Developing your travel writing career: commissions and content gathering, part 2

This post continues from yesterday's post in response to a reader's request for advice on developing a freelance travel writing career and financing research trips:
11. When you get a guidebook commission, start pitching story ideas on the destination - the fee for a single story could equal a quarter of your guidebook fee. Sell enough stories and you're finally profiting from travel writing. Keep in mind some publishers, such as Lonely Planet, forbid you from writing for their competitors on the same geographical area that you've written on for them, making the job less lucrative and making it difficult for you to develop destination expertise: read your contract so you don't breach it.
12. Can't get a guidebook commission? Consider fact-checking work - while it doesn't pay as much, it's a good way to develop research skills and it develop your contacts, and - if you're willing - can get you to a city or country. A fact-checking fee may only cover your air-fare, but once there you can be developing ideas and gathering content for stories to pitch and write when you get home.
13. Got a magazine commission but no guidebook work? - ask your editor for a letter or email confirming the commission tp forward to airlines, hotels, car rental companies, etc, to secure 'media rates' (established discounted rates, like corporate rates) and complimentary stays. (Check this is okay with your editor first as they may have a policy stipulating their writers can't accept discounts or freebies.)
14. Before jumping into full-time travel writing, ensure you have savings in the bank - even when you get a commission, the contract and cheque/bank transfer can be a long time coming. Sometimes projects are commissioned at the last minute (especially when another writer falls through or schedules change), so you need to be prepared to jump on a plane even if your payment hasn't gone through.
15. Do your guidebook research write-up at the destination - most writers go to a city or country, do their research, then fly home to write up the book. Consider renting an apartment in the destination (cheaper than moving between hotels), staying longer, and thus gathering more and better quality content from which to produce stories later on.
16. Embark on content-gathering trips in between commissions - you have a guidebook to research and write in one destination, then another book four weeks after manuscript submission in a nearby country. Don't waste air-fares flying home, but use the period in between to do some content-gathering; do an overland trip between the destinations or base yourself in a cheap but interesting place in-between to scout stories.
17. Can't get any commissions at all? Be creative - explore other options for getting to a destination that you can write about. Find work as an English teacher, yoga instructor, seasonal worker etc, and develop a story on working holidays focused on your experience. Line up some volunteer work with a charity or aid organization and write about volunteering abroad.
18. If you must self-finance your first research trip, then don't spend more than you'd ordinarily spend on a holiday, in case your investment doesn't pay off later, and seek out destinations and experiences that are unusual or rarely written about so you have a greater chance of getting something published.
19. Once you have been commissioned - develop your relationship with that editor, go the extra mile for them, stay in touch, and keep pitching ideas - especially if this is the only person who has commissioned you so far! If the editor likes what you do and keeps publishing you, then stick with that publication and take the opportunity to build your portfolio. You can branch out later on.
20. Ensure you continue to get commissioned - once you're established as a travel writer, continue to develop your greatest assets: your research and writing abilities, your travel and travel industry knowledge, your understanding of the market, travellers and readers, and your destination expertise. In other words, keep travelling, keep reading and writing, and always keep your readers in mind.

Developing your travel writing career: commissions and content gathering, part 1

An aspiring travel writer who is starting her freelance travel writing career has emailed me: "I've been reading a lot about financing and tips for freelancers on how to save money, but never on how it actually works at the beginning. I know that it's different for every freelancer and also for every travel writer as it depends on what you do, whether you write travel guides or articles for magazines and newspapers, but what I've never found is how you can finance your trips. The beginning will be self-financed, but then press trips? I think an editor will finance someone's trip only if they are really established writers. And here comes the first difficulty for new writers." Well, here are some tips for Angela and other readers who are embarking on travel writing careers, based on what's worked for us:
1. Keep your day job and become a part-time travel writer in the beginning - generate content on your holidays and weekends away. This way you're not spending money you wouldn't ordinarily spend, and the career shift is less risky. Write about the place where you live. Publishers are increasingly finding value in resident-writers for their local knowledge and insider advice. Use this period to develop your research and writing skills and refine your craft.
2. Subscribe to professional websites and organizations such as Media Bistro to learn how to pitch and how to promote yourself and your work. Once published, join Travelwriters.com, International Travel Writers Alliance or Media Kitty to find out about commissions and learn from other travel writers by engaging in the forums.
3. Get prepared and get organized - email magazines and newspapers via their websites to get writer's guidelines and editorial calendars. Find out how the pitching process works and who to pitch to. Create your own database of editors and industry contacts using the resources above, magazine mastheads, and your own networking skills; join LinkedIn.
4. Learn the art of pitching - writing a good pitch can be as hard as writing a good travel story. Media Bistro is fantastic for this information.
5. Start pitching editors - but only when you have confidence in your writing ability and strong story ideas. Respond to editor's requests, on sites such as Travelwriters.com, for content on destinations you've developed expertise in, such as your hometown.
6. Appreciate that getting the first commission is the hardest - be patient, politely persistent and persuasive without being a pain-in-the-butt. Learn self-promotion skills. Start a blog as a creative outlet, to develop your writing skills and as a showcase for your work.
7. Spread your pitching efforts wide - consider all publishers, publications and platforms. Contact editors of all kinds of magazines (don't limit yourself to travel magazines, which are highly competitive) and newspapers (try your local or regional paper first, as big city papers are as competitive as magazines). Consider digital forms, from online versions of magazines and newspapers to travel websites.
8. Contact guidebook publishers - start with guidebooks you relate to as you'll be expected to identify with the audience, make choices with readers in mind, and write in an appropriate style. Find out what their writer approval process is; each publisher operates differently.
9. Focus your efforts on getting a commission - a commission is an assignment where the editor agrees to publish your story based on your pitch (idea). The agreement can be informal (an email) or formal (a legal contract). It will involve money up front if it's a guidebook, but for a magazine or newspaper you'll be paid on acceptance or approval of the story or when the story's published.
10. Why guidebook writing commissions are good - a guidebook commission gets you there! Guidebooks involve a large fee and 40-50% of that fee up front. The fee will be fairly low if you don't have experience, but as your experience increases, the fees increase. While the fee may not seem like much when stretched across an eight to 12 week research and writing period, the fee is what gets you to the destination. While you're there you can be gathering content you can later use to write stories for magazines and newspapers.
And that's just half of it! I have another ten tips for you...