International Living Magazine aims at providing a scope and depth of information about global travel, living, retiring, investing, and real estate that is not available anywhere else at any price.
What do our readers want?
You are writing for our readers. Our readership love beaches, mountains, and countryside. Some of them love the city. They want to live overseas, either part-time or full time, and most of them want to learn about ways to stretch their dollars and simplify their lives…
Are you already there? Then our readers want your story.
Our readers like profiles: These stories are meant to inspire. This could be your story or that of someone you interview. It’s a profile of an individual or couple living the dream. They’ve moved someplace new—full or part time.
Our readers want advice about retiring overseas: Can you pass along useful how-to tips, money-saving ideas, ways to “prep” for a move or adjust to a new life? Pull back the curtain and share with readers a recommendation or some guidance they wouldn’t easily figure out on their own.
Our readers are interested in healthcare: Do you have a first-person account from somebody who has just benefited from healthcare abroad? Or perhaps a how-to piece about insurance or special facilities available overseas.
Our readers are interested in practical solutions: Can you write a practical article about some aspect of moving or living overseas? The article should answer a question our readers have about the practicalities of living overseas, and should have information contained in it that the reader can act upon, or learn from.
Example Solutions stories:
- The guide to stress-free renting in Lisbon
- It’s easier than ever to get a Colombian visa
- Roatán: How to build and furnish your own tropical island home
The bit you really want to know about….
Payment is upon publication and International Living buys all rights. As regards photographs, if we use one of yours we pay for one-time use and you retain the rights.
Before you get in touch…
Get to know our style. You can sign up to our Daily Postcards free of charge. Make sure you read some of these and have a look at the other content on our website before sending an article or pitching an idea.
When you are familiar with our style you can send article ideas to our editors: submissions@legacy.internationalliving.com. All editorial requests will be reviewed and considered when we plan our issues. Not all requests, however, can be answered personally due to the high volume of inquiries we receive. You improve your chances if you take the editor’s advice…
A few tips from our editor…
- We are not a travel magazine. We are the niche publication for living and retiring overseas. No descriptive, run-of-the-mill articles. That’s not to say we won’t accept articles on gastronomy in Paris, or sight-seeing in Rome. But you’ll have to work harder to get the inside track, to find the facts that no one else has. Be original.
- Make recommendations in your article. We want your opinion. Tell our readers how to do things, how to catch a cab, order a meal, buy a souvenir, start a business, buy real estate, find a new place, a hidden gem.
- This is the age of the internet. But before you get mired in the online research, remember, our readers can Google, too. Original tips and advice will stand out and put your article on the top of the pile.
- Never start a story at the beginning.
- If you are writing someone’s profile use lots of direct quotes. Readers want to hear from your interviewee. It makes for a much stronger story.
- Don’t be boring. Whether you have 850 words or 1,600, use them wisely. Pack the important stuff in. Don’t waste 200 words explaining how to catch a bus.
- The best writing seems effortless because it’s easy to read. But it’s actually the hardest to write. The key to this is editing—re-read your articles with fresh eyes and a red pen in your hand.
- Always proofread your article before submission. Print it out. The human eye works better from a printed copy. Better yet, sleep on it. You’ll be amazed how many mistakes you can catch the morning after over breakfast.
- One of the best places to get article ideas is on our Ask the Experts area. Find out what our readers are talking about.
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