Finding the Bacon

Sable Jak, Editor

It's June and brides and grooms are doing their thing, kids are out of school, workers are seeking to break loose from their daytime jobs to travel, travel, travel! Which is perfect for us because this "Finding the Bacon" is devoted to magazines about travel, from the expensive trip to the expansive one, the inexpensive to the thrilling. Who know, maybe next year we'll be highlighting the latest "Tourists in Space" magazines?

Something Warm (but not fuzzy)
Break out your snorkel and your flip-flops, we're headed for azure water and white sand!

Caribbean Travel and Life
460 N. Orlando Ave.
Suite 200
Winter Park, FL 32789 USA
Ph: 407-628-4802
Fx: 407-628-7061
http://wwwcaribbeantravelmag.com 
E-Queries: Yes. Or send snail mail or Fax. Send #10 SASE for writer's guidelines. Do not call or send complete manuscript unless requested by Editor.
Note: Most articles are assigned. New writers have a better chance of breaking in through the departments.
Contact: Jessica Chapman, Managing Editor
Stephen Hammel Smith, online
Email: bob.friel@worldpub.net 
Writer's guidelines online: http://www.caribbeantravelmag.com/About/1,1537,47,00.html 
Pays: Nonfiction assigned articles, $200-$2,000. Columns/Departments $250-500. Pays on acceptance. Online version contains information not in the print copy.
Photos: Always state the availability of photos. Prefers transparencies. Offers $100-$1,000.
Rights: FNASR. Byline given. 25% kill fee. Seasonal material should be submitted four months in advance. One-time rights for photos.
Description: Published nine times a year. Covers travel and life in the Caribbean. From the website: "Potential writers for the magazine should understand, first and foremost, that our audience is made up of upscale, sophisticated and experienced Caribbean travelers: our research indicates that they visit the islands repeatedly."
Circulation: 135,000. Readers: Adults.
Needs: From the website: "The Editors of CT&L are always open to ideas from writers. Our only requirements are that the writing be superb, the subject be something unique and interesting, and the writer must know his/her subject. To understand what kind of stories we buy, read the magazine. We do NOT run generalized travelogues, guidebook-like island profiles, or stories about well-known, over-publicized or commonly visited places. Our readers demand behind-the-scenes stories, off-the-beaten-path destinations, ahead-of-the-curve knowledge about the Caribbean." Columns/Departments covers: Day Trip, Gazette (humor and news), Caribbean Life (people and culture), Caribbean Kitchen and the Travel Desk.

Water, Water Everywhere
No matter what kind of weather you prefer, there are islands somewhere in this world waiting for you (mine are called the Orkney Islands).

Islands: An International Magazine
Islands Media Corp.
P.O. Box 4728
Santa Barbara, CA 93140-4728 USA
Ph: 805-745-7100
Fx: 805-745-7102
http://www.islands.com 
E-Queries: Yes. Also snail mail and fax. Send #10 SASE for writer's guidelines. Note: Do not send queries without samples of your work.
Contact: Joan Tapper, Editor
Email: Editorial@islands.com 
Writer's guidelines online: I was unable to find them, but I've been told that they do exist. I've emailed the Editor to ask for the specific URL.
Pays: $.50/word and up for articles. Pays within 30 days of acceptance.
Note: If you wish to be a commissioned author you must provide a detailed proposal, published clips, and an estimate of costs.
Photos: Send photos with query or ms. $75-$300/35mm transparencies.
Rights: All rights for articles, one-time rights for photos. Byline given. 25% kill fee paid within 30 days of rejection. Publication after acceptance is generally around eight months.
Description: From an email from the Editor: "Islands (8 times a year) is a travel magazine that focuses on islands around the world: urban, rural, tropical or windswept, well-known or virtually undiscovered."
Circulation: 200,000. Readers: Adults
Needs: "We strive for geographical and topical diversity and encourage articles with a well-defined focus and point of view. Our purpose is, in effect, to take the reader to the island. To that end, we seek informative, insightful, personal pieces that reveal the essence of the place."
Insider's note: "Islands' "Logbook" department has changed into "Horizons" and has different guidelines and pay. Below is some of the information I was sent. Make sure to send away for their guidelines as they are much more extensive than what I have here or what you'll find in any market listing books.
Horizons Department: Contact: Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr., Contributing Editor: jdunn@islands.com 
In correspondence with Nancy Maul (Editorial Assistant) I was told:" The whole (Horizons) section will be lighter, punchier, and more varied. Horizons will have twice as many pieces as logbook, many of them short and often "conceptual." A creative graphic treatment will be prized. Some pieces will be purely photographic.

