Brendiver's World

Karli's Story - A good start with Lonely Planet and plans for DIVER magazine

Scroll down and you'll see how I have been focusing on Lonely Planet and DIVER magazine as one of the routes to getting published. Lonely Planet actively encourage readers to send in their photographs for the 'Postcards' section and submit stories about their past travels. They also invite readers to put in a pitch as to why they should receive up to 150 pounds to stay at a hotel and then review it for a one page spread in their pages. DIVER magazine has a back page slot for readers (Deep Breath) to write about issues within the diving world and knowing the editor well, I am aware he is constantly on the look out for copy for this column. 

Some excerpts from Karli's latest 'keep me updated' e-mails:

"Trying to work out how to 'inspire' the editorial team of LP to get a free night's stay at a hotel. All a bit random really... "err, I like the look of this hotel and it's in budget..?".

For the Deep Breath column I was thinking I'm at the right point to do it now - I didn't let the dry suit disaster put me off [see Karli's blog] and have a rather cheesy successful end to the story (as well as still learning of course).

 

You'll be pleased to hear I'm making progress and have now submitted an entry for the hotel review in LP magazine and also the Postcards section. It's been a busy writing weekend and glad I'm ticking a few things off my list! Now let's see if either of us can get a free night in a hotel... [I've also put in a pitch, they pay for a night in a pleasant hotel - I'd be a fool not to!]

I got a reply within a day from an Editorial Assistant at Lonely Planet because I think my Postcards picture amused them! But no promises as to getting published yet... Got everything crossed that I'll score on first attempt.

Next stop is getting my column entry for Diver written."

My only concern - what if Karli's bid for cash for a hotel stay trumps mine? Will that mean the quality of my coaching is better than my writing?

Keep Writing...

Brendan 

Lonely Planet magazine - Do you know what Peter Grunert's (the editor) editorial agenda is?

If you were hoping to get published in Lonely Planet magazine you should have no excuse for not knowing what Peter Grunert's editorial agenda is. Before pitching to any magazine you should do as much research as you can to establish what the editor's needs are. If you are lucky these will come from contributor guidelines, but if the magazine doesn't have these it is possible to get more information by trawling the internet. 

I spent a few minutes yesterday researching Peter Grunert's background and came across a recent interview in PR Weekly where he provided any potential contributor with several golden nuggets. Here's a selection of what he had to say:

"Who reads Lonely Planet Magazine?

Intelligent, thoughtful, interesting people with a passion for travel. They're mostly young professionals or empty nesters and share a hunger for fresh experiences

What is your editorial agenda?

We inspire our readers by helping them to get under the skin of the places they'd love to travel to. We accept that they won't just want to ‘fly and flop' - they're keen to learn of history and culture, to eat and drink something authentic and delicious, and to understand where locals enjoy visiting too.

What makes a great feature for the magazine?

Our readers should feel like every feature is feeding their urge to travel - whether it's set in the UK, somewhere easily accessible in Europe or far more exotic. We work hard to commission beautiful photography and atmospheric writing. In one of my favourite features Stephen Fry described encountering the often bizarre natural wonders of Madagascar, strolling along an avenue of baobab trees that "looked as if they were dropped from another world, a world close to the surreality of a Dalí and the silliness of a concept rock album cover, circa 1972."

Describe your online offering and how it fits in with the magazine.

Lonelyplanet.com is a website with a gigantic reach (over 6 million unique users per month) that in the main provides its users with destination advice once they've chosen where they're travelling to. The magazine has its own space within the website, explaining how we can inspire readers to choose where to visit in the first place.

To what do you attribute Lonely Planet Magazine's popularity?

Unlike most travel magazines we don't just set out to rate destinations - we provide a lot more depth and aim to ‘take our readers there' each month, which I believe accounts for our comparatively high proportion of subscribers (around half our circulation)

Describe the process of choosing your front-cover shot.

Our cover image showcases the best travel photography our readers can expect to find within our pages. Its location could vary from a hidden island off Norway to the Great Ocean Road in Australia, and it should always give that sense of a potential reader's lungs filling with fresh air as they take in a glorious view.

