Interview with Lara Dunston
Lara Dunston, author of many Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Eyewitness guide, this travel interview month. Lara unless brought a depth of responses that this interview will be spread over two posts and will cover a wide range of topics, including some of the problems Thomas Khonstamm and Chuck Thompson in previous interviews addressing.
[Matt Nomadic: For starters, what you gave wanderlust
Lara Dunston: I have the desire to travel to this central event guilt and several ongoing features of my childhood - sitting at dinner table while Sunday? Dinner at my house Russian hear stories from their childhood and youth 'grandparents and descriptions of their journeys as young people in Europe for Australia towards the end of World War II.
Then there was the regular school holidays flee when my parents would take us caravanning, and then when I was in my early teens - my parents gave what they call "life in the rat race" and took my little sister and I travel in Australia called for 5 years. So, I really had no choice in the matter -. The error was biting, whether I wanted it or not
How did you move Traveller writers traveling
I have? always written - short stories as a child and teenager -. English was always what I drew in school in At university I wrote for the student newspaper. My first degree was in film and writing. And my jobs always have a way of writing involved, whether it is developed discipline by writing press releases every day (together with research reports, correspondence, policy documents, etc.) or more creative and critical writing, when I was a filmmaker and film critic ,
I have had simultaneous and parallel careers always so decide, only I do not have to be a travel writer, and that was it. I wrote a teen novel, published by HarperCollins, in two months, so I could both learn more disciplined than in my writing and to pay for a trip to Cuba. At the time my husband Terry was a publishing director for a large publishing company in Australia, street directories published, maps, guides, 4WD and camping books, etc., along with travel and hospitality incentives magazines. They gave us a written work, and I remember Yum Cha on my first teensy piece worked. I am so embarrassed me two days laid claim to think, to write this little piece, then.
It was named for Terry's company that we wrote our first guide the Sydneyside leader who must have been one of the first compact guides in Australia - far ahead of Lonely Planet did the "Best Ofs". But it was still not "yay, I have to be a travel writer!", The was or so about 15 years ago, and even then, I did my master's degree in film, spent a year in South America, back Australia and wrote my thesis, taught film a little more, and then got a job at a university Women in Abu Dhabi teach film / media production, writing and media studies. It was while working there that we have the opportunity to Syria and Lebanon Guide, and the Dubai write for Lonely Planet guide and we fell back in travel literature.
I think the lessons that I like to learn other aspiring writers of this is that your writing portfolio with the development of anything wrong there, while you have other careers. Your other income could be more lucrative and thus can pay for your letter rides or support your writing income, so you can have more enriching travel experiences (food in Michelin star restaurants, instead of your own sandwiches from the buffet) that a ) help you develop skills of discernment and b) help you to write better and more interesting stories.
I have read the Thomas Khonstamm book. He gives the impression that writing travel, at least for guide, is a real simple low payment, rushed experience, superficial reviews. Do you think that's true?
Hmmm ... it's much more complex than that, and it is important for your readers to understand how and why. First, publishers Prices vary, so pay during some terrible low fees, pay different prices that are fair, and some pay very nice indeed. , But other factors also come into play
We rarely money for Lonely Planet to write - and usually only broke even - for two reasons. First is its official policy that authors should no media rate accept (as corporate rates) for Hotels and accept no discounts or freebies - and yet they have not paid for your expenses so that you have the Thomas Kohnstamms and other authors to accept freebies left right in the middle, and then the more ethical writers are like to lose us out. Secondly Lonely Planet will not let you to write this objective for up to two years for a job for another publisher in the same field.
These two things make it for writers really hard. We stopped for Lonely Planet to authoring writing and for these two reasons to around 25 books contribute (and a few others too!) And it was the best thing we've ever done.
think about it. get book reviewers free books, music get Reviewers free CDs, free to see a film critic to obtain films, car reviewers get to drive a car for free, even writers traveling not get free to test targets (eg hotels, restaurants, attractions, tours, etc ). That makes no sense to me. Although there are some other publishers who have the same policy, they tend to pay more and pay royalties, but most publishers do not have this policy, and they will certainly Discounts actually help you. For example, Rough Guides, you can make contra deals where you exchange goods and services for the ads in the back of their leaders (cons are much used in film and television). AA Publishing, for example, provides a letter confirms commissioned have and asks the reader to help. We show this so we can Media, that is, to get cheap hotel rooms. When you can make savings of this kind, you go away in the future come too obvious.
The other area differ in the publishing Lonely Planet is on its clause stating that you are not for another publisher to write on the same geographical area. We have developed a reputation as a destination experts in Dubai, the UAE, the Arabian Gulf and the Middle East (never mind that was most of our commissions in Europe), and hardly a week goes by without us an inquiry to these objectives to write now. We could not accept all of these stories and opportunities, if we the Dubai wrote books for Lonely Planet. Most other publishers allow to write who you want to write, so this means that we can take on this role. It means that we can do a research trip for a leader, but we can also conduct research articles for magazines on the same goals and we can continue our reputation to develop as experts and this is how writers earn big money. Magazine Stories paying much more per word to do as a leader, so that the spin-off stories are far more lucrative.
What Guide research a "rushed experience" to be good again it depends ... if you are currently working on a book for Lonely Planet and they pay you $ 10,000 for 6 weeks of research and then write -up is, it will likely be rushed. But it must not be rushed, if you are also on a few magazine stories work, who pay $ 2,000 each could. Then you can afford to take a little longer, and to turn a higher quality of research and endeavor over other reviews and looking for different places. You must consider the fee and calculate your daily expenses and figure out how many days of research instead. If it means to be rushed, it will then either accept that and work your butt all day every day for the period from or to find out how much time you slower, need to do a better quality job, and try to obtain a few magazine commissions so you can do that.
The Internet is fast becoming an important source of information. Most travelers, including myself use that. As their main source for research Do you think the Internet is going paper guides to the way of the dodo?
Only for the same people, the books, do not read newspapers, magazines and more, and prefer to read everything online. Personally, I like to read certain things online, but I like to read a book in bed before I go to sleep and I want the pool a newspaper over coffee and scroll to read through a magazine. I do a lot online, but I do not want to do everything online, and I'm sure there are other people like me. For me, quality is the key. For online quality guides are I use them, but if the higher quality of the products are still in book form, then I'll use this. I'm not an online guide written by a person with no objective expertise to use or travel experience or skills to access, just because it is available on a handheld device on the network or. For me, the things that are to count to the quality of the product and the author and her experience.
I think there are many places to find quality information. I myself spend ages on each post to ensure accuracy. Interpret that you can not find good, accurate information online? In my opinion, travelers are always the best source of information.
Everyone dreams to be a travel writer. What advice would you give new authors who start job?
Treat it as seriously as you would any other job. Training of itself - in research, writing, travel, destinations, geography, history, politics, economics, languages, culture, food, wine, art, architecture, fashion, retail, hotel, catering and tourism, you name it ! You really have to develop knowledge in a little of everything. Do you value your time - not labor in vain. Ever. Be. A few samples and use those your first gig to get a (paying) Publisher, and then continue to develop your portfolio with this person or publication, and then use the portfolio to other work
Guides are a great way to start, because they allow you to target knowledge, develop research skills, social skills and discipline. Discipline is a key to success, it really is. I can not emphasize this enough. Now Mr Kohnstamm's had a bit of discipline ... and if Lonely Planet was a little more discipline with its authors, we might never had the Thomas Kohnstamm affair, but I said I can not go on that would say, is not it? !
Interview part read two of where we in detail the life as a leader writer and some tips for aspiring writers dicuss. For more information about Lara visit her website Cool Guide.
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