Taking advice from a relative at Marketappeal, a company specialising in SEO, I learned to focus my thoughts and identify three kinds of travel writing, which I then expanded to eight:
The question is, do you wish to move to, or stay in, any of these categories? Which do you like to write about? Which would make you the most money? Which do you like to read?
1 Personal and semi-private travel records:
a) You are (Name) and these are your travels. If you go every year to Spain you might attract others interested in Spain. If you go to random places, you will interest your family and friends. (For your information, my family says this is me.)
b) Retired: you were paid and well-known in the field. You want to keep up your records in case you go back to work in this field. (Again, this is me.)
2 World Famous Traveller: You are so recognisable, royalty, or a reality programme star and so famous that if you so much as have a cup of coffee everybody wants to do the same. (I do have a recognisable name. Four of us are called Angela Lansbury, one world famous actress, two writers (I am the author of ten books by regular publishers and ten more self-published), and one more name-alike.
3 Notorious. Same as 2.
4 Edgy- sharp, rude, tells it how it is, willing to upset a restaurant owner. The pubic can rely on you to say this place is dirty and dire and the food is awful and here's my amusing rudeness on it. If you are aggressive, a multi-millionaire and can defend yourself in a physical fight or against a lawsuit, this is for you. (Think of Jeremy Clarkson, AA Gill.) ... The public love you because you tell it how it is. You are on the side of the consumer.
5 Sweetie. You smile at the owner of the restaurant, say nice things. To be fair to the consumer, and for your own records, if it goes wrong, you damn with faint praise. Maybe if you want to get paid, you should be in PR. Or writing advertorial. (This is me. I started in advertising but want my name known. I want both fame and money.)
6 PR. You are working for the products, for money, not your name. Their name is known and advertised. Your name may be hidden. You might become famous as a PR company. Things can go badly wrong if the product turns out to be bad. If you are upfront about being a PR company, some say no publicity is bad publicity.
You have to be prepared to be working for one company one day and the opposition the next. Keep a sharp eye on any clause preventing you working for anybody else. Your income depends on working for whoever pays you. You may well only want to be working for one company rather than their rivals whilst they are paying you well.
However, after you leave, who will pay you? Beware of any clause that forbids you ever writing another book or article on your area of expertise. (For example, never writing another travel book, cookery book, book on health food). That would kill your career/income.
Supposing you take all your holidays in Greece, Spain, Canada, Mexico, and become an expert on that. You devote 6 months to travelling at your own expense and one publisher produces a book, which could be a great success and make your name; or the book could be a total flop leaving you penniless at the end of six months. You want to be able to follow up with another book. If your publisher wants another book, that's great. But if they don't, you want to be able to go elsewhere.
I changed a clause in a publisher's contract from agreeing I would never write another book on the same subject for another publisher. I changed it to I would not write another book for another publisher within 6 months. (I calculated that was the amount of time the money I was paid would last.) I thought that was enough time for them to advertise my book that Xmas/season). I added that if I wrote another book on the same subject within one year I would approach them first. I added that if they wanted another book on the same subject they should offer it to me before another writer. Fair's fair.
7 Focus on Free, Cheap, Mass-Market
Like tabloid newspapers, high readership, many readers on a budget. Daily deals. You earn not from clicks but from a percentage of sales made by links to other sites.
8 Focus on Expensive Luxury Goods
Small numbers of readers and buyers but big spenders.
If you want to make money from marketing your product, try market appeal. Run by a member of my family. To quote Mandy Rice Davis, she would say that wouldn't she.
Angela Lansbury, B A Hons, travel writer, author, speaker.
Author of:
1 Enquire Within Upon Travel and Holidays. (Barrie & Jenkins.)
2 Unforgettable British Weekends. (Settle, UK. Another publisher in the USA.)
3 Jewish Travel. (Self-published, started as a record of my weekly talks on radio in London, later by phone from Singapore and Malaysia to London, covering subjects such as the Sassoons and HSBC - Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank; WWII Sassoons organising escape ship for Jews and spare places given to Catholics and others.)
