If I write this book would you be interersted ...

[DaleC]

Does one really need a focus group to write yet another diving travelogue? If it is well written, with some in depth research and good pictures it would be well received by those interested. If it's just a collection of dive op generated propaganda it will be just that much more pulp, cheaper and more easily accessed on the computer.

Also, a focus group of random, non committed divers on the internet is probably not a very reliable indicator of anything.... sure I'll buy 2 copies, checks in the mail!

I know I'm sounding negative but setting out to gather public input to write a dive book that will be popular to the masses just seems like a sure fire way to guarantee it's banality.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Does one really need a focus group to write yet another diving travelogue? If it is well written, with some in depth research and good pictures it would be well received by those interested. If it's just a collection of dive op generated propaganda it will be just that much more pulp, cheaper and more easily accessed on the computer.

Also, a focus group of random, non committed divers on the internet is probably not a very reliable indicator of anything.... sure I'll buy 2 copies, checks in the mail!

I know I'm sounding negative but setting out to gather public input to write a dive book that will be popular to the masses just seems like a sure fire way to guarantee it's banality.

Dude! If you dont need a focus group to write your next book on dive destinations then go ahead. Id love to see what you can come up with. As for me, I am really not as great an author as you are so I value the input of all these "non-committed" divers here. I seriously do.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I see not where the issue is with the OP asking this question on ScubaBoard. There is so much bandwith wasted on here with "adults" (?) whining about arrogant instructors and the like.....a thread like this is a breath of fresh air. He wants to do something that he will enjoy and that hopefully other will enjoy and find useful. Will it go anywhere? Who knows. But it is nice to think about someone geting to dive all these places and sharing the experience with us.

I can almost guarantee you that I would not buy the book. I am too cheap and would likely do online research where the information may be hidden but is available for free. That is just me though. If the photography and information were good enough, then I might be persuaded....I will be honest, I have had similar thoughts of writing myself. So I think the OP should get his input and make the leap or not. Entirely up to him.

 

[vladimir]

Does one really need a focus group to write yet another diving travelogue? If it is well written, with some in depth research and good pictures it would be well received by those interested.

Yes, no doubt, any well-written book will be well received by those interested, almost by definition. But it would be nice to know that there are some people interested before devoting the effort. I think that was the point of the original post.

Also, a focus group of random, non committed divers on the internet is probably not a very reliable indicator of anything.

Non-committed divers? The first 14 divers in this thread have an average of ~800 dives (using the midpoint). That sounds pretty committed to me.

I know I'm sounding negative but setting out to gather public input to write a dive book that will be popular to the masses just seems like a sure fire way to guarantee it's banality.

I sort of agree with this, which is why I advocated a more tightly focused book.

 

[DaleC]

To discuss in general...

By non committed I refer to the fact that there is no obligation to purchase. If you want to do something and get completely bogged down just ask a bunch of people what they think of the idea - that is what I refer to.

Trying to write something in the future for what people are interested in now is crazy - I say write what you are interested in. That way at least it won't be a total waste. We are a fickle lot. The interests of the mainstream, and the individual change all the time. Again, probably why most articles stick to the tried and true. Most fresh OW students are mostly interested in tropical destinations that offer guaranteed sitings of cool fish or wrecks, DM's, full service operators etc... Not too many will drive 2200km's to dive a freshwater site in 40F water like I would (Lake Minnewanka, 1912 Damsite. Banff. AB - Google it!).

From the OP I gathered that they were considering writing a dive destination book of out of the way spots but only if people were interested to make it worth their while. What author wouldn't like that? Actually, most contemporary dive writers do want that which is why they recycle the same, popular dive destinations in their articles.

The challenge with writing a dive book on unique destinations worth buying (as opposed to what can be gathered off the net) is personal insight and experience with those sites. Just gathering the info from dive ops at those locales is exactly what we can do easier and cheaper on the net. Google: Browning wall-Port Hardy, Crater lake-Oregon; Pavillion lake-BC etc... It's all there in detail (just thinking of my region). However, what isn't on the net or available from a dive op in regards to Pavilion lake (for example) is where the pullouts are located for the recreational areas, what depths the microbiolites can be found at in each area and that similar formations can be found in nearby Kelly lake (and where to dive there as well). That info was gleaned by doing a half dozen 7hr-drive day trips.

As I said, relying on others to provide all your data just makes one more an editor of a catalog (though one with nice pictures) than a writer. Even well known people like Cousteau did this with his "Underwater Treasury". It happens all the time.

Taking the time to go and do the research oneself and discover the small things that make books worthwhile takes a time commitment and risk that many writers wrestle with. Remove the risk and you remove the uniqueness of the content.