How to be a Travel Writer
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Faber and Faber
www.faber.co.uk
Publisher of Jan Morris, Simon Armitage and Lawrence Durrell.
Hachette UK
www.hachettelivre.co.uk
Hachette UK includes the publishers Hodder & Stoughton John Murray and Little, Brown Book Group who publish some travel literature titles.
The Orion Publishing Group
www.orionbooks.co.uk
Publishes travel literature by AA Gill and Michael Palin, among others. Part of Hachette UK.
Pan Macmillan
www.panmacmillan.com
Publishes a handful of travel literature books; only manuscripts submitted by an agent are considered.
Penguin
www.penguin.co.uk
The publishing superpower created by the merger of Penguin and Random House (Penguin Random House) publishes Paul Theroux, Bill Bryson and much more travel non-fiction under imprints including Transworld, Jonathan Cape, Chatto & Windus, Vintage, Ebury and Arrow – each must be contacted separately for submission enquiries.
Publishing industry resources
Association of Authors’ Agents
agentsassoc.co.uk
Includes a directory of members.
The Booksellers Association
www.booksellers.org.uk
Contains info on events and online directories of publishers and members.
The Literary Consultancy
www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk
Offers manuscript assessment, mentoring and some other publishing-centered services.
The Publishers Association
www.publishers.org.uk
There’s a useful ‘Getting Published’ section here.
Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook
www.writersandartists.co.uk/listings
Comprehensive listings of magazines, newspapers, book publishers, literary and artists’ agents, and theatre, television and radio producers, available to buy as a book or online database.
Travel magazines
Adventure Travel Magazine
www.atmagazine.co.uk
In print for over 20 years, this bi-monthly magazine covers outdoor activities in adventurous locations – trekking, mountaineering, mountain biking, cycle touring, climbing, kayaking and snow sports.
Business Traveller
www.businesstraveller.com
Monthly magazine with business- or lifestyle-related destination features.
Condé Nast Traveller
www.cntraveller.co.uk
Glossy, monthly travel and lifestyle magazine aimed at the high end of the magazine market.
Escapism
www.escapismmagazine.com
A free monthly travel magazine available at London Underground stations with a focus on quality writing rare in freesheets.
Food & Travel Magazine
www.foodandtravel.com
The best in food and travel from around the world; monthly.
France Magazine
www.completefrance.com/our-magazines
Monthly magazine about France; also publishes Living France and French Property News.
Geographical
www.geographical.co.uk
Monthly magazine of the Royal Geographical Society.
Globe Magazine
www.globetrotters.co.uk
The bimonthly magazine of the Globetrotters Club; they don’t pay for articles.
High Life & Business Life
highlife.ba.com
businesslife.ba.com
High Life is the monthly in-flight magazine for British Airways passengers. Business Life is carried only on short-haul flights and carries lifestyle stories with a business twist.
Holiday Which?
www.which.co.uk
Published six times a year by consumer watchdog Which?; provides independent travel features, investigative articles and hard news on all aspects of holidaying in the UK and abroad. Most articles are written by staff; freelancers are occasionally employed.
Lonely Planet Traveller
www.lonelyplanet.com/magazine
Monthly travel magazine that provides independent travel advice, inspiration and information.
National Geographic Traveller
www.natgeotraveller.co.uk
The UK edition of the US magazine, 10 annual issues focusing on authentic travel experiences and insightful storytelling. Find submission guidelines at www.natgeotraveller.co.uk/contact-us
The Sunday Times Travel Magazine
www.sundaytimestravel.co.uk
Monthly glossy newsstand magazine covering all things holiday.
TNT Magazine
www.tntmagazine.com/news/uk
A free weekly magazine for UK-based travelers, distributed in London and Edinburgh.
Travel Trade Gazette
www.ttglive.com
A weekly magazine for the travel trade.
Travel Weekly
www.travelweekly.co.uk
Free, weekly travel industry newspaper.
Traveller Magazine
www.wexas.com/traveller-magazine
Quarterly travel magazine for the Wexas travellers’ club aimed at a 35+ age group.
