Wonders beneath the waves

From the surface the sea appears to be a vast empty expanse

From land it appears to be a vast expanse of water, and not much else. Stretching away in a uniform manner as far as the eye can see, the ocean is a seemingly unchanging palette - save for the texture of restless, wandering waves.

In harmony with the moods of the sky above, its blue radiance can alter day by day, but from above it portrays a glistening emptiness. Yet beneath the surface, in many places only inches below the waves, exists an otherworldly terrain filled with breathtaking seascapes.

It is neither the wind nor the sea breeze which causes the corals to sway in unison. They bow to the gentle currents and undertows that sweep through the submerged, sculptured rocks where curious fish move in and out.

Colourful corals create a rich, underwater garden scene

A sergeant major fish shows off his stripes, while a secretive squirrel fish dares to venture from a hiding place. The fish come in all shapes, sizes and colours, mingling without incident, content to share with their neighbours the aquatic wonderland.

Beneath the waves is a world that lives and breathes by its own rules, immersed in a peaceful silence. To see and appreciate its wonders is to have your soul uplifted.

As we snorkelled last weekend, Heather and I saw turtles and a golden spotted sea eel. Unfortunately the camera was not switched on for those encounters. It is not a GoPro, alas. This is "old school" filming using a standard camera in a watertight pouch. Even so, I hope the glimpses of the world beneath the waves in this short video will uplift your soul.

Dolphin Girl: e-book vs paperback

When Dolphin Girl was released in April it was my first foray into the world of e-books. Considering the explosion in the number of people now reading on devices such as Kindle, Kobo and other tablet apps, it made sense to bring out an e-book version alongside the paperback.

For readers and authors the cost of buying and selling e-books is far more economical in comparison with a physical book, quite apart from the instant availability and convenience of an e-book, which can be bought and downloaded in a matter of seconds from virtually anywhere in the world.

So, I decided to step into the brave new world of e-books with Dolphin Girl - albeit as a latecomer to the party.

To my surprise, all my initial sales were of physical copies of the book, even though the paperback cost three times more than the e-book. I began to wonder if I'd got the sums wrong and my readership simply preferred to have and hold a "book book".

Then, almost four months after Dolphin Girl was published it achieved its first e-book sales. It was a relief to see it finally being downloaded electronically. As a result, it briefly climbed into the top 400 in two sub-categories at the Amazon.com store twice in the space of a week. (Below is the e-book's ranking as it appeared on August 20)

It was pleasing to see Dolphin Girl attracting some attention, even though it has yet to be featured in any major advertising promotion. During the coming weeks and months I will apply some of the things I've learnt, and continue to learn, regarding e-book marketing.

A major factor to being accepted by some of the bigger book promotion outlets is the number of reviews or readers' ratings a book garners. It seems like a Catch-22 scenario - and in a way it is. But there are smaller steps that can be taken to help build momentum and with it the likelihood of a few reviews and ultimately a slot with a promotion outlet.

So I'm thankful for, and encouraged by, the words of the handful of early reviewers of Dolphin Girl.

The marketing and promotion process for Dolphin Girl is still at an early stage, although had I known what I know now it would be much further along the line. I hope to share future progress at a later date.

For now, I would like to thank all readers who have given Dolphin Girl a chance, whether as an e-book or "book book."

Dolphin Girl available here on Amazon, and also on Kobo