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RE: ToyHauler Magazine
Quote: campermom1 Hi, We recently started getting the ToyHauler Magazine delivered to our home. What a great magazine for the family on the go. We have always loved to travel, camp and cruise the back country with our ATVs but until now this is the only magazine dedicated to our life style we've found. Check it out for your self. Big glossy pages with lots of informative articles on where to ride and safety tips for the family. Personally, I'd like to see some articles of where to ride in Canada. Thanks.
Over the years, I've seen lots of letters to the editor at magazines asking that one topic or another be covered. You could actually do the editor of ToyHauler a favor by writing up something on a couple of the riding trails you've visited in Canada. The most critical thing for such an article is not the writing... it's pictures. Take a decent-quality digital camera with you (at least 3 megapixel) and take LOTS of pictures. Set the camera to its highest quality setting and take 50 or 100 pictures. Plan on picking the six best to accompany your article.
Then write the article. Figure on around 1,000 words and have an opening about why you like to go riding and where you do most of your riding. Then launch into a description of one or two places you enjoy going, as well as the reasons you enjoy it. Are there any really challenging trails? Is there a lot of natural beauty? Wildlife? Socializing? Write about any of these things that you notice, as others will want to know about them. Talk to the management of the parks and get a quote about the best time of year to visit. What's the best time of day? Are there amenities such as restaurants, toilets, repair facilities, etc?
With your pictures, it's very important that you collect information about what is in the picture. Get the names of any person in the shot. (Double-check the spelling!) Write down the names of any geographic features or buildings. The magazine's editor will want captions like, "The Hemlock Mountains frame Tom Johnson as he straps on his helmet in preparation for entering the Wildcat Trail. This 32-mile loop trail features an elevation change of 2,000 feet and a beautiful view over Buffalo Lake."
If you put together something like this, send an e-mail to the editor and let him/her know. You will be immediately asked about pictures and captions, so have your answers ready. In my experience, the magazine's editor will ask you to send it in, as s/he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. If all goes well, you might see your article published and make a couple hundred bucks (or more) from it. That might be enough to finance your trip to another park so that you can write up another article. It's all very addictive... and your readers will appreciate it.
Don't worry if your English is not perfect -- editors can fix that easily. What they can't do is take pictures of the things you see. The pictures you take are what will make your article marketable. I've done some of this (not about ATVs, but other topics) and would be happy to answer any questions you might have about writing this type of article for magazines. Good luck!
--Bob |
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