We're seeking ideas/leads to develop, as well as finished pieces. You'll come across great ideas on assignment, in your travels, and in your reading. Horizons is the place to use the stuff that didn't quite fit into a feature story; it's a home for intriguing and amusing items you happen to find."
Horizon Pays: Ideas and leads, $25. Short-shorts, $25 (20-50 polished words). Non-feature pieces, $50-150 (celebrity Q & A, Culture-Gram, Life's a Beach.) Features, $250-$300 for 300 words. Photos, standard rates.

Adventure
Raise your hands if you grew up reading National Geographic Magazine. I'm betting a good many of us got the traveling bug from those fabulous pictures and incredible articles. Here's a chance to contribute.

National Geographic Traveler
National Geographic Society
1145 17th St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20036-4688 USA
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler /
E-Queries: No. Webpage only shows snail mail queries. Sample copy and writer's guidelines are free with a SASE. Query with clips and SASE.
Contact: Query Editor (at the above address)
Email: None
Writer's Guidelines online:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/writer-guidelines.html 
Pays: Nonfiction, columns/departments, $.50/word. Pays on acceptance.
Rights: All, with copyright returning to author 90 days after publication. 30% kill fee. Seasonal material should be submitted one year in advance.
Note: The online magazine carries articles not found in the print edition.
Description: Published eight times a year, National Geographic Traveler is a magazine that seeks to encourage people to visit the places highlighted in its pages.
Circulation: 720,000. Readers: Those with a yen to travel.
Needs: Taken from the website: "There are no limitations on style, as long as the writing is lively and interesting, although a sense of discovery should be at the heart of every Traveler story. We want our writers to project a curious and knowing voice that captures the experience of travel-the places and personalities, the insights and idiosyncrasies. Writers who work for us must see destinations with fresh eyes and real insight. We place a premium on surprise and good storytelling-the compelling anecdote, the colorful character, the lively quote, the telling detail. And we prefer that our readers be allowed to experience a destination directly through the words and actions of people the writer encounters, not just through the writer's narrative."
Note: Please do read and print out a copy of the guidelines found at the website. They are very thorough and will be very helpful to you.

Personal Responsibility
Many of us like to travel to remote areas and experience nature as wild as we can find it. Even when traveling "on the wild side" we all need to be aware of our ecological responsibilities.

Ecotravel.com
Ecotravel
Attn: Todd Ricketts
840 Michigan Avenue #24
Evanston, IL 60202 USA
Ph: Not found
Fx: Not found
http://www.ecotravel.com 
E-Query: Yes. Or send by snail mail. When e-querying include the word "query" in the subject line. Paste writing samples in the body of the email. When sending via snail mail, include a SASE if you want the samples returned.
Contact: Todd Ricketts
Email: todd@ecotravel.com 
Writer's guidelines online: http://www.ecotravel.com/ecotravel/index.cfm (printable)
Pays: Note: Payment is not listed on site, however, Todd informs me that they pay on a case-by-case basis, generally starting at $100 an article and going from there. Ideal article length is 800 words.
Rights: From the website: "Ecotravel buys non-exclusive e-rights to all material. While you are free to sell the material elsewhere, we must be able to keep the material up on our site for as long as we deem necessary."
Description: Web E-zine "dedicated to the principles of ecotourism. Circulation: Not available. Readers: Anyone interested in ecotourism.
Needs: From the website: "All articles and photos that appear on the Ecotravel.com Web site must adhere to ecologically and socially responsible practices in accordance with the principles of ecotourism."
Columns and Departments include: Destinations, Gear, Outdoor Activities, Eco Projects and How to Be an Ecotraveler. Be sure to refer to the guidelines online for a breakdown of what is needed with each department.
Insider's note: In my emails with Todd he stated: "Our criteria are based on the quality of the article and how well it fits with our focus, which is travel with consideration to the environment (on many levels) without sounding like an activist."

