FEATURED PUBLICATION: There's Money In Niches

UPSCALE NICHE OFFERS ARTICLE-PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
By Roberta Beach Jacobson

Pathfinders Travel Magazine, published five times a year, is geared to people of color (not only African Americans, but also Native Americans, Hispanics, and Asians). You can glimpse what they cover by visiting www.pathfinderstravel.com, but be aware that not everything in the print magazine is displayed online.

Articles are generally short, most under 600 words. Even full features run just 800-1000 words. You’ll find plenty of “service articles” as well — such as 10 Best or round-up pieces.

The readership is affluent, and articles have a practical bent, including what to do, where to go, where to dine, etc. There’s a regular wine-related column, too. And the editors will be expanding their editorial coverage over the next year to include spur-of-the-moment trips as well as adventure articles.

Articles can focus on both domestic and international destinations.

This is a four-color, glossy magazine and photos make up an important element of the layout. When possible, you’ll want to provide some to go with your article.

The editors want to see complete articles — not queries. And they prefer to receive them by post.

As with any publication, read the Writer’s guidelines before you begin writing. You can request a copy here: info@pathfinderstravel.com.

When you’re ready to mail your hard copy article and photos (which can be sent on a disk as JPEG or TIFF files, with a resolution of at least 300 dpi), send them to: Editors, Pathfinders Travel, Inc., 6325 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19144

They respond in six to eight weeks, but they admit they have no time for long, personal replies. Please don’t phone the editors to ask the status of your submission.

This slick glossy magazine is worth a shot. They pay $20 and up for photos, $200 for features and $150 for the wine column.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: On the Pathfinders Travel web site, you’ll find this quote from the editors, which we heartily agree with: “…it’s good to have a sense of discovery as we travel, it’s tempting to go to the obvious and popular destinations. But often a great vacation means developing a certain amount of natural curiosity (some call if nosiness) and the desire to simply strike out and to see what’s out there.”

We couldn’t agree more. Traveling as a writer gives you an excuse to chat with people. To ask the kinds of nosy, pointed questions you couldn’t or wouldn’t ask if you were simply traveling as a tourist. As a travel writer your travel experience is deeper and richer.

If you’re not already signed up to Jennifer Stevens’ Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program, I encourage you to do so now, and begin to travel with a new appreciation of the places you visit, seeing them with a writer’s eye.]

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.]