PRESS RELEASE:
Author Gary Sizer has released an audio version of his hit book,Where’s The Next Shelter? which recounts his 153-day odyssey thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.
The audio book, available on audible.com, is yet another waypoint on Sizer’s journey of discovery that started with his first step at the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail in Springer Mountain, Georgia on May 10, 2014.
Since that day, Sizer has hiked some 2,200 miles, become an Internet sensation (when he posted before and after photos of his physique on Reddit upon completing his hike), written a best-selling book about his trek, and become a sought-after public speaker.
“If I didn’t have a book, I’d be telling these stories anyway. So doing an audio book is great because now I don’t have to repeat myself,” says Sizer with trademark wit.
Sizer spent a week in a studio laying down over 40 hours of audio as he narrated the entire book with the help of Skip Huber of Happy Camper Radio. But completing the recording was just the beginning. Sizer did all of the editing himself, taking a full month to whittle down the audio to a compelling eleven-hour story.
Like his other accomplishments, the audio book is the product of resourcefulness, hard work and a DIY sensibility that has served Sizer well throughout his life.
“I’ve been figuring things out as I go for as long as I can remember, and finishing the AT put that aspect of my personality into overdrive,” says Sizer. “Just like my hike, the audiobook is another example of something where I had a little bit of experience, did a ton of research and applied a boat load of perseverance.”
The audio version of Where’s The Next Shelter? has all the earmarks of a hit. In the short time that it’s been available, the reviews have averaged 4.8 stars out of 5 on audible.com
The same is true of the book, which has sold nearly 15,000 copies since being published in November, 2015, and has a similar 4.7 star rating from hundreds of reviewers.
Zach Davis, at AppalachianTrials.com, calls Where’s The Next Shelter?, “a tour de force in storytelling. If you don’t laugh out loud while reading this book, seek medical attention. Something is broken.”
“The way the story is told is what’s different,” says Sizer about his tale. “Most books about long hikes are journal-like. This has characters and a story and conflict and dialogue and humor.”
Sizer just might have discovered a new genre of book.
“I call it a non-fiction comedy travel novel,” quips Sizer.
The account of Sizer’s AT hike was written over an eleven month period in a place that he’s become intimately familiar: the outdoors.
“The hike really changed me and developed a need to be outside,” says Sizer. “Plus I wanted to write it in the same environment where it took place.”
Whenever Sizer had some spare time, he’d grab his camping gear, find a suitable spot, sit by a stream and write. The book became a metaphor for his AT journey.
“You know that Mount Katahdin (the northern terminus of the AT) is out there and that every step is taking you closer, but you just don’t think you’re ever going to get there until you actually reach the summit,” explains Sizer. “The same way with the book. Every word felt like a step, and before you know it, I had a mountain of words. I just had to get there one word at a time.”
The success of the book has allowed Sizer, a natural storyteller who has performed numerous times in Asheville venues like Buffalo Nickel, Odditorum and local productions of The Moth, to put those skills to use. To date, he has made dozens of appearances in the region, sometimes doing readings at bookstores, other times dispensing practical trail advice at REI-sponsored events.
Sizer’s improbable journey – from hiker to author to public speaker – has been accompanied by a profound sensibility picked up out on the trail.
“One of the transformations that came from the hike was that I find everything in general to be more meaningful,” says Sizer. “Somewhere along the way, my understanding of what’s really important changed. I lived with everything I needed to survive on my back. Material possessions became less important and that top slot is now taken by experiences and memories.”
For hi-res images of Gary Sizer and cover artwork click here. For additional photos visit this link.
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