Better late than...you know.
Well, I am just a big bundle of forgetfulness lately, and I must apologize. I got busy writing Before I Wake yesterday and forgot to post this week’s giveaway. I also forgot to notify the reviewers who were chosen to receive ARCs of Blood Bound. However, I’ve now emailed all the reviewers (check your email if you filled out the form!) and am about to post the giveaway. First, though, a word about how the reviewers were chosen.
First of all, I don’t consider the reviewer giveaway to have been a contest, which means there were no winners and no losers. What happened is this: Mira Books found some extra ARCs and asked if I’d like to have them. I squealed for a minute, then said YES!! THANK YOU!! Then the box arrived and there were more ARCs than I’d expected, and I decided the bulk of them should go to reviewers.
Now, I give stuff away here all the time. Weekly, just about. And I ship internationally at no cost to the winner, and there are absolutely no strings attached to 99.9% of the giveaways I host. So I didn’t feel too terribly bad about attaching one string to this review copy giveaway. With this giveaway, I asked the reviewers to commit to reviewing the book before Sept. 8, 2011. And here’s why: For every single ARC I give to a blog reviewer, there are dozens (sometimes hundreds, literally) of blog reviewers who wanted that same ARC and are willing to review it. So, with the release coming up in six short weeks, I needed to make sure that Blood Bound would be getting some face time on the internet. These copies needed to go to people who actually have the time and interest to review it during that critical two-week period surrounding the release.
I’m probably not supposed to admit this online, but frankly, I’m kinda worried about this series. People who didn’t like Shifters aren’t likely to try my new series, because let’s face it, there are lots of other books out there written by authors they already know they like. I understand that. But there’s also a good chance that people who loved Shifters won’t like Unbound precisely because it isn’t Shifters. So, branching out with a new adult series feels like a huge risk for me. I’m trying to give Blood Bound the best possible wings before I push it out of the nest. And I greatly appreciate everyone out there trying to help me do that.
The reviewers were chosen based on a variety of things, including the size of the blog audience; the professionalism of past reviews; and enthusiasm for reading in general, and the genre in particular. And…I also threw in a couple of copies for people who’ve been with me from the beginning-names I recognize from interaction on my discussion group, Twitter, and/or Facebook.
For the record, the reviewers chosen are NOT obligated to give a favorable review. Honesty and punctuality are all that I ask.
Okay, now for this week’s giveaway.
Today, I have a signed set of the first three books in the Soul Screamers series, UK edition.
If you want these books, leave me a comment in the corresponding Wordpress blog telling me why. I’ll choose a winner at random on Monday.
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In other news, I wrote 5,000+ words on Before I Wake yesterday, and here’s where it stands:
10270 / 90000
(11.41%)
I’m kind of hoping for another productive day today. Wish me luck!