In it, you'll find top-quality travel articles and photographs produced by members of ITWPA -- sound travel advice to save you time, money, and trouble when you travel. Plus riveting stories and extraordinary photos about destinations the world over. 

The Travel Post Monthly also serves as a free travel newswire service for editors - we'll bring you top-notch travel articles and photographs in each issue along with contact details for the travel writers and photographers so you can make direct contact with our members.

Privacy Policy: ITWPA will never sell, rent or otherwise abuse your email address. Should you wish to unsubscribe at any time, instructions are included with each email for immediate removal from the Travel Post Monthly subscriber file.

At Travel Post Monthly, we publish sound travel advice that saves readers time, money, and trouble when they travel as well as short, engaging stories about destinations the world over -- those, too, with a practical bent.

Photo Needs

We're always in the market for travel-related photographs to illustrate our stories or our front cover... as well as stand-alone images that give the viewer a real sense of place and tell a story themselves.

Photos can also be about travel generally -- a person packing a suitcase or waiting for a train, for example. People in shots of this nature should appear happy, healthy, and look like they're having fun.

We don't accept "dated" photos that have obviously been sitting around for years. Our publication is timely, and we want human subjects and backgrounds to look modern.  We also prefer photos that appeal to a broad audience, rather than "family album" shots.

We encourage creative angles, action shots, and unusual photos you don't see every day.

Your photos are more likely to be accepted for publication if they:

1. Focus on one clear, interesting subject and are virtually clutter-free.
2. Are professional-looking, in-focus, well-exposed, and don't include date stamps or other distractions.
3. Illustrate the people, places, and activities mentioned in your article.

Details about Rights

Travel Post Monthly functions not only as a stand-alone travel publication, but also as a vehicle to profile and promote the work of ITWPA members. We send it to an ever-expanding list of editors looking for travel content for their own publications. When they find a story or photo they'd like to publish, they are instructed to contact the author (you) directly to negotiate rights and fees.

Travel Post Monthly does not -- at this time -- pay contributors. But we work hard to get your work in front of editors who do.

Contributors maintain all rights to articles and photographs published in Travel Post Monthly. We will keep past issues archived on our searchable website so that editors looking for material about a particular destination, for example, can find yours.

But say you've sold a photo -- and the editor has purchased the archive rights or even worldwide rights -- just let us know and we'll take your piece down.

On the other hand, say you've sold a photo that appears here -- but only relinquished one-time rights. We're happy to keep it in the Travel Post Monthly archive for editors to find a second time. When one contacts you, you can simply tell him or her what rights are available.

If you have already sold certain -- but not all -- rights to your image and would like your photo considered for publication in Travel Post Monthly, please state which rights remain and are available for sale when you submit your photo.

Note: You must own the copyright to your image. You automatically own the copyright to an image the instant you take a shot. But you may sell this copyright to others. And if you have, you cannot submit that photograph here for our consideration.

Specifications for Photo Submissions

To submit a photo to Travel Post Monthly, go to our online submission form at: Click here to complete the submission form. You should know:

1. We prefer color images.
2. We consider high-resolution digital image files only.  (If you're shooting film or transparencies, please scan your images in color (unless photo is black and white) at 300 dpi (dots per inch) at a size no smaller than 3 x 4 and saved as a JPEG file.)  All files will be shrunk for optimal web viewing.  Should an editor wish to purchase your photograph, you'll be responsible for supplying him or her with the original, high-resolution version.  Travel Post Monthly does not store your image and can not manage the sale for you.
3. Label each image with your name, email address, telephone number, and an individual reference number or code that will help you identify the picture should someone want to buy it.  An editor or photo buyer may email you requesting picture DSC16785, for instance, and you'll want to be able to identify the high-resolution version of that shot on your own computer. 

Include With Each Photo

Again, you'll find the photo submission form for Travel Post Monthly here: Photo Submission Form

On that page, we will ask you to provide the following information with your photo:

1. The city, state, and country in which the photo was taken.
2. A caption describing the location or action captured in the picture. (Captions should be no longer than 75 words.)
3. Your name and email address as you'd like them to appear in the magazine (and so we can contact you).
4. Whether or not you have a model release available.
5. What rights are available for sale with your photo.

Priority Given to ITWPA Members

Please be aware that we give priority to photos submitted by ITWPA members. But we are happy to receive submissions from other travel photographers as well.

• How-To -- Useful advice for saving readers time, money, or trouble when they travel. Think of these as tips you'd pass along to a friend. 50-300 words.
  
  
• Destinations -- Stories about towns, cities, states, regions, or even nations. Keep your story angle relatively narrow. Instead of offering a piece about "Colorado," we'd prefer something like "a great family ski resort in Colorado." 100-600 words.
  
