Crafting the Travel Guidebook: How to Write, Publish & Sell Your Travel Guidebook

The No Nonsense Guide That Tells You How to Write a Guidebook

Are you a mega traveler? Have you ever thought about writing your own travel guide? Not sure how to get started? Pick up a copy of Crafting the Travel Guidebook: How to Write, Publish & Sell Your Travel Guidebook by Barbara Hudgins. This tell-all book will take you from concept to publishing and beyond, leaving out all the fluff and generalities. After reading it, I feel inspired to write one myself.

I like the introduction of this book because it gets you thinking about how you are going to get it published and sell it before you write it. So many wannabe authors do not think about the sales process when they write their books. What I’ve learned as an author and business owner is that if you do not know how you plan to sell something, it’s a better idea to not create it in the first place. Part One of the book begins by taking you through a concept process, figuring out who your audience will be, using your professional credentials to give you credibility and so much more.

In Part Two, you’ll discover details about the format of the book. The author even discusses issues such as using foreign phrases, giving directions properly, including hours and prices, what to include in the front pages of the book as well as the index.

Part Three is all about the words and the pictures. You’ll get a lesson on Travel Writing 101. Learn not only what to do, but also what not to do – which can be equally as crucial in your guide’s success. I absolutely love Chapter 14, What Goes In and What Stays Out? It sorts through the minute details that can make a big difference in your book, helping you decide what to include and what not to include. The author shares specific tips on handling obsolete material. “As a guidebook writer, you always have the choice of leaving something out if you think it is unnecessary. Leaving something out because you didn’t notice it is something entirely different…” Also in Part Three of this book the essential topics of plagiarism, copyright infringement, editing, maps and photos are explored. What’s a guidebook with maps and photos?

The Final section of Crafting the Travel Guidebook is all about publishing and promoting your book. By the time you’re done reading this section, you’ll know how to write a book proposal to submit to a traditional publisher. The author even includes a list of travel book publishers, discusses getting publicity and includes a nice bibliography for you to do further research.

I’ve been a travel writer for many years and have read countless guidebooks to help me along the way. I know what travelers want in a guidebook. But I’d never be able to tell you how to get the job done if you wanted to write a perfect travel guide. However, Barbara Hudgkins does. And it’s all in Crafting the Travel Guidebook: How to Write, Publish & Sell Your Travel Guidebook. If you want to write a guidebook, you’d be remiss if you did not read this one first.

Debbie Glade is the Geography Awareness Editor for Wandering Educators