I’ve got to brag a bit about my hardworking guidebook staff and co-authors here at Rick Steves’ Europe. Researching, writing, and updating 52 out of the top 100 European travel guidebooks in the USA is quite an operation.
I love looking at weekly US sales figures and seeing where our books fit into the list of bestselling Europe guidebooks. In one typical week in January, our guidebooks held 19 of the top 22 spots. (Two of the other three titles that made the list were Iceland guidebooks. We don’t have an Iceland guidebook out…yet! On March 27, a shiny new Rick Steves Iceland guidebook will hit the shelves — and the free ride will be over for those two Iceland books by the other guys.)
To make sure our guidebooks deserve their leading place among the competition, we deploy a talented team of researchers. Every year, they fan out across Europe, visiting (and lovingly updating) our guidebook listings in person. To prepare them for the task, our Book Department holds an annual research workshop, convened by Managing Editor Jennifer Davis. We’re all grateful for the hard work of these researchers.
We’re also thankful for our partnership with Avalon Travel (and their parent company, Hachette Book Group). Every year, the Avalon crew flies up to Seattle for a few days, giving our teams a chance to work together in person. During these visits, we always enjoy a “state of the publishing world” presentation by our publisher, Bill Newlin. This year, as usual, Bill shared great news on the sales front and made a case for more titles. He is a wizard in the publishing world — and that, combined with all the talent and hard work of our respective staffs, makes us hard to beat.
Thanks for traveling with us and trusting Rick Steves guidebooks for your European adventures. We really believe that, if you equip yourself with good information and expect yourself to travel smart, you can — and we’re doing our best to be sure you enjoy maximum travel thrills for every mile, minute, and dollar in your precious vacation.
—
Join our traveling community — connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.