Merry Christmas from #TETrilogy

During Christmas time, many will be loading up their kindle with some fabulous books!

Christmas is a special time with loved ones, when we eat and drink too much, open gifts, and perhaps remember what Christmas is all about. At the end of it all, the best thing to do is either settle in front of the TV to a great movie (Love Actually is always one of our favourites) or read a book!

I was raised as a Roman Catholic in Gibraltar and I have to admit that I loved going to Midnight mass on the 24th December. The atmosphere within the church, the revered silence, the smell, Christmas carols. It was truly magical. Since I have moved to the UK I have lost this tradition, mainly since I do not attend Church anymore. It's not that I don't hold on to my Christian values, I do. We have a nativity at home, teach our children why we celebrate Christmas and try to have a nice (relaxing - maybe?) day.

Ultimately, if we all show some consideration for others, share, respect each other, and try to be kind & considerate, I believe we can all lead happier lives.

This year I have volunteered at my local library, primary school, Foodbank, and have Face-painted at fundraising events for the PTA. I have also donated money to several charities via the Children and Adult anthologies I published. The amounts are not huge, but in this current economy every bit helps.

So now, it's time to give YOU a Christmas gift.

As some of you know, I wrote a prequel to The Evolution Trilogy, EMILY. I have had great feedback so far and have decided to let you read it for free, via Amazon, for a limited time only.

*~EMILY is FREE~* 25th - 29th December, 2014

I have also set up a kindle countdown deal for the entire trilogy in the UK (sorry, Amazon only allow me to use one site).

*~THE EVOLUTION TRILOGY is on a KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEAL~* 25th - 31st December, 2014

=> The entire trilogy will be over 70% off at the beginning so get in there quick!

However, you can download Hybrid for FREE and get Complications & Return at a 50% reduction via SMASHWORDS during this period, using these coupon codes.

COMPLICATIONS use => VN85E
RETURN use => CR58R

So, enjoy and spread the word... and if you want to make me smile leave a review. Thank you.

I wish you all the best for 2015,
Vanessa

Addicted to giving away free books? #TETrilogy

A year ago, I ran a free promotion via smashwords which led to Hybrid being price-matched on amazon. Since sales had not been easy to come by I decided to permanently leave Hybrid free since I had just finished writing the trilogy and had heard that this was a great way to increase your readership.

Last December, I also launched the trilogy in Gibraltar and got a lot of coverage via the local newspaper, TV, radio, and the Gibraltar Magazine. This led to a surge of downloads of Hybrid in January & February, followed by sales of the subsequent books. It was a fantastic feeling to be further up in the charts.

As the months went on, sales dropped again and downloads of Hybrid also tailored off. During the summer, I had a lucky break with a reader, My Book Fairy in the US, who loved the trilogy so much she promoted it and recommended it to her book club. Again, this was fantastic whilst it lasted.

I also decided to leave FIRST DATE permafree since sales were so insignificant. I then found that Hybrid was not being downloaded as much and so I came to the conclusion that I was better off pricing it again, which I have now done. This was even after I designed new covers (maybe one day these will need a complete rehash).

But, there is a dilemma. I do sell books via iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords. I think these sales come about via the fact Hybrid was free. I also believe sales on Amazon have also resulted from the fact readers enjoyed Hybrid. The problem is that there are so many free books out there that I wanted a break from the pressure of looking all the time. As much as I try not to care and not to look I can't help it.

This is the reason for taking it off. I am trying to ignore the sales and focus on my writing.

If I had tons of sales then the free option would be worth it. Sadly, this is not the case. I hear on a daily basis from authors that sell thousands of books! I think they're lying... I know indie authors that have sold hundreds, but not thousands! If they are truly selling this amount, I say WELL DONE! (Truly, I don't know how you did it, but I respect you for getting there)

Bottom line is my books are obviously not what readers want to read at the moment. So, I am extremely grateful to all who have enjoyed my books and given them a chance. It's time to write something new and hope for the best!

So, I'll start early with my New Year's resolutions!

1) Stop looking up Amazon & Smashwords on a daily basis
2) Write something every day!
3) Don't engage in conversations online I feel strongly about...
4) Keep in touch with readers & writers I enjoy talking to (it's so easy to stop doing this).
5) Read every day.
6) Think about something in my life I am happy about every day.
7) Exercise every day.
8) Drink water!
9) Avoid sugar!
10) Get lots of "warm hugs" from my kids... otherwise statues will do!

It would be great to hear from some of you. What was your biggest challenge this year?

All the best,
Vanessa

p.s. Look out for my post on Christmas day... a special treat for all my lovely readers is on it's way! :)