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08/09/2006 03:08:12 AM · #1 |
Hi all!
I was wondering if any of you had experience with submitting travel articles along with your photos to magazines.
I remember clicking on a link in someone's signature that had information about selling your photos and it had an interesting article about a guy who was making a decent living off of selling/re-selling articles dealing with travel/tourism that were packaged with photos he'd taken as well.
Now the point of the article about this subject was written was to sell some online(?) program to learn how to do this very thing (for $299) but I was wondering if any of you have experience with this that you'd like to share.
For anyone who wanted to see the website it can be found at //www.proofpositive.com/sellyourphotos
I don't have anything to do with the site, just happened to see the "Can You Make a Living as a Travel Writer?" article on there and the initial information was pretty interesting to me.
Thanks!
- Sia
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08/09/2006 04:39:56 AM · #2 |
I tried it for a while - I read up tonnes and tonnes about it and submitted both proposals and finished articles to various UK magazines but had no luck.
Oddly enough, I did get one article with photos published in a major Indian newspaper (one of the editors is a friend of my mum and had been publishing recipes from my mum's website and we ended up chatting about some technical aspects of that when the conversation turned to my writing/ photography).
But I realised that whilst I can write well it takes me a ridiculously long time to craft an article into it's finished state whereas to make a living I'd need to write much more quickly and instinctively. Not only that but real travel writers earn their living by being able to pull several (significantly different) articles out of any trip - I just can't do that.
I realised too that good travel writing, good enough to make a living off it, is a skill that many of us underestimate and I have the utmost respect for those who do it for a profession.
Best of luck with it!
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08/09/2006 06:58:11 AM · #3 |
Sia, if you really want to make money, buy my program called "How to Make Money Selling How to Make Money schemes" Oh, heck, I'll give it to you for what it's worth...
1) You write up a little commen-sensicle piece about how to make money doing something. (You don't actually have to do it, you just write about how you would do it if that is what you were going to do.)
2) You take out an ad offering your program. (Learn How to Make Money Making Pop-corn String Ornaments! Make $5,000 a month in your underwear, at home, part-time! Our fail-proof program is only $299!!!)
3) When people respond, you send them your little kit and you deposit their check. (Oh, by the way, you have to rent a box at one of those little strip-mall business postal drops, because you really don't want any of your happy customers to be coming by the house to 'thank' you.)
Good luck! |
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08/09/2006 07:50:44 AM · #4 |
A month or two ago, my brother left his job in Indonesia with the idea of going to the Galapagos Islands to start a new career as a freelance travel writer. He was going there via Bangkok (where he has worked before), some other place and England. But he didn't get any further than Bangkok. He realised he missed his girlfriend too much. I guess he also realised that a travel writing job is hard yakka, so he went back to Indonesia.
I got an email from him last night, I'll quote it in its entirety:
"Dear David,
Want to come to my wedding? September 17th, Bandung.
cheers,
Dear Derek"
By the way, he has had travel articles and photographs published before. |
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08/09/2006 07:50:57 AM · #5 |
Skip's absolutely right - one has to wonder if this guy is making more money from selling his tutorial or from his travel writing and photography!
That said, reading the three parts of his blog article on travel writing he DOES give accurate advice and it's the same advice I've received from genuine, full time travel writers and photographers that I have met in person as well as from editors of major travel publications.
Personally, I'd take the advice in his free blog article (which is good) but wouldn't bother paying for anything further...
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08/09/2006 07:59:25 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by Kavey:
one has to wonder if this guy is making more money from selling his tutorial or from his travel writing and photography! |
i should say that i didn't visit his site, i was kinda popping off tongue-in-cheek. just yesterday my daughter asked me "why don't you and mommy get one of those part time jobs that pays $7000 a month while you work from home?"
on the other hand, i have no problem with people selling complete, hands-on packages the represent not just their skill and experience, but also the culmination of all the research that they've done, thus saving me the time it takes. the rub is being able to separate the wheat from the chafe, being able to tell whether or not their methods are tried and true.
bottom line, if something is really so simple and easy, EVERYONE would be doing it and EVERYONE would be RICH... |
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08/09/2006 04:08:20 PM · #7 |
Oh I wasn't about to purchase the program. I take everything on the internet with a grain of salt and then add another truckload if it has a paypal symbol and a price for more information at the end.
I did find the article to have good advice and information, but not being in the business I wasn't sure how "helpful" it was. I certainly like writing and if I can take suitable quality pictures and marry the two into something money-making that's even better.
At this point though my skill isn't where I'd like it to be photographically and I have a terrible self-doubt complex where that and my writing skills are concerned. Not to mention a grand ability to start something, invest a good number of hours into it and then never finish it up. Partially finished projects, ftw!
I was mostly hoping some folks that had actual experience in the travel writing field wouldn't mind tossing out some info on their successes and pitfalls.
:)
Thanks for the responses so far! Great to know that the 'free' info in the general article was pretty spot on for the most part.
- Sia
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