I’ve come a long way since my piano-teaching days, when I had just one self-published guidebook. (That’s the first edition of Europe Through the Back Door on my music rack, back in 1980.)
My publisher (Avalon Travel, an imprint of Perseus) was recently purchased by Hachette Book Group. And reports are that Hachette is happy with our guidebook series because we’re doing so well with American travelers.
Here’s the list of the bestselling travel books in the USA during a recent week. As you’ll see, our books are 15 of the top 40. If you take away the impossible-to-compete-with “escape” destinations of Disney and Hawaii, we’re 15 of the top 33 (and 8 of the top 10). And if you look only at European destinations, we’re 14 of the top 21 — even nicer! Here’s the complete list:
| Imprint | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DISNEY | BIRNBAUM’S WALT DISNEY WORLD 2016 |
| 2 | AVALON | RICK STEVES ITALY 2016 |
| 3 | WIZARD | MAUI REVEALED |
| 4 | WIZARD | KAUAI REVEALED |
| 5 | UNOFFICIAL | UNOFFICIAL WALT DISNEY WORLD 2016 |
| 6 | AVALON | RICK STEVES IRELAND 2016 |
| 7 | AVALON | RICK STEVES PARIS 2016 |
| 8 | LONELY | LONELY PLANET ICELAND |
| 9 | ZAGAT | ZAGAT NEW YORK CITY RESTAURANTS 2016 |
| 10 | WIZARD | HAWAII BIG ISLAND REVEALED |
| 11 | AVALON | RICK STEVES LONDON 2016 |
| 12 | AVALON | RICK STEVES SPAIN 2016 |
| 13 | AVALON | RICK STEVES FRANCE 2016 |
| 14 | DK | DK EYEWITNESS IRELAND |
| 15 | NEXT EXIT | THE NEXT EXIT 2016: USA INTERSTATES |
| 16 | NAT’L GEO | NAT’L GEOGRAPHIC NATIONAL PARKS |
| 17 | AVALON | RICK STEVES’ POCKET ROME |
| 18 | LONELY | LONELY PLANET JAPAN |
| 19 | AVALON | RICK STEVES GERMANY 2016 |
| 20 | WIZARD | OAHU REVEALED |
| 21 | AVALON | RICK STEVES’ POCKET PARIS |
| 22 | PASSPORTER | PASSPORTER’S WALT DISNEY WORLD 2016 |
| 23 | AVALON | RICK STEVES EUROPE BACK DOOR 2016 |
| 24 | FODOR’S | FODOR’S ITALY 2016 |
| 25 | LONELY | LONELY PLANET CUBA |
| 26 | UNOFFICIAL | UNOFFICIAL GUIDE DISNEYLAND 2016 |
| 27 | AVALON | RICK STEVES’ POCKET LONDON |
| 28 | FODOR’S | FODOR’S ARIZONA & GRAND CANYON 2016 |
| 29 | WORKMAN | 1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE |
| 30 | AVALON | RICK STEVES PORTUGAL |
| 31 | AVALON | RICK STEVES AMSTERDAM & NETHERLANDS |
| 32 | DK | DK TOP 10 ICELAND |
| 33 | DK | DK EYEWITNESS ITALY |
| 34 | AVALON | RICK STEVES ROME 2016 |
| 35 | FROMMER’S | FROMMER’S EASYGUIDE NEW YORK CITY 2016 |
| 36 | DK | DK EYEWITNESS LONDON |
| 37 | FODOR’S | FODOR’S LONDON 2016 |
| 38 | CARDIN | YOUR GUIDE TO NATIONAL PARKS |
| 39 | FODOR’S | FODOR’S COSTA RICA 2016 |
| 40 | AVALON | RICK STEVES FLORENCE & TUSCANY 2016 |
Congratulations, Rick and crew. In planning a trip I always buy your book first, and Lonely Planet second if the trip is a longer one or not in Europe. This list definitely shows the top travel destinations. I had better head to Iceland, Ireland, and Japan soon!
Congratulations, but not surprising. Love the picture.
Congrats Rick and crew! I always use your books when traveling to Europe! So much so that when I’m traveling somewhere else I wish you published books for those countries too. ;)
i ve bought your books for years and other brands as well and i’m always amazed that people will shy away from getting the newest edition or avoid them at all. Heck I even buy them when we are deciding between two places to choose from so i can make a more informed choice …. its 15 dollar purchase on a trip that will cost thousands ….you’ll spend more on your first lunch…