Solo Travel and the Amazing Amazon Blitz

Published August 22, 2011 | By solotraveler

Front Cover

It’s a travel manual for those who want to go it alone.

It’s travel literature for those who want the story from a solo’s perspective.

It’s tips to have fun and advice to stay safe and the tone is light – that of a big sister – so says my little sister. That’s what I was aiming for and, given that she is always my toughest and wisest critic, I think I reached my goal.

“Just read the e-version [of The Solo Traveler's Handbook] I received through kickstarter. I wanted to read just a few pages and wait on the hard copy as I’m not a fan of screen reading but I just couldn’t stop ”
Eric, a member of the Solo Travel Society on Facebook.

A serious travel manual that’s funny!

Though the handbook has a serious side, I wanted the overall feel to be easy-going and encouraging. I want to inspire people to travel solo. But I didn’t expect reviewers to say it was funny. It seems that I actually caused them to laugh out loud!

“With her witty advice in hand, you’ll feel freer than ever to follow the only path that matters: your own.”
Joe Yonan, Food and Travel Editor, The Washington Post and Author of “Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One

“Finally, the third thing I want to say about The Solo Traveler’s Handbook is that … it’s funny! Janice also uses humor and a light touch to inspire people, and make them feel at ease. I laughed out loud at “Confessions of a solo bobo,” and “15 signs that you’ve had too much time alone.”
Mariellen Ward, Breathe Dream Go

You can read all the reviews and check out the Table of Contents and the introduction with these links.

Be part of the amazing Amazon blitz.

One goal of the Solo Traveler Project is to legitimize solo travel and help our niche stand out as one that warrants attention from the travel industry. (Read Hey Travel Industry: we’re over here!)

To help with this (and with book sales of course), I’m hoping that you’ll participate in the Solo Traveler Amazon Blitz. The idea of the blitz is not my own. Tim Ferris of 4- Hour Workweek fame used it to propel his latest book to the top of Amazon.

I’m hoping to do a bit of that for The Solo Traveler’s Handbook and help grow our niche at the same time. I want to hold an Amazon Blitz for the Handbook on September 21st.

If you’re interested in participating, please buy the book, give it a read and, on September 21, review it on Amazon.com. What you say is totally up to you. I’ll give you notice about the Amazon Blitz when it’s about to happen.

Seth Godin re-imagines self-publishing

Tim Ferris, Seth Godin… yes, I read the guys who have changed things online. I like how Seth has re-imagined self-publishing. Avoiding this tainted term, he has launched the Domino Project. When I tripped over this site, I was thrilled to learn that I was on the same page as Seth.

I have plans to make the safety section of The Solo Traveler’s Handbook available free through sponsors. If you know of a company that might be interested in sponsoring the safety of solo travelers, please let me know. I’ll tell you more about this plan in a future post.