Publishing

Getting Started

The idea of selling articles to the press or publishing the story of your adventures is a good way to fund future trips. At least, that’s what many people think. But beware—it’s far from easy to become an impromptu writer or achieve any success with your work.

As in many other fields, nothing is ever certain, and disappointments—or even financial losses—are always possible. Beyond the financial challenges or the difficulties of marketing your work, don’t forget that the quality of your writing is also, and above all, a key factor in success. An "extraordinary" journey doesn’t automatically make for an extraordinary story...

Basic Rules

As always, before diving into reporting or writing a book, it’s best to know a few basic rules about travel writing. First and foremost, what is the primary purpose of a story?

The Purpose of a Story

A story exists to engage the reader, provoke a reaction, and transport them to other places, cultures, and people. It must provide the essential elements for the reader to experience and feel the same things and emotions as the author. To achieve this, the author must embrace their role as an "intermediary" between the reality of a lived moment and the reader’s imagination. Every subject, event, character, and atmosphere must be explored to extract the best content and intensity. However, it’s also important to step back occasionally and put yourself in the reader’s shoes.

To succeed, you’ll need to observe carefully and, above all, get involved. Taking notes on the spot becomes necessary, if only to preserve the mindset of the moment and maintain the story’s "authenticity."

Writing simply upon returning no longer allows for the same intensity, passion, or involvement. Time passes, distance is created, sensations fade, and memories blur. Only notes taken in the heat of the moment allow you to dive back into the atmosphere; another reason not to delay starting your writing.

Writing

When it comes to writing, certain ingredients remain essential.

Generally speaking, whether it’s a book or an article, take care with your style. If the adventure is personal and human, use "I," involve yourself in the story, and engage your readers by taking a stance. Don’t hesitate to include asides or flashbacks, and don’t feel bound by the chronological order of the trip.

There’s no need to cover everything or develop every detail—focus only on the key moments, even if you need to reposition them. Highlight only the most interesting characters, let them speak or interact. Avoid long, flat, and tedious descriptions, and don’t mix storytelling with practical information. Make it lively by using short sentences where possible. Vary the pace, write in the present tense with a direct style, and alternate between impressions, descriptions, and actions.

Choose evocative vocabulary, not too technical, with striking and vivid words. Don’t get bogged down in sentence structure—follow your goal and make the most of the infinite possibilities of the English language. Read frequently and remove anything that adds nothing, slows the pace, weighs down the style, or grates on the ear. Listen to and accept others’ criticism.

Finally, choose evocative titles, craft a strong hook to immediately plunge the reader into the atmosphere, and make them want to keep reading. Polish your ending—even if it’s the "conclusion," avoid the usual nostalgic clichés like "it’s already over" or "I’ll be back," which are tiresome and schoolboyish. Instead, ask a question, engage your readers, and bring out the strength of the adventure so the story lingers in their minds. In short, leave an opening toward the future...

Publishing

Traditional publishing, "author-funded" publishing, or self-publishing—which to choose?

Before You Start

First, it’s best not to delay writing your story. Recent memories, still fresh in your mind, are always preferable to those already buried in the past. Moreover, an "extraordinary" journey doesn’t automatically make a good book (or article), because above all, the text must be well-written and original in both subject and style. The same goes, in a way, for any photos you might want to include.

While writing—or after finishing—having different people read your text is highly recommended. This allows you to get opinions and critical perspectives that, as the author, you might no longer have. Pay particular attention to negative feedback, even if it’s sometimes unpleasant.

Trends and Fashions

If you want to market a book on a large scale, don’t forget that trends exist in subjects and countries covered. In some cases, if you’re too late, it can close certain doors, especially with publishers who have recently released a story similar to yours. Not to mention the public’s disinterest in subjects they’ve already read about over and over.

Finally, know that making a living from writing is far from easy. While about fifteen books are published every day, France has no more than 2,000 declared writers contributing to the *Sécu-écrivains* (and very few travel writers). Of these, only half earn more than the minimum wage, with just a hundred or so making over 70,000 €/year.

Choosing Your Publishing Method

Once the writing—the first part of the work—is done, you’ll need to choose your publishing method. Whether it’s a simple booklet, a story, or a photo book, you have three options:

Traditional Publishing

This is handled by a publishing house, which finances the project and takes care of distribution and marketing. It’s the solution many dream of, but beware—before the dream becomes reality... In short, while it’s always possible, the chances are slim (and royalties are limited, ranging from 3 to 15% of the sale price). However, if your adventure has gained some media attention, your chances of publication will, of course, be much higher.

That said, nothing stops you from sending manuscripts, provided you carefully select the publishers interested in travel. For stories, know that reading committees don’t read entire works—at least not in the first phase. In fact, 9 times out of 10, you’ll be judged on the first page or two. So, it’s in your best interest to polish your style and opening to spark the desire to read on.

Some Useful Recommendations

If you think your manuscript might be pirated (which is very rare), send a copy to the Société des Gens de Lettres. It will cost around 50 €, and your text will be protected. A travel story isn’t a novel, so selection criteria also depend on the adventure lived. That’s why it can be useful to send a small press kit with your text. Know that once published, your rights will be limited to what’s in your contract. This usually means what your publisher wants: perhaps exclusive sales (no personal sales allowed), stopping distribution at their discretion, unsold copies sent to remainder sellers, etc. So, be vigilant about the terms of your contract.

