| Charles
Wohlforth All rights reserved. Click at left to learn more. |
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| Frommer's Alaska 2009 Information and FAQ for Establishments (and window stickers) This page is for businesses and agencies who have received my e-mail, fax or mail survey asking for updated information for my travel guidebook, Frommer's Alaska 2009. What is Frommer's Alaska? Who is Charles Wohlforth? Why answer this survey? Is it true there is no cost to being in the book? How to answer the email survey How to answer the mail or fax survey What is the deadline? What if I don't like my review? How to get window stickers Are suggestions welcome for further coverage? What hotel amenities does the book list? When will you visit? Why is the information in the book different than on Frommers.com? Why is Alaska for Dummies so similar to Frommer's Alaska? How do I get a link from wohlforth.net? Can I have a free copy of the book? What is Frommer's Alaska? Frommer's Alaska is one of the top selling travel guidebooks covering Alaska. Visitors bound for Alaska buy the book in their local bookstores, then use the descriptions and listings to plan their trips. Many carry it along and use it as a Bible for their travels. The book costs $19.99 and sells extremely well all over the English speaking world. Since revenue comes from readers, the book is objective. We tell it like it is for the benefit of travelers. Here is a picture of the book and a link to buy it. Who is Charles Wohlforth? Charles is a lifelong Alaskan who has worked as a professional writer for 20 years. He originally wrote Frommer's Alaska in 1995. The current update, for 2009, will be his twelth edition. Charles also has written many other books and served two terms on the Anchorage Assembly. Here is his complete resume. Why answer this survey? Each year we send surveys by email, fax or mail to each establishment listed in the previous year's book. The responses go into the database used to update the next edition. In addition, one of my assistants or I come and visit most hotels, restaurants and other establishments every year. We often make those visits unannounced and don't identify ourselves. The purpose of the visit is to make sure we still want to recommend your business. The purpose of the survey is to make sure we get all the facts right. By responding promptly to the survey, establishments make our job easier, and enhance their chances of being included in the next edition. If we don't receive your survey, we will follow up by fax, mail, or by having an assistant call. If we can't reach you after a few tries, we won't be able to include you in the next edition. For many businesses, that means losing bookings. Some hotels and other businesses have told me that their free listing in Frommer's is their number one source of referrals. Is it true there is no cost to being in the book? We get our money from readers, not businesses. That's how we can offer honest reviews, and it is why our readers can trust what we have to say. We do not accept payment in exchange for being in the book. How to answer the email survey Your email message should have included a paragraph or two about your establishment. The purpose of the survey is to have you review the factual information in the listing and send back corrections or to let me know that no changes are needed. The easiest way is to hit "reply" on your email program, then type your changes right into the message. Please make it clear where changes appear by placing them [in brackets] or in ALL CAPS. Please confine your changes to the factual information. Do not edit the listing for your taste or because you disagree with my opinions. If you do so, I will have to contact you again to ask you to clarify which changes are factual in nature and which are opinion. How to answer the mail or fax survey Simply write your changes on the survey and send it back to me by mail or fax. You can call me with changes, as well, but having your input in writing works best. What is the deadline? Please answer the survey as soon as you can. Too often, people set it aside and forget about it. After 10 days to two weeks, we will start following up by fax, mail or phone. I must complete my manuscript and send it to the publisher in late May. Information that comes in after that date is difficult to include. The earlier you get information to me, the more likely I will be able to use it in the book. What if I don't like my review? This happens. Rarely do I find nothing to criticize in an establishment, and frequently owners don't like my negative comments. I am interested in hearing your reaction. The best way to reach me is by email. However, as a journalist, I am free to write about your establishment in any way I see fit, even if you don't want me to write about it at all. How to get window stickers I have red and yellow window stickers that say "Recommended by Frommer's Travel Guides 2008." Businesses use these on their front doors or windshields to let visitors know we have given our seal of approval. We can send stickers free to anyone listed in the 2008 book. Just let me know you want one and how many (maximum three per request), along with your mailing address. The best way to reach me is by email. Are suggestions welcome for further coverage? Absolutely! It's tough to keep track of everything happening in the Alaska travel industry. If you know of anything new or any areas you feel I have not covered, please drop me a line. If your town or business has new offerings, send them along. If you have an email newsletter, sign me up at frommersak@gci.net. What hotel amenities does the book list? I'm interested in any amenities you want to tell me about. The standard list of amenities I check up on: When will you visit? Either I or one of my assistants makes it to the great majority of locations in the book every year. Due to the size of Alaska, we visit some small towns only every other year. We generally do not announce visits in advance for logistical reasons and because we think unannounced visits give a better feel for what an establishment is really like. At restaurants, we often come and go without identifying ourselves. Hotels usually know when we are there. If you feel we should visit to see something new you have, please let me know. Why is the information in the book different than Frommers.com? The publishers of Frommer's Alaska take much of the information in the book and put it online on their Frommers.com site. I have no control over that site. Sometimes the information is not updated in a timely fashion. Let me know if you find wrong or outdated information and I will pass it on, but I can make no guarantees. Why is Alaska for Dummies so similar to Frommer's Alaska? I write both these books for Wiley. Much of the content is duplicated. In 2008 I am updating Alaska for Dummies for its fourth edition based on the information gathered for Frommer's Alaska 2009. The Dummies book is updated only every other year. How do I get a link from wohlforth.net? I link to many Alaska tourism businesses and agencies on my own website, wohlforth.net. Check my links. If you are not listed, email your URL to me and I will eventually include it. Can I have a free copy of the book? I receive only a limited number of copies of the book from the publisher, not enough to give away. |