What are your own personal media must-haves (eg which mags and newspapers do you read, TV shows do you watch etc)

I love magazines with high production values, that commission photography I could always imagine looking better in the pages of a magazine than on a mobile or laptop screen - the likes of National Geographic, GQ and World of Interiors. I'm a complete day dreamer so I also appreciate the chance to let my mind drift off to the landscapes featured in BBC wildlife documentaries such as Life and Great Rift: Africa's Wild Heart."

Having read this interview a few times I think I've got an idea of what inspires and motivates Peter. 

The next stage would be to read the Stephen Fry article and analyse its style, to read his own 'media must-haves' and to ensure my copy met all of the criteria he gives away in the interview: to inspire; to include something about history and culture, to mention what the locals like to do; try and make my words and phrases 'atmospheric' (fortunately Peter provides an example of what this means to him) and to provide an insight into some of the features readers might find bizarre.

Photographic submissions? If they can capture the above and provide the reader with, 'a glorious view' I would think I'd be in with a chance.

What editors are looking for is out there, you just need to know where to look. Time to Google! 

Keep Writing...

Brendan

Getting Published in... Lonely Planet magazine - what Peter Grunert, the editor, believes is important

A few weeks ago I signed up to the BBC Insiders service as I thought this would be a good way of finding out what different magazine's editorial teams believed was important.

Well, the invites to take part in the surveys have been dropping into my inbox at the rate of about one or so a week. This is one that caught my eye:

"Hello Brendan, 

Our aim is to make Lonely Planet Magazine as informative and enjoyable a travel magazine as we possibly can, so my team always greatly look forward to your honest and insightful feedback. This time we’d love to hear your views on the May issue – and thank you once again for taking the time to be a member of our insiders’ panel.

Please click here to start the survey.

Peter Grunert

Editor, Lonely Planet Magazine" 

My reasoning is that the survey wouldn't ask questions about subjects the team didn't believe were important. It started with questions about the photographs they used followed by a series of questions about individual articles and features.  

This was the question they wanted answering for each article / feature:

"On the following scales, please indicate how much you ENJOYED, how INFORMATIVE and how INSPIRING you found....." 

So there it is, if you want to know what criteria any submission to Lonely Planet should meet, it should be enjoyable, informative and inspiring.

Keep Writing...

Brendan

Karli's Story - Working out her own publisher / contributor guidelines for Lonely Planet magazine

You might remember the 'assignment' I set Karli, Brendiver's World's aspiring photojournalist? 

I believe Lonely Planet magazine might just be the opportunity to get published Karli is looking for, but instead of me writing about this, Karli took a look at the opportunities it presents. This is what she found, and I must admit, she found one more opportunity than I did.

 Getting my name in print in Lonely Planet

Seeing my stories in black and white in those shiny travel magazines seemed to be a long, long way off when I first decided I really wanted to give travel/adventure journalism a shot. But Brendan is showing me how to take baby steps to achieving this goal. To start with, he tasked me with finding opportunities that Lonely Planet is serving up to readers. And lo, in May's edition of Lonely Planet the generous editors are asking readers for their contributions – could this be my way in? If they like the first snippet of what I can write, and then maybe the second, will they start to notice that I'm somebody they could trust to actually write up a feature piece for them?

Well, I'm not getting ahead of myself. Let's get back to those baby steps. On the first page the editor of Lonely Planet magazine himself, Peter Grunert, is asking for inspiration on where the most beautiful places on earth are from – yes – the readers! So right there, an opportunity and email address for me to write up my experiences of beautiful lands. I've already got a few ideas rolling around in my head, but you'll have to wait and see what actually gets submitted for now.

Then flick a couple of pages and you find the 'Share with us' section. There's the chance to review a hotel (and they'll pay for a stay of up to £150) if you can convince them a particular hotel is worth checking out. They also offer readers the print space to talk about their memorable holidays – their first, best and worst. Now I generally always enjoy my travels, but the worst sprang to my mind in a flash. Hands down, it was a week in Prestatyn, Wales with the family when I was 10. The beds were flea-ridden and I came home covered in bites. You should only bear those kinds of scars if you've been somewhere exotic!

