I wonder how many authors there are in the same boat as me and today’s guest author, Bret Sigillo? Neither of us set out to become a travel guide writer, but were inspired to start our travel guide series because the other books available in the marketplace. Most were either badly written or didn’t contain the quality of information local visitors deserved.
Bret has carved out a travel guide niche for himself, focusing on helping travelers discover beaches in his adopted Caribbean home and the surrounding islands. When you write what you know and are passionate about your topic, writing travel guides is an enjoyable and rewarding process. It’s not always an easy path, but find out what lessons Bret has learnt along the way.
(Guaranteed you’ll get distracted by the stunning beach images illustrating this blog post, but stop daydreaming long enough to read the author interview as well!)
Author Interview: <<>>
How would you describe the type of books/genre you write?
My books are one part getting somebody to someplace special and one part telling them what they are likely to experience once they get there. The real benefit is that the travelers I write my books for have a very short and precious amount of vacation time. They need a helping hand to get to places, in my case, beaches, that they otherwise wouldn’t find, and they want to shortcut the decision-making process by eliminating poor beaches while finding the amazing ones.
My niche is very focused on tropical beaches and I look for places where the density of beaches is too great to experience on one trip or even several. That makes my books invaluable over time because they can be used again and again and again.
I’d also describe them this way. They are about having an adventure while also avoiding the potential pitfalls that they might encounter should they embark on something a wee bit too adventurous.even several. That makes my books invaluable over time because they can be used again and again and again.
What motivated you to start writing?
For the past twenty years I’ve owned a small cottage on an island that has over 100+ beaches and zero road signs. Another couple had written a guide book about the beaches. The book was horrendous, and was panned in critical reviews, yet everyone bought it and regarded it as a must have. Every other page of the book was a full-page ad. I suppose that helped subsidize the production of the book. Plus, most of the text was literally covered with icons making it impossible to read. There were numerous other problems, which I won’t bother mentioning.
I thought I could do better, and wanted to offer something of high quality and superior value while also demonstrating that there was a market for a niche group of travelers who regarded themselves as ‘beach lovers’. I proved that there’s a certain percentage of the population that vacations to find great beaches so wanted to tap into that as a market opportunity.
Tell us the journey you went on to get your books published (e.g. direct on your website, self-published, assisted-publishing, traditional publisher)
I decided very early on to self-publish primarily because I could fund the initial project myself and I didn’t want to waste precious time trying to court a publisher. I figured that I could produce the book in the amount of time it might take me to find someone to work with. It also helped that my sister was a professional book designer. The rest was just me doing a lot of research and legwork.
What publishing elements do you most enjoy and most like to avoid, and why? (e.g. design, marketing, formatting etc.)
For me the fun is in the research to gather the information I need for my ‘destination trip’, and the absolute most fun is the adventure associated with collecting everything I need to get the book written. I have to do a lot of exploring, and, for me, that is a gas! The rest I can mostly live without, but I regard the publishing elements as necessary to get me on my next adventure. I do like the creative part of working my with sister to finalize the design and I love seeing the final product.
With the hindsight of being a published author, anything you would have done differently?
My only regret is that for my first book I took on a partner who I thought saw things eye to eye with me. Before we started the second book it became clear to me that he wanted me to take all the financial risk and do all the work while he controlled what we did and how we did it. That wasn’t going to work for me. I wish we had established those parameters upfront because I never would have involved him in the project. I lost a close friend as a result.
What tips or advice would you give an aspiring indie author who is looking to self-publish?
I used one of my old business catch phrases when considering my first project. Is the idea urgent, bankable, and pervasive? If you start by solving a problem, then you can create a market. I’m not a great author, but I am very good about organizing information. I applied what I’m good at, solved a problem, and then did the best I could with my writing. That was enough to sell my type of books.
What marketing or promotional tools or techniques do you use to reach your readers?
It’s almost all Amazon. I maintain my own websites for each book based on destination, but only because I need some type of individual market presence to maintain credibility. I’ve also developed a following on the TripAdvisor forum for the destination of my first book. By contributing my knowledge and advice to that group I’ve earned a sense of loyalty and folks there are always recommending my books to people seeking travel advice. That helps a lot.
All of my books have received numerous 5-star reviews on Amazon. When I publish a new book there is an expectation that it will be of the same quality as the previous projects and that commitment to quality has helped greatly.
What impact do you want your books to have on your readers?
I want my readers to have a better vacation. If the book helps them save time, make better decisions, avoid mistakes, and ultimately have a more enjoyable trip, then I’ve done my job.
What’s next on your writing journey?
I’m currently working on my new book, which will be a snorkel guide for the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. This is also the island that I did my first beach book, beach map, and a separate travel guide. It’s been a really unique venture and has presented a whole new set of challenges in terms of logistics as I have to capture and report on things that are in the water while still maintain all of the geographical information needed to get my readers to a snorkel site. My next beach book is likely to be about Barbados and that will start sometime in early 2019.
Eleuthera is ranked and reviewed as “Sexiest Beach Escapes” by Bing Travel, high on the list of “25 Sexiest Beaches in the World” by ForbesTraveler, and awarded the “Best Secret Island On Earth” by Travel and Leisure.
Find out how author #BretSigillo writes and #selfpublishes his Beach Book Series of travel guides. Click To Tweet
About the Author
Bret Sigillo has been an Eleuthera homeowner for almost two decades. He is an avid scuba diver and travels extensively throughout the Caribbean.
His Beach Book series provides innovative, detailed guides to inaccessible or vaguely documented beaches. The goal is to reveal all relevant information needed to plan, find, and enjoy all of the beaches for a particular destination.
All books contain detailed descriptions, accurate maps, photographs and personally verified directions.
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What a great advert for this part of the world. These images are stunning and the interview is very inspirational. Just shows that you can become a travel guide author by just opening your front door and seeing what is on your doorstep.
Great interview! Bret Sigillo’s travel guides, seamlessly combining adventure and practicality, offer a unique lens into hidden tropical paradises. His passion for quality shines through, proving there’s a dedicated market for beach lovers seeking exceptional travel experiences.
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It’s fascinating to see how Bret Sigillo turned his passion for beaches into a unique travel guide niche. His dedication to providing quality information for travelers is commendable.
Given your experience with self-publishing and creating niche travel guides, what advice would you offer to authors looking to establish themselves in a specialized genre like yours?
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My books serve two purposes: guiding readers to special destinations and describing what they can expect once they arrive. The real benefit is for travelers with limited and precious vacation time. They need help discovering hidden gems—beaches, in my case—and want to streamline their decision-making by avoiding disappointing spots and finding the truly amazing ones.