  
• Dining -- Our readers are always interested in great places to eat -- particularly ones they wouldn't typically find as a tourist. If you know a great local culinary treasure anywhere in the world -- anything from a neighborhood pizza joint to a new, upscale restaurant, let us know. 100-600 words.
  
  
• Overnight -- Articles about hotels, resorts, B&B's, camp grounds, and more. Articles can focus on just one place or could include a short round-up. 100-600 words.
  

• On the Calendar -- If you have a seasonal article, something about a festival or special event that's time-sensitive, make sure to send it in at least two months before the event will take place.  50-300 words.
  
  
• What’s Hot -- Notice a trend? The next hot Chicago neighborhood, perhaps. Or maybe you've found the perfect shoe shop… in Mexico. Or identified the next Parisian fashion trend… and a great shop in Baltimore bringing the goods Stateside. Send us your stories about quirky or hot finds the world over. 50-300 words.
  

How to Submit an Article

We accept only full manuscripts, so you needn't send a query before you submit an article for consideration.

Please send your article as an attached Word (.doc) file. Do not include colors or extra formatting in your article. Send it single-spaced in 12pt font with one space between paragraphs... no need to indent.

Include in the body of your email a short note introducing your story and yourself (and let us know if you're an ITWPA member).

Also include your name as you wish it to appear in your by-line along with your email address. That way editors will be able to contact you directly should they be interested in publishing your piece.

Photos are a major plus. If you have photos, you may send up to five along with your article as attachments. Please reduce them to 600 pixels wide before you send, and let us know if you have more to choose from.

You can send your submission by email here.

Or to: submissions [at] travelpostmonthly [dot] com.

Priority Given to ITWPA Members

Please be aware that we give priority to stories submitted by ITWPA members. But we are happy to receive submissions from other travel writers as well.

Details about Rights

Travel Post Monthly functions not only as a stand-alone travel publication, but also as a vehicle to profile and promote the work of ITWPA members. We send it to a list of editors looking for travel content for their own publications. When they find a story or photo they'd like to publish, they are instructed to contact the author (you) directly to negotiate rights and fees.

Travel Post Monthly does not -- at this time -- pay contributors. But we work hard to get your work in front of editors who do.

Contributors maintain all rights to articles published in Travel Post Monthly. We will keep past issues archived on our searchable website so that editors looking for material about a particular destination, for example, can find yours.

But say you've sold an article -- and the editor has purchased the archive rights or even worldwide rights -- just let us know and we'll take your piece down.

On the other hand, say you’ve sold a piece that appears here -- but only relinquished one-time rights. We're happy to keep it in the Travel Post Monthly archive for editors to find a second time. And if one contacts you, you can simply tell them what rights are available.

Earn More: IT’S NOT WHAT YOU WRITE, IT’S WHO YOU MEET

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ITWPA INSIDER #2

September 15, 2006

Edited by Stan Sinberg in San Francisco

"Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for the love of it, then you do it for a few friends, and finally you do it for money." - Moliere  

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Today:

*** EARN MORE: The Importance of Meeting Editors
*** QUICK TIP: How to Keep Up-to-Date on Editorial Changes
*** YOUR PASSWORD: How to Get into the ITWPA Members-Only Website
*** FEATURED PRESS TRIP: Get Fit at Rancho Cortez

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Photographs Sell Articles – It’s True!

Want to increases your chances of making a sale?  It’s a fact that editors are looking for complete photo/text packages.  Learn how to shoot professional-quality photographs with your point-and-shoot camera.

Here’s how: www.thephotographerslife.com/phc/itwpa

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THE IMPORTANCE OF MEETING EDITORS
By Stan Sinberg

As a professional writer who thinks his stuff is pretty darn good, here’s what I think about networking and schmoozing editors:  It’s a waste of time. 

After all, editors are highly-intelligent professionals who will surely recognize I’m a great writer, so what’s the point of doing the ingratiating meet-and-greet? I could spend that time working on more saleable articles, or hanging out at the beach.

As a professional writer who likes to eat and has been living in the real world for twenty years, here’s what I think about networking and schmoozing editors: DO IT! EVERY CHANCE YOU GET! I IMPLORE YOU!

Editors are a conservative, cautious bunch who don’t trust their own judgment and like to work with people they know.

I have numerous stories from my life about why this latter course is important, but this is my current favorite:

About 16 years ago, I received several form rejection letters from one of the top two or three men’s magazines published in this country. 

Then I attended an ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors) Workshop in New York, and the editor of this same publication was moderating a panel. After the panel, I introduced myself and mentioned I’d sent a few pitches in. He asked me about them, liked one, and requested I send it to him personally.

