I had a long chat this morning with somebody about today’s travel writing world. We spoke of the need to be either famous or to have a USP, ”a gentle adventure which involves at worst, a loss of dignity; the loss of life thing is for climbers and Antarctic explorers who do what they do because they can’t mix at parties.”
As I am not famous nor am I willing to drag a fridge to the South Pole I fear I am going to struggle to get to where I want to be: an author who makes his living from writing.
I have a feeling that some of the books we today regard as travel writing classics would, if they were written today, struggle even to get published, let alone make any sensible money. Would mainstream publishers today be interested in somebody ambling across Spain or walking across Europe just for the hell of it, or in not making it to the South Pole? I fear not.
I have been an evangelist for print-on-demand technology ever since I used the internet to self-publish my first book after I failed to find a publisher. When I am a millionaire adventurer I will return to self-publishing my books. I love the control, the freedom, and the fact that quality writing and a decent adventure are sufficient to make a good book.
Until then, however, I suspect that I won’t be entering the big boys’ league of travel writers as I refuse to go on Big Brother and I don’t do my journeys to break records or be a novelty. I guess I can live with that.
(If you’re looking for a decent book to read, have a look at this list. And, no, that’s not a shamelessly unsubtle link to where you can buy my own books. This is.
some feedback i received from pete gostelow:
“Hi Al,
Interesting to read this. Next month I’m off on my next major cycling adventure.(www.thebigafricacycle.com – up on web in next few days) I have no USP nor am trying to break a record of any kind. I think the whole polar exploration business is much more gung-ho with World firsts. I have debated about sitting down to write about my last big trip – 30,000 miles from Japan-UK, but realised I couldn’t commit to it yet with a restless mind to get back on the road. Self-publishing seems a lot easier, in some respects, than finding a publisher/editor etc, although the last few self-published books about cycling I’ve read have badly suffered from having an editor.
It’s easy to criticise when you’ve yet to give it a go – I thought your second book was much better than the first (combination of more practice and having an editor/ publisher?)”
It is sad to see what sells in travel writing these days Gimmicks get all the attention. Al, you’ve inspired a whole generation of adventurers to take to their bicycles and that’s a much more lasting legacy than selling a few million books just because you’ve carted a fridge around Ireland
What’s all this about a fridge?
Hi Enda,
Sorry!
It’s about Tony Hawk’s Book, “Round Ireland with a Fridge”
(Very funny book, but total gimmick)
Al
“Al, you’ve inspired a whole generation of adventurers to take to their bicycles and that’s a much more lasting legacy than selling a few million books”
I couldn’t agree more, after reading your books and Lance Armstrong’s I have been cycling as often as possible despite having type 1 diabetes and being closer to 50 than 40 in age! I am just back from the USA after two weeks of cycling and I am already planning a trip to the west coast of Scotland this autumn and France in the spring.
Books really can be life changing, thank you for yours.
All the best,
Fergie
Scotland
Let me know how you get on in the West Coast of Scotland, Fergie: some of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth…
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Hi,
I think there are a couple of reasons why extraordinary adventures might never be published now. First of all, there is less of an exclusive reach for these. More people have the finance, global connections, there is an acceptance of career breaks and gap years that there never was before etc. I wouldn’t say this cheapens the achievement, as the motivation to take the challenge is the same, but for the average person reading about it, they will have heard about the same or similar journeys before. It then really comes down to how the story is told, marketed, made to seem unique and so on.
Secondly, in telling the story, people like yourself have embraced technological solutions to help you narrate your travels. In a way, this decreases the likelihood of a living from your writing, as so many people hear much of your story for free. It’s the blessing and the curse of the read write web. Everyone can read it, laud it, opine on it, but that doesn’t pay the bills. It’s also why viral ‘marketing’ of new media is so important. An audience doesn’t guarantee a wage, but it makes it far more likely. Sorry, I know this isn’t helpful, merely an observation. For what its worth, I find your story one that my students and I can relate to because you are or were just like them. Reading your life seems like a window to the possible. For me, that beats a bankrolled jolly conducted in circumstances that most of us can never imagine.
[…] the world. I wasn’t famous, I hadn’t broken a record, my trip had no novel twist (full rant here). It’s a book that is now rated as 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon. If you have read it please, […]