Haha, wow []
 
I always kinda wondered that with travel books, actually..

It’s amazing how many douchebags end up with book deals.  No sympathy for this guy at all.  Everyone else at LP seems to get along just fine. 

I don’t think this sort of thing is exclusive to Lonely Planet.
I remember years and years ago reading a Rolling Stone ‘zine story about how those Harvard kids used to slap together their Let’s Go guidebook info. But they were likely independently wealthy—and not bitter about remuneration.
I like Let’s Go, and I’ve used LP and just about every other guidebook out there, and I’ve gotten helpful info from them along with the occasional outdated/incorrect stuff. I just try to remember that these are guides, not how-to manuals.