The BGTW will facilitate the publication of a member-led anthology as part of our 65th anniversary. We would love as many members to be involved as possible, and section two of the anthology (Experiences) is especially suitable for non-writer members who want to share that unique experience they stumbled upon, but not craft a full feature. Details are as follows:
WT: Around The World in 65 Years
Proposed publisher: Bradt’s Journey Books
The anthology will have an ISBN, distribution network, and formal retail presence. However, being Bradt’s contract-publishing arm, it remains a member-led project, not a part of Bradt’s traditional range.
Content: 65 inspiring travel stories from the road less travelled (from 1960, when the BGTW was founded and modern-day tourism began, until the present day) and 65 experiences.
Payment: This anthology is a member-led publishing project and an optional showcase for the Guild’s members. As such, no fees will be made for contributions. Think of it more like the old award booklets, which showcased members to the industry and public. We’re approaching sponsors to cover the costs of providing contributors with a copy of the anthology. Should the anthology generate profit (after costs and additional print runs), these will be reinvested into the Guild to support and promote members.
What we need:
Features and stories (Section One): We’re looking for 65 inspiring travel stories and first-person narratives of 500-1500 words. These could have been published elsewhere, have won a BGTW award, be something fresh you wish to write, or be that journal entry you loved, but the pitch never landed. The most important thing is that they are inspiring, engaging and ideally, capture a moment in time – whether it’s 1965 or 2025.
Experiences (Section Two): We’re looking for 65 travel experiences of up to 200 words (anchored around cultural immersion, conservation, craft experiences, sustainability, and similar) that readers can partake in, preserving what makes destinations unique for the next 65 years (and beyond). Think outside of the box – these are stand-alone and thus a perfect chance to highlight an indelible project that perhaps didn’t ever quite fit into a feature.
Photography: The anthology will require limited colour photos, black and white images, and a front cover.
Important: Initially, we are limiting members to a maximum of one of each of the above (so one feature, one experience). We will communicate if this changes, or should the destination you’ve pitched already have saturation, we will invite you to submit an alternative. If you have a few stories you’d love us to consider, please feel free to make multiple submissions, but be aware that it’s unlikely they will all be included.
Please note that submission is not a guarantee of publication; we require a broad geographical and timeline spread to ensure the book’s retail success, and the editorial team reserve the right to reject a submission should the destination already be covered, or if it doesn’t meet the quality threshold. You can see here a list of destinations we have already assigned and are unlikely to include additional features from.
Submissions: Please use this form to submit completed text or a pitch. Upload photo submissions here (please title your low-res JPG with your name, destination and the year taken).
Deadlines/Process: This project’s deadline is tight to ensure publication before the Gala Dinner; the final publisher submission will be May 30th. As such, we aim to confirm inclusions within a couple of days of submission and to receive all text by the first week of May. There will then be a two-week window when an editor may reach out (once) with AQs or suggested edits due to length or other reasons. A final copy edit will happen on the publisher’s side.
Project Leads: This member-led project is headed up by Guild members Juliet Coombe (julietcoombe@yahoo.com.au) and Mary Anne Evans (maryanne.evans@bgtw.org) with the support of the BGTW Board.