I expanded to an A-Z of countries from Albania (Moslems helping Jews) onwards - covering everybody worldwide remotely Jewish throughout history from biblical times (which is history shared with Christians Old Testament and Moslems pre-dating Mohammed - plus, of course, all others - agnostics, Hindus, pagans and atheist historians and readers), Hollywood and today: graves of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba in assorted African continent countries, through Marx in Mexico, US stars such as Al Jolson, and sites associated with Marilyn Monroe, writers such as French Proust, Elvis who was shabbos goy for a neighbour, and WWII, Anne Frank UK/Holland/Germany, Schindler Museum Poland, and all the Levi jeans and denim connections in the USA and Europe/Germany; photo points such as statues of Anne Frank, Amy Winehouse, Sir Nicholas Winton.)
If you need an article or speaker on radio, TV or to a group, I have the research ability and enthusiasm to find something surprising and entertaining for you and your audience.
(You will find most of these people such as Winehouse and Winton mentioned in my previous posts on this blog.)
Summary - for writers and readers
Your blog or book on travel can aim at:
1 Your family history.
2 Fame for your name.
3 Good and bad - with edgy and outrageous battles with bad restaurants and hotels to defend the consumer.
4 Mass market - cheap and cheerful, good deals - maximum readership including those seeking what's free.
5 Luxury travel - very small numbers of high spenders: five star hotels, exclusive islands, where to buy your Rolex and uncut diamonds and hire or park your yacht.
6 Money-making - PR, never mind your name, work promoting whoever pays.
If you are not a writer but a reader, now you can see clearly what your favourite author is trying to do and why some of them appeal to you. If you are a writer you can also see why other writers are doing the opposite. You can work out what's in it for the writers and what's in it for the readers.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, speaker.
PS Some marketing advisers say that when you are on radio or in writing you should mention the title of whatever book or film or product you are promoting five to seven times. If you publish in a place where you can add several links so you can add 'buy now' or 'go to sales page'.
Angela Lansbury, writer, author, speaker.
The question is, do you wish to move to, or stay in, any of these categories? Which do you like to write about? Which would make you the most money? Which do you like to read?
1 Personal and semi-private travel records:
a) You are (Name) and these are your travels. If you go every year to Spain you might attract others interested in Spain. If you go to random places, you will interest your family and friends. (For your information, my family says this is me.)
b) Retired: you were paid and well-known in the field. You want to keep up your records in case you go back to work in this field. (Again, this is me.)
2 World Famous Traveller: You are so recognisable, royalty, or a reality programme star and so famous that if you so much as have a cup of coffee everybody wants to do the same. (I do have a recognisable name. Four of us are called Angela Lansbury, one world famous actress, two writers (I am the author of ten books by regular publishers and ten more self-published), and one more name-alike.
3 Notorious. Same as 2.
4 Edgy- sharp, rude, tells it how it is, willing to upset a restaurant owner. The pubic can rely on you to say this place is dirty and dire and the food is awful and here's my amusing rudeness on it. If you are aggressive, a multi-millionaire and can defend yourself in a physical fight or against a lawsuit, this is for you. (Think of Jeremy Clarkson, AA Gill.) ... The public love you because you tell it how it is. You are on the side of the consumer.
5 Sweetie. You smile at the owner of the restaurant, say nice things. To be fair to the consumer, and for your own records, if it goes wrong, you damn with faint praise. Maybe if you want to get paid, you should be in PR. Or writing advertorial. (This is me. I started in advertising but want my name known. I want both fame and money.)
6 PR. You are working for the products, for money, not your name. Their name is known and advertised. Your name may be hidden. You might become famous as a PR company. Things can go badly wrong if the product turns out to be bad. If you are upfront about being a PR company, some say no publicity is bad publicity.
You have to be prepared to be working for one company one day and the opposition the next. Keep a sharp eye on any clause preventing you working for anybody else. Your income depends on working for whoever pays you. You may well only want to be working for one company rather than their rivals whilst they are paying you well.