Wanderlust Travel Magazine
www.wanderlust.co.uk
Leading magazine for independent travelers, published eight times a year. Guidelines are at: www.wanderlust.co.uk/aboutus/writers
Newspapers
The Daily Mail
www.dailymail.co.uk/travel
Travel section on Saturday, plus a small travel section on Wednesday. The Mail on Sunday also includes a travel section.
The Daily Telegraph
www.telegraph.co.uk/travel
Saturday travel section. The Sunday Telegraph also includes a travel section.
The Guardian
www.theguardian.com/theguardian/travel
Travel supplement on a Saturday. Sister paper The Observer also includes a Sunday travel section.
The Independent
www.independent.co.uk/travel
The Independent is an online-only newspaper with a big travel presence.
The Times
www.thetimes.co.uk
Saturday travel section; The Sunday Times also includes a travel section.
Writers’ groups & associations
Arts Council England
www.artscouncil.org.uk
The national development agency for the arts supports writers through Grants for the Arts, the annual Arts Council England Writers’ Awards scheme, International Fellowships and a range of literary prizes.
British Guild of Travel Writers
www.bgtw.org
The leading organization of travel media professionals organizes monthly meetings and regular networking events, plus you can get a press card. Strict membership criteria apply.
The English Centre of International PEN
www.englishpen.org
PEN campaigns to defend writers and readers in the UK and around the world whose human right to freedom of expression is at risk.
National Union of Journalists
www.nuj.org.uk
Founded in 1907, the National Union of Journalists is one of the biggest journalists’ unions in the world. Find help with training, legal services, advice on what freelance writers should be paid, and much more.
Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild
www.owpg.org.uk
Membership is open to writers, journalists, photographers, illustrators, broadcasters, film-makers, artists, publishers and editors, actively and professionally involved in sustainable activities in any outdoor setting.
Public Lending Right
www.plr.uk.com
Register your books to qualify for payment under the PLR Scheme, whereby authors receive government payments for the borrowing of their books from public libraries.
Society of Authors
www.societyofauthors.org
Benefits of joining this union include clause-by-clause contra
ct vetting, advice on professional issues, networking opportunities and invitations to talks and seminars.
Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB)
www.writersguild.org.uk
A trade union for writers working in television, radio, film, theatre, books and multimedia, offering benefits including free training, contract vetting, a pension scheme, Welfare Fund and entry to their Find A Writer directory.
Writing courses
The Arvon Foundation
www.arvon.org
This registered charity runs five-day residential creative writing courses and retreats held at beautiful rural houses. Grants are available to help with course fees.
London College of Communication
www.arts.ac.uk/lcc
Runs short courses on various subjects of interest to writers: pitching, editing, photojournalism, feature writing, copy writing and much more.
National Council for the Training of Journalists
www.nctj.com
One- to four-day courses for beginners to established journalists looking to sharpen their skills, from social media to subediting. Longer journalism courses also available.
The Open University
www.open.ac.uk
With a network of centers throughout the UK, the Open University runs several writing courses a year.
Secrets of Paris Travel Writing Workshop
www.secretsofparis.com
Five-day travel writing for beginners workshop, held in Paris and run by Paris-based authors and writers three times a year.
Travellers’ Tales
www.travellerstales.org
Offers one- to two-day travel writing courses in London, as well as ‘creative holidays’ where you can practice your writing in locations like Andalucia and Marrakesh led by expert tutors.
Travel Writing Workshops
travelworkshops.co.uk
One-day travel writing workshops held in central London run by journalist Dea Birkett and author Rory MacLean.
University of East Anglia
www.uea.ac.uk
Offers short courses in creative writing, including specialization in travel writing. UAE’s MA in Creative Writing, set up by Angus Wilson and Malcolm Bradbury, is famous.
Australian resources
Travel publishers
Allen & Unwin
www.allenandunwin.com
Publishes a wide-ranging list of 250 titles each year, including Australiana and travel writing.
