Throughout our three month bicycling adventure, we collected material for our future joke book/travelogue: Joke Pedalers: A Cross-Country Bike Ride into the Heart of American Humor.  

Joke Pedalers is the story of our ride. A collection of tales from the road, moments from the long and dusty trail from Astoria, OR to Charleston, SC.  Portraits of the generosity we found, filled with the characters we encountered along the way. 

You'll meet cowhands and bull riders, police officers and grandmothers.  You'll be introduced to Ole and Lena and you'll learn why a duck has no business being in a bar.  And throughout, most importantly, you'll read and be able to watch via our website, the very jokes (nearly 300 of 'em) that regular people are telling in kitchens, parlors, offices, and barrooms all across the country. 

Writing and Publishing

On November 13, 2007, we finished riding and started writing. For the next month, we didn't leave Simon's house. We holed up in his attic and wrote, edited, wrote, and re-wrote some more. Probably a few too many cups of coffee later, we are proud to say that we now have a manuscript burning a hole in our desk drawers.

We’re hoping that when speaking with prospective publishers, they will be impressed by the fact that we will have conducted our book tour before writing the book!  

If you would like to purchase an advance copy, well, that’s sweet of you. We appreciate the vote of confidence. Email Dan and in the subject line, please write “I’m making your day!”

Markets

Joke Pedalers would make a great gift for nine million Americans who describe themselves as “avid cyclists” (weekend riders, off-road riders, commuters, and amateur or professional athletes).  Over the past five years, the 4,600+ specialty bicycle retailers in the U.S have become increasingly interested in selling cycling related literature. 

Given Joke Pedalers’ niche appeal but universal themes, it will stand out amongst the competition.  When compared to the 1,300 combined Borders and Barnes & Noble bookstores across the country, it is clear that bicycle store shelves provide access to a lucrative and largely untapped market.  

More importantly, you don’t have to wear lycra to love Joke Pedalers.  Its language, tone, and subject matter are intentionally accessible and engaging for anyone interested in jokes, Americana, travel, and self-discovery. 

For almost 4,000 miles, we told our story to and answered questions from dairy farmers, worried mothers, aging cowboys and restless teenagers.  While they may never find themselves toting a bicycle trailer cross-country, they were nonetheless taken in by our adventure.  The opposite of an inside joke, Joke Pedalers strives to bring people together rather than alienate, inspire its readers rather than try to impress them.

Lastly, Joke Pedalers is funny.  After riding across the country, collecting jokes from people of all shapes and sizes, we feel confident saying, “Americans like jokes.”  Building the bridge between joke book and travelogue brings a more grown up nuance to jokes and a more youthful and fun approach to travel literature.  By bringing these sides closer together, we hope to attract larger shares from both markets.