Free books, new book, new writing (and rain) - Enid Richemont

          The most cliched comment in the UK at present will almost certainly include the word 'ark', as we've had almost non-stop rain for about three months. As an introvert, I'm not the greatest fan of real summer, which, with its blue skies, sunshine etc, keeps pulling at me like an irritating child, but this greyness and endless rain is something else. However, it has made me concentrate on my latest publisher's brief - a challenge involving subverting some well-known and excellent texts. Work completed (or probably not - is it ever?) I really would like to sit in my garden (at present very soggy) and enjoy some sunshine.

          My latest book - PRINCESS FROG - is just out, but I have yet to receive my author's free copies. Seeing and holding the actual book still feels like the culmination of the creative process, so what about ebooks where the words are everything and the material object doesn't exist? 'Real' books still draw me, but words and illustrations are ultimately what matters. Question - what is a real book? Discuss.



Talking of ebooks, I decided, on July 15/16th, to offer a two day free promotion on Kindle of two of my books in which animals are the main focus - one a cat, and one a dog. DRAGONCAT is set in a real North London Chinese supermarket, and involves a kitten who is not quite like other kittens (cover image by David Richemont). THE DREAM DOG is a sad/happy story involving a boy who desperately wants a dog, and a couple of unpleasant people who definitely don't deserve one. Jennifer Eachus did the original cover image of the wistful boy - quite beautiful. The book was translated into Japanese, with beautiful, soft pencil illustrations.

          Offering work briefly for nothing takes a leap of faith (apologies for yet another cliche, but it did seem appropriate).The amazing result of this exercise was well over 1000 downloads for each book! DRAGONCAT was never traditionally published, but THE DREAM DOG was, and did very well at the time until it was put out of print. Where do these books go from there? I will let you know. Much food for thought in all of this, I feel, for any serious professional author considering e-publishing.




Comments

Enid Richemont said…
I find it strange that my UK readers are happy to grab the freebies, but not (unlike my US readers) to buy.

On a totally different thread, our guest blogger very soon - I think at the end of this month - will be the amazing Ann Jungman, who founded Barn Owl Books. What she has to say will be fascinating - don't miss it.
madwippitt said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
madwippitt said…
I really enjoyed Dream Dog! I'm afraid I haven't yet bought My Mother's Daughter though - I really want to read the rest after reading the sample, but feel I need to make headway on the backlog I seem to have acquired before spending more money. But i will buy it as soon as I have, I promise!
revueblanche said…
Hello. I am a Smashwords author. May I submit my ebook for free reading here? If that's all right, then this is the link http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/174846 Essays for cat-lovers about pet cats, animals and something more. My location is Russia, and English is my second language. Thanks.
jean said…
Creating Kindle Books In-House Using Kindle Publisher Tools
Publishers can create Kindle books in-house from Adobe InDesign content, HTML, XHTML, and EPUB files by using the Kindle Publisher tools. Amazon officially supports these tools to convert files to Kindle Format 8. Kindle files created with these tools are designed to be compatible with current and future Kindle devices and applications. Files created with third-party software may not work properly on current or future Kindle devices and applications.
BOOK-on-kindle.com

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