"Author-Funded" Publishing

This offers many more possibilities but also major drawbacks for the author. In this case, the author pays a publishing house to publish their work (distribution isn’t always included). While the publisher always wins, the author is never certain to recoup their investment or even get a decent percentage of sales. Meanwhile, this is a common practice in all areas of writing, allowing some publishers to make ends meet (but watch out for scammers).

Legally, as with traditional publishing, this is a commercial act that must be formalized by an author/publisher contract.

Self-Publishing

This is the most common practice, if only because of the number of rejections from publishing houses. Here, the author is their own publisher and thus has total freedom. This is also the system where you earn the most from the sale price. On that note, the public price is an important sales factor; often, a low (or at least reasonable) price will boost sales and print runs, thereby reducing the unit production cost.

Financially

Since you’ll be self-financing, it’s wise to think carefully and limit production costs. So, do as much as you can yourself and plan economically. For example, if the book needs to be mailed, define the number of pages and layout to stay within a certain weight range for postage. Photos are expensive to print—do they add value to the book, and if so, should they be in color or black and white? In some cases, photocopying remains a viable option. After addressing these questions, you’ll also need to determine the most profitable print run, with 2,000 copies from a printer seeming to be the minimum. Roughly, for around 8,000 €, you can get this quantity for a 250-page book, including a cover and a few color photos inside. In any case, don’t forget to get multiple quotes from printers, preferably those with all the necessary equipment, as subcontracting is expensive. This way, you can usually expect to get fairly good prices.

Legally

Legally, self-publishing is considered a liberal profession (you can also opt for the self-employed regime). The Association of Self-Published Authors can provide all the necessary documentation, among other things.

Also Worth Knowing

Regardless of the publishing method, the book must have an ISBN number for identification (it’s free) and a barcode for sales in bookstores (around 30 €).

The law also requires legal deposits with the *Régie du dépôt légal* of the *Bibliothèque Nationale* and the *Ministère de l’Intérieur*; check with AFNIL, which will send you free, complete documentation. As a publisher, you’re also entitled to be listed for free on the Electre networks, which serve as a reference for the publishing world and booksellers.

Finally, know that there are many directories—both print and online—of publishers, distributors, and distributors, each with their own specificities. It’s worth getting listed in them.

Marketing

Networks, Distribution, and Financial Returns

Networks, distribution, and financial returns—the keys to marketing! This is actually the hardest part of the job, especially, of course, in the case of self-publishing, since with other methods, the publisher is usually in charge of marketing.

But first, it’s good to have already thought about potential outlets and distribution methods. What’s the goal: to enjoy the process or to ensure a large number of sales?

Different Sales Networks

First, know that in terms of marketing, books are sold first by mail order (especially increasingly online), then in supermarkets, and finally in bookstores. So, even if you can sometimes leave your book on consignment in specialty bookstores, it’s better to focus your energy elsewhere.

There are first the opportunities offered by travel fairs and festivals, lecture circuits, or—if you also have a photo exhibition—exhibitions aimed at a targeted and interested audience. Then there’s coverage in national and local print media (not always easy), as well as travel association magazines.

And of course, there are all the other ways to reach a certain audience, with varying results depending on what you want to sell. In no particular order: company committees, door-to-door sales, street vending, public posters, fairs and markets, mailings, etc.

The Distributor

This is why it might be worth simplifying your task by going through a distribution network (potentially more interesting to seek out than a publisher), which, if found, will ensure national distribution of the book and sometimes even some publicity, notably through its representatives and catalog of available titles.

Moreover, the distributor will handle storage, placement, shipping costs, and restocking the book in bookstores. These are significant time and money savings for the author who, even if they try to manage their own sales network, will quickly realize that bookstore distribution is often a source of problems and expenses.

To convince a distributor, the form of the book is (unfortunately) just as important, if not more so, than the content. Indeed, they will only take a book that meets certain purely commercial criteria and can thus be a profitable product for them in the short term. As with a publisher, it’s strongly recommended to know your rights before committing.

Financial Returns

Of course, each marketing method implies different financial returns. While direct sales offer the highest profits, personal consignment in bookstores with a return option leaves them with 30 to 40% of the public price. As for distributors, they generally take 50 to 60%, depending on the case (but they pay the bookstores). For reference, with a publisher, the author can expect an average gain of 10% of the public price.

However, don’t forget that while some intermediaries are expensive, they can also help save money, if only through the work and resources that would be difficult to develop on your own.

Also, don’t forget that sales revenue is never paid directly and is often settled 60 or 90 days after the end of the month—up to 4 months after the order. To mitigate this, it can be useful to work with a bill of exchange system. The amount due is then accepted into your account upon signing the bill, and the amount is debited from the bookseller/distributor/publisher on a date they choose within a maximum of 90 days.

In the long run, all these methods can pay off. But in any case, don’t lose sight of the fact that, more than writing the book, marketing it will always be the hardest step.