types of travel books:

• the most familiar travel book is part of the destination genre. it tells all about the location and provides a roundup of things to do, places to see, restaurants to visit, and more.if your book is about a destination, work to find a creative slant. you'll need to dig through research to find a unique way to present material. most destination books have round-up portions included, but this is not an absolute rule. 
• after the destination book, essays and memoirs are the best sellers.if your travel book is in this genre, be sure to read a variety of examples. memoirs and essays must hold a reader's interest throughout the book and use creative fiction techniques to do so.
• the all out favourite is adventure travel. if you're planning to write adventure travel, remember your personal experiences are as much a part of the book as the destination. readers want to know the whole story, including the terrible parts of the experience.

specifics and directions on writing travel books:

• travel books sell so well you'll find many bookstores devoted specifically to them. in large stores, you'll find sections and shelves piled high with travel books. most of them have specific sections for travel essay books too.
• readers may be of the armchair or actual variety. they want information presented in easy-to-read styles and so that they can possibly duplicate the adventures.
• as you begin contemplating writing your travel book or actually put fingers to the keyboard, take the work seriously. many novice writers get sidelined after the initial infatuation period. they never move past the point of telling people they're writing a book and get into the actual writing. writing can be a lot of fun, but it can also be work.
• most books are about 200 pages. sounds like a lot, but if you write just one page a day, you'll be finished in less than a year. to make the process manageable, think of it in small segments. most books have chapters that run about the same length. that means if chapter 1 is 5,000 words, then the rest of the chapters should be about that length too.
• the most marketable book length is generally in the 60,000-word range. if you're planning ten chapters for your book, then each chapter will be about 6,000 words.
• nonfiction books have chapter titles too. often travel books are loaded with photographs and some have illustrations and maps.
• if you have not done so yet, go directly to a real bookstore and browse through the books that will be in competition with yours. this will give you an idea of the format that's most marketable and also the names and addresses of the publishers producing your type of travel book.

components of travel book proposals
:

• to sell any book, including a travel book, you'll need more than writing talent and a great topic. you will need to send out query letters and write a book proposal. book proposals are marketing proposals and include the components of:
  • title page

  • proposal's table of contents

  • overview of the book

  • what books are in competition with yours

  • table of contents of your book

  • chapter-by-chapter outline

  • sample chapters

  • about you (the author)

• once your proposal has caught the interest of a literary agent, the agent directs the proposal to book publishers. if you're sending your proposal directly to book publishers, the publisher will contact you and, if this is your first book, may ask to read more of your book. if this happens, celebrate. you have your foot in the door. it doesn't guarantee a sale, but it helps.
• you'll also want to include an index with your travel book, unless it's an essay, adventure, or personal experience genre. including an index, which you can do with most software, provides an additional market for your work. libraries throughout the united states are more inclined to buy books with indexes. this means the possibility of an additional 5000 books that can be sold.
• some publishers and agents supply their specific guidelines for the format of the proposal. there is more than one correct format for a book proposal, but the information above will launch you in the right direction.