"Falling Angel" Ranked #24!

Ok, before I start, a disclaimer. "Falling Angel" is not ranked #24 in Kindle e-book sales overall.
However, it is currently ranked #24 among free Kindle e-book downloads in the Contemporary Romance genre.
And that in and of itself is pretty exciting - to me, at least.
I started my five-day free e-book promo yesterday. Yes folks, "Falling Angel" is available for you to download to your Amazon Kindle for FREE through April 10, 2012. Just go to http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Angel-ebook/dp/B007KAE7T8 to get your copy, and curl up for a sweet and satisfying read.
But hurry, because they're going fast ;)
I didn't really know what to expect when I started this promotion. Prior to starting it, "Falling Angel" had sold a whopping five copies at $2.99 each (I swear at least one of the people who bought it was someone I don't personally know!).
So when I logged on to check my free downloads number last night, my jaw dropped. 860 downloads . . .
I went upstairs and asked my husband how many people he thought had downloaded my free e-book. "Uh, five?" he ventured hesitantly.
When I checked again around 10 p.m., it was up to 926. This morning, it was 1208. Last time I checked (it's now 4 p.m.), it was 1549.
Yes, I recognize this number-counting smacks of obsession, but give me a break. After years of suffering the ignominy of having my work ignored and rejected by many, many publishers and editors, it does give me a sense of satisfaction to have the power and the freedom to take my book directly to the masses and let it fend for itself.
Print publishers, your position as the gatekeepers of the book world is fading. And I say this not without regret.
I am frightened of where this strange new world will take us. I am sad every time I see another newspaper fold; another bookstore shut its doors. I wonder if there is a way for one's voice to be heard in the teeming marketplace of the virtual word. More than that, whether it's possible to actually make money as a writer any more.
That said, I am enjoying my fifteen minutes to the maximum. Whether I make a dime on it or not.