Dear Diary
If you're not one to keep a travel diary, here's an excellent reason to pick up the habit.

trips: a travel journal
155 Filbert St., Suite 245
Oakland, CA 94607 USA
Ph: 510-834-3433
Fx: 510-834-2663
http://www.tripsmag.com /
E-Queries: Preferred. Snail mail, send #10 SASE for guidelines and 10x13 envelope with seven first-class stamps for a free edition.
Contact: Tony Stucker, Editor-In-Chief
Email: edit@tripsmag.com 
Writer's guidelines online: http://www.tripsmag.com/printableguide.html (this is the URL to the printable guidelines)
Pays: Nonfiction, $100 - $1,500 for 450-6,000 words. Pays on publication (three months after acceptance). Columns/Departments, $100-$500 for 800-1,000 words. Photos, negotiates payment. Accepts reprints.
Rights: FNASR. Byline given. Simultaneous submissions accepted. Submit seasonal material six months in advance.
Description: From the website: "trips is the magazine for active, adventurous travelers who are looking for travel information in an unusual, offbeat, irreverent voice."
Circulation: 100,000. Readers: Adults.
Needs: "What we want: Exotic, unusual destinations and traditional sites viewed in unconventional ways." Features and columns include: Kitsch, lovable-yet-utterly-cheesy destinations. Lessons In, how-to pieces. Vice: the best and worst of vices around the world. A Travel Journal: a first-person travelogue."
Note: Their website has lots and lots of information. Do print out a copy, then get a copy of the magazine and go for it!

Editor's Choice
We're starting a new thing with the Editor's Choice. We're giving you, our readers and writers, little bit of a profile of the people and the magazine itself. I sent a brief email interview off to Max Hartshorne, Managing Editor of Transitions Abroad. I think you'll find his answers and the magazine to be of interest. When we first emailed back and forth Max told me the following: "The one thing I think is most important to convey about TA is this: People are very fond of their own recollections of travel. But what we want is information which would be helpful for a future traveler. So, simply stated, it is not about their trip, it's about the reader's trip... that's why we reject "journal-writing;" we don't have the room. Our goal is to be the definitive source for learning travel, immersion travel, work abroad, study abroad and volunteering overseas, and we want to provide the best websites, the most updated prices and phone numbers, etc. so that people will need to bring a copy of the magazine on the trip. We have many people who tell us that they discovered a place or a program and that we changed their lives... that is the nice thing about this magazine!"

That said, he answered a few more questions for me.

SJ: How did Transitions Abroad come about and what is its main thrust?

MH: The magazine was founded in 1977 by Clay Hubbs, who was the study-abroad advisor at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and was looking for a way to educate the students about the available programs abroad. There was nothing like this, so he started Transitions Abroad.

SJ: Have your subscribers (and writers) changed much through the years since the magazine first started?

MH: Our readers are older, more prosperous, and more sophisticated.

SJ: How has the Internet affected Transitions?

MH: We now can offer a complete website for including longer articles and more photos than we can fit in the magazine. It allows us to present, for example, a complete list of travel guides that we couldn't fit into the July/August issue. Also gets our name out to more people, helps sell our books and magazines and provides a taste of what we do in the magazine for browsers

SJ: Are there a few articles and destinations that really stand out in your memory?

MH: A piece on Ethiopian monasteries; electrification of a rural village in Costa Rica by volunteers.

