As I’ve said before on this site, authors—senselessly, I’ll admit—often measure their book’s success or failure based on Amazon ranking. I have yet to meet a writer who doesn’t check his rank on, at the least, a daily basis. It becomes an addiction—Give the kids a bedtime story or check my Amazon ranking? Hmm …
When this day started, my Amazon ranking was right around 2,000. Strong, excellent spot, especially considering the book doesn’t officially drop (yo, yo) until Tuesday. I was pleased and hopeful.
Then Bill Simmons posted his column, which included some strong words of praise for “Boys Will Be Boys.”
And now I’m at No. 16.
Why lie? I’m giddy. Elated. Thrilled. I’ve never been this high before. I believe, back in ’04, “The Bad Guys Won!” peaked at No. 35, which was amazing. Then I wrote “Love Me, Hate Me,” my Barry Bonds biography, which—I hope—will go down as my personal Medellin (You probably have to watch Entourage to understand). The book actually received excellent reviews, but came out two weeks after the marvelous “Game of Shadows” and sorta vanished.
“Boys Will Be Boys” may well never sell another copy. But, for one fleeting hour, I’m 16, dammit.
** Writer’s Note: It’s 11:20 pm, and I’m No. 15. Word.
Feels great!