Classic British travel literature
Following is a list of 20 travel literature classics by UK authors compiled with help from Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler and the staff members of Stanford Travel Bookshop, London:
Arabia Through the Looking Glass by Jonathan Raban
Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger
Frontiers of Heaven by Stanley Stewart
Full Tilt by Dervla Murphy
Holy Mountain by William Dalrymple
I Came, I Saw by Norman Lewis
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin
Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O’Hanlon
Journey Into Cyprus by Colin Thubron
A Pattern of Islands by Arthur Grimble
The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron
A Season in Heaven by David Tomory
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby
South From Granada by Gerald Brenan
The Southern Gates of Arabia by Freya Stark
Terra Incognito by Sara Wheeler
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor
An Unexpected Light by Jason Elliot
Venice by Jan Morris
The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Hardie Grant Books
www.hardiegrant.com.au
Publishes a healthy list of travel titles including the ‘Explore Australia’ series and Hide & Seek city guides.
HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com.au
HarperCollins Australia’s list of contemporary non-fiction titles includes a handful of travel and memoir titles.
Hachette Livre Australia
www.hachette.com.au
The Australian arm of Hachette Livre runs a small local publishing program.
Lonely Planet
www.lonelyplanet.com
Head office is in Franklin, Tennessee; there is also an office in Melbourne.
New Holland Publishers
au.newhollandpublishers.com
This branch of the international New Holland company focuses on non-fiction Australiana including pictorials, natural history and regional travel destinations.
Pan Macmillan Australia
www.panmacmillan.com.au
Pan Macmillan publishes and distributes a range of imprints, including Australian lifestyle and travel titles. They accept unsolicited submissions on the first Monday of each month – Manuscript Monday! See www.panmacmillan.com.au/manuscript-monday
Penguin Australia
www.penguin.com.au
The Australian arm of the Penguin Random House empire publishes non-fiction lifestyle, travel and memoir titles. Submission guidelines are at penguin.com.au/getting-published
Text Publishing Company
www.textpublishing.com.au
The publisher of prestigious Australian authors such as Murray Bail, Tim Flannery and Anna Funder publishes travel narrative titles. Submission guidelines are at www.textpublishing.com.au/manuscript-submissions
Wakefield Press
www.wakefieldpress.com.au
Small, independently owned Adelaide-based publisher interested primarily in true stories, gastronomy and culture.
Publishing industry resources
Australian Publishers Association
www.publishers.asn.au
Includes useful information for getting published as well as general trade information.
Margaret Gee’s Australian Media Guide
www.connectweb.com.au
Listings and details for more than 21,000 media contacts and 4500 media outlets; around $500 for print and $1000 for online access.
The Australian Writer’s Marketplace
www.awmonline.com.au
Listings directory of over 2000 opportunities for Australian writers – magazines, newspapers, publishers, literary agents, awards and courses, plus an online learning center and comprehensive listings for writers’ groups and workshops. Subscription costs $25 per quarter.
Travel magazines
4x4 Trader
www.bauer-media.com.au/brands
A monthly publication focusing on off-road adventure travel in Australia and internationally.
Australian Country Magazine
www.australiancountry.net.au
Quarterly magazine focusing on country living.
Australian Geographic
www.bauer-media.com.au/brands
Bi-monthly magazine seeking to inspire, educate and connect readers to Australian landscapes, plants and animals, science, industry and people.
Australian Geographic Outdoor
www.bauer-media.com.au/brands
Bi-monthly magazine covering destinations, activities, products and services for outdoor adventurers.
Australian Gourmet Traveller
www.gourmettraveller.com.au
Monthly magazine devoted to wine, food and travel.
Australian Traveller
www.australiantraveller.com
Bi-monthly, focused on Australian domestic travel.
Get Lost
www.getlostmagazine.com
Quarterly focusing on travel lifestyles and culture, targeting the backpacker and youth markets.
Luxury Travel
www.luxurytravelmag.com.au
Quarterly magazine focusing on high-end travel.
On the Road
www.ontheroadmagazine.com.au
Bi-monthly magazine for camping, 4WD and ecotourism enthusiasts.