Airplane and Moon
Bill Newlin, Avalon Travel Publishing
Investing in Growth
The biggest reason for optimism, says Bill Newlin, publisher of Avalon Travel Publishing, is not just that people are traveling again, but that more and more of them are using travel guidebooks when they do. "It's an encouraging trend," he says. "What you have now is people looking things up on the Internet before they go, and then buying guidebooks. It's always been frustrating that our product hasn't been more appreciated. But it's been moving up in terms of people planning their trip." He points out that the Internet offers more global and random searches, while books can offer strategic planning.
"Before the Internet, people used newspapers or travel agents or nothing at all. Now more and more people are looking things up. Once you get in the habit of looking things up you think, 'Oh great, a travel book!' People are buying books for things they can use."
How does this translate into Avalon's publishing plans? "We are investing in our programs," Newlin says. "We've been hiring in the last four to six months. The Rick Steves line is adding five new titles, moving from 17 annual editions to 22. The Moon series will add 10 new titles a year over the next four years. In Foghorn, we are bringing on new titles at a rate of four or five a year. We're adding destinations. We feel we can add substantially to our title count."
Another reason for optimism, Newlin tells PW, is that the smaller accounts, which pulled back on orders after 9/11 and reduced the amount of space they devoted to travel books, are reentering the market, stocking travel guides in a way they haven't in a long while. We hear this from reps," he says, "and see it in orders."
Newlin also credits Bookscan, which provides solid information on sell-through rates, with helping the house choose titles that will be successful for the company and its accounts. "We're publishing more efficiently," he says. "We have less overstock. Information has become much more transparent up and down the chain, which allows us to publish what the market needs, rather than what we think it needs. This doesn't have to do with overall number of books sold, but it gives us a better understanding of what we can do successfully. We have a better sense that sales will be there. Before, we had to print too many titles to get to the desired level of sales." —Suzanne Mantell
Douglas Amrine, DK
"E" Is for e.guides
"Judging from our guidebook sales this year," says Douglas Amrine, publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, "travel has certainly rebounded and seems to be stronger than ever. Over the last three years, there has been an increase in domestic travel at the expense of foreign travel, and road trips at the expense of air travel, so our commissioning of new guidebooks has reflected that, with a greater number of North American destinations."
He notes that, because of the tragic events of the past few years, "certain foreign destinations were at the risk of virtually falling off the map, such as Bali and Hong Kong, but they are coming back, and we plan to update these guides. Last year's outbreak of SARS was terrifying and—having just started to commission an Eyewitness guide to China—we wondered whether the epidemic would put the steady growth of tourism to China into reverse." Since SARS seems to have largely disappeared, Amrine reports that tourism has fully resumed, and the China title should appear as scheduled, in August 2005.
Gastro-tourism, he adds, is another trend "that seems to get stronger every year. There's no point ignoring the fact that enjoying good food and wine and finding special places to stay can be just as important as the museums, palaces and cathedrals you visit. Our response to that need has been France: Best Places to Eat & Stay, a theme we plan to continue with similar guides to Italy and Spain.
"In the decade that we've been publishing guidebooks, we've noticed the growing numbers of 'urban adventurers' who go on frequent short trips to the world's great cities. It seemed to us that most guidebooks don't really cater to people who are visiting New York or London (maybe for the second, third or 10th time) and who are looking to experience the city as locals do. That kind of traveler doesn't need to be told much about the obvious sights; what they really want is the lowdown on what's hot and what's not, what shows are on where, and which restaurants and clubs everyone is talking about. These travelers (they would probably hate to be called tourists) like to research their destination online, but surfing can be very frustrating and time consuming." Accordingly, says Amrine, DK is launching in February a series of "e.guides," in which each book is backed up with a dedicated Web site to that destination, which will keep the guide up-to-date and save hours of online browsing. —Michael Archer
Tim Jarrell, Fodor's
Facing Pitched Competition
"I'm an optimistic kind of a guy," jokes Tim Jarrell, publisher of Fodor's travel publications, when asked what facet of the travel publishing industry he's most optimistic about.
