Like to write? Have something to say about being a foreigner in China? Well, we’ll not beat around the bush about it — we need your help.
We’re constantly looking to put some fresh expat pee into the writer pool here. If you’ve got a unique voice, a solid writing ability, and — most importantly — something to say, we’d be happy to have you on board.
Here are some requirements (they’re few, but important):
- An ability to write. We’re not looking to be full-time editors. You should have a decent handle on grammar and write with a colourful and engaging style.
- Fluent in English. If you are not a native English speaker, please don’t be dissuaded. We’re happy to have writers whose first language isn’t English, but we are an English-language site, and so solid crafting of written English is key.
- Interesting, funny, or both. We’re not just looking to add mass to the medium. We want to create and maintain a quality resource for our readers. You should have the ability to write engaging posts with a unique style or voice.
- Relevant to foreigners in China. Contributions must be geared towards our audience — foreigners living and/or travelling in China. We are willing to accept contributions about expat-life at large, but our preference is for China-focused content.
Be sure to give the Contribution FAQ below a read.
Please use this form to submit your contribution for consideration
Frequently Asked Questions: Contributing
I have my own blog, can I still be a writer here?
You sure can. In fact we offer you a spot in your bio and profile to display a link to your blog to help promote it. However, we do ask that the content you submit to Lost Laowai be original, as it doesn’t make much sense to just repost (word for word) something you’ve written for your private site. As with all things, there are exceptions to this, and we will on-occasion repost previously published material.
How often am I required to write?
This is up to you. You can post twice a day or twice a month. We’re more interested in what you’re writing, not how much you write it.
What about topics?
We’re a site for foreigners in China, so article topics should be relevant to that group in some way. Humour, rants, insights, language tips, warnings, WTF moments, casual observances… it’s all open game.
If I have my own blog, what would I write here?
Stories about monkeys attacking foreigners in secret caverns under Shanghai? Really, who are we to say? Generally personal blogs are designed to give friends and family outside of China a glimpse of what you’re up to. Writing for us could be your opportunity to delve a bit deeper into your prose and pull out some gems of the written word. Lost Laowai is a growing community that has a solid readership, and in turn it could give you a wider exposure as a writer.
So, do you pay?
We wish we could, but running a site like this is just not as lucrative as one might think, so at the moment all contributions are unpaid. I know, I know — it seems like it would be night after night of baijiu-soaked partying with hot bodies, dice and fast cars … the reality surprised us too. We write about China because we love to share our thoughts, insights and experiences on the subject; if you like to do this too, you’ll fit right in.
So what’s in it for me then?
Lost Laowai is a long-running, well-recognized source of opinion and insight into being an expat in China. And while writing for us may not be as prestigious as interning at the New York Times or Guardian; it does offer some byline experience, a place to hone your writing skills and make a bit of a name for yourself, as well as providing an opportunity to share your thoughts with a wider audience. Take a look at our current/past contributors, and you’ll quickly see you’re in fine company. We also occasionally receive event invites, book/product/service reviews and other neato freebees, which we happily pass on to the most qualified/active contributors.
Do I retain copyright over my work?
Absolutely. We maintain no rights over your work or any media you attach to it, other than the right to present it on this site. What’s yours is yours and you’re free to republish it as you see fit. Of course should you republish it, we’d love for you to say that it was “originally published on Lost Laowai” or some such thing. Also, Lost Laowai operates under a Creative Commons: Attribution-No Derivitive Works license, meaning other sites may use anything published on this site as long as it’s not changed and is properly attributed.
