Unnamed 'Oxygen Thief' becomes self-published success

NEW YORK (AP) — The fair-skinned man with the hoodie and dark ski cap sits on a bench outside McNally Jackson Books in downtown Manhattan, where neither patrons nor employees seem aware that he's the author of a work so in demand at the store that it's often out of stock.

Known to his growing fan base as "Anonymous," he has given us one of the more unusual self-published successes: "Diary of an Oxygen Thief," a 147-page fictionalized memoir, or autobiographical novel, depending on how much of this story of a recovering alcoholic and the damage he has inflicted and absorbed you care to believe.

Some books catch on immediately, others take their time, but "Oxygen Thief" has really followed the scenic route.

First published by the author in 2006, the book has slipped on and off the charts ever since, apparently dependent on the occasional tweet or other online comment.

"Oxygen Thief" has been such a homegrown operation that the author not only served as his own editor and cover designer, but has also sold the book in the streets and would personally ship it to retailers, sometimes taking on orders for thousands of copies.

Douglas Singleton, a buyer and manager at McNally Jackson, said the store has sold more than 200 copies of "Oxygen Thief," the in-house record for a "consignment order."