Dark Tourism And Self-Publishing Premium Print Books With Images With Leon Mcanally [Video]

What is dark tourism and why are many of us interested in places associated with death and tragedy? How can you write and self-publish a premium print guidebook while managing complicated design elements, image permissions, and more? With Leon Mcanally.

In the intro, level up with author assistants [Written Word Media (https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/level-up-with-author-assistants/) ]; and Blood Vintage signing pics (https://www.instagram.com/p/DCEFARANtE7/?img_index=1) .

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Leon McAnally is the author of A Guide to Dark Attractions in the UK (https://amzn.to/3CiAP7P) .

You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app (https://www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/)  or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. 

Show Notes

• The definition of dark tourism and what types of places it includes

• Public opinion around dark tourism sites

• Self-publishing to keep creative control of book design and content

• Researching historical sites and keeping an organized system

• How to obtain permissions for publishing images

• Working with a designer on a photo-heavy book

• Using book signings and social media as part of a book marketing strategy

• Managing expectations for research- and design-extensive projects

You can find Leon on his Facebook page: Dark Attractions in the UK (https://www.facebook.com/DarkAttractionsInTheUK) .

Transcript of Interview with Leon McAnally

Joanna: Leon McAnally is the author of A Guide to Dark Attractions in the UK, which is brilliant. My quote is on the back, and I said, “A fascinating book for all the dark little souls out there.” So welcome to the show, Leon.

Leon: Thank you, Joanna, for having me.

Joanna: I’m excited to talk about this topic, and you and I are both dark little souls. First up—

Tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing and self-publishing.

Leon: Well, I studied travel and tourism in college. That’s where I first learned of this term called dark tourism, places associated with death, suffering and tragedy. I came away looking into these places and was really fascinated with the tourism aspect and the history aspect.

My university touched on this topic more, so I went and studied Travel and Tourism at the University of Northampton. I focused a lot around the motivations of dark tourism and the ethical issues around dark tourism.

After uni, I wasn’t sure what to do, but I wanted to travel to a lot of the places that I’d been writing about, like Auschwitz and the Catacombs of Paris. Then I got into writing because I came across yourself, actually. When I was researching dark tourism, I think you popped up on a website. I started reading your ARKANE thriller series (https://jfpennbooks.com/collections/arkane-action-adventure-thrillers) and looked into yourself a bit more, and I was like, you’re just an inspiration.

Joanna: Thank you.

Leon: So it seemed from that, and then yourself. Then I was in Paris visiting the Catacombs at the time, and that evening I sat down and was like, what do I do with myself now? Then I thought to myself, there’s no book that covers like dark tourism across the whole of the UK. So, yes, it set me off on a journey, really.

Joanna: First of all, I’m really thrilled to inspire you. I’m glad I turned up on some website, that’s excellent.

Let’s just return to this idea of dark tourism.

You mentioned places associated with death, suffering and tragedy. You mentioned two places that are quite different, Auschwitz, which of course, is modern horror, really. Then the Paris Catacombs (https://www.booksandtravel.page/catacombs-paris/) , which, if people don’t know, are full of plague dead, but it’s bones that are arranged in different ways. I find the Catacombs an awesome place. I’m sure you enjoyed it as well, right?

Leon: Yes, definitely. It was really eye opening.

Joanna: Exactly. I think those two places are disturbing in different ways. People are like, why are the pair of you interested in this stuff? So what do you think? You mentioned studying the motivations. Wh…