People involved for each location
For each destination guide, the following people will be needed locally:
- Writer
- Marketer/ Ad salesperson
- Distributor
This can all be one person, two or three individuals.
Some locations we have worked on before, like Salvador in Brazil, were executed with the help of a local ad salesman, who took care of find advertisers, and later, creating and distributing to local sales points. Others the writer was also the marketer, while outsourcing the distribution to a local company.
This ability to build a local team is very important to understand, as most writers are not sales people, or eager to deal with the repetitive nature of weekly distribution.
With these methods most writers just need to find someone locally who has been selling adspace or tourism marketing services, like:
- the producer of a "Free Map"
- the sales team of a local tourism related magazine or
- a sales rep to tourism establishments.
Model
Solcat Publishing will be expanding the “For Partiers travel guide” series using a franchise model, where Solcat and the destination’s author form a company specifically for developing, marketing and commercializing the destination’s guide.
During the first year, the author writes the book, Solcat and the author acquire photos and Solcat puts it together into website form. The site offers the content of the guide away for free to web visitors, while generating revenue from products and services advertised on the site (ie: apt rentals, hotel bookings, car and boat rentals, special event tickets etc).
Eventually, once the site’s visitorship has picked up momentum, the author (or her local business partner) will be in charge of finding advertisers interested in being listed in online guide, charging a monthly fee for the exposure. To help improve the content, visitors will be able to vote on favorite tours and establishments and add comments and suggestions.
After a year online the content should be fine tuned, replete with tourism related partnerships and sponsors, sufficient to be worthy of becoming a book.
This way, the author (or his business team) will later be in charge of selling "Tourism Marketing Services" to local establishments like restaurants, bars/clubs, shops and tours. Tourism Marketing involves the following activities:
- Advertising the client on different media (the forpartiers site as well as other high visibility sites)
- Connecting clients with decision makers (concierges) and buyers (travel agencies)
- Promoting the client to international tour operators
- Guiding international journalists to our clients, for international exposure.
The author (or his business team) will also be in charge of local distribution, promotion, managing advertising accounts, PR, as well as updating the book yearly.
On Solcat’s end, we offer the tools and guidance for content development, editorial services, international PR, printing, international distributing, marketing and web marketing.
Once the book is out, authors are expected to work full time, or to delegate or outsource the various duties such as managing accounts, distribution and travel agency services, which are ongoing, daily functions. Book updates are expected every 6 months.
To summarize, revenue will come from 3 sources:
- Book sales
- Travel agency products and services
- Tourism Marketing Clients
The author's share will be easy to calculate since she is strictly involved with one product in one location. If another destination’s book does well, she won’t partake in any of its proceeds; and vice versa, as these books are separate ventures.
Why not go straight to book format?
The “first web then book” development process is ideal, since there will be lots of input from visitors and locals, as well as time to partnership and find advertisers before going to print.
How much do I need to invest to participate?
Nothing, other than sweat and patience. What's also advantageous is that the author can later sell his share of franchise to someone else who may want to run the business (find advertisers, distribute etc).
Can I sell the other titles in my city?
Absolutely! With a series established, authors will be able to distribute other books in the series to the local travel agencies and book stores.