Thanks so much for stopping by, Ragnar!

Lara is dead right. Freelance budgets everywhere are tightening up or being axed altogether. In the organisation I work for, the freelance travel writers’ budget no longer exists. Freelance contributions were axed first, and the travel editor is under pressure to fill the gaps. There are some writers who submit their travel stories for free and will continue to do so, a move which further undercuts the freelancer.

Sure, you can submit a couple of stories for free just to get some exposure, but don’t let it become a habit. Value what you write.

Lifestyle sections – often containing travel, food, wine, culture etc – are reliant on advertisers pitching products to readers with disposable incomes. Fewer people have disposable income as the credit crunch bites. And companies such as airlines – big advertisers – are feeling the crunch really badly. They’re cutting routes, selling planes, axing staff and undercutting each other’s fares in a bid to stay profitable.

They say that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. The market is increasingly competitive, and not only do you have to hustle harder, you need to network network network because in the writing business, like so many others, it’s not only what you know, it’s who you know. And with today’s uncertainty, that contact you had yesterday might not have a job tomorrow!

Writing for the Internet is growing, regardless, I think, as the medium grows and the print medium decreases in popularity and through economic downturn.

Blind advertisements are a crock. Avoid them like the plague. Always research the outlet you’re pitching to, to avoid getting burned (ie not paid), even if they’re relatively well known.

Make direct contact – speak to an editor on the phone in the first instance. It’s too easy to ignore emails from aspiring writers. An actual conversation is always best. They’ll remember how your voice sounds and be able to pick up what kind of person you are. Editors are busy. Be persistent. And when you do get through, keep it short and to the point. Your pitch, like a movie pitch, should be 25 words or less. Like I said, editors are busy. Ask for a word count – how long the story should be.

Then go away and write your story and email it asap. Stick to the word count you’ve been given. Over-writing doesn’t make you look keen, it makes you look like an amateur. Nothing makes an editor more irritable than having to cut 2000 words of adjective-laden waffle into 1000 of reasonable copy. If you can submit good photographs, that will help get your story accepted. Don’t call to find out when the story will be published, posted or filed. Invariably there will be changes to the dates and as I said, the editor’s busy!

PS: Always trust your instinct. If something feels wrong, then it probably is.

(Copyright Helena T. 2009)

Thank you *so* much for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences, Helena! Such great advice here

You may have mentioned MediaBistro.com and Travelwriters.com elsewhere, but aspiring writers should also check the discussion boards at those sites too, because writers will post on publications not paying there as well.

The unfortunate thing about the economy at the moment is that so many publications are folding, that even publications that were once very prompt about paying are now having cash-flow problems.

If they’re not closing down, they’re cutting sections and cutting their freelance budgets, so editors are now having to do the work of freelancers. As a result, editors are over-worked now more than ever. New writers need to have a bit of sympathy and keep that in mind when pitching stories. The competition is even tougher as well with so many out-of-work journalists starting to freelance, so it’s crucial to work even harder on writing very creative pitches.

LaraDunston’s last blog post..Travel by postcards: A Little Beijing

Thanks so much for your input, Lara; you’re definitely the travel-writing expert but a lot of what you’ve written here (unfortunately) holds true across the industry right now

So glad you enjoyed the series, Janie! Thanks for reading

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Enjoy your weekend! Wish *I* was coming to Rome!

milanese masala’s last blog post..“Your country is a joke.”

Best of luck and enjoy the weekend