Way back in 2014, Will Coldwell wrote an article in The Guardian profiling the eight ‘best’ independent travel magazines they recommended. I came across this article recently, and noticed something a little bit chilling:
Out of the eight magazines profiled, only two seem to still be around in any form. Most of the websites in the article no longer even exist. Click the links, and you’ll be taken to a 404 page. That’s a survival rate of about 25%…
As the founding editor of this independent online travel magazine (founded just after the Guardian list came out, as it happens), I of course found that a little bit chilling.
It reminds me of that scene in the British comedy Black Adder during their WWI season. Black Adder hears a rumor that the average time in the air for British fighter pilots is just 20 minutes. Exhausted from 20+ hour-long shifts in the trenches, he and his crew volunteer… only to learn that 20 minutes isn’t the average shift length… it’s the average life expectancy.
What is the average life expectancy of an independent travel writing magazine? Longer than 20 minutes, perhaps, but apparently less than 10 years.
Intrepid Times is just entering our 11th year, so we’re beating the odds, but will we be around for another 10? I like to think so, but we’ll need your help.
Why we’re doing things a little bit differently
To pay writers, editors, production, hosting, etc., independent travel magazines need money. Traditionally, there are two ways that publications are funded: By readers and by advertisers. One way or another, the cost ends up on the reader’s shoulders. You’re either paying a subscription, looking at advertising, or increasingly, buying recommended tours, experiences, flights, or hotels through affiliate links which pay the publication a commission.
The affiliate model seems to dominate online among independent creators and has huge costs to readers. Think about the direction this sends publications. It does not incentivize deep storytelling or counter-intuitive publishing. It makes publications chase the money by finding out what people are searching for, providing quick, easily digestible ‘content’ on this topic, normally in the form of ‘listicles.’ and funneling readers towards affiliate links for ‘recommended’ platforms or experiences.
This is not the recipe for literary gold.
Intrepid Times has gone down a different route. We want to be able to make publishing decisions based on literary and creative merit, not based on search engine algorithms. This means we’ve had to reinvent the funding model for an independent publication more or less from the ground up.
How we’re doing things a little bit differently
We are funded by the educational services we provide.
We pay reasonably generously for talented emerging established travel writers (writing and editing are our main expenses), we also charge newer and less experienced writers for carefully developed education, feedback, and mentorship programs. Think of it a little like a theater production company that also offers acting classes; We put on plays and hold auditions, and those who don’t yet have the chops for the stage get access to the trainers and coaches who can help them get there.
I have a professional background in this field, having written and developed training programs in the corporate world as well as for publishers like Exisle Publishing, so it’s a strength I bring to the table. While there are certainly others who offer workshops and feedback on travel writing (and some are very good) we bring a unique perspective as working editors, rather than strictly as fellow writers.
Thanks to that editor’s eye view, we are often able to see what may have been holding writers back from publication until now. We help them get out of their own way and go on to be published time and time again. My knowledge of learning and education design also means that (in my biased opinion) Intrepid Times programs tend to be more rigorous and polished than others in the writing space. We use all the pro tricks in the book to help you, the writer, actually achieve the results that you are striving for.
As far as I am aware, the Intrepid Times model is unique. For you as a reader, it means we don’t have to bend over backward to the whims of search engines, flooding the internet with more AI-assisted listicles. As a writer, it means that you can get paid well for your work when you’re ready, and if you need a helping hand or simply want to sharpen the saw, that support is here for you on your way up. And for us, it means we can publish with integrity based on our values and standards. We think it’s a win-win-win. Time, of course, will tell.
