Jim, what is your background
in travel writing?
I began my writing career as a newspaper reporter and left to
freelance for magazines about a decade ago. Shortly thereafter,
I wrote my first travel story. I was already hooked on travel
by then – I'd backpacked around Europe, etc. – but
I hadn't gotten around to writing about it. It occurred to me
that I'd been making my living as a writer but hadn't been writing
about topics that I felt most strongly about, like travel. I realized
I could go through my entire life like that.
From that point on I began pitching and writing more travel stories
– to newspapers, and eventually to magazines like National
Geographic Adventure. As a freelance writer, it's tough to make
a living from travel stories alone – particularly travel
essays – so I was always writing other kinds of stories,
too, to stay afloat.
How did you begin World
Hum and how has the site changed over the past few years?
Fellow writer and editor Michael Yessis and I were fans of Salon.com's
Wanderlust travel section, which published compelling, thoughtful,
sexy and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny travel essays. When that
section was killed, we found ourselves complaining about the dearth
of narrative travel-writing outlets. Out of frustration, as much
as anything, we decided to put up our own rudimentary site and
put out a call for submissions. We didn't know what would come
of it. That was about six years ago. Fortunately, over time, readers
and plenty of talented writers responded.
The biggest change to site came a couple of years ago when we
redesigned it and added sections -- How To, Speaker's Corner,
Ask Rolf (Potts), Books and Q&A -- making it more of an online
magazine. I'd like to think the site's perspective on travel and
the world hasn't changed. We're trying to find fresh ways to explore
travel in all its facets and highlight good travel narrative.
Do you know which categories of World Hum are the most
popular?
In the weblog, the category we created to house our Top
30 Travel Books list probably gets the most traffic. Which
is great, because a love of travel literature prompted us to create
World Hum in the first place.
What's next for World Hum? Why is there an orange 'T'
at the top of your pages?
Ah yes, our 'T.' World Hum was just acquired
by the Travel
Channel. The site had always been a part-time project for
Michael and me, a labor of love, and we'd always wanted to devote
more time to it. Now, for the first time, we're editing the site
full-time, so it's great. We have a chance to see what we can
really do with some time and resources. As for what's next, we're
starting to play around with multimedia, which we'll roll out
in bits and pieces. For the most part, we want to continue doing
what we've been doing – only more of it, and better.
Does World Hum pay for editorial content?
Rates vary but start at $100 for essays and stories. For details,
check out the submissions
guide.
How does World Hum cover ecotourism?
World Hum covers a number of topics, including Eco-Travel.
In the past few years we have covered the global debates on ethical
travel and the questions about global warming and air travel.
Do you have suggestions for travel writers who wish to
cover responsible travel and ecotourism?
My advice is to write wildly entertaining stories with a strong
voice and a strong point of view. If you can do that, I think
you can sell an editor almost any story, including a story about
responsible, sustainable, ethical travel.
Do you have suggestions for travel editors and publishers who
wish to cover responsible travel and ecotourism options?
I'm seeing more coverage of responsible, ethical travel these
days than I did a few years ago. I think travelers are more aware
and sophisticated than ever. People want to read about ethical
travel. But they also want to read good stories. It's no different
than eating well. Lots of people want to eat heart-healthy, earth-friendly
food, but they don't want their veggie burger to taste like cardboard.
A spoon full of sugar and all that. |
