelWrite.com is once again on The Write Life’s list of 100 BEST WEBSITES FOR WRITERS!You can see the entire list by visiting their website - click on the graphic to view the list now.
We're proud to announce that our travel writing website has made Writer’s Digest Magazine’s 2016, 2020, and 2021 101 BEST WEBSITES FOR WRITERS. Writer's Digest Magazine also lists us on their Best Genre/Niche Websites for 2021. Writer's Digest doesn’t bestow these awards lightly. And we’re the only travel writing website on their lists!
Friend me on FacebookMy Facebook page is about freelance travel writing. I frequently post about:• links to other well produced travel websites and blogs • links to my travel articles • magazine cover stories and back stories • links to resource pages • links to coaching and mentoring resources . . .and plenty of other useful information to get you up to speed Link to Roy's Personal Facebook page That's all for now. Until next week - just keep pitching! Roy Roy Stevenson |
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