Then there's the 'Postcards' section. This part of the magazine offers the chance to send in your pictures and the stories behind them. Excellent! The pictures featured don't have to be necessarily taken with a really expensive camera from what I can see, but they all provide good angles to write a story from. The words sometimes tell you a different story from what you'd assume by just looking at the photograph on its own. Again, I think I've got a few cracking photographs from recent travels that could provide a springboard to tell a good story. But like the photos, it needs to be a snapshot. The accompanying stories can't be more than 100 words from the entries I've read.

Delving further into the magazine leads me to another chance to get involved in this travel publication. The Lonely Planet team are giving readers a say in the first ever Lonely Planet awards. Following the online link takes me to where I can give my input on what's the greatest wildlife encounter? What's the greatest outdoor activity? The page reads: "These are the first travel awards to focus on the experiences that inspire us all to travel, from those you've had to those you dream of having." I'd love to have my say and just by taking part I could win a trip to Thailand and Cambodia. I never win random online draws and competitions, but I like the idea that by getting involved, my name's at least in the hat!

Going online gives you more chances to get involved in some way with Lonely Planet – there's a competition to win more goodies by submitting your favourite travel photo. I'm finding that once you actually start looking, there are more ways than you think to get your toe in the travel magazine door.

Will Karli manage an 'OK' with the Lonely Planet? 

What Karli has found in Lonely Planet and Wanderlust (see previous post) demonstrates just how many opportunities exist beyond the obvious, you've just got to look for them. Now all she has to do is to rise to the challenge and get by-lined in one of these title. Watch this space, knowing something of Karli's enthusiasm she'll get published in both!

Keep Writing...

Brendan   

Losing a press trip or losing family time?

I've just had to turn down a press trip to somewhere warm and very sunny. The reason? It's my daughters two year old party slap bang in the middle of the week. I have to admit, the thought of going went through my mind, just for a second. But in this field of work, where much of what you do as a photojournalist is another layer of time needed over and above the day job and family time, you have to keep a grip on what is important in life.  

Back in the late nineties I spent 19 weeks of one year out of the country on assignment. Might sound like a dream lifestyle but it was really difficult managing work, family commitments and friends. My relationships with the latter were shot to bits that year, if I wasn't travelling, I was trying to squeeze in time to write it all up and get it in by the deadline. 

I guess I can now afford to be more relaxed, I don't have as much to prove and I'm established as a regular contributor. But for anyone who is just starting off my advice would be:

Everything in moderation, keep a sense of balance, and remember what is really important in life.

And if you are fretting over something to do with this line of work, or your day job, if you won't remember the thing that is worrying you in five years time, it's not worth your 'worry' energy. 

Keep Writing...

Brendan

Blog Coaching - Karli Drinkwater's first thoughts on her 'assignment'

Following the previous post where I provided Karli with some ideas on how to start getting published, Karli penned a few lines on her initial thoughts in the 'comments' box. I thought these might be worth sharing as they are the types of thoughts any other aspiring photojournalist might have at the beginning of their journey. 

Getting published isn't as easy as writing something vaguely in line with what the magazine is about, sending it in and hoping for the best. I've always thought the research and thought that goes into each submission is the most time consuming and sometimes confusing (as your thoughts change direction over and over until you're not quite sure what it is you are hoping to write about). It's always good to know you are not alone, so here are Karli's first thoughts:

 This is the moment when you're standing at the base of the mountain, and as you look all the way to peak, you just think 'right, that's a bloody long way before I'll reach the top... deep breath'. I'm used to starting at the very bottom of a very large pile and slowly creeping your way upwards – the world of journalism isn't for the faint-hearted. And neither is what I'm about to do; but I guess that's what makes it so fun. If everybody could just walk into the glory without the graft, then it wouldn't be as worthwhile would it? 

So after reading Brendan's comments over and over, trying to soak it all up and use the nuggets of info for all they're worth, I'm now sussing out the competition as he suggested. I'm trying to get a feel for the publication as my first task – their style, tone and content. I've had a few chuckles reading other submissions and bracing myself for bringing out the big guns. It gets me all revved up when I size up competition because I can't help wanting to be better. 

Before even thinking about writing my bid for travel journalism prestige though I'm checking out the contributor guidelines like my life depends on it. I know if I don't give them what they're after it's a pointless exercise. For the next few days I'll be getting my head stuck into Wanderlust magazines – not much of a hardship really since dreaming about the next adventure is one of my favourite pastimes! Wish me luck...

