After the big trip...write a book
 

OK, so I did the big trip and then when I got home I had this huge void in my life. 10 years in the saving/planning, one year in the riding and then nothing. So I decided to sit down and write about it.

I found is incredibily therapeutic. I could relive my story, fill in the gaps and research some of the history I'd only touched upon whilst on the road. And I wasn't boring my friends!

It took me two years but I've just managed to turn my story into a book and I launched 'Gone Riding' two weeks ago at the NEC Motorcycle Live show in Birmingham, UK.

I thank the HUBB Community in my book as they/you have helped me through all the stages of my journey. This really is the story of someone who's managed to 'live the dream' largely due to HorizonsUnlimited.

Please take a look at my website. http://domgiles.co.uk/

Lonesome George, congratulations on your book! What kind of volunteering did you do while traveling?

Dom, well done with the book and I hope it works out well. You can't have too many bike travel books in my err... book.

I've written two books in the last year (neither of which I've yet published beyond proofing) so I know how hard it can be, particularly if you have to be writer and editor rolled into one. In some respects doing the trip is the easy part, although as usual it's the bits that caused the most pain and anguish that make the best copy.

I did wonder how many other people on here have done something similar ie publish a book of their travels (or any other aspect of their lives), but after the reaction to the rtw question above perhaps its better left hanging.:(

Thanks for the comments. After writing my book I was very worried about the kind of reception it would get. It's early days but I sold loads of copies at the NEC Motorcycle live show and so far I've had three comments posted on Amazon - all of them excellent. I'm really pleased.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gone-Riding-...ds=Gone+riding

Rosa, I volunteered on a Turtle rescue centre in Baja California, a Sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica and teaching in a township school in Cape Town.

Incidentally I sort of started my motorcycling travels in Argentina. In 1995 I went to teach in BA and bought a Honda Transalp. I spent the summer in Patagonia and the foloowing winter in Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. Even though I wasn't supposed to be allowed to take the bike out of the country as a foreigner, I didn't know and just booked myself on a ferry to Montevedeo. No one asked! Sometimes ignorance is bliss...

Hey LG, I was thinking about a family volunteer trip to the sloth sanctuary outside Limón. Is that the one you volunteered at? Any quick words of wisdom about the concept and experience? It's not something I'm done much of.

Thanks. I'll get to your book sooner or later…although at the moment it looks like "later."

Mark

Sorry my reply is so late!

Yes, that's the one I was at. Really enjoyed the experience. If you like animals and like getting up at 5 am then give it a go!

(Have you bought my book yet :innocent:)

I read your book just a few weeks ago! In about three sittings I might add. I liked it a lot, especially the history angle which comes from your time as a history teacher. I agree with Backofbeyond, there can't be enough travel diaries about rider's trips. It's the reason why I started motorcycling, and the deciding factor for doing my next trip solo. The past year I have devoured one motorcycle travel story after the other, it just gets your imagination going. Very inspirational stuff!

I just found this! Its awesome I'll get it :D thanks and congratulations!

How did you go about getting your book published? Writing a book is a dream!

Self publish or publishing house: you choose
 

You have two options.

One is the self-publishing option which obviously is a lonely journey but you have full control of everything (promotion, giveaways, sales, profits etc).

The other way is to try your luck and send 100 (at least) proposals & drafts to publishing houses hoping they will be interested, they will appreciate your writing and eventually they will publish your reading. Dont expect them to do lots about promotion, its mostly you that you have to market your book.

For both options, you will find lovers & haters but I can tell you from my personal experience that doing the trip is a super easy thing, writing the book is an easy task as well BUT promoting your stuff, bridge the gap between supply & demand and let the people who are potentially interested to know about your stuff (either through self-publishing or published through a house) is THE MOST DIFFICULT part of this type of project.

Every author I've talked to (and it's quite a few now) has said much the same. Doing the trip / thinking up the plot or dealing with whatever your subject material is - easy bordering on pleasurable. Writing the book can be between easy and a bit of a drudge depending on how the process goes (if you're finding it a drudge I have very reasonable ghost writing charges! (that's a joke btw)) but most people have been happy to see the fruits of their thought processes eventually make it out of their heads and onto "paper"

Marketing and selling though, that's where reality strikes. Instead of a gnarly adventurer with a tale to tell you morph into a kind of glorified Big Issue seller where you have to be everlastingly cheerful, willing to spend ages chatting to "morons" and chase every sale, £10 at a time. God knows how the few who do it for a living keep their spirits up. It must be the same kind of grit and determination that gets them through the bad days on the trip in the first place.

I've often wondered if there's any way to reverse the process and cut out the hard marketing stuff but that's what publishers are for and there's precious few of those nosing around the bike travel world. When I visit the authors tent at any of the bike travel gatherings (HUBB, Overland etc) I'm usually more interested in their journey through the literary world than their trip through the physical one. For adventure bikers it's the new frontier.

I got my book published and printed a month ago. And as Lonesome George wrote I felt like the trip was not finished until now.
The writing process was on it´s way to neverending story. Then after three years I participated to one day travel writing workshop and found out mindblowing idea. I didn´t have to finish the book by myself, the publisher was going to buy the concept if it was interested.
I googled motorbike travel books in Finnish language and found only one. The same publisher had done some bicycle books and I decided to give a shot. I send the stories I had wrote earlier to magazines and newspapers, and link to my blog. After two weeks I made a contract with the only publisher I had contacted! That gave missed motivation and I had to work full time for one and a half months not to miss the deadline.
The book has got very good start and I was even in prime time talk show in Finnish national tv. Among other things we spoke of course about the HUBB :)
I do encourage everybody with the passion to write to fulfill one´s dream. Especially if writing in smaller language, the competition in English language market must be much harder.

Anyone looked into publishIng only an e-book?

I was thinking it would be easier than publishing an actual book? No financial investment?

An anecdote: A few years ago I was chatting to a "well known m/c travel book author" at an event. He spotted over my shoulder a couple looking at the offerings on his stand and just walked off to give them the hard sell. There must be more to life than that after the big trip ...

I also really pity the "adventure bike personalities" who think it's OK to spam the ar$e off multiple Facebook groups simultaneously, trying to flog their wares. At least at actual biker events you know which area to avoid or frequent depending on your interests.

This Thread goes a bit off the topic, but I absolutely agree. I got a shit storm some time ago cause I said at at post which was advertising for an Adventure Biker Fair "Who is going to such fais anyhow?" Oh oh, the best comment was "Hey we are COMMERCIAL Adventure Travellers" and need this fairs... I like that, "Commercial Adventurers..." doh doh doh