WHERE THERE’S A QUILL, THERE’S A WAY
June 14th, 2010
I’ve written a travel book. Doug’s written a travel book. We’re both working on other travel books as we speak. Hell, just about everyone we know in this business has, or is about to write a travel book.
So, in the midst of the worst downturn in travel book sales in a decade is there a point in continuing? Will our yet-to-see-the-light-of-day tomes ever… well… see the light of day?
According to Bookseller.com travel book sales have slumped more than 10% over last year’s sales figures which themselves were almost 30% lower than the year before that.
Some imprints had modest increases apparently — Rough Guides for one — but across the board business has been terrible. What, with Icelandic ash clouds, airline strikes and Bangkok turning into the OK Corral, travel guides particularly haven’t been selling. But marketing always has its greatest impact in times of struggle. Lonely Planet tackled the downturn in a unique fashion by giving away their iPhone City Guide apps for free when volcanic ash closed many of Europe’s key airports.
If the global economy is coming around as most financial pundits seem to believe, and if the summer travel season begins to percolate, then perhaps all these setbacks will be nothing more than short-term events and we can all get back to doing what we do best: reading, writing and road trips (the three ‘R’s…?)
[REW] – [Source]
