Creating A Guidebook

“I've thrown around the idea of making a dayhiking guidebook for the area where I take my dog. If I'd've started compiling individual hike info when I first thought of doing it, about 2 years ago, I prolly would have most if not all of it done by now. Anywho...

Can anyone provide some general information as to hurdles people have to overcome to complete and publish an effort such as a guidebook. Example...

AHA! Trying to borrow copyrighted images for your guidebook, eh, Buddur?

kleetn
01:12:01 PM
12/11/01

Anything else one should know/consider?”

“In this day and age, copywrited images are rarely a problem if you just ASK first.

As for the dayhiking guidebook, go for it! My gosh, it would be nice to see a HIKER writing a book for HIKERs!”

“Here's the details...

OUTPUT LIMITATIONS: This license grants you the right to make a limited number of paper or electronic reproductions of maps for your personal use. Paper or electronic output from this Maptech, Inc. product may be used in commerce, subject to the property rights notice and credit requirements set forth below, but offering any part of this product, or its related map outputs (derived either directly or indirectly), for sale or other distribution (with or without consideration) or as a part of another product for sale or other distribution, including publication on the Internet or other electronic bulletin board system, is expressly prohibited.

PROPERTY RIGHTS, NOTICE OF CREDIT REQUIREMENTS: If you elect to use output from this product for commercial use (but not for resale or distribution), then each reproduction should include in legible form either adjacent to or on the reproduction: "Maptech® USGS Topographic Series™, ©Maptech®, Inc. 978-933-3000, www.maptech.com/topo". All rights in and to the product, including, but not limited to, copyrights and trade secrets belong to Maptech, Inc., and Maptech, Inc., holds title to each copy of the product.

So it looks like personal use is okay. Selling your guidebook may result in a shyster lawyer on your doorstep.”

“hey,,,,let's not use that "s" word around here....”

“besides,,,,trial lawyers use private process servers to show up on your doorstep”

“I have known a couple of people at Topo!, and my guess is that they would be thrilled to have their product used in a guidebook, provided the maps are identified as such, and provided you ask first.”

“I meant "shyster" in the best sense of the word. Please don't sue me.”

“Someday, guidebooks will be full of gps and altitude readings for the junctions and places of interest. Given a choice, I'd buy the book with that kind of data.”

“Buddur!

I've met a bunch of people who write Michigan guidebooks. One of them is named Mary Hunt and she told me that people don't really want to buy hiking guides about their local area - she didn't think, from personal experience, that it was a moneymaker.

There is already a hiking guidebook to the Cuyahoga Valley NRA and I've seen some pretty good hiking guides for Ohio. So, the competition is likely to be pretty tough. But, if a person has a dream, go for it.

I, personally, would like to eventually put together a website with lower lakes hiking trails. But that would be time-consuming.”

“If you aren't in it for a buck...

Make a web site with the guides on-line. Then have printer friendly versions of your on-line hiking guides.

The beauty is you can put anything with a little permission here and there, do some of your own images, you update the site regularly with up to date info, no publishers to screw with, spell check and text editors come in a lot of software so no professional editing needed, etc.

You can do almost all of it for free if you have the stuff...

And another benifit is people can search your site on-line, make a trip decision, then print off just what they need. Things I hate about going somewhere a ways off and new is local guidebooks are often only carried locally. I see this as a great idea. Maybe I'll do some stuff for Germany if I get the time.”

“"shyster lawyer..." thats down right pleonastic of you kleety!”

“I really like the website idea, now if I had my own website. And Mr.lurker, the CVNP Guidebook you mention has formal trails that already exist, whereas my book (if it were to happen) would be all "off-trail" hikes...over the river and through the woods, so to speak.”

“Ped, yeah, hehehe, shyster twas a bit redundant.

Buddur, you oughta contact TOPO! or Terrain Navigator and see if they have any heartburn about using images from their maps on a website. If they do you could always use a freeware viewer of USGS data products. You'd have to draw in your own routes and calculate the mileage and elevation gain/loss on your own, but at least you could do as you please with the data.”

“Or scan a photocopied portion of a Quad with a hand drawn route, mileage elevation gain/loss recorded via GPS and Suunto Vector during the actural hike itself. I have Garmin and Delorme software to also aid, if necessary.

I really like the website idea...an Akron, OH site detailing CVNP dayhikes and the closest backpacking trails (within an 8hr drive) from Akron with travel times, distances to, etc. and links to further info.”

“I would like a guide that has picts of critical junctures and trail heads and the like. The scenic shots are great but descriptions like turn left at the big rock or tree and continue up the trail can be confusing.
Also make the maps of a usable size and possibly detachable.”

“I spent the better part of 15 years memmorizing every foot of the John Muir Trail with the eventual idea of a guide book in mind.
I've got close to 600 miles of trail, campsites, available water, firepits, size of sites....

Ad infinitim.

I ran into so much trouble just getting my dehydrating cook book published I decided it would be FAR easier to sell my information on line (guide book wise), and skip the middle man.

You make more money, give up no percentages, FOOK as$hole printers who try to rob you, and a lot of FOOKING frustration.

If you want to, go look at my website to see how I've put my information to use.

www.qnet.com/~sierramel/

If that doesn't work for you, go to Google, and type in "John Muir Trail".

I usually come up about in the first three on the page.

"Mels John Muir Trail, Pacific Crest Trail Backcountry Resource Page".

Guide books are also seasonal sellers.

The information I have to sell doesn't really get cooking until the smow melts in my part of the mountains. Spring.”