Hello everyone. I’m on my way up to San Francisco to celebrate What Color Is Your Jockstrap?, my fourth humor title with Travelers’ Tales. We’re having a special event at Book Passage with the one and only Tim Cahill tomorrow night. If you didn’t already know, his stories in Outside magazine more than a decade ago were the inspiration for my
involvement in travel writing and travel book publishing. Thinking and talking about the literary journey that I’ve been on is as good a time as any to begin something I’ve been wanting to do for years-a Written Road Newsletter. I know that not everyone has time to check in with Written Road every day (although we would like that), so we want to bring you regular roundups of what we’ve been featuring on the site. That way, you don’t miss anything. And I say “we” because now we have a growing editorial staff of four. So please meet our new team and take a break from the busyness of life to check out the market leads, events and classes, spotlights on travel writers, featured podcasts, and travel writing tips that are included in this newsletter.
There’s much more to come in future newsletters and at Written Road–we want to do our best to make furthering your career in travel writing a fun and easy adventure!
Market Leads
The advantages of breaking into a top market are endless. Cracking the right publication could establish relationships and open doors. But, who knew a market could be used as a pick tool? This month’s leads feature an interesting mix of markets and submission calls, including one from Jen. So, tweak your resume and get busy writing.
Submission Call: More Sand in My Bra!
Bootsnall Call for Writers: Blog for $$$
The Urbanite: What Makes a Place Memorable?
The Robb Report as a pick up tool
Freelance Writing Leads by Deborah Ng
Classes/Conferences
Have you just come back from a summer vacation or a RTW adventure? Here are two events/classes that will help you polish your query letters, give you the scoop on what magazine and newspaper editors are looking for, provide top feedback on travel essays, and give great tips on how to enhance your photos.
Book Passage’s 2006 Travel Writers & Photographers Conference
August Travel Writing and Photography Classes
Spotlight on Travel Writers
Are you curious about the lives of other writers? What are other travel writers working on and where are they traveling to between assignments? Catch up with Matt Gross AKA The New York Times’ Frugal Traveler (who’s living every travel writer’s dream), and veteran travel author, Ayun Halliday.
Frugal Traveler
Platform Profiles: Ayun Halliday
Featured Podcasts
Travelers’ Tales Podcasts: Hear Tim Cahill and Simon Winchester
Travelers Tales Author Talk: Pico Iyer
Travel Writing Tips
Writing daily and reading great articles are just a few obvious tips to improving your writing. But, did you know belonging to a writer’s group could be the difference between an editor accepting your article or rejecting it? Inside are ten tips to breaking into travel writing or elevating your career to a new level.
I Wanna to be a Travel Writer, Now What?
Resources for Writers
The web is full of resources that can help move your writing career forward. Peek inside to learn about the world’s top travel books and how they’ve impacted travel. Also learn your favorite magazine’s entire masthead.
Mastheads.org
World Hum: Top 30 Travel Books
Follow up: World Hum’s Top 30 Travel Books
Written Road Crew
Truly, Jen is living the rock star life. She spent the summer hanging out in Vegas covering the World Series of Poker, is currently promoting What Color is Your Jockstrap, and fits in reviewing hotels and restaurants for the new ForbesTraveler.com on the side. But, even travel writers have an entourage. Meet the other Written Road contributors:
Introducing Kelly Amabile
Introducing Terah Shelton
And welcoming the newest member of our team, Eric Mack.
Many years ago, Eric Mack decided the best away to avoid sitting at the same desk for the same amount of time every day was to become a reporter. But after spending many hours behind a desk at small newspapers and radio stations, he revised his aspirations to become a full-time freelance reporter and travel writer. So far his media career has led him to run a tiny radio station in a remote Alaskan village accessible only by plane, travel across Asia from American military bases in Japan to hang out with tribal chiefs in Pakistan and explore the underground caverns in southern New Mexico where a nation disposes of its nuclear waste. His writing on these topics and more have appeared via wire services in a number of newspapers across the country and his radio work can be heard on Public Radio programs including All Things Considered, Day to Day, Justice Talking and Weekend America. He lives in Northern New Mexico with his wife and a dog named (translated from the Hebrew) Dog.
Kelly Is Back From Her Trip! Five Months and Fifteen Countries Later — Now What?
I’ve just wrapped up over 150 nights backpacking through Europe — and I’m now officially stumped, silent and stunned. It was an extraordinary adventure, but as time seems to pass quicker since it ended three weeks ago, I find it harder and harder to hold on to the memories in my mind.
Fortunately, thanks to my prolific journaling habit, I’ve got a stockpile of stories tucked away inside my FOUR travel journals! From Lisbon to Warsaw, Bruges to Dubrovnik, and countless places in between, there are stories to share, and many precious details what and who I encountered are safe and snug between the worn bindings.
Now I’m just faced with the ultimate post-trip writer’s challenge — how the heck do I communicate what is memorable in a way that might be meaningful to others? I’ll explore this and other aspects of the travel writing journey in a September series of posts about my European experiences. I look forward to hearing Written Road readers weigh in on their own struggles and successes with writing both during and after an extended trip.
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