The following day, a Monday, I walked eight blocks from my apartment to the magazine’s office, and left a copy of my essay with the receptionist. The very next day, a Tuesday, I opened up my mailbox and there was a check from the magazine for $1,000. This began a relationship that included me writing several pieces on assignment. 

I was bowled over at how accessible the editor was, and when I taught writing classes over the years, always included this tale as an example of why it’s important to meet editors: It got me past the slush pile into the head honcho’s field of vision, and, since he was now able to put a face to the pitch, he was more disposed to buy it.

That’s a pretty good yarn, but not the end.

Two years later, I moved across the country to work for a newspaper and stopped freelancing for them. Over the next decade and a half, I freelanced for other publications, but the men’s magazine fell off my radar.

Then, a couple months ago, a number of my regular freelance gigs dried up at the same time, and I went flying headlong in the wrong direction of the feast-or-famine cycle. I browsed mediabistro.com, looking for new markets to pitch, came across this same men’s publication, and lo and behold, the same editor was still at the helm! This is almost unheard of, but there it was.

So I sent him a “I’m sure you don’t remember me…” email, recounting how I’d met him 16 years ago at a writing conference and how I’ve told the story of meeting him in my ensuing classes. 

I also included a pitch for a feature. You guessed it – the next day, in my email, there was a note with a deal for the piece for $2,000. And now, again, I’m writing a regular feature for them, as well. That meeting close to two decades ago, has revitalized my freelance life today!

I know other writers with similar stories. Against our better judgment, we realize that meeting editors and other guardians of the printed page is a very productive use of one’s time.

Why? Well, as mentioned, sometimes it’s just because you got past the hired underling whose job it is to reject 90% of what crosses his or her desk. It is safer, after all, to reject a decent piece than to pass along something the editor winds up hating. And part of it is human nature: People tend to work with people they know, even if it’s only for a short while and rather obliquely.

This certainly doesn’t mean you can’t get published without meeting editors, or if you live in the boonies: far from it. The pages of our major publications would be pretty thin if that were true. Nor does it mean that you WILL get published just because you and an editor hit it off. You still have to be able to produce and the editor still has to have a need for it. 

But it increases your odds. Gives you an edge… an ‘in’… a break, if you will. Once you have that, the rest is up to you.

How to Meet Editors

So how do you meet editors? Writing workshops are one good way; the editors who attend are generally looking for new writers, and certainly are expecting to be approached. Sometimes they appear on…

(continued below)

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**Advertisement**

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Learn how to find the best story ideas and places to publish them... how and when to follow up with an editor... what you need to know about buying rights, contracts, and agreements... how to use syndication to increase your exposure and boost your earnings... and more...

Get the details here www.thetravelwriterslife.com/biz/itwpa

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..panel discussions on various issues, or attend media parties, where you can introduce yourself, get their card, and pitch later.

Of course, if you have a friend, or a friend of a friend, who knows the editor, or, for that matter ANYONE at the magazine, it’s good to ask for an introduction.

Another way to approach this is to scan the masthead and email someone further down the food chain – an assistant or associate editor – and casually ask for their advice on how best to contact the editor. There’s a decent chance the associate will feel flattered (and important) by your request, and try to help you, just to prove that he IS important.

If none of those scenarios is possible, you can try calling or emailing the editor, and mention that you’re a long-time reader and fan, and will be in town for a few days and you’d like to arrange a short in-person introduction. Admittedly this is more of a long-shot, but if you’re persistent and personable, you might find a receptive and empathetic soul.

Use your imagination, be persistent, but don’t be obnoxious, and don’t be rude or angry when you’re turned down.  And pitch again. The editor may even begin to recognize your name without remembering WHY he recognizes it.

My idealistic self still believes that meeting editors SHOULDN’T matter. But 16 years ago, an eight-block walk taught me otherwise.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stan Sinberg is editor of the ITWPA Insider and an award-winning humor columnist and travel writer whose work has appeared in publications ranging from the Chicago Tribune to South America Explorer to Indy Men's Magazine. He has been a satiric radio commentator on San Francisco's "World Class Rock" station, KFOG, and is co-creator of the long-running musical-comedy revue, "For Whom the Bridge Tolls." He was a featured speaker at AWAI's Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop last month in Denver. For a copy of his presentations, click here:

www.thetravelwriterslife.com/trc/getstarted

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QUICK TIP: For the latest on who’s in and who’s out at magazines, check out mediabistro.com’s “Revolving Door” updates on their website: www.mediabistro.com.

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THIS MONTH’S WEBSITE PASSWORD:

Check out the members-only section of the ITWPA website (www.itwpa.com) and share stories and travel tips… read archived issues of the newsletter… browse articles on writing better, traveling smarter, earning more… and sift through the many discounts available to you as a member of the ITWPA.

