I’m dying to send someone one of these hardbacks from the UK. In fact, I’m thinking we need a contest. It’ll be open for a while, so don’t rush off and bang your toe on anything to get started. Just take a deep breath. This will be either the easiest or the most onerous contest you’ve ever entered. That’ll be up to you.
This is like a scavenger hunt of sorts, all based on an honor system. I saw a post recently by D.M. Andrews that listed 10 things you can do to support your favorite authors. It’s an egregious amount of work, to be sure. It involves clicking on things and writing stuff. Not much fun. In fact, it’s almost exactly like Facebook.
The contest will work like this: Do as many or as few of these ten things as you like. You don’t even have to do any! You just have to promise not to break any rules or violate common decency. Don’t write a review of a book you haven’t read. Don’t upvote a review unless you truly find it useful. Make a Listmania because you really believe it will help other readers. And don’t lie about your participation. In general, don’t be a dick. The Easter Bunny is watching.
After you’ve done as much clicking and writing as you feel like, leave a comment on this blog post with the number of crappy, awful things you suffered through for your love of free goodies. (Various other comments are welcome, but only the entries with a simple number will be considered for the contest). The number you enter should lie between 0 and 10. This is how many extra entries your name will be given. All the names will go into a virtual hat, which means each horrible little busybody task you perform will be like punching another lottery ticket. Also: depending on the level of participation, I might have to give away several of these bad boys.
The contest will run for a few weeks, so don’t strain yourself. If you’ve already written a review, that totally counts. If you do a bunch of extra credit and suck up to me, that’ll probably count in your favor as well. Again, no bitching about all the work. Just comment with a big fat zero and be done with it. That’ll get you one entry.
Okay, best of luck! Here’s a link to the list again. Yeah, it’s a bunch of sucky work. But it’s an awesome learning experience to see how easy it is to support your favorite authors. Go forth and do this for other reads you really enjoy. You have NO IDEA how much this means to us writers. It makes the blood, sweat, and tears we shed totally worthwhile.
Oh, and a reminder of what you’re gunning for!:
I have never done any of those online things before…. I didn’t think it mattered. I will be doing more.
Authors appreciate it!
4
6 over here.
Liana! You are a winner! Email me.
WINNER!!!
6-this is exciting
Only 8…:( …so far!
6 for me… 4 of them were for Mr Howey… send me a book.
0
Five so far, but I have been very diligent about advertising Wool to those closest to me. I am also following you on facebook, twitter, youtube and here of course and I always give the silo series the highest possible score in every review
do I stand a chance?
8 now
You won a paperback!
Three!
5
I just happened upon your name and book, Hurricane in an Amazon email and purchased it. I’m so looking forward to reading your books. And, Hugh, I think there’s a chance we may be distantly related. My maternal grandfather’s name was Ray Howey and he
lived in Balsam Lake Wis. His family originally was from Ohio and has been traced back to Scotland. Possible?
My ancestors are from Scotland. I think it was originally the Howe clan. I’m not certain.
5
8 (because it’s great!)
I’ve done 7 of those and something even better – I’ve bought extra copies to give as gifts.
two…
5!!!!!!
You WON!!! I’ll be in touch.
(A paperback, I should add. But it’s still badass).
6
6 things. Does compulsively buying copies for people count for anything?
8
5
I happened to do these before I even read that list! Loved the Wool books!
3
10
8 plus purchased Wool for others and write to Fox News.
5!
5! All 5 were well deserved!
7! I’m glad and honored I did so =)
4. Thanks for the contest and for Wool.
Just wanted to comment on the title. There’s the steel wool for cleaning, there’s having the wool pulled over their eyes, but when the sheriff is knitting, she is not using wool. It’s cotton. Maybe it’s because I’m a knitter who works with wool everyday, but that lonely little detail continues to give me the shivers for all of the loss it depicts.
I had 7 but have recently read Wool 6 second shift and “liked” it and wrote a review. I have also recommended it to 2 friends and will be loaning it to one friend so I guess I have the maximum of 10. When will we be able to read Wool 7? I can’t wait.
Wow that was fun. I cannot tell you how many people I have recommended your Silo books to since I first read the Omnibus, but your little challenge put a fun twist on it by playing the Amazon page puzzler (i completed 9). By the way, I recommend to you “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline for a look into another ‘twisted future’. Completely different from yours, nearly as fun (oops, does that count as 10) and something that I think you would get a kick out of. BTW: Loved, loved, loved “I, Zombie”. Totally Freaking Crazy!!!!!
Idella, you WON! I’ll be in touch soon.
5
Thanks for the guidance on how to promote science fictions authors chosen by me the reader. Amazon.com is helpful since it suggested that I purchase the Wool Omnibus when I bought Caliban’s War by a couple of authors I had met here at the Bubonicon convention in New Mexico. Just tried to buy a copy of the limited hardcover edition of Wool Omnibus and was disappointed but also happy for you to see that it has already sold out. Will you be selling signed copies of the hardcover edition on your website? You can give me a “7″ for my first ever efforts to promote your work!
5 for me — thanks for the opportunity!
5!! As a former struggling writer who gave up on my craft, you’ve inspired me to start up again. The first Wool made me cry and I only cried after a book twice before: Diary of Anne Frank, and The Giver (I hardly ever read fiction.) A free hardcover would be an amazing Hanukkah gift.
YOU ARE THE BEST!!!
Thanks, Meg! That’s amazing praise.
7
Thanks to our bookclub friend, Shellie, our group received all your info and we’re reading your book for Dec. We so excited to be your 5th bookclub! We can’t wait for your visit via skype at our meeting 12/13! Thank-you so much for your personal video on your website receiving your first shipment of Wool from the UK and sharing with us opening your first new hard copy. One could almost feel and smell it when you turned the first page! How can anyone not purchase the hardcover of Wool after veiwing your video sharing how beautiful it is! Can’t wait to read it and reveiw the bookclub section in the back! Karin