Rory MacLean speaks out at RolfPotts.com

This month at the RolfPotts.com Writers page, I interview Canadian-English writer Rory MacLean, whose travel books include best-sellers Stalin’s Nose and Under the Dragon.

Reflecting the concerns of many of the travel writers I’ve interviewed, MacLean pinpoints finances as one of the ongoing challenges of being a travel scribe. “Even though I’ve had two UK best sellers and my books have been translated into five languages,” he says, “my retirement pension is looking fatally under-funded. But if you’re serious about writing then you just have to take the risk.”

MacLean’s advice to aspiring travel writers is simple: “Write. Write. Write. Then write some more. And if you feel you