P.s. When I say I had a few chuckles - I meant because they were good and amusing articles, not because I thought they were rubbish! Just wanted to clear that up before I lost friends... not my style promise!  

Keep Writing...

Brendan

It's not just you that needs the support

The other day I was chatting with my wife about a short trip I would be making for DIVER which would necessitate a lift to the airport (airport parking and taxis eat into the profit margin - and if you don't make a taxable profit for most years the Inland Revenue will want to have words with you). Her reply took me back, "I'm getting a little bit tired of all the time I need to put into DIVER."

This set me thinking - being a part time photojournalist isn't just about giving up your time for what per hour is a lousy rate of pay (my newspaper delivery boy gets paid more!) and it isn't just about your time, your family will give up theirs as well.

If you are lucky enough to be able to take your partner on an assignment with you they may eventually prefer not to. The tightly controlled itineraries, the early starts, the formal and sometimes very boring meals with tourism reps, they all take their toll on what from your partner's perspective initialy appeared to be a brilliant sounding holiday.

And then there is the time they give up when you have to go and hide in your "cave" to write up your copy.

No - it's not you that gives up your time and your life, you get something out of it and it doesn't seem like any kind of hardship at all. But try telling that to your partner.

The only thing I'm struggling with is how to make it up? How do you repay your partner who stands by you in what is essentially quite a selfish and self indulgent pastime?

Keep Writing... 

Opportunity to Meet...

... the folks from DIVE magazine.

On 14th June they will be hosting a roadshow at Stoney Cove (one of England's most popular inland dive sites) - if I were a budding photojournalist I'd be heading down there to speak to the editor or if Simon isn't there, one of the editorial team.

E-mailing and phone calls are no substitute for meeting an editor in person. So if you can, get yourself down there and introduce yourself - Simon Rogerson is the editor, a really affable chap who loves to talk about journalism.

But think first about what you might want to say:

"Hi - I've been reading your magazine for years and would love to write for you one day, how would I go about it?" would be a good start. Just be yourself, in my experience when people try and be someone they're not they come across as right old Dufuses.

And if you already have a clip file, ensure it is presented professionally and offer to leave it with him (on this day he probably won't have the time to read through it).

In my opinion this type of event is a golden opportunity - well worth the journey.

Keep writing...

Brendan

Your Story - Cor Bosman and Julie Edwards

Here's a question for you, at what point would you consider yourself to be a photojournalist? Is it when you have your first article published? Or maybe when you 10 articles published in a variety of magazines. Or is it when you go on a nationally recognised course or get a qualification in this field?

The answer? I have no idea. I guess it's when you feel comfortable with the label - if you believe you are a photojournalist then others will to.

Cor Bosman and Julie Edwards aren't yet convinced, but the thing is, they've been published on more than several occasions in a variety of magazines (see the thumbprint to the left for an example). I believe they are photojournalists and the evidence for this is their stunning work.

To highlight their abilities I've added some of their work to this post (with their permission of course, for which I am very grateful).

You should take note of Cor and Julie's learning curve in respect of using photography competitions and writing for free as a means of getting your name out there - wise advice.

Although they haven't mentioned this - Cor and Julie are active moderators and contributors for Wetpixel. There's another message here - unlike the media world of yesteryear, I believe it is highly unlikely you will get on unless you are contributing in a similar way to the body of knowledge in your area of expertise, for an example click on "Finding Macro," Cor's contribution to UWP magazine (for another example, look at Alex Mustard's contributions to digital underwater photography on the Wetpixel forum). This is typical Generation Y behaviour - sharing information, expertise and ideas using social media.

Unlike the mid 90's when I got started in this world, there's a lot of writing going on out there, on blogs, travel and club websites, non profit making e-zines and magazines - so much that it's almost a certainty you will need to start off by writing for free. But it's all good practice, it gets you to the point where you don't suck at it any more and provides you with the clips the editors of the magazines that do pay might ask for.    

Keep writing...

Brendan     

Your Story - Cor Bosman and Julie Edwards

It is telling that when Brendan asked us to write a piece for his blog he directed his question to the both of us. This is really our story, as Julie and I have been in this together since the very start. My first reaction to his question was that we’re not photojournalists. He insists that we are but I remain unconvinced. If anything we’re extremely enthusiastic photographers. Neither of us was trained in journalism or photography, but we have both taken photography classes. I do find it interesting to see though that a lot of people educated in Computer Science like myself have become skilled photographers.  Somehow the creativity necessary to become good at programming, design or other CS related fields must translate well into photography. 