This month’s username and password are:

Username: mteverest
Password: himalayas

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THIS WEEK'S FEATURED PRESS TRIP:

One problem with comped press trips is you tend to gain weight. Well, Rancho Cortez Guest House in Bandera, Texas is offering a trip that promises the opposite result. The first day starts with a comprehensive two-hour fitness assessment, followed by a regimen of kickboxing, weight training, hiking, and water aerobics. Horseback riding and hot-tubbing are also available. Rancho Cortez claims a typical guest loses about five pounds a week. Writers are offered a free stay with a discount rate for family and companions. Go to www.ranchocortez.com and email mary@ranchocortez.com for details.

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The ITWPA Insider is a FREE twice monthly newsletter from the International Travel Writers & Photographers Alliance, available to ITWPA members only.

(c) 2006 ITWPA, info@itwpa.com

To LEARN MORE, visit:
www.itwpa.com

CHANGE OF ADDRESS? E-mail us at info@itwpa.com with both your old AND new information in the body of the message.

Each issue is packed with tightly edited articles that contain sound advice for saving time, money, and trouble when you travel… plus riveting stories and photos of destinations the world over.

We think of this publication as a travel content wire service, really, a way to deliver to editors like you excellent travel articles and photos you can pick up for your own magazine, newspaper, or online publication.

When you want to publish a story or photo you see in Travel Post Monthly, you simply contact the author directly -- the contact information for each contributor is listed clearly alongside each article or photo -- and negotiate rights and fees directly with him or her, just as you would with any freelancer.  As an editor, you can sign on for this service at no charge.

Essentially, Travel Post Monthly serves as a travel content syndicate. To avail yourself of this service -- free for editors -- enter your name, publication, and email address here and we'll put you on the subscriber list:

If you're looking for polished travel articles and photos to fill your publication, you'll be pleased with the content you find in the ITWPA's online magazine, Travel Post Monthly.

We think of this publication as a travel content wire service, really, a way to deliver to editors excellent travel articles and photos available for publication in their own magazines, newspapers, and online publications.

When you want to publish a story or photo you see in Travel Post Monthly, you simply contact the author directly -- the contact information for each contributor is listed clearly alongside each article or photo -- and negotiate rights and fees directly with him or her, just as you would with any freelancer.  

As an editor, you can sign on for this service at no charge.

Each issue of Travel Post Monthly is packed with tightly edited articles that contain sound advice for saving time, money, and trouble when you travel… plus riveting stories and photos of destinations the world over.

Essentially, Travel Post Monthly serves as a travel content syndicate. To avail yourself of this service -- free for editors -- sign up here:

2) Join the ITWPA as a Member for Half Price

Because we're always interested in adding editors to our ranks at the ITWPA, we'd like to invite you to join for half-price.

The regular membership dues are $249 per year. But we can offer you a special courtesy rate of $124.50.

To take advantage of this offer, send an email to Jackie Flynn and mention that you are an editor and give the name of your publication.

• The ITWPA Insider, an advice-packed e-letter, delivered twice a month. Each issue provides how-to tips for writing better, taking better photos, traveling smarter, and earning more… plus you get listings of press trips and other offers of hospitality for qualified writers and photographers.
   
• Top priority, as an ITWPA member, when you submit your articles to the Travel Post Monthly, the ITWPA's online magazine. This is a great place to land a by-line and get your articles in front of editors looking for content for their own publications. The Travel Post Monthly essentially functions as a travel content wire service. Editors interested in publishing articles or photos they find there contact contributors directly. This provides members excellent exposure.
   
• Your own Professional Online Photo Gallery, a website where you can display your photo portfolio for potential photo buyers. It takes less than 10 minutes to set up, and it gives your presentation an extremely polished look. (To see a sample of one member's, click here: www.mygalleryplace.com/suewright )
   
• Discounts of more than $300 on writing- and travel-related resources, including workshops, travel supplies, recommended books, magazine subscriptions, and more.
   
• Access to the password-protected portion of the ITWPA website where you'll find a vast collection of valuable resources, including the 2006 Writer's Tax Guide (a $24.50 value), yours at no charge with membership.
   
• The ITWPA's Members-Only Online Forum, an excellent place to go to get answers to your questions and to share your ideas, opinions, and experiences with your fellow members.
   
• A personalized ITWPA Member ID Card.

Member Qualifications: Though ITWPA members are just as likely to be full-time writers and photographers as they are part-time, we ask that members nevertheless publish at least two travel articles or sell two photographs a year to maintain their member status. Of course, it's our mission to help you do that!

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