Miles Roddis – travelguide writer – answers

1 1) Guidebooks 2) website writing and 3) magazine articles and reviews
2 As the biggest-selling guidebooks on the planet (=in the world).
3 Tough – elsewhere Miles Roddis describes how demanding living in some of these countries is on occasions.
4 Soft.
5 Every 3 years or so – i.e. roughly every 3 years.
6 She 1) breaks the back of the research work by doing nearly all of the driving and 2) she is his most diligent and critical proofreader which 3) helps the quality of the final work.
7 At first he says 3 – a preparation phase, a research phase, and a writing-up (or write-up) stage – but then, at the end of the recording, he adds a fourth stage – that of sitting back and waiting to see the finished product.
8 At least 5 times.
9 The research stage – being in the field or going on the road.
10 Between whether it’s an update or a new book.
11 Because it is also part of Miles’ research work – he plans to cite it or quote the place as a recommended place to eat for other visitors.
12 So much for – he says ‘so much for the research stage, then ….’ to indicate that he has said enough about one topic and is about to move on to another.
13 As fairly limp – because he is exhausted.
limp – adjective – not stiff, or robust, lacking strength eg a limp lettuce leaf is not crisp and fresh; he has a very limp handshake
14 As raw material plus.
15 Both in the pace of the work and the kind/nature of energy expended.
16 On information and presentation; on the information collected and how he presents it; on getting the factual information right and the style sorted out.
17 4 or 5.
18 It plops through the letterbox. To plop is to fall lightly, for instance raindrops can plop onto the pavement.
19 The layout in book form, and the photographs.
20 He says it can be a fairly lonely experience, just you, on your own, with a computer.

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