As I write this, I've just flown to Los Angeles, preparing for a taping of
The Late Late Show with Craig Fergusonon CBS and Thursday's book reading and signing at the Skirball Cultural Center. It's been a nonstop nutso week for me -- and I thought, since I doubt a week like this will ever come my way again, to share some of the fun parts...
The week started, unexpectedly, with a shout-out from the Daily Beast, which identified the book as one of the week's Hot Reads. Cool.
Then my interview with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air aired Monday. Everyone who produced and shaped the hour did me the greatest of kindnesses. Terry did a wonderful interview, which took up more than half the show. Then, with a masterful transition, she filled the rest of the show with my interview with actor Hal Holbrook. You can hear the entire hour, if you missed it, by clicking HERE.
I've been on Fresh Air since its national launch back in 1987, but I had no idea of its true clout, as a measurable component of book sales, until Monday. Amazon ranks all the books it sells, and it's a ranking only masochistic authors should spend much time perusing. On Oct. 5, for example, when my book was first offered for presale on the Amazon website, it was ranked 798,191.
I wrote it down. At least I had cracked the all-important Top 800,000.
On October 7, after I announced the book on this very website, the ranking shot up tenfold, to 71,212. Stand by, sports fans!
Then it went down, then up, and on Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving, it was hovering at 43,518. (I only looked a few times a month, but wrote the rankings down when I did.)
But in the hours after my book-related Fresh Air was broadcast, I started getting emails from my agent, editor and publicist. The Dangerously Funny ranking had shot up to 521. Then to 301. And, by midnight, was 194.
The next day, the book, Tom Smothers and I were featured on ABC's Good Morning America (mostly Tom and the book, but I'm thrilled; no complaints here, just gratitude). That pushed the ranking up, too, to 146.
And in various categories, the book is doing well: I took a screen shot when, in the admittedly limited category of Books-Entertainment-Television-History & Criticism, it was ranked Number 1. Here's proof:
Right now, as I type this, the book is back down to No. 181. I expect it to keep slipping back down, though my "Terry bump" could be followed by a "Craig bump" on Friday. I'll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, here's what's up:
On Thursday, I tape my Ferguson appearance, which will air Friday night (early Saturday) at 12:35 a.m. ET on CBS's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
And as soon as that taping session is over, I fly over to the Skirball Cultural Center for a speech, video presentation and book signing. If you're around the L.A. area, please, please come by: 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. It's at 7:30 p.m. local time, costs $5, but is free for students.
More stuff soon, but please forgive my erratic posts this week -- and my erratic posting schedule, as well. I've been building up to this for -- in the words of George Harrison, "a long, long, long time."
By the way: I still haven't made it to a bookstore. So if you have a Dangerously Funny sighting to report, let me know!