Things to read instead of the post I didn’t write

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killlakillKill La Kill cosplay group at Anime Boston.

I just got back from Boston Monday night, and I definitely underestimated how long it would take me to recover! Not only were there the long (but fun!) hours of Anime Boston blogging, but on Monday John, Andrew and I decided to walk the Freedom Trail—in below freezing weather! It was definitely a full trip.

So here’s some other stuff to look at:

  • I definitely encourage you to check out the Anime Boston Tumblr. My team and I published nearly 40 posts in three days, and there are some gems in there. My most popular post of the weekend? Anime to cheer you up.
  • The discussions on r/anime. On Friday, I’m doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) here at 2 PM Eastern to talk about Otaku Journalism, otaku journalism, and my recent interviews with professional anime journalists. I’ll post another reminder on Friday so you don’t miss it.
  • Steven Savage, the geek career coach who wrote the introduction to my book (and also to whom my book is dedicated) interviewed me at his site, Musehack, about writing and self-publishing an ebook.
  • If you haven’t seen it yet, the Escapist wrote up my book release. This is the most high profile publicity I’ve gotten for my book so far, and it was neat to see my homegrown book on a relatively popular site.

bostonLeft: on the Freedom Trail. Right: at Logan Airport. The TSA agent who patted me down recognized my shirt and told me she was an anime otaku, too! 

Come back on Friday for your regularly scheduled Otaku Links. Until then, I’ll be digging out of my inbox and getting back to work!

Otaku Links: Hi from Anime Boston!

Otaku Links

animeboston

This week just won’t stop. First I launched my very first book, and now I’m at Anime Boston as Lead Staff Blogger, volunteering for the con doing what I do best. Actually, I’ve been blogging for AB on and off since 2010!

You can keep up with me and my blogging staff on the official Anime Boston Tumblr all weekend. But before that, Friday links:

  • Not into March Madness? What about if it were about anime shows instead of basketball? Build your brackets at My Anime List or Anime Bowl. Are there any others I don’t know of? Let me know!
  • Gargarstegosaurus watched the first eight episodes of Zambot 3—and found it to be much darker than she’d expected for a ’70s kids mecha show.
  • A post has been making the rounds on Tumblr by a girl who claims to be a “transethnic Japanese woman.” I loved PrettyGeeky’s sane, logical, and down-to-Earth response to it. It takes guts to respond to something you disagree with with so much compassion.

Otaku Journalism is on sale now!

Writing

otakujournalist_blog

And now, the moment I’ve been waiting for ever since I told you I was writing a book.

Otaku Journalism: A Guide to Geek Reporting in the Digital World, is on sale today.

Measuring up at 144 pages, Otaku Journalism costs $5.99 and can be read on any device that can run a Kindle App—iOS, Android, or Windows. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can even borrow it for free!

As promised, Otaku Journalism is a vast improvement over my digital guides. It contains two new chapters, fictional stories about otaku journalists illustrating the lessons of each section, and deeply personal accounts of how I manage my own career. Not to mention Lisa Granshaw‘s geeky editing magic, and Kevin Bolk‘s cosplay-worthy cover.

As far as I know, Otaku Journalism is the ONLY journalism textbooks for aspiring fan reporters. Unlike my own college journalism textbook, it doesn’t just reluctantly add a section about “computer assisted reporting.” It assumes, like every modern journalist ought to, that this is the age of digital journalism, and our reporting methods and our pop culture story topics should both reflect that.

This book has been in the making for years, and I’m so excited to finally be making good on my promise. Pick up a copy, and let me know what you think of it in the form of an Amazon book review!

I’m luck to have had so many people willing to help me publicize my launch. Check out the press I’ve gotten at the following sites (I’ll continue to update this all day):

P.S. Self publishing was an exciting new experience for me, and not half as intimidating as I thought it would be. (If you know HTML, you’re golden!) I would love to do a Q&A soon where I answer your self publishing questions, so ask away in the comments!

The Otaku Journalism cover is here!

Writing

I am so excited I could burst. This weekend, Kevin Bolk gave me the final draft for the cover illustration.

If you’ve been playing along, you’ve already seen the original sketch. The final cover is actually pretty true to form:

otakujournalist_blog

I’m really impressed Kevin’s ability to read my mind and draw what I was hoping for—without a lot of guidance. It helps that I’ve been a fan of his work for a long time.

It was really important to keep the tone of this book light, even though it gets pretty far into the weeds of journalism practice. That’s why I decided on a cartoon cover and added fictional stories to help illustrate the technical lessons of each chapter.

Otaku Journalism will be available in the Kindle Store on Wednesday, March 19 for $5.99. I can’t wait to share this labor of love with you!

Otaku Links: What is this I can’t even

Otaku Links

stolenjewels07

First off, it’s ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! The Otaku Journalism book is fully formatted and will be on sale sometime next week! I’m so exciting to finally share it with the world, and I wanted my readers to be the first to know.

Now, onto the links:

  • From the design studio that conceptualized the XBox 360 comes Stolen Jewels, a highly pixelated accessory line.
  • The Daily Dot explored how tabletop games became such a big part of our plugged in world. Part of the answer: Wil Wheaton.
  • Why Obama’s Between Two Ferns appearance worked. From the article:

Obama’s presidency has overlapped with the rise of the meme, and both he and Michelle have taken advantage of this.

  • How bronies are redefining what it means to be a man in America.

Photo by Mike&Maaike Studio