Literary Agent who is a backpacker/hiker (or understands us)?

One issue is that he’s packaged historic content within a fiction shell. It doesn’t fit neatly into some agent’s categories who only deal in non-fiction.

I’m struggling with the same issue, Dave.  I’ve published three non-fiction books that have done reasonably well in an unrelated field.  But so far, no luck with the fiction…people like the books, but getting fiction published is hard.

Let me know if you get any hot leads!

The more formidable challenge, particularly in today’s publishing environment, will be to find an agent who can convince the editors and execs at publishing houses that the book will make them money.  Publishing is an industry that exists to make money, just like any other industry; the book is merely the product.  Authors are in a very difficult position in today’s market, and any work, no matter how meritorious it may be, must convince the publisher that it will be able to sell enough copies to recoup the costs of publishing it, with enough left over to pad the bottom line.  Many formerly successful authors are finding it difficult these days to find a publisher, particularly one of the big boys like Random House, Penguin Putnam, Macmillan Publishers, etc.  And then there is Amazon, which has thoroughly disrupted the traditional publishing model;  more than I want to get into here.  Given his subject matter, your friend will likely have better luck with smaller, niche publishers, and may even need to consider self publishing if all else fails.

I wish him luck.

I agree, Tom.  The three books I have published have all sold enough to break even, but nobody’s getting rich off them…

Perhaps try sending a note to Cindy Ross and ask her. Couldn’t hurt. She has a contact button on her website.