In addition to the travel market rebounding "despite the events of 9/11," Jarrell notes two developments bearing on the market: "There's a long-term trend in people looking for information that is easier to consume and presented in shorter bites and more visually, and, at the same time, printing technology is advancing and the costs are coming down. It's easier and less expensive to produce color than it was some years back."
In response to those changes, this year Fodor's introduced the highly illustrated See It guides. "We published 12 this year and are doing 10 next year, and they're selling extremely well," Jarrell reports. "I could not have thought of a better time to introduce this series than when the travel market is coming back and there's rising demand."
Fodor's traditional line, the Gold Guides series, is also being updated and improved. "We've upgraded our paper specs and we've gone to a smaller, more convenient trim size. We're redesigning our covers this fall. Over the next 12 months, we're looking at putting value back into those books, and we're doing that because we're so bullish on the market for our business," says Jarrell.
Jarrell believes there's still more room for growth in the future, partly due to changes in the travel industry. "The cost of traveling is coming down," he explains. "Airbus is producing those huge airplanes that are going to disgorge hundreds of people at bargain prices. With airlines like Ryanair, easyJet, JetBlue and Southwest, you have people who can afford to take weekend vacations. Put those two trends together, and travel is a growth industry."
Still, he allows, the travel publishing field is one of pitched competition. "Not only is it competitive in that there are a lot of publishers out there, but we are facing competition from the Internet, which is changing the guidebooks to a certain extent. But publishers are coming out of the last couple years more streamlined, more focused on what they do well. We're paying more attention to what the consumer wants. And you see a lot of diversity. There's not a single guidebook that appeals to all travelers." —Natalie Danford
Brice Gosnell, Frommer's
Irreverent and Dirt Cheap
"We're most optimistic about the trend toward growth in travel continuing," says Brice Gosnell, associate publisher of Frommer's. "Last year was the big year—we started seeing the rebound. Americans feel safer trying new destinations and going to new places. People are going to continue traveling. They're still going to be planning trips. Barring any world catastrophe, there shouldn't be a slowdown."
How is Frommer's reaching out to that burgeoning audience? "We're doing what we can to set ourselves apart from the pack," says Gosnell. That can be a challenge, he admits, when a travel publisher has reached this publisher's size: last year there were close to 200 titles on the Frommer's frontlist.
In an attempt to target and reach ever more specific audiences, Frommer's is breaking out information for highly focused groups. In October, for example, Frommer's will publish NYC Free & Dirt Cheap. "It's a good example of looking at the same destination in a new way," says Gosnell. "It's a paradox, because people are more comfortable spending money on travel than they were two years ago. However, everybody likes a deal. Everybody likes a value. Everybody likes to know they got something that their neighbor didn't."
Another method for appealing to specific audiences is to provide information in smaller chunks. Spain, the second most popular destination worldwide, will be broken down into smaller regional guides. "That gives us an opportunity to provide more in-depth coverage. Of course we'll still do a large country guide, too," says Gosnell.
Frommer's concentrates on defining its brand in part by revamping key series every two years, if not more often. The Irreverent guides, aimed at a hip urban audience, were subject to this treatment in March. "They're marketed to the late 20s/30s crowd and cover urban destinations," reports Gosnell. Another Frommer's series, the For Dummies guides, have also been revised and updated. "They're more portable, and the information is 'travel smarter' information," says Gosnell.
