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As of this moment, I have "sold" three hundred and fourteen copies of the novel.  Two hundred and sixty-six here in the U.S., forty-four in the U.K, and four in Germany.  The free weekend promotion of my book, in my mind, has been a success.  Will this translate into actual sales?  That remains to be seen.  But I see it merely as one more step closer to what I want to achieve.  And that isn't necessarily the point.

You see, what it really means is that people will read what I've written.  And that, at this point, is more reward than any royalties.  Being able to share what I have done with other people, even strangers--especially strangers--is the ultimate reward.  Will all three hundred and fourteen people read it?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Some may have simply downloaded it purely because it was free and in a free best-seller category (it moved up to #6 and #21 in Ghost Fiction and Contemporary Fantasy, respectively) and may never even look at it.  Some may start it and never finish.  And that's okay.

Because some people, however few, will read it.  And out of those, some will not like it.  And that's okay too.  I may not be their cup of tea.

But out of those people, say a hundred--maybe more, maybe less (probably less)--will read it and like it.  Maybe even love it.

Yes, that's the reward that satisfies me.  Do I want to sell a million copies? Sure.  But a million readers satisfied with what I've created, well...that's worth more than all the royalties in the world.

TH