[at-l] RE: Bryson's Book

[saunterer@jimbullard.org (saunterer@jimbullard.org)]

>"...Then  ask  yourself,  why  did this one book become popular, when the
>      others
>      never gained more than a handful of readers?" asks Saunterer.
>
>      Because  he's  the  first  professional writer to do an AT book. He is
>      extremely
>      skilled. He used all the gimmicks -- except honesty.
>
>      Weary

Why do you assume that he was dishonest?  I'm not the one who asked that
but I'll respond...  I read a lot of AT books and most are 'an acquired
taste' meaning that the author's potential audience is primarily someone
who fancies hiking the entire AT.  The picture books (like "Appalachian
Adventure" & "Appalachian Trail - A Photographic Tour") attract a broader
audience, well, because they look nice on the coffee table, and Bryson had
the advantage of already having a reputation as a writer + it was directed
at a general audience looking for something humorous + his publisher was
willing to front the dough to publicize it.  That, pure and simple, is why
it was more popular than the average thru-hike journal turned into a
book.  That's not to degrade any other book.  It's just the facts of life
in publishing and what sells.

sAunTerer