Writing Travel Guidebooks

Get paid to travel the world

Course is closed.
Writing Travel Guidebooks

WHEN Tuesday, September 9, 6:30-9:30 pm

WHERE MOCA DC, Main Gallery, 1054 31st St NW, Canal Square, Georgetown, Washington, DC, 212-929-2588

PRICE
$65 ($50 for )
more info

Course Details

 Ever wonder who writes those books just about every tourist around the world is clutching? Ever grimace in frustration that your hotel doesn't measure up to the review or the map is missing a street? Learn what it's really like to research and write a guidebook, from hotel stomping in Yangon to mapping the Sahara.

If you have a taste for adventure, a strong stomach and high threshold for discomfort, then this might just be the career for you. It's a job that requires the problem-solving skills of a foreign correspondent, the sophistication of a restaurant reviewer, and the physical resources of a triathlete. Are you game?

In this seminar, you will learn:

  • How to break into travel guidebook writing
  • The realities of the industry, the job and the lifestyle
  • What to do when you get to your destination
  • The rules of researching and writing good material
  • How to write a sample chapter and what editors are looking for
  • Specifics of good guidebook writing
  • How to turn one guidebook working trip into other sellable story ideas

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Instructor Bio

Michael Grosberg's Courses

No courses available at this time.

Michael Grosberg
Michael Grosberg is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, NY who has worked as an author on thirteen Lonely Planet guidebooks including Burma (Myanmar), the Philippines, Tunisia, Ghana, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Mexico, the US, South Africa, Germany, and Denmark. He received a Master's degree in comparative literature at New York University and taught writing and literature as an adjunct professor at Fordham University, Pratt Institute, and the Steven's Institute of Technology. Michael investigated and wrote about political violence and other social issues in post-apartheid South Africa and co-wrote a nationally distributed manual on the local government's role in economic development. He has traveled extensively in Central and South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Testimonials


Michael was great. He gave us a candid take on what really goes into writing a travel guidebook. -- Kerry Acker

"Ths class provided the nuts and bolts needed to break into travel guidebook writing along with many real world insights that only someone who has lived it could share." -- Liz Humphreys

"Michael has a way of bringing his experiences to the listener so effectively that you walk away with a great understanding of what it means to be a travel guidebook author." -- Bryan Sorensen

"It was great to hear first hand experience from Michael. He gave a realistic and honest assessment of the job. I got a very good picture what to expect and what it takes to succeed to be a travel guide writer/author." -- Maria San Jose

"Michael was able to address everyone's questions and he hung around afterwards to chat with anyone who needed it. He was very approachable and amiable. I'd take another class from him." -- Jackie Jones

"Michael has the experience, both in travel and in the business of travel writing, to teach what it's like to be a real, working travel writer -- not only the glory of the job, but the pitfalls and annoyances as well." -- Erik Trinidad

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