And like all travel publishers, in good times and bad, Frommer's is working to stay ahead of the curve in determining upcoming trends. For the past few years, Latin America and Eastern Europe have been up-and-comers. Now, says Gosnell, "Croatia is where Prague was 10 years ago. Americans haven't quite discovered it yet, but it's beautiful and completely affordable." —Natalie Danford
Mary Norris, Globe Pequot Press
Branding for Reinforcement
"I think that people seem to be relaxing more and traveling more," says Globe Pequot Press executive editor Mary Norris, who is pleased to see so many travelers opting for U.S. destinations "For us, the silver lining of many people keeping closer to home is the fact that we do so many local books." To emphasize its regional titles, Globe Pequot—which also owns Cadogan Guides and co-publishes Bradt Travel Guides and Alastair Sawday Publishing, which are all geared more toward international travel—is re-releasing all the books in its Globe Pequot Press imprint under the Insiders' Guide umbrella. In this way, Norris tells PW, the publisher wants to reinforce the breadth and diversity of its regional travel titles.
Norris explains that the new "brand name" comes from the publisher's original Insiders' Guide series, which was conceived chiefly for visitors and newcomers, as well as longtime residents looking for things to do. Among the series that will switch to the Insiders' name are the Off the Beaten Path guides (to unusual things to do in each of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada's Maritime Provinces) and the Fun with the Family series. "We revisited the layout both inside and on the covers," says Norris, "and the new designs are fresher and more updated. The maps have been redesigned, too."
Norris is quick to note that "no offense was intended toward the Globe Pequot name, but Insiders' Guide really does convey what we strive for: to have a real insider's take on an area and to have a guide written in the author's voice—where you can find out more than just by Googling a place on the Internet." The Connecticut-based publisher unveiled its branding at BEA, and will begin its repackaging starting with this fall's list. Norris reports that over the next 18 months all the books will be branded with the Insiders' name, even those guides that were newly revised.
"Every publisher freshens their core lines," says Norris, who anticipates that the new branding effort will "alert readers if they like one book, there are others they will enjoy. Luckily for us, whether someone's definition of travel is a weekend away or a day trip, we have a book." —Judith Rosen
Stuart Dolgins, Langenscheidt Publishing Group
Hide This Book!
In response to Americans on the move, Langenscheidt Publishing Group has come up with new lines and filled in existing lines with new titles, says group president Stuart Dolgins. "All the evidence isn't in, but July will be one of the best months the company has ever had," he says. Among the new products this past year are Berlitz City GuideMapsand Berlitz Mini Guides, with a different version for eating, shopping and surviving in a specific destination. Another new line is the low-priced Insight City Guides, published with a credit card–sized removable restaurant guide and map.
With the popularity of cruising—and the many bargains to be found these days—the Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2004, says Dolgins, "keeps gaining ground as the top book in the field. Next year's edition will be its 20th, for which we plan some special hoopla."
One of the company's great successes has been Berlitz Publishing's new Hide This Book language series. "These are provocative books," Dolgins explains, "aimed at teens, with the kind of expressions that are, well, a little unusual for Berlitz Publishing. It's been great. Stores are giving us a cash-wrap position and the books are flying off the shelves. We'll be adding more languages to the line, which now includes Spanish and French."
Another new language line, Baby Berlitz, will be delivered to stores in early January. According to Dolgins, "The books in this line are ideal for parents who understand that language learning can't begin too young. Parents are taking their children to Europe at a younger age, and certainly they are concerned about their future in this country, which could very well be a bilingual one."
What else does Dolgins see on the horizon? "Our plans are to continue finding ways to use the editorial and marketing talent we have to create new titles and lines that address the needs of all kinds of Americans who are traveling. Some want to save money. Some want comprehensive details on places to stay, things to do and comparison-shopping. Some want a quick travel guide that will allow them to survive in a foreign country, but they don't want to do a lot of work. Some just want to know how to order from the menu. We'll continue publishing products for the many kinds of Americans with their diverse needs, and we very much hope that Americans keep moving—whether it's by car, bus, plane or foot." —Suzanne Mantell
Tom Mercer, Let's Go
Venturing Further Afield
Let's Go project editor Tom Mercer is "optimistic about people returning to more far-flung destinations and venturing further beyond their comfort zone when they travel abroad." Last year and into early this year, he reports, "Let's Go guides to Italy, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico saw increased sales, and we're seeing a growing interest from travelers about destinations in Brazil and Eastern Europe."
