The Easiest and Fastest Way to get a By-Line and a Check

Today:

• Kirs and Cocktail Parties: What to Expect from Four Days in Paris
• A Contract Worth $97,500
• The Easiest and Fastest Way to Get a By-Line and a Check
• More Opportunities and Resources for Writers

Dear Reader,

I’m glad to be home and sad that home is not Paris.

I just returned home from our most recent Ultimate Travel Photographer’s Workshop, and already I miss Paris. Long-time readers of this e-letter know that’s not unusual for me. Paris is one of my favorite cities… I’ve even lived there twice. But what’s curious this time is that I think I might miss some of our workshop attendees as much as I miss the city.

There’s nothing like a hike up to the top of the hill in Montmarte (in the rain… in the dark… at 4:00 in the morning) in hopes of snapping a few sunrise pictures to help create a bond among people. (All of a sudden we could all relate to those National Geographic photographers you see in documentaries — you know, the ones sitting in the jungle with bugs all over them, waiting for some bird to do something interesting.) And if our collective “hardship” wasn’t enough to draw us close, certainly the kirs at the cocktail party… and the panaches and croque madames at the café near Les Invalides did their part.

In four days, we were, quite literally, all over Paris. And we’ve got the pictures to prove it.

“We’ve got some damn good photographers in this group.” Rich Wagner said after our second group photo critique when I was packing up the projector in the back of the room. “You know, it’s a really good thing you (you meaning AWAI) are doing for these people with these workshops. I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been to several dozen other photo tours in my day.

“I’m glad you found me and convinced me to start leading these tours. It’s amazing to watch the way their photos change over a few short days… and the way their lives change because of it. This group in particular has a lot of talent. If they do tomorrow, what we taught them to do today, they’ll never look at the world the same way again.”

Rich is right. I’m reminded, too, that this show-them-how-to-do-it and teach-them-how-to-make-money-at-it approach is what makes all the AWAI workshops so great…

It’s why our workshop graduates find success in such great numbers. And it’s why I’m always getting “I did it!” emails from past attendees writing in to say they just sold their first picture for $150 or $500… or they’re now up to 70 accepted pictures with an online stock photo agency… or they’ve just landed an all-expenses-paid trip to Mexico from a publication that wants both an article and photographs.

Speaking of selling quickly, today’s article — a classic from our archives — will show you the easiest (and fastest) way to land a byline and check. It’s written by freelance travel writer, Jennifer Stevens.

As always, keep me up-to-speed on your travel-writing success. If you have a story to share, send me a quick note at
lori@thetravelwriterslife.com.

Have a great week,

— Lori
Lori Appling
Director, Great Escape Publishing

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]

THE EASIEST AND FASTEST WAY TO GET A BY-LINE AND A CHECK
By Jennifer Stevens, in Colorado Springs

One of the best ways to break into the travel-writing business (and to get repeat clips, too) is to write short articles — 250-600 words in length, typically.

Lots of publications are in the market for such things — short pieces about a great restaurant, a notable little hotel, an excellent travel deal, a new resource, and so on.

Often these sorts of articles appear in specific “departments” at publications or fall under what’s called “front-of the-book” pieces (you’ve seen them — the “blurbs” magazines often run in the first few pages of each issue).

*** Narrow Your Focus
Because space is limited, so must be the size of the topic you choose. You can’t easily write a quick note about well-discovered Rome. Instead, you’d want to narrow your topic considerably to something like a new museum exhibit or maybe a shop that sells unusual gifts.

As the editors at Marco Polo Magazine put it in that publication’s guidelines: “Don’t send us an article on Amsterdam; send us a front-of-the-book feature about a new, particularly unique restaurant in the Dutch metropolis.”

*** Draw Your Reader in With a “Picture”
You’re working with a limited number of words, so you cannot afford to dally while you get to your point.

That is not to say you shouldn’t make an “emotional” appeal to your reader, do your best to draw him in — you most certainly should. Go ahead, paint a picture of this place you’re writing about. Take the reader there right at the start. Simply understand — you’ve got just three or four sentences to do it.

For example, travel writer Jean Flitcroft (who attended our workshop in Paris a couple of years ago) begins a short article about a Scottish castle, published in International Living, this way:

“Blazing log fires, oversized four-poster beds, 2,000 acres to call your own, fine food and wine all wrapped up in a hunk of Scottish granite and steeped in history for centuries — a perfect recipe for a magical weekend with a group of friends or family.

“There are many castles available to rent for a house party throughout Scotland. In general, the farther north and more rural you go, the more authentic they are. But to find one within easy reach of Edinburgh that doesn’t have tartan drapes, reproduction suits of armor, and pine floorboards is more of a challenge. They may be genuinely 16th-century outside, but some of the travesties of conservation and restoration have to be seen to be believed.”

*** Get Right to the “Big Idea” You Want Your Readers to Come Away Understanding
Very close to the front of your article — within the first four to six sentences — you must come straight to the point of your article.

You’ve got a reader in mind… you’ve drawn that reader in… now write one, concise sentence that tells him the benefit to his being there.

In her Scottish castle piece, Jean does an excellent job of it. The sentence that follows her descriptive lead is:

“Built in 1780, Birkhill Castle is the real thing — the antithesis of tourist tackiness and just 50 minutes north of Edinburgh and west of St. Andrews.”

*** Provide Specific Support for Your “Big Idea”
What next? Follow up with support for your “Big Idea.” Use a quote or two, some facts, statistics, examples.

In the Scottish castle piece, which has promised readers “the antithesis of tourist tackiness,” we aren’t disappointed. The article goes on to say:

“Lord Dundee is an elected peer in the House of Lords and is the Hereditary Royal Banner Bearer for Scotland. The coronation banners hang proudly in the hall. Lady Dundee runs the 2,000-acre arable farm and oversees the succession of house guests. The house is stuffed full of paintings and antiques, and the family history is worth indulging. Lady Dundee will willingly bring the pictures of their ancestors to life with details of tragic deaths, misunderstandings in love, and stories from the battlefield. We were welcomed with a substantial afternoon tea and lazed about until the views of the garden could be resisted no longer.”

(There’s more to the article, but you get the idea…) She uses lots of specifics that directly illustrate and support her “Big Idea” — that this place is authentic, not touristy.

*** Make Sure You Give Your Readers the Info They Need to Take Action
You want your reader to put your article down, pick up the phone, and arrange to do what you just did. You want him to take action. To that end, be sure to include the practical details a reader will need to follow up on the information you’ve presented.

In Jean’s article, for example, the reader finds at the end:

“Taking over the whole castle is expensive. Through Loyd and Townsend-Rose, it costs $370 per night per person–all food and drink included. A much better option is to book B&B direct with Lady Dundee. At $110/night per person and dinner at $50 it’s a reasonable way to get the authenticity and charm of a genuine Scottish castle.”

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]