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Jon Krakauer: Into the Wild

February 26, 1996

What other books do you recommend? How do I get published?
Did Chris destroy those cabins?
Are there better ways of planning these sojourns?
A touching portrayal of a remarkable person
His hubris and narcissism are inexcusable; you romanticize idiocy



What other books do you recommend? How do I get published?
Q: I grew up about two blocks from Chris. He went to my high school, he went to my church, and his younger sister was good friends with my older sister. It was obviously very interesting for me to read your book and I want to say that I enjoyed it very much.

My question has two parts. First, is there any other book with similar topics that you can recommend for me to read? Second, I have had a desire to go on a six-month car trip across the United States when I graduate from U.T. (although not with the same level of intensity that Chris's trip had). I was hoping to try to write a book about my experiences, and I was wondering if you had any advice for how I should go about searching for a publisher and for a sponsor for the trip.

I look forward to your response.

Mitch Zoll
mfzoll@utsvs.cc.utexas.edu

A: If you liked Into the Wild, you might also enjoy reading Everett Ruess: A Vagabond for Beauty, by W. L. Rusho; The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen; The Stars, the Snow, the Fire, by John Haines; The Wake of the Unseen Object, by Tom Kizzia; Survival and The Compass Inside Ourselves, both by Nancy Lord; Arctic Dreams, by Barry Lopez; and Coming into the Country, by John McPhee.

Regarding your question about how to find a publisher for the book you'd like to write, I suggest you take a look at The Writer's Market 1996. Updated annually, its advice for budding writers is pretty sound, I think. Writer's Market, in any case, was the text (1980 edition) I relied on to launch my writing career.




©2000, Mariah Media Inc.