Walking Tree to Launch Travel Book Series in January 2027

The France-based publisher will introduce its Travel with a Writer book series to U.S. and U.K. markets early next year.

Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Adventure Travel

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Publisher Walking Tree will release its 'Travel with a Writer' series in the U.S. and U.K. in January 2027. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Walking Tree is set to debut its new Travel with a Writer trade paperback series in the U.S. and U.K. in January 2027. Each volume features original essays and walking itineraries focused on cities where the authors have previously lived.

Why it matters

By pairing novelists with destinations they know intimately, the publisher aims to offer readers deep cultural insights rather than traditional guidebooks. The series is designed to provide highly specific local perspectives through curated content.

The inaugural collection features four trade paperback titles, with each book spanning fewer than 200 pages. These guides integrate modern features like QR-code maps and original essays to assist in city navigation.

The players

Walking Tree

This publishing house was founded in France in 2025 and focuses on niche travel literature.

Kristina Kearns

She is one of the leaders overseeing the international expansion of the publisher into the U.S. and U.K. markets.

Daniel Levin Becker

He serves as a lead for the company's expansion into North American and British publishing markets.

Consortium

This entity entered into a distribution agreement with the publisher in May 2026.

The details

The launch titles feature Catherine Lacey on New York, Emily Itami on Tokyo, Brian Winter on São Paulo, and Eleonora Marangoni on Rome. Future plans for the series include upcoming releases covering Bogotá, Chicago, Athens, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Vancouver, Hanoi, and Taipei.

Timeline

  1. March 2025: Walking Tree was founded in France.

  2. May 2026: Consortium began distributing Walking Tree titles.

  3. January 2027: The Travel with a Writer series launches in the U.S. and U.K.

Travel Outlook

The publisher’s model follows the broader trend of prioritizing niche, author-led travel narratives over conventional, broad-market guidebooks. This shift capitalizes on a growing desire for deeply personalized, local-centric travel intelligence during peak tourism cycles.

Travelers looking for unique insights can expect these books to serve as compact, portable resources for their future international trips. Once the series launches, readers will be able to utilize the QR-code maps and walking itineraries to navigate Tokyo, Rome, and other cities.

The takeaway

Readers interested in literary travel should look for titles centered on cities they plan to visit to gain deeper cultural context. These books offer a practical, curated way to experience global destinations through the eyes of writers who have lived there.

Further reading

Discover more unique exploration guides in our Adventure Travel section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by PublishersWeekly.

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Would you prefer using literary essays and local itineraries over traditional guidebooks when traveling?