I must admit I was worried. My first two narratives, Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail and Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail had begun selling immediately after publication. That is probably not due to me, but rather the fabulous cultures of both these two national scenic trails. There are tens of thousands of people who regularly read everything they can find on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. I consider myself lucky as a first time author to have had so many readers.
But my third book, which I had done so much research for and spent so much time on–The Best Way–El Camino de Santiago, did not start selling immediately. “What’s the problem? Am I marketing it wrong?” I kept bleating to friends and colleagues. Well it’s not a problem–simply a fact–that the readership market for books on the Camino de Santiago is nowhere near as large as on our great hiking trails here at home.
The good news, however, is that Americans are learning about the Camino de Santiago at seemingly the speed of light. It is Europe’s most popular footpath (variously referred to as a spiritual pilgrimage, religious pilgrimage, even Europe’s largest singles bar). Europeans of all stripes take to it each year in waves and throngs. A German comedian, Hape Kerkeling, walked it several years back and wrote ‘I’m Off Now’. The book has sold millions of copies in German alone, and now there are as many German pilgrims as there are French pilgrims. Spaniards and Italians are also out there in droves. But until recently Americans had not really discovered the glories of the Camino de Santiago. But that is changing rapidly. The number of American pilgrims on the Camino is doubling each year. The Hollywood movie, The Way, starring Martin Sheen has greatly increased awareness.
Perhaps that is why my narrative has begun to gain greater circulation. Sales have more than doubled the last two months and the book has now reached the top 1% on Amazon. Hopefully, it will fit within the rich mosaic of resources that aspiring pilgrims have at their disposal when readying for a Camino pilgrimage. Some history was necessary to show just how this mass pilgrimage, one of the largest sustained movements in human history, developed. But I have done everything I can to make it ‘light history’ with the purpose of carrying the story of my pilgrimage. Incidentally, I had such a good time in 2010 that I came back and did the whole thing again in 2011. Honest to God, the Camino de Santiago is the very best way I’ve ever found to travel. For that reason it was a no-brainer to name the book, The Best Way–El Camino de Santiago.
Amazon.com paperback $12.95, Kindle $4.95 www.thebestwaycamino.com
Bill Walker is also the author of Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail (2008), and Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail (2010). Walker, who is 6’11”, is now working on a book on the subject of height.
The Best Way: El Camino de Santiago 