Great Escape Publishing

Posted November 17th, 2006 by Lori Allen & filed under Travel Writing.

Next week we’re launching our very first issue of a new travel publication we’re developing with the International Travel Writers & Photographers Alliance Members. I’ll include the link below so you can get a quick sneak peek.

The Travel Post Monthly, as it’s called, essentially functions as two things:

1) an online travel magazine where you can get a by-line and

2) a travel content wire service where editors can pick up articles to run in their own publications

Travel writers and photographers send in their articles and photographs just like they would to a regular travel publication (which means first reading the Writer’s Guidelines and then tailoring your work to fit before submitting it).

We take the articles we like the best and include them in that month’s issue. (Meaning if yours is included, you get a nice-looking by-line and a clip for your portfolio.)

But behind the scenes, the Travel Post Monthly is actually marketing your article for you.

You see, we’ve created a list of all the editors and publishers we know who are looking for material, and we’ve told them that every article and photograph inside The Travel Post Monthly is for sale and available for publication…

… If an editor sees something he likes and is interested in publishing the piece, he simply clicks on the “Buy” link at the end of the article to get the contact details for the writer/photographer. Then he contacts that person directly to make arrangements for publication. Some of these editors pay just a few dollars for articles, and some pay several hundred.

Regardless, though, this is a great opportunity for you to start building a track record of success for yourself. You gain a by-line first in Travel Post Monthly, and then, potentially again if another publication picks up your piece.

For the first issue, we asked the participants at our last writing workshop to submit their pieces, and we also asked a few of our experts — Steenie Harvey and Stan Sinberg — to send in material as well.

While the site isn’t perfect yet (some of the pictures don’t match up and the color scheme is a little off) you can take a quick sneak peek here: Travel Post Monthly . (But please do cut us a little slack as we’re still tweaking the site and rearranging things.)

If you’re interested in submitting an article or photograph to the Travel Post Monthly (TPM), you’ll find the guidelines and instructions for doing so on the International Travel Writers & Photographers Alliance Members’ website: ITWPA

As a reader of this eletter, we’ll automatically put you on the subscriber list for the Travel Post Monthly next week when we officially launch it, so you needn’t subscribe today. I just wanted to give you a quick preview.

Tomorrow, I’ll send you an article from another writer — Krista Jones — on how to write the kind of well-balanced articles we’re looking for the TPM.

PRACTICAL WRITING PROMPT OF THE WEEK: Write about a Restaurant

One of the quirkiest meals I ever had was in a restaurant in Colorado — walls, corners, bookshelves adorned with about 500 dead animals…

We sampled an array of wild meats from their menu: rattlesnake, elk, ostrich, and quail. No one was willing to try the bull testicles (Rocky Mountain oysters, as they’re called).

Where do you like to eat? Do you know a quirky restaurant near you or in your favorite travel destination?

Write it up this weekend — it can be a short piece of fewer than 500 words, even — and send it to the Travel Post Monthly. You’ll find a sample of a restaurant review piece in the November issue. And you’ll find guidelines for submitting at www.itwpa.com. If you’re an ITWPA member, please say so on your submission.

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READER FEEDBACK: Getting your photos printed and matted.

QUESTION: “How do I prepare my photos for an art gallery show? What size would you recommend I print and what size mat should I use?”

RICH’S ANSWER: I wouldn’t display anything smaller than an 8 x 12 with a 3 inch mat. If you’re doing the print and matting work yourself you might check out www.americanframe.com. I’ve found that they do quality work at very reasonable prices.

You should also consider putting your finished pieces in clear bags to avoid fingerprints on the prints and mat. Try www.clearbags.com.

[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.]