Friday, February 26, 2021

Moving up the leaderboard

 Feb. 26

After a few days of frantic preparation and book cover design and re-design, I was able to take it a bit easier today.  Terri and I got out for a morning paddle in our sea kayak along the shore of northeastern Bali, and then worked on various projects around the house.  Meanwhile, out in cyberspace, my book was starting to get noticed.  Yesterday it was rated as the #1 best-seller among New Releases in the Indian Subcontinent Travel category.  I'm not sure if this is impressive or not, or whether it's like being the best downhill skier in Egypt.  Still, it was a nice feeling.

Best downhill skier in Egypt?  No, best-selling New Release in Indian Travel on Amazon

So this evening I checked again, and the book was now listed as #7 in Indian Travel (not just New Releases, but all books in that category).  I was rubbing shoulders with two of my idols, the travel writer William Dalrymple and the late mountain climbing legend Doug Scott.

Nestled between William Dalrymple and Doug Scott; not a bad place to be!

So then I had a look at the China Travel best-sellers (the other category my book falls under), and I found I was jostling for position with Peter Frankopan, the eminent Oxford historian and author of the magisterial The Silk Roads.  I really feel as though I'm flying a bit too high and that gravity will soon reassert itself, but for right now, I'll take being seen in this elevated travel writing company!


Hanging out on the best-seller list with Peter Frankopan

Then, just as I was writing this, I checked the Indian travel best-seller list again (it's updated hourly, apparently, so it can be an addictive dopamine-dispenser) and found that I had leapfrogged Mr. Dalrymple into the #3 position on the list.  I took a screenshot since it seems unlikely that this will last very long, but still, it's fun to dream.

We're number 3!

The paperback manuscript got returned to revise a single mistake, which I corrected a few hours ago, so I hope it will also be ready for sale on Feb. 28th.  Very exciting times!

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