Kindle Freebies and chameleons in the garden

This is the first time I have experienced offering ebooks free as a Kindle promotion.  I had no idea if it would work or how anybody would find the books.  I sent out emails to everyone I could think of who might be interested (or would do it as a favour) and also put it on my virtually unused Facebook page.  My daughter also put it on her Facebook page.   Then I waited. 

And boom people started finding the books.  Far more people than we had contacted.  It's most exciting - as I write this after two and half days of the promotion there have been nearly 1500 downloads - over 1000 in America, or from the American site anyway.   I'm obsessed - I've drawn up a spreadsheet of the books and the countries and keep checking and updating.  I'm even getting some sales of Pieces of a Puzzle, which is not a freebie.  And Amazon screwed up - Fisherman's Dream is not yet available on the US site, although it is up and running as a freebie on Amazon.co.uk.  They are looking into it but say it might take till next Tuesday to find what has gone wrong.  I have asked for my freebie promotion then but they are also looking into that. 

Of course once the freebie is over comes the crunch.  I hope enough people will have read the books, and liked them, for the real sales to get going.  I really need some people to click like and to write reviews but don't quite know how to go about it.  I can't really go back to all my friends and ask them for another favour - I'm a writer not a marketer - not thick skinned enough for that.  So if you are reading this please go and click like and if you would be so kind please write a review - doesn't have to be long. :)

I'm now exploring trying to put the books up on Amazon in print, starting with Puzzle, my first.  I am trying to do it myself, as it's quite expensive to get them to do it.  I downloaded a template and have been laboriously copying in chapter after chapter, and checking and removing spaces and checking to see that there aren't half sentences on new pages.  My old computer (or probably the version of Word)had a function to avoid widows and orphans but I can't find it so I'm doing it manually.  But the template only allowed for 10 chapters - I had 14.  So I copied in another 4 from the blank format.  Then the page numbers went nuts, 1 - 201, then started again at 1.  So I had to change them manually as well.  Now I am having trouble changing the header, which is different on odd and even pages.  Ho- hum!  Maybe eventually I'll make enough from my ebook sales to be able to pay someone else to do this next time!  Maybe I should just stick to ebooks but there is something about holding the printed book in your hand, especially one with your name on as author!

Now that summer is here we see the chameleons in our garden.  The endangered cape dwarf chameleon so we feel very privileged.   There aren't that many and they hide very well both in the ivy on the fence and in the oleander trees but we do see them occasionally much to our excitement. 

We also have the endangered western leopard toad in our garden.  Our previous cat used to catch them with great regularity,  She didn't harm them - just caught each one, let it jump then caught it again. We spent hours chasing her and rescuing them, Smudge having no respect for the endangered status of her playthings.  Actually it's amazing they didn't die of fright!   So we have two creatures in our garden that are high on the endangered list which is quite amazing considering our garden is only pocket handerchief size! 

At this time of year gekkos are also plentiful around - there were two beauties in the spareroom yesterday.  Colin caught them very carefully using a plastic container and price of stiff paper and took them outside.  Inside they would have had no chance with Miss Mollie, our tabby.

We also have the almost obligatory worm farm.  The worms are multiplying frantically and escaping into the garden so we have regular visits from a opportunistic hadeda ibis.  It's bigger than either our dog or our cat so while they are both interested they stand and gawp rather than assert their territorial rights.

So our tiny patch, where we attempt to grow most of our vegetables, is a veritable hive of wildlife , though mostly of the small variety!

I need to go and update my spreadsheet.  No one from Italy or Japan yet, though 2 from Spain, 1 from France, about 35 from Germany, the rest from the US and the UK.    

Till next time :)