Besides publishing books my goal was to get paid for writing magazine articles. But first I did my time. I wrote for local papers for free to get exposed and used to the tighter style of writing and meeting a deadline. The first time I was published in Our Canada, a national glossy magazine, even though it was unpaid I was thrilled. What I got out of it was book sales, a free subscription and a place to stay in Ontario. Being an RV writer, I started with RV Times also for free. Writing a series on our cross-Canada trips sold books, and created a fan base which continues to this day.

I couldn’t join BC Association of Travel Writers unless I sold at least two articles per year because this is an organization of professionals. The first year I scrimped to sell two. But by the next year Snowbirds & RV Travel found me and paid for the 10 part series about our 2009 northern trip.

This year after the BCATW gala, an invitation went out for three travel writers to go to Dawson City, Yukon all expenses paid. Yahoo!! I finally felt like I belonged among the other professional travel writers. No more writing for free, or at least minimally and only under special circumstances like for Powell River Living.

Those four days in Dawson were the pinnacle of my travel writing career. I was treated like royalty by tourism and business people alike. Three of us were wined and dined, toured around, given gifts and taken to the Commissioners Ball. The 1898 style ball is formal with dresses being specially designed starting at $2,000. Do I ever have stories! I did my homework ahead of time, contacting the seamstress, the commissioner’s office and an editor for a Yukon magazine.

Could you earn an income with your stories or enjoy what are called “fam tours”/ familiarization tours put on by tourism …YES You Can! Haven’t started yet? Start writing for free in local magazines to build up a portfolio of clips/tear sheets. Set a goal for when you’ll start selling stories. Writing is a job and we deserve to get paid just the same as the ad person does. Among the professionals, it’s a sore point when established writers give their work away because it makes it harder for the rest of us to find editors that will pay.

Start small, learn as you go, attend workshops, pick the brains of experienced magazine writers, study magazine articles  for content and structure.

The Powell River Tourism project is the perfect place for locals to get their feet wet… or is that their computers working? Believe in yourself and your writing and you’ll go far. YES You Can!

Article by Barb Rees, author of two RV books, and free-lance Métis travel writer and speaker. www.write2dream.com

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May 15th, 2010
POWELL RIVER TOURISM WRITERS GUIDELINES
FOR TOURISM WEB-BASED STORIES
SHOWCASING THE POWELL RIVER REGION
SUBMISSIONS
SENDING A QUERY

PR Tourism welcomes articles from all Powell River Regional writers. You may submit a finished article, but it is recommended that you send a brief written query outlining your story idea before investing your time in an article that may prove unacceptable. Tell the editor who your potential sources will be, and the proposed angle you are pursuing. Indicate how the piece will be illustrated and whether you have photos, illustrations, or graphics. Advise if you have been published.
Email is the preferred method of communication.

Send queries to Darren Robinson, Executive Director, PR Tourism: tourism@discoverpowellriver.com

EDITORIAL PREFERENCES

Tourism is looking for stories that highlight the beauty and viability of the PR Region as a great vacation destination or retirement spot. Interactive tourism is hot, a focus on the Educational, Culinary, and Volunteer Tourism, Habitat for Humanity, are examples. Another example are quirky with a slight edge would be of great interest. And don’t forget those “special characters” in your locale where you can focus on the human element.

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

This is a major tourism project with proper funding and potentially positive benefits for the Region. We are looking for many stories that showcase the following areas: Powell River, Texada, Savary/Lund, and Lasqueti. Please send your queries or stories as soon as possible.

Submit your article as an attachement to your email, not as part of the email itself. Articles should be typed using a wordprocessing program and saved as a “text only” file, extension txt. Always include your name and contact info in your file, as well as the word count and suggested working title for the article.

We are asking for a word count of 400-700 words which ensures good, tight writing, where every word should have weight.

Please proof and spell check your material before submission. Facts should be double-checked, and any contact numbers given in the article should be called to make sure you have not mistyped them and that they are sill in service. Eg: one digit out of sequence can cause huge ramifications, such as some unsuspecting private citizen being deluged by calls relating to an article of which they know nothing. Please pay special attention to names and titles to ensure total accuracy. Articles must be our original work.

PAYMENT AND COPYRIGHT

A flat fee of $100 will be paid  upon website publication. All rights will remain with the author, but with the understanding that they are allowing Powell River Tourism to use their material in various forms on a continuous basis.

PHOTOGRAPHY

There is a small budget of $15 per photo to pay photographers who produce quality shots. Digital form is preferred. Photos that require a lot of touch-up and manipulation to overcome poor lighting, poor composition, or poor focusing will not qualify for payment. Photographic rights remain with the author. A flash program will prevent downloading off the Internet.

SENDING EMAILS

Due to file sizes and storage issues, please attache only text documents(no photographs, PDSs or Word documents with embedded photos). Emails with large attachments will be deleted upon receipt. To avoid disappointment, or a flurry of phone calls, please email additional materials only when they are requested.