making money selling your stories - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**raysen** · 10-18-2006, 01:56 PM

Am ion the middle....well slightly over half way of my first backpacking trip of USA with my boyfriend and have been keeping a diary of every day. Anyone thought and actually made anymoney from making a book of some sorts about their trip. I was thinking less of my tips and what I think and dont think is right but in a more indepth way literally puting the diary into a book, where its more of this is what we did, this is what went wrong, this is where we stayed, this is what we thought, these are the mistakes we made. instead of the usuall backpacking trip guides you can buy.

ANy thoughts ore experiances on this

**marc873** · 10-18-2006, 02:35 PM

If I could make money telling my travel stories, I would quit my job and travel baby!!!!! We all only wish it was that lucky. If anyone has had luck, please share your knowledge. Happy Travels through the US, and feel free to ask any questions, a lot of us have seen most of this country

**Somnambulation** · 10-18-2006, 06:41 PM

Ive got some bunion stories for sale.

**bellelass** · 10-18-2006, 07:32 PM

I've never sold them, but I have loaned out my travel diaries to other people who are going to the same place. I just want them back in one piece, with a few new notes perhaps. Have toyed with the idea, though. Standard guidebooks and packer books are all well and fine, but I always find myself wanting a book that offers anecdotal stuff for depth. Not just maps, prices, and hostel names..

But then there's the rub of once you publish a place, people go to it. And perhaps it loses something of what attracted you to it in the first place...

**Somnambulation** · 10-18-2006, 10:14 PM

I am reading a book right now called Lost Cosmonaut, about a guy who travels to places solely because they are shitholes. He calls himself an anti-tourist and rellishes the bleak desperation of these places and it is quite entertaining. Travelogues like that written by people with an interesting writing style are great.

**freespiritz** · 10-19-2006, 02:46 AM

I love travel journals and I wish I could sell my stories too...I'm all about the anecdotes and letting others live my experiences vicariously through my words

There's a bunch of travelogue books out there, take a look and be inspired to write a best-seller maybe? Or maybe there are magazines that do travel columns that you could contribute to per article instead of a whole book...

I'd love to do all myself too, so anyone with tips, do share!

**BigE** · 10-19-2006, 07:27 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Somnambulation @ Oct 19 2006, 01:14 AM) [snapback]142794[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

I am reading a book right now called Lost Cosmonaut, about a guy who travels to places solely because they are shitholes. He calls himself an anti-tourist and rellishes the bleak desperation of these places and it is quite entertaining. Travelogues like that written by people with an interesting writing style are great.
[/b]

Who wrote the book? I'm very interested.

rachael9 · 10-19-2006, 12:40 PM

If you've really got some good stories to tell why don't you try submiitting to a travel magazine. A lot of magazines depend on free lancers to fill their pages and there's definitely a market for "arm-chair travelers" ... i.e. people who are dying to live vicariously through your words. Let me know if you have any luck.

**Somnambulation** · 10-19-2006, 04:31 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BigE @ Oct 19 2006, 07:27 AM) [snapback]142826[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Who wrote the book? I'm very interested.
[/b]

Daniel Kalder

**raysen** · 10-21-2006, 11:53 AM

Thanks for the thoughts people, I wasn't planning on quitting my day job for it...lol. But thought hey maybe able to make a few quid here and there maybe take a new career thought...i say a new career like I have one to leave at the minute haha!
I may go with the travel magazine option first, might be good to get some experiance, then maybe one day do some sort of book...thing..
My aim would be for first time travellers, who if anything like me would like to here what people actually did who haven't been doing it for 10+ years and not a list of places to go, things to do and not to do. ya know?

Will keep info in mind for when comeing home, thanks guys

**TheWills** · 10-21-2006, 07:01 PM

The thing is you cant just write stories about your travels, it cant just say
''In Rome now, wow the Coloseum was great and then went to a great club and got pissed, met 2 twins took them home for a great night etc..''

Naw you gotta have wild and intresting stories, stories that happen to one in a million travellers, and once you have about 7 or 8 of those you can start thinkin about writing a book.

Just read a great one called ''Into the Wild'' its abotu this guy who denounces socitey, gives all his money to charity and abandons his car and starts hitchhiking arcoss north america only getting by on eating berries and handouts, he eventually dies in alaska but its a really good book!
So yeah its gotta be original

**expatben** · 10-22-2006, 05:57 AM

I would love to write stories and sell them but I am not sure anyone would buy my book.