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ABOUT US

111 Places That You Must Not Miss ...

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... is the name of the popular 111 Places series launched by Emons Verlag in 2008. Since then, we have published almost 500 titles in multiple languages, with over 2 million copies sold.


Emons Verlag produces and distributes books in German, Italian, English, and French. Many of our books are also available via in-country publishing partners in Danish, Hungarian, Czech, and Dutch.

 

What makes our guidebooks so special is that they feature hidden places, stories, and neighborhoods that unlock the destination’s true character, history, and flavor. 

 

What we don’t feature are typical tourist attractions and travel advice. Nearly all of our authors are long-time residents of the area and present their city or region through the eyes of an insider. They lead you to discover hidden gems and secret spots, and the most beautiful sights,many of which you may find to be as remarkable as we do. 

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Why 111 Places? The series is published in the beautiful city of Cologne, Germany, where the number 11 is good luck. In fact, Carnival celebrations in Cologne begin each year on November 11th at 11:11am.

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But 11 places wouldn't fill a whole book, so we added another 1 to get us to 111!

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Having 111 choices in each book offers locals and visitors the opportunity to select the ones that they just can't miss. If you're exploring on your own, take one of our guidebooks along with you. If you're bringing your family or friends, have a look at the book together, and everyone can pick a place to discover together.

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The layout of the series is quite distinct. Each unique place is presented on two pages, one a vivid photograph, and the other engaging chapters with anecdotes and little-known information that will inform, delight, and hopefully even surprise you. Handy to drop into a bag – or a suitcase – with clean and vibrant covers, the books are informative and entertaining and also the perfect items to give as gifts or collect for yourself. 

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Emons Verlag

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Emons Verlag was founded in 1984 by Hejo Emons in Cologne, Germany. Today, after 30 years in business, it is still a family-owned enterprise with over 30 employees. Since the beginning, Emons has specialized in regional books/literature. The company’s very first travel book was published in 1984, a city guide about Cologne that was the beginning of what would later become the 111 Places guidebook series in 2008. 

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In the same year, the first German local crime novel followed with a storyline that took place in Cologne. Hejo Emons apparently discovered a niche and achieved sustained success with the genre of crime novels set in real cities and towns all over the world. This local focus for our books is what Emons Verlag is best known for today.

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Over the years, Emons Verlag enlarged its range, and today we publish regional books of multiple genres – travel guides for specific regions and cities, historical books, atlases, coffee-table books, and many more – and always with a local character.

NOTRE ÉQUIPE

MEET THE TEAM

LAURA OLK

Project Manager UK/US

Public Relations

laura.olk@111places.com

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INES ENGBARTH

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AUDREY HOCHEDER

Editor France

hocheder@111lieux.fr

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FRANZISKA EMONS-HAUSEN

Publisher

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KAREN SEIGER

Editor-in-Chief North America

karen.seiger@111places.com

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  • How Do I Submit a Pitch for a New 111 Places Guidebook?
    We are happy to entertain ideas for new 111 Places Guidebooks. Please follow these mandatory steps in order for us to consider your pitch. NOTE: We only work with authors and photographers who live in the cities or regions of the books they are creating. 111 Places guidebooks are for locals first, and so we need our teams to find places that even locals may not know about – the kinds of places and stories that you can only discover by walking up and down the streets every day, talking to local experts, and discovering while visiting other places. Our teams have to go to each place in person and experience everything firsthand to make sure each place is truly worthy of being in the book! They must be available to participate in local events and media to promote their book once it's published and to update their book through multiple editions. Please take this requirement into consideration before you submit your pitch. The key steps for submitting your book Idea for consideration include: 1. Look through our current guidebooks to make sure we have not already published the book. 2. Look online to see the current books related to your pitch. If there are numerous titles that are similar to your idea, especially within the last year, then we probably will not entertain your idea. But if you have a compelling argument, you are free to make your case. 3. If the field of competitive books is minimal or out of date, and if we haven't already produced a book about the city, then please prepare a pitch with the following information: ▹ What city or region are you proposing? ▹ How is your idea different from the books that are already available? ▹ Would local residents purchase the book? ▹ How many tourists visit this city each year? ▹ Why are you the best person or team to write this book? If your pitch proves to be of interest to the publisher, we will contact you to discuss the idea further, and then we may request a full proposal. We will share the proposal specifications at that time. Visit our contact page to send us your pitch.
  • Will I Find My Favorite Places in the 111 Places Guide Books?
    We hope you'll find some of your favorite places in our guides. But we hope even more that most of the places are new because we want you to enjoy the experience of exploration and discovery in your own hometown and your other favorite cities. Ultimately, our authors decide which places to include in their books. They write about locations in literature, film, and music, residences, workplaces, graves of prominent people, historical buildings, hidden parks, unusual bars and restaurants, specialty shops, unique sports venues, views, art spaces, abandoned places, and much much more.
  • May I Suggest a City for Your Next Guidebook?
    We are always looking for suggestions for our future guidebooks for places around the world. Do you think your city or region has 111 interesting places to fill an exciting guidebook? Visit our contact page to share your ideas.
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