SJ: What do you prefer NOT to get in articles submitted to you?

MH: Travel journals, tales of great shopping adventures, cruise ships, or anything that smacks of consumerism as opposed to immersion in the Local Culture.

SJ: If a writer submits an article and it's not right for the magazine, but you like their writing, do you encourage them to submit again, or perhaps work on the article to fit your needs?

MH: We ask them to read the writer's guidelines, which are in every Editor's email reply, and to get a copy of the magazine and write to our audience, similar to what we have published before.

Thanks, Max. I wish I'd known about Transitions two years ago when I visited Montgomery, Wales. A tiny Welsh town of 1,000, it's not visited that often by Americans. I plan on taking my husband back in the next couple of years.

Transitions Abroad
P.O. Box 1300
Amherst, MA 01004-1300 USA
Ph: 413-256-3414
Fx: 431-256-0373
http://www.TransitionsAbroad.com 
E-Queries: Preferred. You can send a query by snail mail but make sure to send an SASE with it. Make sure to include your email addy in your query letter. Manuscripts should be sent electronically.
Contact: Max Hartshorne, Managing Editor
Email: Editor@transitionsabroad.com 
Writer's guidelines online: http://www.transitionsabroad.com/information/writers/writers.shtml 
Pays: Copied from the Website: "Payment is on publication, normally approx. $2.00 per column inch (50-55 words), sometimes more for repeat contributors. For the most part, our contributors are not professional travel-writers but people with information and ideas to share; we are much more interested in usable first-hand information than in polished prose. We are always looking for experienced writers to become regular contributors or Contributing Editors. Fees for regular contributors are negotiable. Two copies of the issue in which your story appears will be included with payment. Photos submitted with manuscripts pay an additional $10 each ($25 each for independent submissions)."
Rights: First time and second (serial) rights. Byline given.
Description: "Transitions Abroad, in its 24th year of publication, is the magazine for independent travelers of all ages who seek practical information on international travel that involves 'growing and learning'-by living, studying, working, or vacationing alongside the people of the host country." Foreign (i.e. outside the United States) travel only; and travel methods that are not in the mainstream.
Circulation: 20,000. Readers: Average age is 40: "Our readers, most of whom travel on a limited budget to increase their time abroad and their exposure to the culture, are interested in active involvement rather than in passive tourism."
Needs: "Features (one or two per issue) and departments provide practical information and ideas ("nuts and bolts") on life-enriching travel, work, study, or living in another culture. Since Transitions Abroad assumes that all travel abroad involves active engagement and learning, articles should be written with this assumption in mind."
Note: Do inspect the online writer's guidelines. Max Hartshorne informed me that they were recently updated. They provide concise information regarding submissions and needs.

Well, gang, that's it for this edition. Whether your upcoming vacations are at fabulous spas or trekking in non-traditional spots, don't forget to take plenty of pictures and plenty of notes. Remember, you never know when you'll turn a corner and come face-to-face with a great story or article. -- Sable

-- SJ
©2001 Sable Jak

Sable Jak is a freelance writer with a special love for radio drama and screenwriting. She writes for Absolute Write www.absolutewrite.com  and Script Magazine's ezine www.scriptmag.com, is a charter member of The Screenplayers www.screenplayers.net/screenplayersnet.html and has a mystery radio series, "A Phil Byrnes Mystery," on www.virtuallyamerican.com.  She's also an avid crafter. Sable lives in Seattle with her actor-husband and their kitties. In the language of her ancestors her name "Sable" means "sword." She feels it's an appropriate name for a writer and her mighty pen.

Writing Contests & Calls for Entries

Moira Richards, Editor

This month's column has a decided bias towards writing for and about women, but there is also plenty of stuff for people of all the other genders! Do note that most of the contests in last month's column were annual contests, so if you miss the deadlines, hold them over for next year. --MR

The WIN Writing Contest for Women Aged 18 and Under
From Women's International Net

Send us an essay on one of the following topics:
1) The most important issue affecting women in my country is...
2) To grow up as a young woman in my country is...
3) The woman in my country I most admire is..

