Write for Us

We are always on the look-out for fresh writing talent - both for researching and updating current guidebooks, and for writing brand new ones.


If you think you have what it takes, please use our contacts page to get in touch, and we will send you a copy of our writing guidelines and further details about how to become a City Trail author.


The following is a list of the main points that you need to know if you are thinking about writing for us.

  1. As you will be able to tell from our existing guidebooks, our standards of writing and research are exceptionally high. This means that we put a lot of pressure on our authors to get things exactly right. Every point in anything that you write is meticulously checked by our team of editors. If something doesn't make sense, or we doubt that something is true, then we will ask you to rewrite it. On one hand, this makes the job of being a City Trail author pretty tough. But, on the other hand, it means that we give you all the support that you need and so the finished product you come out with is something you, and we, can be really proud of.

  2. If you want to write a guidebook about a place, you must have an intimate knowledge of that place. We do not accept copy from occasional visitors to the city, or people that are passing through. We ask that all our guidebook authors have lived where they are writing about. They do not have to live there now, but they have to have lived there in recent times and be willing to return to the city for research.

  3. To work for us, you must fulfill the following criteria:

    • You must be passionate about travel.
    • You must have strong writing talent and be able to make your words dance across the page.
    • You must have an exceptional eye for detail - nothing should escape your attention.
    • You should be able to cope with hard work and be dedicated to the project. You should not mind rewriting and rewriting sections of the book until it is absolutely perfect.
    • You should be fascinated by other cultures, and be willing to make a real effort to understand them and not just judge them upon first glance.
    • You must be familiar with our writing style and book structure. If we ask you to do some work for us, we will send you a sample outline of a guidebook, but it is useful if you are already familiar with our existing guidebooks.
    • It is a big advantage if you can speak the local language.

  4. If, after thinking carefully about all of the above points, you still want to write for us, please get in touch and specify your area of interest. If we accept, in principle, your idea, then we will ask you to research and write a sample chapter of the book. We will not pay anything for this sample, but, if we think the chapter is okay, then we will go ahead and commission your work.