Great Escape Publishing

Posted September 25th, 2008 by Bonnie Caton & filed under Travel Writing.

ELDR (www.eldr.com) is a brand new print magazine and online community aimed at the 60-plus affluent crowd.

They distance themselves from other magazines aimed at seniors by running mostly upbeat, fun, and sometimes edgy content. (They aren’t afraid to breach certain subjects like sex and intimacy, and you won’t find articles geared toward getting “old” in their pages either.)

If you’re interested in writing for ELDR, you should know that articles generally challenge current perceptions of aging… they’re provocative… and they usually fall into one of the main categories you see listed on the left side of the homepage at www.eldr.com like Food, Travel, Health, Politics, etc.

TIP: Get to know the site before you start cooking up story ideas, because the writer’s guidelines are fairly vague. They don’t dictate article length, voice, or other specifics. But they do stress how important it is to get to know the tone, content, and aim of the magazine. So you’ll need to take time to figure all that out.

Once you’ve got the general gist of what ELDR is all about, you’ll want to query your story idea to the editor first. In your letter, state why your article is a good fit for the magazine, and include links to your best clips if you’ve already been published (you don’t have to tell them if you haven’t). Don’t send your manuscript along until asked.

And, of course, before you get started, familiarize yourself with the writer’s guidelines.

Pay depends on article size and scope.

BONUS TIP: ELDR’s Travel section might be a good place to pitch a “charticle,” or a photo-based article (read about charticles in our archives here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/?p=511). Take a look at this photo-based article about Portland, Maine in the ELDR Travel section.

Starting with your hometown, you can produce a similar photo-centric article and pitch it to ELDR, or another magazine.

[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.]