Want to Write for Trail Builder Mag? Here’s What You Need to Know
Trail Builder is a magazine for trail builders written by trail builders. In other words, it is community-generated content. Each week, I receive countless emails from trail builders all over the world. Wherever mountain bikers are building trails, we're hearing from them … from you. Any chance I get, whether in person or through emails and social media, I reinforce that the scope of this magazine is global. As a result, I hear from you no matter where you live.
The exciting part of this magazine is the conversations and stories taking place all over the world. While the common thread is trail building and mountain biking, each context's nuances and layers are unique. Whose land are you building on? Are they legally-sanctioned or rogue trails? Are you building in moist loamy dirt or the arid, cactus-strewn desert? What tools and support do you have available? Are you a non-profit or for-profit organization, or do you represent a city, state/provincial, or federal agency?
Already, you can begin to imagine all of the potential conversations and stories being told. This magazine, then, is an outlet and place for those stories. But that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There are innumerable topics that trail building touches on. After attending a women's-only bike maintenance clinic where I was there to take photos, I think of all the women-led initiatives happening. I'm also hearing from many of you who share with me what's happening in your community. We've been invited to a growing number of these women-only events to take photos, write, and serve coffee out of Nacho the Van. The momentum of these events is staggering. Again, that's only one topic.
I think of the growing number of trail building events spearheaded by minority communities worldwide. That could be trail work done by First Nations youth in Canada to initiatives within BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) communities in the United States and more. Each country has different dynamics when it comes to the topics of race and gender and how that intersects with trail building and mountain biking. These are essential matters that must be discussed, and yes, there will inevitably be pushback. Ultimately, we want to see mountain biking and trail building more inclusive, including the need to create more adaptive-use trails.
As you can see, there’s a lot out there. I’ve yet to mention the impacts of economic development from new trails and how towns and villages are going all-in on adventure tourism to chart a new future. Or all of the important related to advocacy and the political arena. I want to hear your stories. Did I mention tool reviews and other reviews related to products used for building trails?
When I first started Trail Builder Mag, I was rushing around meeting people, hopping on Zoom calls, interviewing trail builders, and thinking about all the content I needed to crank out. And then it dawned on me, why me? Why my voice? We need to hear from you, not me.
I am sending out and inviting to you to contribute to this magazine and platform. Here’s what you need to know. We have two different ways to feature your content. First is the website. We continue to grow our online content through articles. We’re ramping up what we put out each week on our website and newsletter through article series and one-off write-ups about events, stories, other topics, and more.
The second way to contribute is through our print magazine. Yes, we did a pre-release print magazine (Volume 1, Issue 0), but the focus was free giveaways and free downloads. We’re working on the official release of Volume 1, Issue 1.
One of the important questions we receive is about paying for content. Here’s what we’ve come up with regarding how we will do this. If you want to contribute articles to Trail Builder Mag, our online content is community-generated. It’s written by you and for you. You have ideas to share, and we want to hear them. Amazing stories are happening around you; this is your platform to share. We do not pay for articles posted online on our website. However, we will pay if we publish an article in our print magazine.
As I’ve mentioned, I will do my best to be as transparent as possible through this process. Obviously, compensating for work is essential. Since we’ve yet to bring on any paying sponsors/ads, this is what we’ve decided on going forward. Many of you who do reach out know this and want to write to (a) get more exposure for your writing, your company, and your community, and (b) share helpful and inspiring content with the rest of the trail building community.
So there you have it. If you’re interested in contributing through writing, click the button below and email me.
Words: Sean Benesh Photos: Sean Benesh
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sean Benesh
Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag. He is also the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. While in grad school, he worked as a mountain biking guide in Southern Arizona. Sean also spends time in the classroom as a digital media instructor at Warner Pacific University.