It all began when Julie made me go diving in 1994 during a family visit to St Croix. She in turn had been  pushed into diving by her mother during high school. Obviously an indispensable skill for a strong independent woman.  That same year we bought a small underwater camera and underwater photography has taken over our lives ever since.

Our journey into being published coincided with passing a certain image quality threshold. Our first steps into having an article published were rejected and looking back at those attempts I can see why; the images were just not good enough. This changed when we found ourselves placing in international contests, which definitely opened some doors.  The first person that gave us the opportunity was Peter Rowland and I’m grateful for that chance. Writing for Underwater Photography Magazine for free helped us to land several paying assignments very quickly thereafter. It helps a lot to be able to show something to an editor when you’re presenting an idea.    

We’re now in a pretty comfortable zone. We write for magazines and our own travel journal, but it’s not our primary source of income. We enjoy what we do, and try to pass that on to others.

 

Who Needs People When You Have Talking Computers?

For those of you who have been on my workshops and seminars, you'll already know one of my top tips for improving your writing is to read it out aloud, and then get someone else to read it back to you.

By using this technique I guarantee you will find all the gremlins that make your copy read weird. But what do you do when there is no one else around?

David Kittos, who was on my last workshop, has come up with the answer, and although I don't profess to understand any of it, he assures me it works.

Thanks for the contribution David. Computers that talk - whatever next.

Keep writing...

Brendan

Computer, please check my article

OK, this is a slight exaggeration, but while completing the article about
Puerto Galera, I managed to get my PC to read it aloud for me.
"Delegating" this task allowed my mind to focus on finding and correcting
flaws such as paragraph flow, grammar mistakes and repeated use of the same
word. I went through each paragraph about 10 times, fixing mistakes and
replaying it, until it sounded good.

I am using standard software which most people have - Windows XP and MS
Office 2003. I don't know how you can do this on a Mac - sorry!

So if you are getting a friend to read your articles aloud for you consider
this: your PC will not complain that it's bored or that it needs a break
for a cuppa and/or some nicotine. It just keeps doing as it's told!!

Now for the techie bit. This shouldn't take more than 20 minutes from
start to finish.

Prerequisites
- Windows XP SP2 with multimedia stuff installed (i.e sound card and
speakers)

In the Control Panel, find the Speech icon and double click on it. There
should be a "Text to Speech" tab with at least one item (voice) in the
"Voice Selection" menu. It may be called "Microsoft Sam" but there may be
additional voices you can choose. With a voice selected, click the
"Preview voice" button and you should hear a synthetic voice that sounds
like Stephen Hawkins. If this step didn't work, don't proceed with the
rest of the process.

- MS Office 2003 (SP2) full installation

How to do this.
1. This is the technical bit, and I am not claiming credit for this.
Follow the instructions in the URL below to the letter.

http://www.gmayor.com/word_text_to_speech.htm

If you can't find the bit about "Microsoft Speech Object Library" described
in the instructions, you may not have a full Office 2003 installation and
the rest of the steps will not work.
The only easy option here is to do a full MS Office 2003 installation.

Also if you are not familiar with the VBA editor, use the help facility
(it's very good).

2. After you have finished with the instructions in the website, you should
have a MS Word template with a new toolbar with two buttons: "Speak Text"
and "Stop Speaking".

Turn your speakers ON and make sure that the sound volume in NOT muted.

If you have attached the macros and toolbar to the Normal template
(normal.dot), then create a new document and type some text in it (or just
paste the contents of another document).

Select a paragraph using the mouse and click the "Speak Text" button - it
should start reading out your text.

The voice isn't really natural but you get used to it!!

Click the "Stop Speaking" button if you've had enough.

3. There are more natural sounding voices that can be added (from third
parties) but they are not free. Check the URL:
http://www.bytecool.com/voices.htm for more information.

Note that we are interested in SAPI5 voices (not SAPI4) . Also I haven't
tried any of these 3rd party products myself (yet).

Best of luck.

DK