Attention last-minute shoppers: here’s how to send an e- book as a gift

You can still beat the clock!

Mike, Seeing-Eye dog Whitney and I are taking a train to Wisconsin tomorrow to visit our son Gus for the weekend, and while we’re away our niece Janet and her kids are staying at our place to enjoy Christmassy Chicago.

So, like so many others, Mike and I are running around packing, shopping and cleaning. In a last-minute gift rush, I managed to figure out how to send Writing Out Loud to Kindle users as an e-book. Had no idea that was even possible — the things I’ve learned since getting this new book published! It seems fairly easy to accomplish:

1. From the Kindle Store in your desktop browser, select the book you want to purchase as a gift.
2. On the product detail page, click the Give as a Gift button.
3. Enter the personal email address of your gift recipient, or select “Email the gift to me” to let you forward the gift by email or print a card to deliver in person (the person who gets the gift can log into the Amazon account and enter the Gift Claim Code there).
4. Enter a delivery date and an optional gift message.
5. Click Place your order to finish your gift purchase using your Amazon 1-Click payment method, or to enter payment/billing information.

Okay. As Flo would say, “I’d better get cuttin’.” Happy holidays!