Essays should be between 1,000-1,800 words.
Please also send us your age, nationality, and the country you live in.
All contestants will receive an honorable mention on our website.

By submitting her essay, contestant is guaranteeing that the work is solely her own, and that she is 18 years of age or younger. Any contestant found to be otherwise will be disqualified. Winning contestants will be asked for a biography telling where they are from and about themselves. WIN will also ask for a photograph to be published alongside the article.

PRIZES: $250 (First), $175 (Second) and publication in WIN Magazine
ENTRY FEE: None
DEADLINE: November 1, 2001
URL: http://www.winmagazine.org/contest.htm 

"All She Wrote" Screenplay Contest
Open to writers who do not earn a living as a screenwriter or are not considered a "professional" screenwriter. Entered screenplays must not have been previously optioned, sold or produced.

Scripts from male entrants must have a female lead or strong female character(s).

Scripts from any genre will be considered and must be the original work of the author. If based on another person's life story, a statement attesting to the rights obtained must be attached. We strongly recommend but do not require that you register the script with the WGA and/or copyright your material with the Library of Congress.

See website for details of all the prizes and the optional cost to have coverage on your script.

PRIZES: Our prize list is growing every day. The top 10 scripts will receive exposure to Hollywood producers who may choose to put your script into production. You will also be put into the loop for possible agency representation.

First Place:
$1000 cash
1 copy of Final Draft software
1 year subscription to Script Magazine
Exposure and free résumé listing on www.allshewrote.com; allshewrote cap and tee

ENTRY FEE: $25 early, $40 late
DEADLINE: June 28, 2001 and August 1, 2001
URL: http://www.allshewrote.com/rules.html 

The Laura Emeline Fiction Contest
presented by The Lawton Doll Company and Dolls Magazine

Living in a flat above the Lawton Emporium opens up a world of fantasy for young Laura Emeline. Once the dress shop is closed and the customers have gone home for the day, Laura sneaks downstairs and into the land of "Make Believe." There is so much to see! Laura loves to feel the exquisite dresses, twirl them around, and imagine…

Once again, Wendy Lawton begins another story with her nine-inch wood and porcelain limited-edition doll, Laura Emeline. Now she passes the tale on to you to finish with a short story of 750 words or less.

Entries are judged on the basis of characterization, story elements and style. Contestants are asked to refer to photos of Laura Emeline along with the clothes and accessories offered in The Lawton Emporium -- see http://www.lawtondolls.com/ConnoisseurCollectionNew.html.

There is also a Poetry Contest! More information about both contests is on the website, and any questions regarding our contests can be sent to CustomerService@LawtonDolls.com 

PRIZES: $500, and publication in Dolls, $250 and Publication in Dolls, $125 plus One-Year Subscription to Dolls; Honorable Mentions: One-Year Subscription to Dolls
ENTRY FEE: None
DEADLINE: September 11, 2001
URL: http://www.lawtondolls.com/Poetry%20Contest.htm

Screenwriting Contest
From the Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute

The screenplay competition is open to writers who have not earned money writing for television or film.
Submissions must be full-length feature films.
No television dramas or sitcoms accepted.
Screenplays must not have been optioned or sold at the time of submission but may be submitted to other people thereafter.

Send SASE to Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute for following contest requirements or print them off from our website.

PRIZES:
Winning Script will be sent to a literary agent/manager (who recently optioned a script for $40,000), then be submitted to an appropriate entertainment producer or to Universal Studios.
Winning Contestant will be published on the Internet at www.zest.net/scriptnet, which for added security is accessible by password and is marketed to production companies found in the Hollywood Creative Directory for a period of one year.
Winning Contestant will receive a one-year's subscription to Scr(i)pt Magazine the premiere Hollywood magazine with feature articles and the latest up-to-date information on upgrading writing skills and marketing strategy.
All Winning Contestants will receive a screenwriting Award-Winning Certificate that attests to their being "First Place Winner," which will be on the Internet for one month.

