Picking An Editor's Brains

Today:
*** Picking the Brain of an In-Flight Editor
*** Write for In-Flights — The Hidden, Lucrative Market
*** Practical Writing Prompt of the Week: Pairing Photos with Articles
*** Reader Feedback: A Press Trip with Accommodations, Food and Transportation Included

Dear Reader,

I wonder if Ann Silva would like this article idea? Here’s what I was thinking:

Remember the chile chef I told you about last week?

He told me he and another chef are about to leave on a three-month quest to find a chile that disappeared over 400 years ago.

If I write an article about their trip and why this chile is so important, I wonder if Ann, the editor of ExpressLane — the in-flight magazine for Express Jet (and our guest in-flight editor and speaker in Houston next month) — would buy my piece.

What do you think? I like it. I haven’t started writing it. But I like the idea.

And I especially like that I’m going to get to ask Ann in person what she thinks of it before I start writing. With her input, I know I’ll be working on a piece I could easily sell to an in-flight magazine. If not hers, then another.

I’m on this in-flight kick because I’ve been reading so much about these magazines this week. I just came across an article in the Washington Post’s online archives about in-flight magazines and how much they charge companies for advertisements.

It’s no wonder they can afford to pay their travel writers and photographers more, I told Jennifer Stevens, author of The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program. They’re charging more for a full-page ad than Barron’s, Fortune, or Forbes.

“It’s true,” she said. “The reason why their editorial rates are typically so good is that their ad revenue is so high. They’ve got these captive — and often affluent — readers. And they can provide really specific stats to advertisers about how many readers they have. So advertisers are willing to pay more.”

I like that. And I love the idea of seeing my name in an in-flight magazine. With millions of people reading my article, I’d feel famous.

Tomorrow I’m going to send you some of my favorite websites for road travel.

Bonnie Caton, our newest addition to the Great Escape Publishing team, has compiled a list of everything from online packing tools to websites that will help you find the cheapest gas prices and best bathroom stops when you’re traveling by car.

Stay tuned and don’t forget to scroll down for today’s writing prompt.

— Lori
Lori Allen
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.]

PRACTICAL WRITING PROMPT OF THE WEEK:

At our Ultimate Travel Photographer’s Workshop in Santa Fe, we talked about pairing your photos with an article to get an editor’s attention and make more money. This is something you can do today by going through the photos of places you’ve been recently and doing a little research.

To start, look back through your favorite trip photos. Find three or four good ones of a place you’ve been to and think about what you could say about that destination. Maybe you were in Europe and stayed in a great-value hotel on the Mediterranean… or you went to Mexico and took an amazing kayak tour in the Baja… or you spent a week in Spain and enrolled in a cooking class.

If you have the photos but you didn’t write the story, that’s okay — you still can. Of course, you’ll need to use your memory to paint a picture and do some new research to make sure the details are still current.

One way to capitalize on your experience is to use it as the lead-in for a round-up piece. You could profile three good-value Mediterranean hotels. Or include links to three kayak tours. Or profile three companies offering cooking classes — the one you took in Spain, plus another in France and one in Italy…

When you write it up and it’s ready to go, remember that Travel Post Monthly is always on the lookout for good stories. You’ll find the writer’s guidelines here: http://www.travelpostmonthly.com/writers_guidelines/

READER FEEDBACK: A Press Trip with Accommodations, Food and Transportation Included

Last May, I was invited on an individual press trip to Ulaa Patagonia, Chile. (They are part of the EcoTulum organization. Due to Hurricane Wilma, I was unable to go to my preplanned trip to EcoTulum on the Riviera Maya. So, I wanted to get to one of their resorts to make up for it.)

On my four-day press trip, all was free and wonderful! At the end of the trip, the manager asked me to come back to teach his staff English. From February 2 – April 2, I will be a teacher at Ulaa. All accommodations, food, transportation from Bariloche and back is included.

In addition, I am now querying for articles to write about my teaching experience in Ulaa, Chile, the Machupe people, and any other angles I come up with.

Since I was unable to go to Idaho last year for a press trip I’d set up there, I will be going there to make up for it after I return from Chile.

I have recently had an article about Ulaa published as a feature in The Traveler. Photos were included, also.

International Living published my article, “The Art of Drinking Yerba Mate” recently (photo, also).

Currently, I am writing for “The Times,” which is a Portland-area newspaper with thousands of readers. It is a feature article on my solo September trip to Ecuador’s Amazon and other areas.  My photo will be included and perhaps others as well.

The other deadline this month is for Offshorewaves. It is a 2,000-word article about the eco-lodges in Ecuador with photos.
In December, I will be writing an article for Escape From America (EscapeArtist) which is a follow-up on “Live Like a Local,” which I wrote for them two years ago, after Buenos Aires. This article will be over 3,000 words about renting in Buenos Aires. (My husband and I rented an apartment in Recoleta for a month last May.)

I am working hard to improve my writing and photography.
Best regards,
Sandra K.