Holy Sh*tsnacks! Tune in Tokyo Hits #2 on the Wall Street Journal's E-book Nonfiction List!

Well this was unexpected! It appears that last week's download-a-palooza over at Amazon in light of the Kindle Daily Deal designation for Tune in Tokyo has somehow led to its being listed on an actual non-Amazon list, hooray! Sure, next week the book will probably have dropped to # a million, but so what/who cares, amiright? This is a day to celebrate the little guy (me) sitting pretty seven slots above the big guy (Bill O'Reilly) who works for Satan's own network (FOX News, duh). Does this mean that Jesus really loves me and thinks Bill is just terrible?

Maybe it does. But just for this week, probably.

Hell's Freezing Over Dept: Tune in Tokyo Makes the Kindle Top 10 List!

Folks, this great nation is just going to hell, is it not? I mean, look at this Kindle Top 10 List: The Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy Bundle at #9 and then some depraved piece of idiocy like my book Tune in Tokyo: The Gaijin Diaries charting even higher, at #8? Good Lord, save us from ourselves!

This is just insane. TiT was the Kindle Daily Deal yesterday, which is why it went Top 10--even making it as high as #5, according to Publishers Weekly--but today it is back at its regular price and as of a few minutes ago it's still at #10! At first I thought there must be some mistake, but Amazon robots don't make mistakes. They are all-knowing, like Stephen Hawking or Suzanne Somers. So it must be really happening. Also, here's something to look at:

I just had to place that there for posterity, because at one point yesterday I was #8 on the Kindle list!!

Just so you know, this will not change me in the slightest. I am the same boy who eats his chicken deep-fried and dipped in Nutella that you've known for however long you've known me.

Beatrice Podcast Interview With Moi

I recently had a discussion with Ron Hogan of Beatrice about my book Tune in Tokyo, and I didn't up calling anyone a slut, prostitute, or a feminazi, so I consider it a success! You can listen to it here.

It's part of a new podcast series Ron is doing called Life Stories, in which he talks to memoirists about writing and how they approach their work. His very first podcast in this series featured an interview with Heather Donahue of Blair Witch Project fame (she's got a memoir out about her transition from acting to becoming a marijuana farmer)--so I'm in good company!

Holy Crap, Tune in Tokyo Hit #1 on Amazon UK's Kindle List!

Wow, this was a surprise for the ages. I'm big in England! Or rather, I was fleetingly big in England last Thursday. By the time I found out about it on Friday I was down to #6 and I've been dropping ever since. (Right now I'm #85.) Still, being #1 on this list means I was, for a short time, ahead of Hunger Games! What is the world coming to? I don't even kill any children with a bow and arrow in my book. (Next one, maybe?)

How did it happen? Apparently TiT was a "Daily Deal" or something last week, chosen by the Kindle editors. So it was discounted somewhat. And people love cheap things, especially British people, because powdered wigs are expensive. So hooray for e-coupons or whatever!

The Authors Speak Podcast Interview w/ Yours Truly

Listen to internet radio with theauthorsspeakXcom on Blog Talk Radio

On Saturday I had the pleasure of speaking with Eric Mays of The Authors Speak podcast about my book Tune in Tokyo: The Gaijin Diaries. He liked it! It was a fun conversation, though I must apologize for all the "uh"s and "kind of"s and such. Takes me a while to get to some of my points, but I do think I get to most of them. And who doesn't like to take the scenic route? Okay, most people, but give me a break, it was my first live interview! And I managed to get through it without calling Eric a slut or a prostitute, which I consider a victory.

Anyway, thanks, Eric!

The Advocate Reviews Tune in Tokyo!

Well this is a thrill. America's oldest gay magazine, The Advocate, has given Tune in Tokyo a great review. I came of age reading this magazine (well, flipping through it in hopes of finding dirty pictures), so I'm so excited they've given me a shout out. :)

Tune in Tokyo Reviewed on a Website Called City Book Review (??)

Hey, I'll take it! Didn't even know this was happening, but then it turned up in my Google alert.

Tune in Tokyo Reviewed in Tokyo's Metropolis Magazine

Yay! This is Tokyo's #1 English-language magazine and I'm thrilled to get all written up in there. Those of you who have read TiT may remember me mentioning this publication in the chapter "...And on Drums." I used its classified listings to find musicians to play with.

Anyway, you can read the review here.

Holy Crap, I'm on Andrew Sullivan's Blog!

Wow, this is really quite something. I've been reading Andrew Sullivan's blog religiously for about 5 years, ever since he became the only conservative voice out there who wasn't a completely delusional nutbag. In fact, he's one of the most clear-thinking and intellectually honest writers I've ever encountered. Anyway, one of the great things about his blog is that, though it's heavily weighted towards politics, it also covers a lot of other great topics that are out there--among them religion vs. atheism, marijuana use among MANY Americans, scientific debates, and, most importantly, the Pet Shop Boys. It's all there. And one of his pet topics is how much he loathes the publishing industry. He did a video response last week to a reader who asked why he hates the publishing industry so much, which was fun. I wrote a letter to him and his team in response and yesterday they ran the letter and, even though I didn't mention the name of the book in my letter (I dropped big clues, but I didn't want to be too unseemly--it's bad to dress like a pimp when you're pimpin'), they actually found the book on Amazon and included hyperlinks for folks to buy it OMG!

Truly, truly a thrill to be on that blog. I love it dearly. It has done a lot to keep me sane over the past decade. Plus, he's as obsessed with Sarah Palin as I am.

Oh Yeah, and Before We Move on to 2012, Tune in Tokyo Was Named One of Publisher's Weekly's Favorite Reads of 2011!

It's true. Capping off a great year for TiT, Publisher's Weekly swooped in at the last minute and made my Christmas. I LOVE the first sentence of this blurb, which is a backhanded compliment of the first order: "Since this is “favorite” rather than “best”, I’d single out Tune in Tokyo by Tim Anderson as a laugh aloud treat."

PW has been so kind to Tune in Tokyo over the past year, for which I extend my heartfelt ありがとうず。I'm available for guest columns, interviews, and topless centerfolds should the need arise, y'all. Just let me know!