Job: Author, Where to Bike Portland (Where to Bike LLC) – FILLED

Here is an exciting opportunity to write your own cycling guidebook without having to take any financial risk, or worry about the logistics of layout, printing and distribution.

We are looking for an author to write ‘Where to Bike Portland’, which will become part of our growing worldwide cycling guide book series.

Where to Bike Portland will be aimed at recreational cyclists, ranging from beginners to enthusiasts. It will contain approximately 50 adult rides, each rated from one to five stars, according to their length and difficulty. The ride distances will range from approximately three miles to 50 miles. Wherever possible, the rides will include off road cycling paths, both paved and unpaved, and on road bicycle lanes. Where these do not exist, the rides will feature quiet roads, that are safe and pleasant to ride on. A few of the rides may suitable for recreational mountain bikers but the focus is urban cycling.

Each ride features accurate colour mapping and altitude profiles. The data files for these are generated by doing the rides with a Garmin GPS unit. This unit will be supplied to the author, along with user instructions and further technical support, if required.

We also want to include at least 25 ‘Kid’s Rides’. These are short, completely traffic free rides suitable for families with young children. Most of these rides will be within parks, and may be as short as a loop around playground.

Specifically, the area we intend to cover includes all of the greater Portland urban area, including Vancouver Washington to the north and possibly stretching as far as Salem to the south.

As the successful applicant, you will probably have lived and biked within this region for at least three years. You will need to have a good knowledge of cycling in and around this area, and will you will probably part of a cycling group or informal network of cyclists who can give you their opinions and feedback.

You need to have previous experience in both writing and photography, although it’s ok if this is your first book.

Although there is plenty of scope for individual expression through your ride selection, words and pictures, you will also need to be comfortable with working to a pre-determined format, as this book will form part of a growing series of related titles.

You will be paid an advance, then a royalty for each book sold, paid monthly, once the book is published. You will also be paid a royalty on sales of all electronic formats such as e-books. You will have the option of working on updated editions, hopefully once every few years as more cycle facilities are built. We will be giving preference to authors who are prepared to have a long term association with us, including assisting with marketing of the book through giving local media interviews, attending appropriate bike events and so on.

Your advance will be paid in instalments, upon your completion of agreed portions of the book. You will have the opportunity to receive bonus payments by submitting your work ahead of each deadline.

We will be giving preference to applicants who have the time, motivation and organizational skills to complete this book to our high standards within 12 months of their commencement.

If you’d like further information please start at this link: www.bicyclingaustralia.com/wheretoride From there, you can visit the website for any book, but we would recommend Chicago, which is the first of our USA titles.

Having looked at our websites, if you are interested in applying, please email Joanne Anstee joanne(at)bicyclingaustralia(dot)com either with your application, or with any further questions.

Bicycling Australia’s founders and proprietors, Phil and Catie Latz, will be visiting Portland this April, to interview potential authors select the successful applicant.

About Bicycling Australia
Bicycling Australia is Australia’s leading publisher of cycling magazines and books. We were established in 1989, first publishing Bicycling Australia magazine, followed by the Bicycling Buyers Guide, Bicycling Yearbook and Mountain Biking Australia magazine. These publications are sold throughout Australia and New Zealand.

More recently, we commenced publishing our ‘Where to Ride’ series of cycling guidebooks. The first was Where to Ride South East Queensland, followed by Where to Ride books for Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Tasmania, Canberra, London (UK), Eastern Victoria and Western & Northern Victoria. Some of these titles are now in second editions or reprints of first editions.

Our first mountain bike specific guidebook, Where to Bike Sydney MTB will be going to press early 2011. We are also publishing a series of Where to Ride folding maps which complement the books. The first of these, for central Melbourne, was published in late 2010.

In 2010 we set up a USA company, Where to Bike LLC, to publish USA books. We’re using the name ‘Where to Bike’ rather than ‘Where to Ride’ because it gives better Google search results due to more common use of ‘bike’ and ‘biking’ in the USA.
Our first Where to Bike book was Chicago, launched in February 2011, which is soon to be followed in order by Washington DC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. We anticipate an iPad version of Where to Bike Chicago going on sale during early 2011, with other e-book and iPhone formats to follow.

We sell a wide range of cycling books, dvd’s, posters, clothing, giftware and other items through a network of dealers and online at www.bagear.com

We also run a popular free cycling classified advertising service and offer a range of other services on our website at www.bicyclingaustralia.com.au

We’ve been heavily involved in cycling advocacy and were a founding member of the Cycling Promotion Fund which is now Australia’s peak national cycling lobby. Where to Bike is a member of Bikes Belong and the League of American Bicyclists. All Where to Bike books are raising money and awareness for World Bicycle Relief.
Where to Bike books also promote the cycling advocacy organization of each relevant city.

Bicycling Australia is based in Port Kembla, NSW, which is approximately 50 miles south of Sydney. Our registered USA office is in California and our distribution is via Ingram Publisher Services to the book trade and Quality Bicycle Parts (QBP) to the bike trade.