I’ve just about finished a big project (a guidebook) and I have a bit of time on my hands - so if anyone’s interested then fire away.
The guidebook is my second, but the first for a large(ish) publisher. I also write articles for national (UK) press.
Bear in mind that I am in a different timezone to almost all of you (GMT+2).
Can you tell us what publisher and/or what the guidebooks you wrote covered?
Who is the target market (budget, blue hairs or something in between)?
Do you enjoy it? Did you have enough time in the cool places versus slogging through the drudge? Are you making decent money or is it a labor of love?
cool thread, BTW, I’m an alumni from the 80’s (SW China off the beaten track, Odessy Press).
Do you take an assignment and then write an article you already have a market waiting for, or do you travel and write on spec, then try to find a place to submit it?
Also, how did you get started in the industry?
I’m currently in GMT +1. So, should I stay here or go slightly East?
Have you read Smile When You’re Lying (and if so, what did you think of it)? Are you regularly comped? If not, is it a personal decision or based on your publisher’s wishes? If so, would you be able to afford to be a travel writer if you had to pay for every excursion?
What places were the neatest to vistit?
Do you seek out “off the beaten path” type places?
Do you get sick of the small town celebrations? (just about every weekend around here there is a festival. Except for the theme they are very similar)
Brian
Roll the die, move the number throw to the east that many time zones.
That would mean revealing my true identity! But since I’m not that bothered:
Something in between. Hopefully the latest book (the Bradt Guide) would be useful for a backpacker as well as an old couple doing a tour.
Mostly. The travel, research and the writing can be tough work, but on the whole there are worse things to be doing.
Mostly as well, although I’m expert at going through a museum in 5 minutes flat. I’m sole author of both books and Bradt in particular give you a lot of leeway, so I could ignore much of the drudge.
Well you wouldn’t do it to make your fortune, but I’m managing to support my family (only just, and in rural Greece).
What are you up to now?
When you’re not working, where do you go on vacation/holiday?
It varies. When you start out you have to write on spec and hope for the best. Once you’re established you start getting asked to do stuff. It helps to specialise - I have a few editors who when they think of Greece they come to me.
With a great deal of luck, some persistence, and a modicum of talent. The luck was getting to know a couple of important people in the industry - contacts are all important I’m afraid. The persistence was knocking on people’s doors until I finally got answered (this took several years). I’m also good at the writing - once you’re in the door this gets recognised.
The last point is important. People think travel is the most important thing about travel writing (you meet a lot of people who have travelled a lot and therefore think they could be a travel writer). It isn’t - it’s better to be an accomplished writer whose subject happens to be travel.
Depends where you are. If you’re on the southeast African coast you’re going to need a boat.
If you’re in Europe then definitely move. It’s more fun in the east.
In my experience, there are a few guidebook writers who wrote “the book”, has great sales and a good deal with the publisher, and go back and update every 2 years. The rest of us move on to something else. I went into investment banking for 7 years, and then done corporate sales for the past 10 years.
It’s always cool to bring your book to the interview. “So, Mr China Guy, who do I know you’re not just some loser alcoholic whore hound pretending to hide being an english teacher to spoiled brats and business who don’t care?” Then you whip out the book.
I haven’t read it, but I’ve read all about it. The consensus within the industry seems to be that he rather over emphasised some of his more colourful experiences. It got some clever marketing and the headline in all the papers was that he wrote a guidebook on a country he hadn’t visited. This is untrue - he only wrote the history section of the book.
For writing articles for newspapers and magazines I often am, yes. There’s no way I could afford to do this otherwise. When I started out this wasn’t possible, but now that I will either be on a specific assignment, or I have a good expectation I can sell the piece, I can negotiate hotels and trips for free.
Whilst writing the guidebooks I rarely got comped, however. This was partly due to the Greek mentality (something published in the UK in a year or two’s time was too far ahead to care about), and partly a concious decision. I have been living in the area so didn’t often need accommodation, and I wanted to be as objective as possible. I’ve had the odd free drink and other occasional generosities.
The general rule in all cases is that you must not be influenced by any freebies, and ideally they should just be a help in getting your ‘story’ - a place to stay or an exciting excursion (beer and wine also count).
I can answer these two together as my favourite places are always ‘off the beaten path’. In Greece this is often ancient ruins. There are so many here that quite substantial ones can be completely neglected. You will find yourself on top of a mountain at the end of a few kilometres of dirt road and there will be a huge ancient theatre in front of a stupendous view - and it’s just you and a few goats.
Absolutely not! Here in Greece they are called paneyiri and every village has at least one a year. Ostensibly they are religious festivals, but are actually an excuse for a big party. Often you’ll stumble upon one in some mountain village. They’ll be a band (nothing like the ones that play for the tourists), traditional dancing, roast pork and lamb, and lots of booze. The food and wine is incredibly cheap, but often, as a guest (even an unexpected one), you get it for free.
When writing the guidebook I basically didn’t have a ‘holiday’ for about a year and a half. On the other hand we were living in Greece 10 minutes from the beach. When I finished I took my partner and daughter to some of the nice places I had discovered so that we could enjoy them at our leisure.
When we return to the UK the ideal, as it was before, is to combine holidays with articles (that way they pay for themselves, if not more).
This is true enough. Here in rural Greece my writing can (just about) support my family. Back in the UK it will have to be a sideline (I used to be a bookshop manager, but am now looking into being a teacher - long holidays). If the sales of the book are ok the publishers are keen for me to write others. Once you a have a few out at the same time you can get more of an income. I am also keen to write a travel narrative book, and have an interested publisher.