However, after you leave, who will pay you? Beware of any clause that forbids you ever writing another book or article on your area of expertise. (For example, never writing another travel book, cookery book, book on health food). That would kill your career/income.
Supposing you take all your holidays in Greece, Spain, Canada, Mexico, and become an expert on that. You devote 6 months to travelling at your own expense and one publisher produces a book, which could be a great success and make your name; or the book could be a total flop leaving you penniless at the end of six months. You want to be able to follow up with another book. If your publisher wants another book, that's great. But if they don't, you want to be able to go elsewhere.
I changed a clause in a publisher's contract from agreeing I would never write another book on the same subject for another publisher. I changed it to I would not write another book for another publisher within 6 months. (I calculated that was the amount of time the money I was paid would last.) I thought that was enough time for them to advertise my book that Xmas/season). I added that if I wrote another book on the same subject within one year I would approach them first. I added that if they wanted another book on the same subject they should offer it to me before another writer. Fair's fair.
7 Focus on Free, Cheap, Mass-Market
Like tabloid newspapers, high readership, many readers on a budget. Daily deals. You earn not from clicks but from a percentage of sales made by links to other sites.
8 Focus on Expensive Luxury Goods
Small numbers of readers and buyers but big spenders.
If you want to make money from marketing your product, try market appeal. Run by a member of my family. To quote Mandy Rice Davis, she would say that wouldn't she.
Angela Lansbury, B A Hons, travel writer, author, speaker.
Author of:
1 Enquire Within Upon Travel and Holidays. (Barrie & Jenkins.)
2 Unforgettable British Weekends. (Settle, UK. Another publisher in the USA.)
3 Jewish Travel. (Self-published, started as a record of my weekly talks on radio in London, later by phone from Singapore and Malaysia to London, covering subjects such as the Sassoons and HSBC - Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank; WWII Sassoons organising escape ship for Jews and spare places given to Catholics and others.)
I expanded to an A-Z of countries from Albania (Moslems helping Jews) onwards - covering everybody worldwide remotely Jewish throughout history from biblical times (which is history shared with Christians Old Testament and Moslems pre-dating Mohammed - plus, of course, all others - agnostics, Hindus, pagans and atheist historians and readers), Hollywood and today: graves of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba in assorted African continent countries, through Marx in Mexico, US stars such as Al Jolson, and sites associated with Marilyn Monroe, writers such as French Proust, Elvis who was shabbos goy for a neighbour, and WWII, Anne Frank UK/Holland/Germany, Schindler Museum Poland, and all the Levi jeans and denim connections in the USA and Europe/Germany; photo points such as statues of Anne Frank, Amy Winehouse, Sir Nicholas Winton.)
If you need an article or speaker on radio, TV or to a group, I have the research ability and enthusiasm to find something surprising and entertaining for you and your audience.
(You will find most of these people such as Winehouse and Winton mentioned in my previous posts on this blog.)
Summary - for writers and readers
Your blog or book on travel can aim at:
1 Your family history.
2 Fame for your name.
3 Good and bad - with edgy and outrageous battles with bad restaurants and hotels to defend the consumer.
4 Mass market - cheap and cheerful, good deals - maximum readership including those seeking what's free.
5 Luxury travel - very small numbers of high spenders: five star hotels, exclusive islands, where to buy your Rolex and uncut diamonds and hire or park your yacht.
6 Money-making - PR, never mind your name, work promoting whoever pays.
If you are not a writer but a reader, now you can see clearly what your favourite author is trying to do and why some of them appeal to you. If you are a writer you can also see why other writers are doing the opposite. You can work out what's in it for the writers and what's in it for the readers.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, speaker.
PS Some marketing advisers say that when you are on radio or in writing you should mention the title of whatever book or film or product you are promoting five to seven times. If you publish in a place where you can add several links so you can add 'buy now' or 'go to sales page'.
Angela Lansbury, writer, author, speaker.
Update
Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.
Quick Quotations
Who Said What When
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