ENTRY FEE: $50
DEADLINE: Monthly on the 15th
URL: http://www.moviewriting.com/contest.html

Karen Besecker/Kathey Clarey Memorial Competition for Mystery Writers

Karen Besecker and Kathey Clarey were two founding members of the San Joaquin chapter of Sisters in Crime. Both women were devoted to writing, Karen in her role as a Member of the Board of Friends of the Library, and Kathey as a feature writer for the Fresno Bee and the Visalia Times. Karen and Kathey had something else in common: their desire to write mysteries. Karen's dreams were fulfilled when, only three days before her unexpected death, she saw her first short story published in Murderous Intent Magazine. Kathey's goal was also realized. Her first novel, The Stalking Horse, was published as an e-book shortly before her death from cancer.

Created in honor of two courageous women who touched the lives of countless writers by their unselfish support of the mystery genre, the Karen Besecker/Kathey Clarey Memorial Competition is divided into two parts.

The Karen Besecker Award will be given for the best 3000-word, previously unpublished short story submitted by a novice mystery writer. For purposes of this competition, a novice is defined as a writer who is not published in novel length mystery or sub-genre form and has no more than three mystery or sub-genre short stories published.

The Kathey Clarey Award will be given for the best first chapter of an unpublished first mystery or sub-genre novel submitted by any writer. Novice standing does not apply to this part of the competition. The winning entry in the Kathey Clarey portion of the contest may be read and considered for publication by a participating publisher.
Questions? Email Mary Welk at: Kelworks@aol.com 

PRIZE: $200
ENTRY FEE: None
DEADLINE: November 30, 2001
URL: http://www.futuresforstorylovers.com/ 

Moondance International Film Festival: Screenplay, Stageplay, Short Story, Teleplay, Radio Play, Libretto
The annual Moondance International Film Festival, which takes place in January each year, is for the benefit of both women and men, and all are encouraged to attend.

The original "Spirit of Moondance" competition is by and for women. Our objective for this competition is to promote and encourage women screenwriters, playwrights, short-story writers and women who make independent films, and the best work by women, in any genre of screenplays, feature films, animation, documentaries, short films, stage plays, radio plays, TV scripts, musical scores, lyrics, librettos, musical videos and short stories. Moondance provides a forum in which those talented and dedicated women can have the opportunity for their work to be viewed and accepted by the powers that be, within the international film community. See website for much more of the background and underlying philosophy of the festival.

PRIZE: Production at the Moondance International Film Festival
ENTRY FEE: $50 or $75, depending on category. $25 extra for written comments
DEADLINE: July 1 & October 1, 2001
URL: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/rules.htm

Westerns Rule! (Also, Young Adult and Religious too)
Three separate and distinct categories, from The Showcase and 
Collaborations Press.

o Those entering the Westerns category are asked to complete a 250-word manuscript starting with the phrase: "Turning toward them, the horse bestowed . . ."

o Young Adult contestants are asked to create a 250-word piece, opening: "Unlike her father before her, she began . . ."

o Those entering the Religious Fiction category are to complete this beginning within 250 words: "He waited for the fog to reveal what he . . ."

Lots more information, ideas, tips and previous winning entries on the website.

PRIZES: $3500, $2500, $1200, $800 and honorable mentions in each category.
ENTRY FEE: $25
DEADLINE: August 1, 2001 or 500 entries
URL: http://www.novel.to 

-- MR

Moira Richards has spent the last couple of decades working as an accountant and doing a little writing. Her next few decades will be devoted to reversing this imbalance. Contact Moira at mr@intekom.co.za.
Websites: 
Suite 101 Contributing Editor -- Women Abuse
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/women_abuse
Contributing Writer for WomenWriters.net
http://www.womenwriters.net/bookreviews/