Mercer also sees a bright future for a strong domestic travel market. "The Travel Industry Association released statistics this summer predicting that domestic road-trip travel would be up 3% in 2004, and AAA announced that there were more driving trips over the Fourth of July weekend than ever before. People seem to be shrugging off higher gas prices because they're so eager to get out and enjoy their summer vacation." And it's not only boomers in their SUVs who are accounting for the resurgence of interest in road trips. Younger travelers, relates Mercer, are also discovering the joys of "seeing the U.S.A. in their Chevrolets." Let's Go Roadtripping USA, due next spring, will offer all the latest information, maps and money-saving tips to vacationers heading down nine of America's great iconic highways—including Route 66, the Pacific Coast Highway and the Atlantic Coast Route, which follows the coastline from Maine to Key West, Fla.
The Let's Go Pocket City Guides are the final series to be repackaged as part of Let's Go's successful relaunch and redesign of its guides that began in 2003. These guides—sporting user-friendly interiors with bigger fonts and navigation tabs—debuted this April with 10 titles, including Let's Go New York City Pocket City Guide and Let's Go London Pocket City Guide. The new look has paid off, as sales, reports Mercer "are up 75% over the series' previous incarnation as Let's Go Map Guides."
And reflecting Mercer's optimism about an increase in travel to off-the-beaten-path destinations, new guides to Peru, Ecuador and Vietnam will be included in the 2005 Let's Go titles due for release in December. "There's a lot of pent-up demand for books like these," believes Mercer. "People are returning to places where they might not have gone a few years ago. Today's travelers are getting very savvy, and they know they can travel safely abroad if they do it smartly." —Lucinda Dyer
Todd Sotkiewicz, Lonely Planet
Nothing but Blue Skies
For Todd Sotkiewicz, president of Lonely Planet, it's blue skies ahead when it comes to travel. "Because of what's happening in the world, or in spite of it, people want to connect. We had a fantastic year last fiscal year [ending June 30], better than all the years prior to 9/11," he tells PW. The overall economic upturn also buoys Sotkiewicz's optimism—"Travel is a lifestyle item, the same way you have your car and rent."
While business travel continues to be the weakest link, Sotkiewicz observes that U.S. leisure travel is picking up and international travel is as high as it's ever been. In fact, Sotkiewicz recently had a chance to experience some of the former via the Lonely Planet RV roadtrip, May 11) that visited more than 100 independent bookstores this spring. "The trip was so valuable from so many perspectives. I will always remember the cab driver in New York who pulled up next to us. He shouted, 'I love Lonely Planet.' I yelled back to him, 'Where do you like to go?' And he said, 'Wherever the wind takes me.' 'How about Thailand?,' I said, and threw him a copy of our guide."
Sotkiewicz could have found many other guidebooks for the cabbie, to the U.S. and overseas. In the 30 years since Lonely Planet was founded, the company has tried to cover as many different destinations as possible. "Travel is not one-size-fits-all," says Sotkiewicz. "We've worked hard to focus on the individual traveler. What we've done is we have different books for different segments of travelers, whether you're a midlife traveler or a college student or a free spirit. That younger global nomad, what's hot to them is Cuba or Sri Lanka. On the senior side, they're looking to Australia, New Zealand or maybe South America. Travel's about trying to find that unique experience. Thailand's no longer exotic, and on any given day there might be 60 travelers on top of Mount Everest."
