Making the Transition from Blogger to Professional Travel Writer
A one-day seminar with Heather Stimmler-Hall
Sunday April 3rd, 10am-5pm.
Fee: €95 (limited to 10 participants; payable in advance by check or PayPal)
Location : La Cuisine (80 Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville, 4th)
The world of publishing has changed enormously since I started, both in traditional news journalism and travel writing. The slow collapse of traditional publishing methods and the growth of personal blogs and user-generated content online have made the world of writing and information sharing accessible to anyone with computer access. But despite the rapidly-changing rules of the game and the influx of writers with no prior professional experience, there are still some rules that apply in the world of professional travel writing. Knowing what they are is essential for breaking into the ever-shrinking market for paid content.
In this one-day seminar, I will cover all of the basics you need to know when making the transition from blogger to professional travel writer, from the practicalities of the industry to advice on improving travel writing skills. Topics covered will include:
-
The major differences between personal blogging and professional travel writing
-
What editors are looking for when hiring writers
-
Tips on how to make your writing instantly more professional
-
How to sort PR/marketing hype from the truth (sharpening your skepticism)
-
Improving your research skills (primary vs secondary sources)
-
Ethical issues in travel writing (press trips, freebies and “paraphrasing”
-
How to build (or destroy) your reputation as a reliable, professional writer
-
Advice on invoicing, payment, and taxes (including info on AGESSA)
-
How to find these elusive paid gigs (and how to weed out the dubious ones)
Once registered, participants will be given a questionnaire to fill out detailing any writing experience, the URL of personal blogs or content online, and what each participant hopes to learn in this seminar. I also encourage all participants to send in any questions they may have in advance so I can be sure to answer all of them. The seminar will be an interactive experience, with the opportunity for each participant to share their experiences and a few fun writing exercises, so bring along your notebooks and pens!
Lunch
There will be a one-hour break to eat. You can bring your own lunch (we have access to the kitchen) or I can recommend some great little cafés nearby.
For more information or to register, email Heather secretsofparis@gmail.com
About Heather
I started my journalism career in high school (1989), where I helped produce a weekly print newspaper as a writer and then editor. I became the Teen Correspondent for the Phoenix Gazette (now the AZ Republic) my senior year of high school, attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State, and received a journalism scholarship to attend Carleton College (in Northfield, Minnesota) where I majored in Political Science (I was planning on being a White House correspondent). While studying, I worked as editorial assistant, writer and photographer for the college’s External Relations/News Bureau Department and edited two student publications.
I moved to Paris as a student in 1995 and started a Yahoo! Group called “Secrets of Paris”, and became the Paris writer for Suite101.com. After moving to France permanently in 1998, I joined the editorial team of the newly-created ELLE.com, in charge of the Travel, Décor and News sections of the site. In 2000 I moved to the south of France and began my freelance career, first as a general news journalist, then exclusively as a travel writer for local and international newspapers, magazines, websites, and guidebooks. After moving back to Paris in 2004, I continued writing travel articles and completed my first full-length guidebook, before opening my own independent publishing company, Fleur de Lire Press, which published the Naughty Paris and Naughty New York guides.
You can see my clips and published guidebooks here.
