Dear Reader,
After reading The Lazy Man’s Guide to Travel Writing, the Lazy travel writer has a secret advantage. He knows that it’s easier to break into travel writing with short articles. So if you want to be a successful travel writer — and you’re just starting out — here’s what to do: Write less.
That is, write fewer words. Keep your first articles down to 100 to 600 words each — that’s no longer than this e-letter you’re reading.
Short articles like these are called “postcard,” or “front-of-the-book” pieces. They can be museum or restaurant reviews, short round-ups, a profile of a new shop in town, or other quick-and-easy articles. Check publications in your locale for their short articles to see what they’re publishing. Then approach the editor with your story idea.
— Lori
Lori Allen
Director, Great Escape Publishing
P.S. I did say write fewer words, but you can make more money by writing less frequently, too. How? By reselling your articles to multiple publications. Sometimes all an article needs is a little tweak to sell it to a different publication… and sometimes you can sell it to two or three magazines as-is.
[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.]