by Don George
If you have not yet undertaken the trip you wish to write about – or your proposal is for a different kind of feature, please email [email protected], or write to us with:
• A one-paragraph proposal outlining the story
• Your proposed dates of travel
• Brief details of how you will be undertaking your journey, including any proposed tour operators
• Any relevant experience you have, with links to previously published stories if possible
Please note we cannot respond to postal contributions unless a self-addressed envelope (SAE) is enclosed, which must be stamped or accompanied by sufficient International Reply Coupons (IRCs).
I’ve submitted a proposal – what do I do next?
Although we endeavour to reply to proposals, at busy times this is not always possible. If we are interested, we’ll respond by email, asking you for further details or a draft article for consideration. But please bear in mind that this may take several weeks. If you have not heard back from us within a month, feel free to email or write again. If you need an answer by a specific date, let us know – and if the date passes, please assume we are not interested. Please do not telephone the office to follow up submissions – if you do not hear back from us, you should assume we are unable to use your proposal.
I’m a first-timer writer – will my proposal be considered?
Yes, but you need to demonstrate writing flair and professionalism. You should also target one of our shorter regular slots, for example Dispatches, Wanderlust Weekends, or a consumer feature.
How do I know if you’ve already covered somewhere?
Most of our articles from the last five years are now archived on this website [www.wanderlust.co.uk], and can be searched by destination. Study a copy of the magazine before considering a submission. It is no coincidence that the majority of our contributors are regular readers.
Do you accept articles without accompanying photographs?
Yes. The photographs in the magazine come from a variety of sources – writers, professional photographers, stock libraries – and we can normally find or commission images to accompany a good article. However, if you have print-quality, professional standard images, please let us know when submitting a proposal.
What do you look for in an article?
Our mission is simple – we want to provide our readers with the best writing, the best photographs and the most authoritative facts. Wanderlust aims to cover all aspects of independent, semi-independent and special-interest travel. We do cover ‘soft’ adventure but leave the crampons and adrenalin stuff to other magazines. Off-the-beaten-track destinations, secret corners of the world and unusual angles on well-known places are always of particular interest.
We are particularly interested in local culture and try to provide more of an insight than travel articles in other publications – hence, we prefer pieces to be written by someone with an in-depth knowledge of a topic or destination. You should make yourself familiar with the style, tone and content of Wanderlust, and be aware of recent articles to ensure your chosen subject has not been covered in the past year or so. Most of our articles from the last five years are now archived on [our] website, and can be searched by destination.
If tackling a topical subject then do bear in mind that we plan the contents of each issue up to a year ahead. Always ask yourself what makes your article different from all the others that may have been sent to us on the same topic, and why you are qualified to advise others.
What kinds of feature / regular formats do you publish?
Wanderlust includes various features open to submissions:
1. DESTINATION FEATURES
Covering a specific destination – a country or a region – or an activity, eg, horseriding in Chile, walking in Morocco. Should be both anecdotal and informative, written in the first person and in the past tense, and between 1800–2200 words.
2. DISPATCHES
Shorter, topical pieces (1200 words) describing a recent development in a destination of interest to our readers. Recent Dispatches have included an eyewitness account of a royal wedding in Uganda, a new walking trail in the Middle East, and slum tourism in Mumbai.
3. SPECIAL INTEREST FEATURES
Do you have specialist knowledge on a travel-relevant subject? Topics covered to date include safaris, cycling holidays, New Zealand walks, family adventure trips. Must be authoritative – authors should have in-depth and regional or global knowledge.
4. CONSUMER ARTICLES
A practical guide of value to travellers. Explain how people can save money, or make their travels better and easier. The style should be direct and instructive, but easy to read and understand. Recent articles have included: finding cheap flights online; road safety abroad; making better travel videos.
What kind of articles DON’T you publish?
If your proposal falls into any of these categories, it’s not for us:
• Luxury hotels, resorts or spas
• Activity holidays – golf, skiing, bungee-jumping etc. If an activity provides a unique perspective on a destination or a way of travelling through it (for example, hiking or kayaking) that’s fine, but activities are not of interest in themselves.
• ‘Big trip’ diaries. Round-the-world odysseys, charity challenges, ‘wacky races’ across continents in unusual vehicles – all make great trips, but long-winded, cumbersome and often superficial articles.
• Family travel. We have a regular column on this subject but do not run full-length features.
