Great Escape Publishing

Posted August 13th, 2009 by twl_admin & filed under Travel Writing.

Dear Reader,

This week’s Featured Publication is a big, glossy airline in-flight magazine that pays well AND needs plenty of freelance content to fill its pages.

Scroll down to find out more…

— Lori

Lori Allen
Director, Great Escape Publishing

Lively Prose and Striking Photos for A Captive Audience

By Janette Jones in Cambridge, Maryland

Alaska Airlines Magazine, the in-flight magazine for Alaska Airlines, reaches 1.8 million travelers each month. In most cases, the magazine focuses on subjects within the airline’s route system. Coverage includes the entire West Coast plus Denver, Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Miami, Orlando, and Hawaii.

The publishers of this glossy, four-color magazine hire freelance writers for 75% of its content. To get an idea of the magazine’s style without buying a plane ticket, request a sample copy. Just send a self-addressed 9″ x 12″ envelope with sufficient postage (about $4.60) to Alaska Airlines Magazine, 2701 First Avenue, Suite 250, Seattle, WA 98121.

Another way to find out more about Alaska Airlines Magazine readers is to go to the website and click on “Advertising Information.” There, you’ll find useful tools like reader demographics, an editorial calendar, and an airline route map.

Alaska Airlines considers its passengers well-educated, sophisticated, and affluent. The magazine is intended to entertain as well as inform, with vivid photography and interesting anecdotes.

Business articles should be insightful. Stories should have a strong narrative flow. And a sense of humor is appreciated. (After all, no matter how superior the airline is, the passengers are still stuck on a plane.)

Take a look at the complete contributor guidelines.

A good way to break into the magazine is by pitching an article to the “Journal” column. Journal is a collection of short pieces that range from business personality profiles to new museum exhibits in cities served by Alaska Airlines.

Start by sending a query that includes a sample story lead. Make sure it represents the direction, tone, and style for your proposed story. If you’ve been published before, include clips of your previously published work.

Send everything by standard mail to: Paul Frichtl, Editor, Alaska Airlines Magazine, 2701 First Avenue, Suite 250, Seattle, WA 98121. Don’t forget to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). You will receive a written response within six weeks.

Rates begin at $150 to $250 for short articles in the Journal section and for restaurant and hotel reviews (300 to 800 words). Business shorts (500 words) are $150. Columns (1,600 words) are $500. And features (2,000 to 2,500 words) are $700. Expenses, if agreed to in advance, are paid on invoice.

Alaska Airlines Magazine publishes its editorial calendar for the entire year, which should spark some ideas and help you plan your submissions. Editorial highlights for 2009 include Artisan Breads, Mexico Travel, College Hoops, Romantic Hawaii Getaways, Leaving Disabilities Behind, Engineers Without Borders, Alaska Summer Festivals, and Holiday Gift Guide, to name just a few.

The magazine will not accept unsolicited artwork. Instead, submit edited stock lists and/or samples that reflect areas or topics that are relevant to Alaska Airlines Magazine’s route system. Send your photo queries directly to the art director, Patty Warkentin.

Rates for photography start at $175 for a quarter page inside. Cover rate is $600. The magazine does not pay research fees.

[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.]