Byway Books Build Partnerships,
Bring Long-Term Revenue

Byway-theme books featuring different resource travel themes have proven to be a long-term revenue generator for several byway organizations. One organization has produced, and continues to add to, a series of guidebooks voted “Best of the Byways” by the American Recreation Coalition. Partnerships with government and business helped the byway organization develop the books.

Who:

Seaway Trail, Inc. has partnered with a regional-focus government agency, a fellow nonprofit organization, college professors, and a small business to produce a series of theme-focus guidebooks.

What:

Seaway Trail’s series of guidebooks focuses on different travel themes: architecture, geology, lighthouses, military history: War of 1812, nature and recreation: bicycle touring and boating.

When:

The first Seaway Trail guidebook was produced in 1986. Other titles followed in 1987 (three), and one each in 1990, 1991, and 1996. The Seaway Trail Lighthouses guidebook entered its fourth updated printing in 2003. The guidebook series earned Seaway Trail Best of the Byways honors from the American Recreation Coalition in 1996.

Where:

Some of the guidebooks cover a portion of the byway; others are bywaywide.

How:

The guidebook series began with a partnership between Seaway Trail, Inc. and a regionally-focused government agency that provided funding to produce three byway region guidebooks. Seaway Trail, Inc. assumed distribution of the guides.

Seaway Trail Rocks & Landscapes was prepared by the Syracuse University Department of Geology under contract to the government agency.

For production of an eight-piece bicycling guidebook packet that included a pocket-width guidebook, a foldout map, and six loop tour brochures, the government agency contracted with the nonprofit Bikecentennial, Inc.

The agency developed the idea for an historic architecture guide to the Seaway Trail’s eastern region and contracted with an author and a cover designer to produce the book.

The agency also developed and coordinated production of the Seaway Trail Guide to the War of 1812. Seaway Trail, Inc. provided the funding for development, printing and sales and distribution. The guide is written by military historian Patrick Wilder.

Following a resource inventory and feasibility study focused on the byway’s historic lighthouses, Seaway Trail, Inc. undertook the publishing of a Seaway Trail Lighthouses guidebook to capture the increasing traveler interest in visiting the uniquely-coastal historic sites. A member of the Seaway Trail board of directors co-authored the book with a staff member who also designed the book and coordinated production. “Great Lakes Lighthouse Artist” Leo Kuschel provided pen-and-ink sketches. A staff member or contract editor/designer has updated the guidebook for three subsequent editions.

Blue Heron Enterprises, a small business headed by operators of a marina on the St. Lawrence River, partnered with the Black River-St. Lawrence Resource Conservation and Development Council, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service, and Seaway Trail, Inc. to convert an inventory of 600-plus waterfront facilities into a Nautical Seaway Trail guidebook. That guidebook includes charts, safety information, and community and travel information. Blue Heron Enterprises was the original publisher of the chartbook; that private business later transferred sales and distribution to Seaway Trail, Inc.

For the Seaway Trail Wildguide to Natural History, Seaway Trail, Inc. secured a grant for resource inventory collection and contracted with retired State University of New York biology professor Donald D. Cox to collect an inventory of nature-oriented sites Trailwide and to write about the byway region’s four major habitats. Dr. Cox kindly donated his author’s fee back to Seaway Trail, Inc. to pay for printing the guidebook and received the appropriate tax deduction for his gift.

Funding Potential:

The books have been sold at events, through Seaway Trail, Inc.’s annual magazine, and online. Seaway Trail, Inc. also has a 40%-off-retail dealer network in place – many byway organization member sites offer the books for sale, e.g., gift shops, bed and breakfasts, museum shops. Seaway Trail, Inc. has worked with a statewide book distributor, who has placed the books with retailers and booksellers statewide. The distributor receives 55%-off-retail pricing.

The books have been priced for retail sale from $3.95 to $32.95 plus shipping and taxes. One title went out of print after its first printing; the lighthouses guidebook is now in its 4th printing and the price has increased from $3.95 to $5.95. Spinoffs of that guidebook include a lighthouses-theme video, notecards, posters and quilt patterns. The guidebooks have produced $8,000.

Why Books:

• Can be a long-term source of funding

• Support byway awareness-building

• Serve an educational mission

• Can lead to spinoff merchandising opportunities

Resources:

Seaway Trail, Inc.