• One-off expeditions. All journeys must be achievable by our readers.
• Trips to FCO-blacklisted destinations, for example war- or disaster-zones. We will not feature destinations the FCO advises against visiting.
• Previously published articles of any kind.
Who reads Wanderlust?
Our readers encompass all ages and budgets, and at least 50 percent are female. They are well educated and reasonably affluent, and are mostly active travellers, perhaps more experienced than you. Although most are British we have readers in more than 80 countries worldwide. Some travel independently, others with specialist small-group or tailor-made tour operators. Major interests include wildlife, trekking and photography. A high proportion take two to three long-haul breaks a year.
Do you commission articles purely for your website?
We rarely publish narrative travel features on the site, but we do consider interesting blogs and inspirational round-ups. To suggest an idea, please email us at [email protected].
Do you have any general advice for aspiring travel writers?
Wanderlust editors regularly contribute to travel writing training courses. We also run occasional trips with training agency Travellers Tales for those interested in improving or selling their work. Keep an eye on our website for details.
Here are some general tips:
• Your article should have a beginning, a middle and an end – do not just tail off.
• Make the opening paragraph one of your strongest, in order to pull the reader in. You do not have to tell a story in chronological order – you can open with a tense situation and then flashback to how it began.
• Ensure that your piece has a strong central theme that moves the reader forward and provides a point to it all.
• Do not try to cover too much in one article – there may be several different articles hiding inside one large piece. You should be able to sum up the contents of your article in a single sentence.
• Show the good and bad side. Disasters and tricky situations often make for a more entertaining read than harmonious, straightforward trips.
• Present an honest account – Wanderlust is not a travel brochure. If you hated a place, then say so (and why).
• Feature articles should have personality – though often not yours; dialogue and comment from local people add colour to a story.
• Think about how you can avoid blandne
ss in your descriptions of a destination – recounting a seemingly unimportant incident can bring a place to life more than a detailed adjectival description of its physical appearance. And don’t forget smells, sounds, flavours and even temperature or air quality as well as sights and emotions.
• Be aware of the political, environmental and social background to the places you describe – they may not be pertinent to your story, but be sure of this, especially if you are going to allude to them.
• Be aware of the consequences of what you write – for example, ecological issues such as the damaging effect that snorkellers may have on a coral reef. Be wary of endangering the subjects of your article if describing an illegal activity or political views.
• Avoid Americanisms (unless you are recounting speech or quotations from an American!), jargon, foreign terms that are not generally understood, and the numerous travel clichés that many writers fall back on – snow-capped mountains, lands of contrast, kaleidoscopes of colour and seething masses of humanity will all get the chop.
• If we have recently run an article on a particular destination or topic then it will probably be some time (perhaps several years) before we cover that area again.
• Check your facts and be wary of making generalisations that you cannot be sure of.
• It goes without saying that Wanderlust will not tolerate any racist, sexist or otherwise discriminatory writing, but be careful too of patronising the peoples you describe and making generalisations about characteristics that could be deemed insulting.
• We have readers in 80+ countries worldwide – try to avoid references that would confuse other nationalities.
Please do not telephone the office to follow up submissions – if you do not hear back from us, you should assume we are unable to use your proposal.
Sample release forms
Model Release
By signing this document:
I irrevocably consent to the Photographer (and its licensees and assigns) incorporating my image or likeness in photographs or illustrations in any form or media (images) and reproducing, publishing and communicating the Images in any form and media for any purpose, whether commercial or otherwise (including advertising), and to the use of my name and any other text or works in connection with the Images. I waive any right to inspect or approve the Images or any publication incorporating the Images and any right to compensation for the use of the Images by the Photographer, its licensees and assigns. I release the Photographer, its licensees and assigns from any or all claims, actions, proceedings, demands and expenses and other liabilit y that may arise in connection with the use of the Images by any person. I confirm that I am either over 18 years of age or that my parent or guardian has also agreed to these terms by signing in the space provided below.
I understand and agree to the above.
