Back in the game
Arthur Frommer talks about his return to the guidebook business. Read More
The first 30 titles in the relaunched series of the Frommer guidebooks began appearing in bookstores across the U.S. this week.
The books are a slimmed-down version of the guidebooks that spawned a generation of student travelers to Europe with the publication of “Europe on $5 A Day” in 1957 and at its peak numbered 340 titles.
The new books are available on Amazon and in e-book digital versions, with a series of apps soon to follow.
Arthur Frommer is back in the game after selling his book line to Simon & Schuster in 1977. The series was later purchased by John Wiley & Sons in 2001, and Google bought it in 2012.
Frommer reacquired the brand from Google earlier this year, and he and his daughter Pauline, a co-president of Frommer Media along with her father, wasted no time in setting into motion the publication of the first 30 titles in the Frommer Travel Guide collection.
The new line comprises guides to 20 international destinations, including London, Paris, Costa Rica and Ireland, and 10 domestic destinations, including New York City, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Miami.
Frommer called upon many of his former guidebook writers. “They had five months to produce a condensed version of our original guidebooks,” he said. “Just about all of them met the deadline.
“By printing the books in black and white, with no color photos except the cover, and making the books small enough to carry in a pocket or purse, we were able to drop the price to $10.95 per copy,” said Frommer, adding that the prices of some other guidebooks now top $25.
Also helping to keep the books affordable was the fact that neither Frommer pays for office space.
“I’m a home-based travel writer and self-publisher,” Frommer said. “So is my daughter. ... We had such a tight deadline to meet our manuscript deadlines that we had no time to find office space, so we didn’t.”
The books not only contain extensive information on sightseeing and activities, “but also recommendations for only the most authentic restaurants and hotels, places that introduce readers to the culture and zeitgeist of the destination,” Pauline said.
“We wanted these books to cut through the clutter and to introduce readers to experiences they would only have in these destinations.”
Her father agreed. The 84-year-old is both amazed and heartened by the response to the relaunch of his product line.
He said a recent interview with AARP’s magazine “made the point that here’s a guy who is not out to pasture yet.”
Indeed not. In addition to the 30 titles already in bookstores and the 50 titles that will follow next year, Frommer writes a syndicated travel column, co-hosts a weekly radio show with Pauline and blogs frequently on Frommer.com.
Follow Gay Nagle Myers on Twitter @gnmtravelweekly.