Here’s travel-writing Web 2.0 taken to a new level: In conjunction with a company called iGo iWrite, if you are on Facebook (get an account immediatley if not!), you can now be part of an interactive travel community where you can submit stories, get feedback, and ultimately be published.
Whether you are a professional or an amateur, you can send in stories as their quality and possibility to be published will be judged through votes by other writers — including you. Depending on how much you want to be involved, you can even be part of the decision-making/editing process when it comes to the book’s title, writers and overall direction.
Once 100 stories have been selected, a hardcopy of the books will be printed and available for sale on sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc.
There are currently 3 books for which you can write:
– Beach Lowdown: Stories related to your favorite sandy spots around the world. For e.g.
* Hidden hotspots
* Personal adventures and humorous characters met along the way
* Best bartender, local eats, or hole-in-the-wall restaurants
* Best off-the-beaten-path destinations
– European Adventure: Stories from your latest Europe trip. For e.g.
* Backpacking and hostelling info, tips, and tidbits
* Ideas for student and budget travelers
* Personal adventures and humorous characters met along the way
* Places to lay your head
– Road Trip: Can include personal stories, out of the way locations, and humorous characters that you met along the way. The stories can take place anywhere in the world, they simply involve a means of transportation and the motivation to explore what’s around the next turn. For e.g.
* You wouldn’t believe what happened on my trip
* I found this hidden place; you have to check it out
* Notes from the road, a play-by-play
* Road warrior tips
Other things to keep in mind:
* Your stories can be flexible in length and subject: They need to be different and can be as short or as long as you want.
* Since it’s a “live” book, there is no set deadline. If you don’t make it in the first set of books, there will be ongoing opportunities for other ones.
* It allows you to make your “writer’s bio” page, so not only do you have a chance to share your stories with a large network of travelers and writers, but you can also start building a public “writer-profile” for yourself.
How to get started:
– Get a Facebook account if you don’t have one already
– Search for iGo iWrite, or go straight to www.igoiwrite.com
– Add the application
– Begin — once you open the application, everything is self-explanatory
– It’s a very open and interactive program where you can see all the other writers and what they are writing as well.
I think it’s pretty awesome and am blown away by the capabilities of social networking these days. It doesn’t say anything about if you get paid on being published, but I imagine you would get something once the book is sold. Nevertheless, it looks like a great place to learn, improve your writing and get published. Do check it out.