Considering that I’m someone who was worked in the journalism and publishing industries for a little over a decade now, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to learn that I’ve held literally dozens of different journalistic roles throughout the course of my career: I’ve been an intern, a staff editor and a magazine publisher, to name just a few. I’ve reported on everything from the commercial real estate industry to the insular punk-rock scene in Pittsburgh, Pa. But I can honestly say that nothing I’ve ever accomplished journalistically has generated quite the amount of genuine curiosity as my career as a travel guidebook writer. It seems to be the dream job of choice for those desk-jockey journalists who have long since burnt out on city council meetings and small-town politics. And while it certainly isn’t easy to land such a gig, there are certain steps writers can take if they’re serious about making the guidebook writing life a reality.
1. Research the industry
Perhaps not surprisingly, most of the major guidebook publishers have their own unique methods when it comes to recruiting new talent, and you’d be well advised to do a bit of online digging before reaching out to an editor. Believe it or not, it’s really as simple as poking around on a specific publisher’s website; be on the lookout for writers guidelines, and if all else fails, send an inquiry to the company’s acquisitions editor. Lonely Planet offers information online about joining their team and Rough Guides does too, so get ball rolling by mailing in a few relevant travel writing samples and a convincing cover letter. Some publishers, like Avalon Travel’s Moon Handbooks imprint, require potential authors to have had extensive experience in the destinations they’re interested in covering. Avalon provides a list of guidebooks that they are currently attempting to match with qualified authors. Other publishers that keep detailed information online about the process of applying for a spot on their team include Footprint, Time Out, Fodor’s, and Frommer’s.
2. Experience the world
When it comes to impressing those editors who have the potential to offer you work, you’ll likely find that most of them are looking for a wide range of essentially the same skills. Guidebook writers needs to be especially well-traveled, of course, and it certainly won’t hurt if you speak a foreign language, or if you’ve lived and worked abroad extensively. Having an advanced degree can be especially useful; if you have a Masters in East Asian studies, for instance, an editor may be willing to give you a chance, even if your travel writing career is still in its nascent stages. If you lack those qualifications, don’t panic; it’s easy enough to build a travel writing portfolio by simply reporting on destinations in your own corner of the country. No matter where in the world you live, there are undoubtedly travel stories to be found and filed right in your own proverbial backyard. Start small, and be patient but persistent when acquiring at least some the skills you’ll need to have before being considered for a guidebook writing gig.
3. Keep reading, and consider a conference
Unfortunately, there isn’t an overabundance of published work that explains the process of becoming a guidebook author, although Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing, by Don George, has a useful guidebook writing chapter that’s worth the cost of the book alone. Also worth a read is Thomas Kohnstamm’s now-infamous Do Travel Writers Go To Hell? It’s an unflinchingly honest look at the guidebook writing life from a former Lonely Planet scribe gone bad. Those of you willing to spend a bit more money on career training should seriously consider attending the legendary Travel Writers and Photographers Conference at Book Passage, a Bay Area book store located in Corte Madera, Ca. The conference isn’t cheap, but it has a legendary reputation for graduating would-be travel writers who go onto bigger and better things in the industry with surprising speed; my own guidebook writing career was launched here in 2004. Attending the Transitions Online Foreign Correspondence Course in Prague, Czech Republic–a course I’ve attended and highly recommend–can give you a significant leg up in terms of selling freelance stories with foreign datelines. Those stories can then be shared with guidebook editors, who always prefer to work with writers who’ve had experience reporting from abroad.
4. Understand the realities of the industry
It’s easy enough for the uninitiated to consider guidebook writing an absolute journalistic dream job, but the reality is quite a bit stickier. Burnout among guidebook authors and article writers are surprisingly high, and that’s largely because the pay is rarely adequate for the incredible amount of work a guidebook writer is expected to complete in what is usually an inordinately brief amount of time. Thanks to seemingly impossible deadlines, guidebook authors frequently find themselves working 12- or 14-hour days. That goes for the reporting process in the field, which can be alternately exhilarating and exhausting, as well as for the actual writing, map-making and data entry processes, which can be mind-numbingly dull, especially as you attempt to “say something new in what feels like your 150th Italian restaurant review,” as a Moon Handbooks author recently explained to me. For an eye-opening and extremely accurate account of the lifestyle, read “A Job with Travel but No Vacation” by the New York Times’ Warren St. John. “Writing budget travel guides is most decidedly yeoman’s work,” writes St. John. “Most who do it quickly learn the one hard and fast rule of the trade: travel-guide writing is no vacation.”
Amen to that.