Just in time for Christmas, Lonely Planet is introducing a photo-packed book for another type of traveler: the armchair kind. With The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World (Oct.), edited by Roz Hopkins, travelers can visit every country, and then some. "It covers over 200 destinations," says Sotkiewicz. "We didn't just cover the U.N. list of countries, which is 192. Travelers right now want to touch the world, and they can't physically go everywhere." —Judith Rosen
Geoff Colquitt, Rough Guides
Business Heading South
"While I'm like everyone else in our industry and feel that travel is rebounding," says Rough Guides marketing director Geoff Colquitt, "I wouldn't go quite as far as saying that it's fully rebounded. There's a tremendous optimism that travel will continue on its current upswing, but in the world in which we live, I think it's a cautious optimism. There are areas where travel, at least for Rough Guides, has shown significant growth, including marked sales increases for destinations in Central and South America. The traditional travel spots for Americans—London, Paris, etc.—still show growth, but the real increases are coming from travelers heading for our neighbors to the south."
But no matter their destinations, the busy schedules of many of today's travelers means a not-so-leisurely vacation jam-packed into a week or 10 days. To meet their needs, Rough Guides has created a series that in Colquitt's words "cuts to the chase. These people don't want to lug around a 500-page guidebook." While the Directions series is pocket size and portable for quick getaways, it also boasts a high-tech add-on designed to attract one of the fastest growing segments of the market: Internet-savvy travelers. Included in each Directions volume is an e-book containing the entire guidebook formatted to operate on a PC, Mac or the most popular PDAs. The e-book is filled with Web links, so you can book a hotel, check out menus from the top local restaurants, print out a map or confirm a museum's closing time—all without leaving your hotel room or poolside lounge chair. "As technology progresses," notes Colquitt, "guides like this are going to be the wave of the future."
The series debuted last month with six titles, including Directions San Francisco by Mark Ellwood and Directions London by Rob Humphreys, and will grow to 12 titles in September, with another 18 to 24 planned for 2005. Initial response has been extremely positive, reports Colquitt, with back-to-press orders for four of the original six titles.
When it comes to building a growing share of the travel market, Colquitt sees publishers' biggest competition coming not from one another but from "Disney and Sandals vacation packages that are pitched on TV. Our biggest challenge is to attract more people to more adventurous travel." —Lucinda Dyer
Ruth Jarvis, Time Out
Not Losing Momentum
"Time Out suffered relatively little from the depression in the travel market, but of course we welcome the current rebound," says series editor Ruth Jarvis. "NYC & Company, the New York tourist authority, has recently reported that 2003 was a record-breaking year for visitorship, with domestic numbers particularly high, and in London 2004 visitorship is on target to reach pre-9/11 levels." This is good news for Time Out, says Jarvis, "as these are our two key cities, to which we have multiple publications: not only the 'classic' city guides but also a whole stable of specialist guides self-published out of our magazine offices in the two cities—to bars and clubs, restaurants, shopping, great walks, etc."
As far as the specialist city guide range goes, Jarvis says, "our sales are consistently increasing worldwide; we feel that we are far from saturating our market and aren't yet desperate to diversify. So although we're aware of global travel trends, we don't feel we need to be identifying as yet unexploited niches and joining a rush to fill them." She explains that since Time Out uses specialist local writers and commissions more than 100 photos for each book, "the guides have high production values, and we need a large potential market to be sure to cover our costs—which brings us back to cities and well-traveled areas that have a synergy with our brand."
The publisher still does track travel patterns, Jarvis adds. "Every year when we plan new titles, we half-expect to run out of new destinations. But the following year there's always a new list of very viable possibilities. A change in global travel trends, a new destination for a major airline, a gathering buzz, a political shift, a currency fall or a new tourism marketing policy are all liable to have a bearing on our plans. Or it could be a result of media focus: we noticed a big rise in sales of our Tokyo guide this last year and I'm hard-pressed to put that down to anything other than the success of [the film] Lost in Translation. New Zealand is on our possibles list for 2005, partly because of the worldwide attention the Lord of the Rings trilogy has focused on it." Jarvis reports that Time Out has a new U.K. partner, Ebury Press, and a new U.S. distributor, PGW, and is currently working on long-term strategic planning. She says, "Because of our magazine background, we can get titles off the ground very quickly, though, so I don't expect the new release schedule to lose momentum.—Michael Archer
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