Community Highlights: Meet Kristina Long of Journey Lee’s Summit

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Long.

Hi Kristina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Hi, my name is Kristina Long! During the summer of 2020, I created a project for my then 16-year-old son to learn the streets and history of Lee’s Summit while he was in the process of getting his driver’s license.

I’ve always enjoyed planning fun things for my family to do, so this was a project I enjoyed putting together for him. It started out as a day camp and a fun way to spend time together.

As I started doing research into Lee’s Summit, my little project grew into a notebook that I thought others would enjoy as well! My son was my first tester, but other friends tried it and loved it as well. I collaborated with an editor (& all the other things that needed to be done) and turned it into a book and received my 1st edition printed copies in October 2020!

Since then, I have written a 2nd edition book with 80 pages, created social media accounts that give fun ideas of things to do in Lee’s Summit, and enjoyed exploring my hometown’s backyard!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road at all!

First, never having authored a book before… was a struggle in itself. Finding an editor, someone to create a logo for me, and a printer… plus other things… was challenging!

Second, while I think I have a unique, creative, and useful product, trying to get others to “buy” into it wasn’t the easiest. Contacting local companies to sell my book was hard, but I finally found one! And just getting the word out is challenging and a constant struggle.

Third, while this project was never about making money, for me to continue to give my time and energy to Journey Lee’s Summit, is a current challenge on which I am working.

My printing costs are about half of what my sales are. Truth is I just don’t make much money (okay, really any money after paying my editor for book revisions).

As you know, we’re big fans of Journey Lee’s Summit. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Journey Lee’s Summit book is an 80-page interactive book, including coupons, maps, quizzes, driving directions, and much more! The reader will learn history, rediscover nature, navigate roads and have fun!

While it has started small, here is how Journey Lee’s Summit has grown since the summer of 2020…

-A 2nd edition book was completed in 2021 (going from 4 coupons to 10 coupons).

-I was asked to write a guest blog for the Lee’s Summit Tourism website and Lee’s Summit Go.

-The book is on sale at Cameron’s Home Furnishings in Downtown Lee’s Summit.

-Journey Lee’s Summit is active on social media (Facebook and Instagram).

What sets this tourist book apart from others is that it takes you on a tour of Lee’s Summit! It doesn’t just list restaurants, stores, parks, and other attractions… there are maps that guide you around Lee’s Summit and include tourist highlights along the way. It’s perfect for people new to the area, families wanting something fun to do, new teen drivers, and many others!

I have many testimonials of people who enjoy this book, here is one… “My husband, Rusty, pretty much grew up in Lee’s Summit and I’ve lived here for the last 22 years. We’ve raised our five kids here and thought we knew all about what Lee’s Summit had to offer.

We had fun completing the different journeys in this “get to know Lee’s Summit” camp and we even learned some things about this great city in the process.

This would make a great monthly day date for a couple, a fun family outing, or a way for your teen driver to get to know their way around Lee’s Summit! I wish this resource had been around when my first three kids learned to drive. What a fun and educational experience!”

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
A unique product that I am proud of! When I contact people or share about Journey Lee’s Summit, they can feel my passion and catch it pretty quickly.

Pricing:

• $25-Journey Lee’s Summit book.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @journeyleessummit
• Facebook: @Journey Lee’s Summit

Image Credits
Cantwell Creations