Bookstore Tour: Lonely Planet Starts Rolling

by Nora Rawlinson and Karen Holt, PW Daily for Booksellers -- Publishers Weekly, 5/11/2004

Sweets, stories and skepticism greeted the Lonely Planet crew this weekend, as it kicked off its multi-region road tour of independent bookstores.

First stop: Manhattan, where bookstores are used to publisher visits and might be expected to be a bit blasé. But the booksellers seemed more than happy to share their Saturday with the publisher's representatives, who came bearing T-shirts, posters and word of the new and improved Lonely Planet guidebooks. The staff of Greenwich Village's Three Lives Bookstore even provided home-baked cookies.

Outside the bookstores, the 32-ft. RV, painted blue and emblazoned with the Lonely Planet logo, was enough to attract notice even in this seen-it-all city, as passers by stopped to share their travel stories. One even knocked on the door of the van to find out what Lonely Planet was up to ("are you opening a store?"). At a red light, a cab driver pulled alongside the van and called out through the window to say he had used Lonely Planet's guide to Burma. Before the light changed, the crew passed him a book on Thailand to help him plan his next trip.

Billed as the 2004 Lonely Planet "Everywhere You Are" Independent Bookstore Road Trip, the 27-day journey will wind through New England, the mid-Atlantic region and the South, hitting 116 independent bookstores before ending in Chicago at BEA.

The trip began with Hagstrom Map and Travel in Midtown. From there, it was on to more of Manhattan's best-known independent bookstores--Coliseum Books, the Strand, Shakespeare and Co. and Three Lives, then to Brooklyn's Community Bookstore and Court Street Books. Most of the booksellers said the travel category is on the upswing, with even Europe on the rise. The staff from Hagstrom said Spain is "skyrocketing." South America is also strong, particularly Costa Rica and Peru. said Allan Kelin, manager of Coliseum Books,

Clearly delighted with the reception, Todd Sotkiewicz, president and general manager for the Americas, said Lonely Planet is not just about selling books, but about getting people to travel. "Only 20% of Americans have passports. We think the world would be a better place if more people got the perspective and understanding that travel brings."

On Sunday, the crew rolled north to Connecticut, where a Hummer hardly rates the turn of a head, but a big blue RV attracts curious stares. In New Canaan, one of the richest communities in the country, the parking was easy, the sales pitch wasn't. The staff at Elm Street Books was friendly but probing. "What's your demographic?" asked Susan Thorndike, who is in charge of the travel section. "This is an affluent community."

Gary Todoroff, U.S. sales trade director, replied that though Lonely Planet has its roots in shoestring travel, it has evolved to include information for the less budget-constricted traveler. "With real confidence, I think you can definitely recommend us," he said. In an interview with PW later, manager Judy Wisentaner allowed that Lonely Planet's new format may be more attractive to the store's clientele. But Thorndike was skeptical, saying, "I still think it might be a hard sell in New Canaan."

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