Signed: _____________Signed by parent/guardian: __________________
Print name: _____________Print name: __________________________
Address/email/phone number: _________________________________
Description of image: ________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Date: ____________________________________________________
Property Release
By signing this document:
I irrevocably consent to the Photographer (and its licensees and assigns) incorporating an image or likeness of the property described below in photographs or illustrations in any form or media (images) and reproducing, publishing and communicating the Images in any form and media for any purpose, whether commercial or otherwise (including advertising). I waive any right to inspect or approve the Images or any publication incorporating the Images and any right to compensation for the use of the Images by the Photographer, its licensees and assigns. I release the Photographer, its licensees and assigns from any or all claims, actions, proceedings, demands and expenses and other liability that may arise in connection with the use of the Images by any person.
I warrant that I am the owner of the property and/or am fully authorized to enter this property release.
Signed: _____________Print name: _____________________________
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GLOSSARY
advance monies paid to an author in advance of actual sales, as part of a royalty-based agreement
back-of-the-book magazine section reserved for promotions, round-up pieces and classified advertisements
brief an assignment given to an author, usually indicating the subject, style and word count expected by the publication
bright a short, front-of-the-book article
byline a line in a newspaper, etc., naming the writer of the article
clips copies of a writer’s previously published articles
commission an assignment given to a writer that is guaranteed to be published by a publication
contributor guidelines rules, principles and advice from a publication as to how to submit material for their consideration or publication
copy-edit to edit text by checking its grammatical and factual consistency and accuracy
embargo a contracted period of time during which the original assigning publication forbids you to reprint the story with another publication
fact box essential information to complement a travel article, such as how to get there, where to stay, where to eat
flat fee method of payment where author receives a set fee for their writing
front-of-the-book magazine section that includes short articles or ‘brights’
in medias res without preamble; in the middle of
kill fee compensation given when a publication decides not to publish a commissioned or accepted article
lead introductory segment of a story
lead time amount of advance time a publication needs to plan its content and articles
lede US spelling for lead
masthead in a newspaper, etc., the section at the front of the publication or top of the editorial page where the publication’s staff is listed
middle-of-the-book section of a magazine where the high-profile feature articles are published
nut graf a ‘nutshell paragraph’; journalism slang for the editorial heart of the story
on spec ‘on speculation’; in the hope of success but without formal agreement or instruction from a publication
peg an occasion, theme or pretext, which often forms the basis of or reason for an article
pitch a proposal for an article idea
query see pitch
SASE self-addressed, stamped envelope
section break a line break or graphic element (in text) that tells the reader one sequence has ended and another is beginning
sidebar see fact box
sub-edit see copy-edit
transition connecting word or phrase that acts like a bridge between parts of an article
vox pop popular opinion
About the authors
Don George
National Geographic has described Don George as ‘a legendary travel writer and editor.’ Don has been exploring new frontiers as an author, editor and adventurer for more than 30 years. Currently Editor at Large and Book Columnist for National Geographic Traveler magazine, Features Editor and blogger for Gadling.com, Editor of Recce: Literary Journeys for the Discerning Traveler (www.geoex.com/blog), and host of the Adventure Collection’s blog, The Adventurous Traveler (www.adventurecollection.com), Don has also been Glob
al Travel Editor for Lonely Planet, Travel Editor at the San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle and founder and Editor of Salon.com’s Wanderlust travel site. Don’s stories have been selected to appear in numerous collections, and he has edited nine travel anthologies, including Lonely Planet’s acclaimed Better Than Fiction, The Kindness of Strangers, By the Seat of My Pants, and Tales from Nowhere. Don has won numerous awards for his writing and editing, including the Society of American Travel Writers’ Lowell Thomas Award. His most recent book, The Way of Wanderlust: The Best Travel Writing of Don George, was published in 2015. See more at www.don-george.com.
Janine Eberle
Janine sat behind a desk at Lonely Planet for many years, working as commissioning editor and publisher (amongst other things), emerging every so often to research guidebooks from Austria to India. Finally, she succumbed to the lure of the wild and today she’s a freelance writer and editor. She writes about her adopted hometown at secretsofparis.com
Published in July 2017 by Lonely Planet Global Limited
CRN 554153
www.lonelyplanet.com
eISBN 978 1 7870 1000 0
© Lonely Planet 2017
Photographs © as indicated
Written by Don George with Janine Eberle
Managing Director, Publishing Piers Pickard
Associate Publisher Robin Barton
Commissioning Editor Jessica Cole
Art Direction Daniel Di Paolo
Layout Designer Mariana Sameiro
Editors Janine Eberle, Lucy Doncaster
eBook Production Craig Kilburn
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise except brief extracts for the purpose of review, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
