Last weekend during our Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in San Francisco, I picked up a great tip about selling photos to large newspapers from Kyle Wagner, travel editor for the Denver Post…
The number one way to break into large newspapers with photos, she said, is to get a hold of the publication’s editorial calendar. If you have photos that fit a story on their calendar, put them up on a website… and then e-mail your URL to the editor.
Newspapers can’t accept your photos for free, she said. They have to pay.
And, in fact, they want to pay, she continued. They like to support the writing and photography community. So no need to offer up your photos for free. Just send photos that fit their needs and you’ll get a foot in the door.
If you don’t yet have a photo website or your site isn’t set up to organize your photos automatically by theme, you might consider joining the International Travel Writers & Photographers Alliance (ITWPA).
When you join, you get access to MyGalleryPlace.com, a free website builder. Once inside, you simply upload the photos you want on your site, and within seconds MyGalleryPlace.com will create a web page for you – completely professional. Super easy. And you’ll get a link you can easily e-mail off to an editor.
Want to send different photos to different editors? No problem. With MyGalleryPlace.com you can create separate galleries for each editor. Put all your Paris photos together in one gallery for one editor and all your hometown shots in a separate gallery for another.
It couldn’t be easier.
What’s more, MyGalleryPlace website builder is free with your membership in ITWPA.
[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.]