Editor’s note: Travel writer Michael Shapiro just attended the annual Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference in Corte Madera, California. He was on the conference faculty and is writing about the gathering for World Hum.
It would be Mick Jagger’s dream job. Drew Barrymore would like to be one too. Both have said that if they could choose another profession, it would be travel writing. They’re not the only ones. About 140 aspiring travel writers and photographers packed Book Passage last week to learn the tools of the trade. Halfway through the four-day event, I joined a panel entitled “Making a Living as a Freelance Writer.”

I was pleased by the panel’s title: It wasn’t called “Making a Living as a Freelance Travel Writer.” As romantic as travel writing is, several of the world’s best known “travel writers” shun the label. Bill Bryson has told me he’s retired from travel writing, and in our interview for my book, “A Sense of Place,” he said he’s always felt his first “travel” book, “The Lost Continent,” is really a memoir.  Jan Morris, the great Welsh writer, journeys far beyond travel in her books. And Paul Theroux, Pico Iyer and Peter Matthiessen all write fiction as well as travel.

So our panel, though it emphasized travel writing, provided wide-ranging suggestions about how to get paid for all sorts of writing. Amanda Jones, a contributor to Condé Nast Traveler, recommended that writers take photos for their stories, which can help them boost their income. She also advised writers getting their first story accepted not to “play hardball” when negotiating fees. And those who write for newspapers should sell the story in multiple markets but not to papers that compete with one another. Some newspapers are national, like the Washington Post, and require first rights. So a writer can sell to the Post and then to the Dallas Morning News, but not vice versa.

Jeff Greenwald, author of The Size of the World, is creative when generating work. A day after the tsunami devastated much of coastal Asia, Greenwald called Mercy Corps to see if he could help. That led to his working in Sri Lanka for Mercy Corps during the recovery effort. He’s also created a theatrical play based on his journeys, “Strange Travel Suggestions.” The key in both cases was that Greenwald created work for himself, rather than limiting himself to trying to place stories in existing publications. Jeff suggested writers keep a notebook with them at all times and jot down ideas as they occur -– otherwise, as with dreams, ideas might be forgotten later.

Georgia Hesse, the former travel editor of the San Francisco Examiner and now the grande dame of freelancers, said she tries to write five stories from every trip: a main feature, perhaps one on museums, another on a neighborhood, a walking tour and so on. One doesn’t have to travel to write travel stories. Writers can pen stories about their hometowns for publications outside the area.

Linda Watanabe McFerrin, a travel writer and poet, noted that she writes a business plan every year, including a pie chart, potential client list and story file. Though not everyone is this organized, it does help to have a spreadsheet, listing stories in process, submitted and paid for. And, she added, writers shouldn’t forget to invoice. Otherwise they may sell a story but not get paid for it.

As for my advice: I tell writers to stick to a routine. I start working around 10 a.m. daily, though most writers are early morning people. Freelancers should focus on accuracy and get a foot in the door by doing service pieces with helpful information for readers, such as: “The top 10 hotels on Manhattan for under $150.” That’s not as romantic as recounting a trip to Bratislava, but it’s much more likely to be accepted and published.

So, Mick, if you ever want to trade places, you can have my next travel writing gig if you let me join the Stones for a show. And Drew, as Mick would sing, “Let’s spend the night together.” Over dinner, of course.

Michael Shapiro teaches a daylong course at Book Passage on Making a Living as a Freelance Writer. His next class is Saturday Nov. 4. His book, A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration, is a collection of 18 interviews with the world’s leading travel writers, conducted where they live.

Photo: Michael Shapiro taking a break while making a living as a freelance writer.