Friends I have some very interesting hunting stories that I would like to share with HOUNDSMEN and other hunters.I need the extra cash so I only want to put effort into this if the publications will pay for the story and pictures.
We have had many extremely exciting leopard encounters with our hounds, people getting chewed, creeping into dark caves to get a shot and a bunch of other interesting stuff.These stories need to be shared, but I want to get paid for this work.
What ideas can you share with me - what publications,who to contact etc?
I would appreciate any assistence in this respect, things are going to be very tight without our leopard hunts this season.
Personally, I wouldn't mess with the magazines in your case. Probably not much money in it. I think you should write a book instead, with lots of pics. Didn't you pioneer the use of hounds on leopard in Africa?
liontracker wrote:Personally, I wouldn't mess with the magazines in your case. Probably not much money in it. I think you should write a book instead, with lots of pics. Didn't you pioneer the use of hounds on leopard in Africa?
Agreed on the book and video. The video I have of you getting attacked by the leopard and the leopard being shot off of you with both barrels of a twelve gauge is one of everyone's favorites!
Benny
"What I really need is a system that when I push a button it will shock that dog there, when I push this other button I can shock the other dog over there, and a button that I can push to shock all twenty dogs at the same time!" - Clell Lee
Benny
When in doubt, ask someone that knows, not just claims to know.
Making any money off hunting articles while working through magazines or a book is pretty tough duty; likewise producing a video and making money above cost is tough as well. I wrote for outdoor magazines for a dozen years, and was paid for nearly all my articles other than some of the ones I donated to Full Cry, but most were not adventure articles and not much fun to write. I also sold photographs to alot of magazines which made me a little money, but the only way photos sell is if they work or support an article they have lined up. But all of it is peanuts unless you are a staff or in-house writer.
Books are a joke because the readership in hound hunting never make enough sales to pay for the project. Most likely, a person can get a book sponsor to back a guy if you do the wok--that is write the story. But the odds are you won't get any up front money until they sell enough copies to pay for publication, which is most likely lots of books. What you will most typically get is a few hundred books to sell and recover some of you labor and or expenses--basically they'll make a book salesman out of you and the profit if any will go to the publisher.
Likewise, if you don't do all the work on a video, that is filming, editing, and art work--or camera ready product--you'll pay any profit or go into debt paying to get that video to market. On my videos, I shot the film, did the editing, did the artwork and put it out there for the public but guiding helped pay the bill. I hope that I'm not sounding too negative but a real profit is hard to find in free lance writing or photography unless you are on some one's payroll.
If you have some really great, high quality video you might get it on a television hunting show, which would possibly yield you the best return..... But again those people would most likely rifle through your footage and take only the best stuff, then pay you for minutes of use.
If I can do anything to help just give me a shout, but know that marketing writing, photography and film is a tough project and there is a skill set that goes with it....
