Let’s Go Lands New Publisher

Let’s Go, the student-run travel guide subsidiary of Harvard Student Agencies, has found a new publisher after over a year of hunting.

The travel guide company has been searching for a fresh deal since 2007, when St. Martin’s Press—which had published the series for 25 years—announced it would end the partnership in 2009.

Let’s Go announced a new agreement with Perseus Books Group on Tuesday.

The deal will provide Let’s Go with distribution by Publishers Group West and publishing by Avalon Travel, whose Web site says it is the largest independent travel publisher based in the United States.

While St. Martin’s commissioned a report in 2001 that questioned the tone of Let’s Go’s student-focused guides and recommended the company undergo a rebranding, Avalon is taking a more sanguine view of the series’ prospects.

“Let’s Go is a really strong, quality, and targeted brand that has been publishing travel information for students for some while,” said Avalon’s Publisher, Bill Newlin. “Avalon Travel is ready to bring this series back up to the level of brand recognition and sales that it wants.”

The new contract will allow Let’s Go to expand the number of titles it offers from 15 in the 2009 edition to 26 in the upcoming 2010 edition, to be released this November. The new titles will include updated guides for many Central and South American locations.

November also marks the 50th anniversary of Let’s Go. It plans to unveil a new logo and cover design to mark the event.

In addition to the boosted publication schedule, Let’s Go also intends to begin providing online supplementary content for its guidebooks and an interactive trip planner, according to Publicity and Marketing Director Vanessa J. Dube ’10.

One of the biggest changes—beyond the new publisher and improvements to the Web site—is the company’s adoption of a new business model, said Publishing Director Laura M. Gordon '09.

“Let’s Go is overhauling the corporate structure to allow for more term-time opportunities and more student involvement, giving us the chance to capitalize on the huge number of students in Cambridge,” she said. “We are students, and we write for students.”

Because the company has sold 3.5 million guides to date, PGW sees Let’s Go as a valuable asset.

“Let’s Go is a perfect complement to our existing list of travel clients,” said PGW President Susan Reich in a press release. “It is one of a handful of series in the travel category with immediate brand recognition.”

—Staff writer Wyatt P. Gleichauf can be reached at wgleich@fas.harvard.edu.