Jumping on the "why nonfiction?" bandwagon, most popular nonfiction books aren't "A Deep Look At The Mathematics Of Widgets, With Special Attention to Foozles, For The Reader Well-Versed In Chrono-Widget-Dynamics". Most nonfiction books are "A Gentle Introduction To Widgets, With Many Wonderful And Heartwarming Anecdotes, For People With No Particular Need For Any Real Understanding".
Think "Born to Run", or "1421".
Second, not all nonfiction books are true and correct accounts of science and history. That gives them quite a bit of leeway for being exciting and enjoyable.
Third, there is actually a nonfiction audience. Some people don't like fiction
They just can't bring themselves to care about the lives and deeds of people who don't exist. Then again, you can only do so much focused, specialized reading on a single topic like astronomy or Russian history unless your brain is broken in that special way that makes you a fantastic researcher. So there is a large audience of people who relax by reading an essentially random nonfiction book on a topic they know nothing about simply because it's supposed to be an enjoyable read. And best seller lists are good places to find enjoyable reads.
You have a great point about fluffy feely goody low effort broader appeal sell. I enjoyed Born to Run, but not sure how deeper one can go on barefoot running; he had a good story, anthropol-culture tie in with smatterings of kinesio-podiatric science. Sure seller! Irrationally predict that :-) Here's to gooey non-fiction with all the recent expert studies neatly conclusive in one $9.99 package.
Think "Born to Run", or "1421".
Second, not all nonfiction books are true and correct accounts of science and history. That gives them quite a bit of leeway for being exciting and enjoyable.
Third, there is actually a nonfiction audience. Some people don't like fiction They just can't bring themselves to care about the lives and deeds of people who don't exist. Then again, you can only do so much focused, specialized reading on a single topic like astronomy or Russian history unless your brain is broken in that special way that makes you a fantastic researcher. So there is a large audience of people who relax by reading an essentially random nonfiction book on a topic they know nothing about simply because it's supposed to be an enjoyable read. And best seller lists are good places to find enjoyable reads.