Simple Stories That Editors Are Desperate For

There’s a certain kind of article that travel editors are desperate to find. They pay for this kind of article. They need this kind of article. But they just can’t get their hands on it. 

This is great news for you, because the kind of story they’re looking for is short, simple to write, and you’ll find it right in your hometown.

Bonnie here, again, coming to you from the back of the room at the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Chicago. Today, attendees got a big boost ahead of the competition by learning, straight from the mouths of four big-time magazine editors, exactly what editors want.

All four of the editors on our panel agreed that the best way to get started is with what’s called a “front-of-the-book” piece. These are the short, 100- to 300-word articles that typically appear near the front of a magazine.

And, you’ll have an even better chance of getting published and paid if you cover local, lesser-visited destinations.

Listen to this audio-clip from today’s Editor Panel where Ross Werland, Travel Editor at the Chicago Tribune, said: “I’ll tell you exactly how to get published… I need short stories about small places.  I can find all kinds of articles from the Associated Press on well-traveled destinations but a little article on Michigan or Illinois is hard to find.”

Listen to the clip, here. 

And, here’s another clip, this time from Chicago Scene Editor, Robert Luce. 

Robert said, he wants short, unique pieces.  If you’ve heard about it on CNN or in National Geographic, you can bet he’s already received over 100 queries on similar stories.  He wants ideas not yet covered in mainstream news.

Point is: If you can take an interesting angle on a local café, yearly festival, little-known museum, undiscovered boutique, or other place or event in your town, there’s likely an editor out there who wants to buy your story.

You’d be surprised how easy it can be to get published in magazines and newspapers with a short, original, local story. Attendees here at the workshop are learning just that.  And, at the Publication Expo last night, they had a chance to pick up Writer’s Guidelines and Editor Interviews from over a dozen different publications.

[Editor’s Note:  International Living editor Jen Stevens gave us a simple formula for writing a short travel article in 20 minutes or less today. Then, Denver Post travel editor Kyle Wagner gave us query letter tips that make contacting editors — and grabbing their attention — a breeze.

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.]