Published: 6/18/2008 | June 18th, 2008

A few months ago, a book came out came out that swept the travel composing world. Do travel Writers go to Hell? triggered a great deal of controversy with its depiction of guidebook writing. Lonely world even had to problem special statements to reassure individuals that its books were accurate.

Now, with the problem having died down, writer Thomas Kohnstamm shows on the controversy, guidebooks, as well as writing.

Nomadic Matt: Your book produced a great deal of controversy when it came out this year. Did you expect such a media firestorm? Did you believe there would be such a unfavorable reaction to the novel?
Thomas Kohnstamm: I understood that there would be some controversy, however I presumed (perhaps naively) that the conversation would be based on what was really stated in my book. much of the blow-up was based on speculation, rumors, as well as misquotes. 99% of the people criticizing me as well as my book had not even seen a copy of the book or checked out a single page of it.

The controversy dealt with you stating that for the Colombia book, you never went to Colombia. However, you were asked to compose the history section of the article, which can truly be done from any type of library. Do you believe the media just blew this out of proportion?
That came from a conversation that I had with an Australian journalist about the problem of “desk updates” in travel writing. I composed the History, Environment, Food & Drink, as well as culture sections of that book – basically the introduction of the guidebook.

Would my research study have benefited from me visiting the country: yes. however the truth is that on many low-budget travel composing jobs (i.e countries like Colombia), publishers can only pay for to send a couple of the writers into the field.

Lonely world DID NOT contract me to go to Colombia as there was not sufficient money in the budget plan for the book. I did the research study based off of memory, notes, interviews with Colombians, as well as research study at the Colombian Consulate in San Francisco.

The journalist twisted my words to make them noise as if I had been paid by LP to go to Colombia as well as I personally determined that the money was insufficient as well as therefore lazily sat at house as well as made crap up. The whole newspaper article was written with the intent of being as sensational as well as scandalous as possible.

The article was chosen up by some news wires as well as traveled the globe as well as blog echo chamber without any type of deeper believed or evaluation. as well as all of it was based on a single, faulty story in an Australian tabloid.

Last month, I interviewed a travel writer who stated that your book was an inaccurate description of the profession. According to him, a bit self-discipline, the capability to negotiate a fair contract, as well as some professionalism will get the task done. What’s your thoughts on this?
Do travel Writers go to Hell? is about my experience as a young, wide-eyed travel writer working on my very first project. It is not a book about my whole career as a travel writer.

Obviously, I discovered exactly how to function in the market much much better as I had more jobs under my belt.

Many people get into serious monetary difficulty on their very first job or two. If they don’t figure a method to make it work under the tight time as well as monetary constraints, they are just replaced by one more wide-eyed travel writer who will work for bit more than a byline as well as a possibility to travel. The prospective labor pool is virtually limitless.

Also, I got only the greatest marks from Lonely world on my writing. I may have had some bumps in the road, however I always submitted high quality work in the end. I ended up doing a great deal more adventurous, cutting-edge research study as well as insightful composing than many of those play-by-the-book earnest writers who spent all of their time visiting the exact same old hotels down the tourist trail.

I checked out you when got pistol-whipped while on assignment. From that story as well as your book, it seems guidebook composing is one fascinating calamity after another.
I was only pistol-whipped when – fortunately. I had a great deal of crazy experiences as a travel writer, however I truly like to get included in what is going on in a provided location as well as not just float with as a detached observer. sometimes I get in over my head.

How did your household as well as buddies react to the book? It’s quite raw. I bet there were not thinking about reading about your medication as well as sex exploits.
My mom didn’t care for the drinking. My sweetheart didn’t care for the sex. My dad believed it was all great. I purposefully composed it without comments from buddies as well as household as I wished to be able to compose about my experiences in an unvarnished, honest way.

It seems like your days as a guidebook writer are over. What are you doing now?
I haven’t written a guidebook in a few years. I am just working on books as well as screenwriting at this point. I hope to continue to do some travel writing, however I prefer the book-length format.

Most writers begin out wanting to be a writer. This kind of fell in your lap when Lonely world sent you to Brazil. What made you stay a writer as well as not go back into the business world you left?
I started out wanting to be a writer as well — although I was originally most thinking about composing about politics. My very first guidebook job shown up a bit more abruptly than I had anticipated, however in Do travel Writers go to Hell? I discuss exactly how I had already written a phrasebook for Lonely world years before as well as had been offered some guidebook composing back in 2000.

I had a nascent composing career in my early twenties however was distracted by a few years spent in academia. When I dropped out of a D Phil program, I accidentally washed up in the business world.

Travel composing has taken you to a great deal of places. What’s your preferred country?
That’s difficult to say. I like Brazil as well as will spend Christmas as well as the new Year there this year. India was one of the most interesting locations that I’ve traveled. I like skiing in France as well as Chile. I’d like to go to Mozambique as well as Madasgascar.

After seeing the guidebook world from the inside, do you still suggest people utilize them?
I still suggest guidebooks as well as tend to prefer Lonely world to the other brands. That said, I would suggest that guidebooks are subjective (and somewhat arbitrary) as well as are not the singular or correct method to approach a destination. people should utilize guidebooks as a fundamental tool, however not comply with them slavishly.

Otherwise, guidebooks basically ensure that countless people all have precisely the exact same unique travel experience.

Thomas Kohnstamm currently resides in the Pacific Northwest as well as continues to make waves with his book, Do travel Writers go to Hell? If you are thinking about reading more, you can purchase the book at Amazon.
 

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