Become a Published Travel Writer

By Martin Li
Reviewed by Volker Poelzl

Writing in the field, while abroad, can lead to becoming a published travel writer.

Look no further if you have been looking for a concise and clear definition of good travel writing and a manual that teaches it. Martin Li's Become a Published Travel Writer is an all-in-one crash course for aspiring travel writers. The eBook puts the most essential travel writing tools at your fingertips so you can start immediately practicing what you have learned.

Many books teach you about the business aspects of travel writing, how to do taxes, take decent photos, go on press trips, get article assignments, etc. Still, Li's eBook tackles the essentials. It focuses on the first skill any travel writer has to master — that of good writing. Li gets to the point from page one and demonstrates to readers the general principles and styles of travel writing most commonly used in publishing. Without preaching lofty concepts and long-winded theories about the art of travel writing, Li shows you how to write well by providing dozens of writing samples that illustrate his points and teach students the how-to's in a clear and easy-to-understand way.

The author also emphasizes that travel writing is not about telling personal stories regarding your travels abroad. A good travel article is tailored to the target publication and target audience. "Think like your reader" is essential advice that is often easily overlooked by beginning travel writers too eager to tell their story and fall into writing more about themselves, their highly personal adventures, and excessive subjectivity. Some of Martin's writing advice reads a little bit like an entry-level English course, such as "show, don't tell" and "use adjectives sparingly," but by providing examples to illustrate his points and by focusing specifically on travel writing, these common teaching points become relevant for beginning travel writers.

In addition to various style guidelines and suggestions, Li's travel writing course covers other important aspects of good travel writing, such as article layout and structure. After all, an article successfully conveys a sense of place and how vividly it paints a picture of a destination in the reader's mind. Li provides step-by-step guidelines on creating an outline for a successful article that lures readers in, creates lively images, and is informative. He discusses essential points every travel writer needs to know before writing an article: who is the publisher, who are the readers, and what kind of travel writing do they want? Li then presents several templates for structuring articles, which are a bit formulaic but still helpful for beginning writers. From an evocative opening to the central theme at the story's core to a satisfying ending, you get good advice for every step of the travel writing process.

Martin Li's practical eBook, Become a Published Travel Writer, offers much helpful information about the craft of travel writing without reading too much like a textbook. In addition, the book has a friendly and fresh tone and is easy to read, which allows him to succeed in making it fun to learn about travel writing. Li's clear and concise advice is easy to put into practice as soon as you put the book down and start working on an article draft. For best results, print important chapters of the book and keep them next to you on your desk as you work on your articles in order to provide an easy-to-use reference. This book will be a great tool to help beginning and even intermediate travel writers write better articles that will get published.

Editor's note:

As a bonus, even experienced travel writers and editors who are honest with themselves can use the eBook as a refresher course on travel writing fundamentals!

The table of contents offers an excellent overview of what you will learn and re-learn:

Chapter 1: What are the principles of good travel writing?
Chapter 2: What are the basics of good writing?
Chapter 3: What must I do before I sit down to write?
Chapter 4: What are the most successful templates for structuring travel articles?
Chapter 5: What are the secrets to creating powerful introductions that grab readers' attention?
Chapter 6: What are the secrets to writing articles that readers want to read and editors want to publish?
Chapter 7: What are the secrets to creating powerful endings?
Chapter 8: What are the most important writing pitfalls to avoid?
Chapter 9: What are the practicalities of writing travel articles that sell?