Pictorial Travel Guides

I don't know if this was posted anywhere but I was wondering about pictorial travel guides and if it's possible to make one (I mean actually design it yourself). I have all the pictures and all the text myself, making (halfway done) the whole book design myself, you name it. I was originally going to self-pub the thing because it's based on one of my travels but I wonder if it's possible I could mass produce it instead.

Julie Ambrose said:

Excuse me Erin, but I'm not sure there's a difference between 'mass produce' and 'self-pub'. Are you meaning to ask whether you should take it to a big-name publisher instead of going down the self-publish route? Sure; why not? As a reader I love travel guides that take a personal (quirkier the better) approach.

Is it strictly speaking a travel guide or a travel memoir?

Julie

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Yes, I meant the big-name publishers. Self publishing won't really get you in the book stores (well, not with ME marketing it!)

As far as the type of guide--it's not so much as a travel guide, as it is more pictures. I do explain some of what I saw and what's in the pictures, and the pictures that I didn't take I give credit for. I researched the information for my locations by way of internet and books (books purchased at the same place) and I give complete credit at the end of each and every comment.

But it's not a travel guide in the sense of Rick Steves or Anthony Bourdain. There's a few pictures that happen to have my husband in it (but he's not posing or smiling at the camera or anything--he just happens to be in it). There's only two pictures of us in there together that I plan to put in somewhere. It's based on our honeymoon but the pictures are so amazing that I figured if I am to make a book on it, why not let other people buy it? SOME of those pictures are already posted online here: http://kittyfelone.deviantart.com/gallery/36759540. Many of them are for print as well.

I don't know how to go about presenting this to an agent or a big publishing house. As I said, the book is already designed (well, half-way atm). I made just about everything, took nearly all the pictures myself, did the layout, the covers, the graphics--you name it. Will they take that?

Soccer Mom said:

You might get more information in the nonfiction room. I'll move this there and leave a link here.

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Thanks mom.

*sigh* I'll repeat myself again (Im getting tired of doing this--not just here on the web, but to everyone in general when they ask). The trip was my honeymoon but it has no--I repeat NO--"honeymoon memorabilia" that you'd expect in a honeymooner's photo album. That being said, I will clarify: there are no pictures of food, people, half-eaten meals, happy smiling couples, pointless mushy talk of love and romance, or even a description of the two honeymooners and their wedding experience. It's just a bunch of pictures that I took when we're on our honeymoon--doesn't necessarily mean anything because it's a trip, that happened to be our honeymoon. Had it been a trip NOT of our honeymoon, it'd be the same thing. Same pictures, same text, same layout. The ONLY place in the book that even has the words "honeymoon" is the introduction/acknowledgments in the very beginning, but that's a quick explanation as to why I made the book in the first place and as a thanks to Scotland (I'm sending a copy of the book to the castle we vacationed at).

The text is a brief history of some of the ruins, most of it quotes from the actual books they sell at the museums. Nearly all the pictures (except for maybe 5) I took myself and fixed up. All the graphics I made.

Although I've never published a photography book, I've published design concepts and layouts for all my past jobs (brochures, pamphlets, fliers, etc). I am educated in layout and design; that was my major. I just don't do it for a career because I can't market (and schools won't tell you that you need to know marketing for the career--I learned the hard way). I'm not a salesperson; I can't market a turd to a fly.

I took a lot of pictures that I want to share with everyone; 6,000 total and about half or a little less than half I'm even using. If I'm unable to go to a big-publishing house, or even a small one, then I'll just stick to the self-publishing that I originally planned. I was just wondering if it's possible I could submit my concept/layout/everything to a publisher who'd help me reach a bigger travel audience.

The only reason I have other pictures (which are credited for completely) is because the ones I took didn't come out that great and I couldn't fix them to where I'd be satisfied.

The title for the book so far was just "Scotland" in big bold letters with all the locations beneath (this doesn't include the amazing picture I'm using for a cover). I do a ton of stock photography (which is where people would pay for a picture so they could do whatever they want with it) but I don't charge. I could join some of those sites but most of these people just want the pictures for a hobby of photomanipulation (which is quite fun considering that's what I majored in for graphic design). I wanted to become a cover-designer but my city doesn't have a publishing house *sigh*.

I don't really know what you mean by a "theme" for the book, since it's just a bunch of shots that I took in all the different places we were in. I suppose the theme is simply "a tour across Scotland" but Inverness is the furthest north I go. I suppose I could add a tagline that speaks of the little explanations but... I dunno. As I said, I was originally planning this to be a self-pub book when the idea of possibly trying to big-pub popped into mind. It'll probably be classified as a simple photograph book.

But yeah.. a coffee table book was what I had in mind.

Edited to add: Maybe I can finish this to be the self-pub book and take from those the ones I liked the best, then present the idea to an agent. I suppose more for just fine art and the likes. But again, theme? I'm lost. I don't know if "tour across Scotland" will constitute as a good enough theme considering I only go to *thinks* Edinburgh/castle, Rosslyn Chapel, Inverness/castle, Culloden, Loch Ness, Urquhart castle, Inverlochy Castle hotel, and old Inverlochy castle--with lots of scenic shots in between.