DLS is not a "big book". It was never expected to be a bestseller. It wasn't sold for the awards it would get, flashy reviews in the New York Times or appearances on Oprah. I'm not doing a book tour. It was bought because my editor loved the story and thought that a few thousand people would love it too.
I've said that I don't really care how many people buy the book, I care about how many people read it. You may laugh, but it's true. DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS is to me like a little snowball, a lot like the very first snoball I rolled up in Lake Tahoe last month.
It started with a couple of flakes, I rolled it into a baseball, and then rolled and rolled until it became an actual, 6 foot tall snowman.
For those of you who live in snow, that's not a big deal, but for a California girl who never really believed the whole "snowball" theory, it was thrilling.
Yes, yes, you say. What about the giveaway? Well, I think the best way to get the word out about DLS is through people who read it and love it. It would be amazing if everyone who read it told two friends, and they told two friends and so on - just like this old shampoo commercial that some of us might remember:
To that end, I'm going to give away two signed copies to two different people. The only requirement is that you give one away. It can be to anyone - your best friend, the neighbor whose great aunt is a hoarder, your school or public library. I don't care.
All you have to do is tell me in the comments who you are going to give the book to and why. On Monday the 15th I'll pick two winners at random and send the books out to them. This contest is open to anyone over the age of 13 in the US and Canada. (I'm so sorry, but right now, shipping books overseas isn't in the budget - my relatives in London can attest to that. Hopefully, I'll be able to do an international contest soon!)
Thanks for reading and good luck!
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48 comments:
This is a great idea! :)
If I win, I'd give the copy to my library because they can always use new YA books with their (nonexistant) budget.
harmonybookreviews@yahoo.com
I've really been looking forward to reading this, and I would love to host a giveaway on my blog!
Wow what a great giveaway!
If I won, I would give a copy to my mom because she loves books just as much as I do and while I may have a few signed books, she doesn't have any! And I kind of didn't have a lot of money to buy her a great bday present last month, but this would more than make up for it! :)
Thanks!
Sherry
ssalach88(at)gmail(dot)com
I would give one to my mother-in-law. Her mother was a TERRIBLE hoarder and it has pained my mother-in-law as she does not understand the disease. She was also left to clean up/out the mess after Grandma died and harbors some resentment. Unfortunately I see some hoarding tendencies starting in her as well (shhhh....don't tell her I said that!) and in her nephew whom I am raising and have to constantly tell to throw things away.
Yay! I would give the other one away to my friend, Christi who likes the same books that I do.
What a great contest Cynthia!!
I wish a free copy could be sent to every library across the land!
Good luck picking a winner(s), that will be a tough one.
Donna
How awesome, Cynthia!
I'd give a copy to my local library because they try really hard to have a wide variety of YA, but are struggling financially right now. And I love my library!
rachelaross at gmail dot com
I just heard about your book and it sounds perfect for a friend. Jamie has a great idea. I'd give away a book on my blog. Best of luck with your book.
What an awesome giveaway! *fingers crossed that I win*
I would give a copy to my friend and beta-reader (who also reads your blog, BTW). Not only is she a lover of YA, but she's so great at sharing the books she loves with me (as well as everyone on Twitter and her YA Review blog), and I'd love to have a chance to do the same for her.
If I won I would definitely keep one for myself and give the other to my friend Angela. She loves books as much as me, but can't afford to buy many.
Great idea! I'd love to read your book, review it, and give one away on my blog.
Seems like a pretty "big" book to me. It's doing fantastic!!!
I had to think about this one. I already have a copy of Dirty Little Secrets, but I'd love to win an autographed copy. And then I'd have two books to give to friends/family.
I'd give one copy to my sister's German exchange student. She borrows a lot of my books and loves to read, and it would be great to send her home to Germany with an American book that none of her friends have :)
The second copy I'd give to my friend Elizabeth. She and her husband have a baby and money is very tight, as she's a stay at home mom. But she used to a librarian, and loves to read. Unfortunately she doesn't get to buy and keep many books, so this would be a perfect gift.
Thanks for the great contest!
Wow, brilliant giveaway.
I'd give one to one of my friends. Which friend would be the problem. I'd probably have to draw names or something, lol. Though, I do like Jamie's idea of giving the other away on my blog.
Wow, I totally didn't answer your question very well. LOL!
Thanks, Cynthia!
*crosses fingers*
-Lena
longhorn08fan(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you so much for hosting this! I've heard a lot of lovely things about your book.
If I were to get a copy, I'd pass it on to my public library or my boys' school.
Thanks!
carolinestarrATyahooDOTcom
I'm so jealous of the snow!
And thanks for the chance to win!
If I did win, I'd give one copy to my sister who loves to read just as much as I do and then I'd give the copy I already have here at home (not signed of course) to one of the readers of my review site. That way I'd actually get to give away 2 copies!
Email: the1stdaughter at gmail dot com
Oh this is a hard I was able to get DLS I think I would give it to my Friend she a reader like me and together we usually get a lot of other people reading the books it fun people usually run when they see us
Denise
denisemadness@yahoo(dot)com
I would give a copy to the reading room at my hoarder mother-in-law's assisted living center. I'm sure that there are plenty of hoarders, children of hoarders and caregivers for hoarders who would find it a good read.
Great idea! Since I'm a high school librarian, I would put one copy in the collection and give one as a prize to one of my students who reads ten books between now and April 6.
If I won, I would either give it to my cousin who is a really big fan of yours :)
cindyc725 at gmail dot com
This is such an awesome contest. I have yet to read Dirty Little Secrets, but it is on my TBR pile. I would donate the other copy to the Blacksburg High School library. It's the school where I am student teaching at and our gym roof collapsed, so we had to relocate to another building. Because of that incident, the high school students do not have access to a school library with books suited to their age (we are currently in a nearby middle school). I would give it to the library so students can have some current selections to choose from. Thanks so much for the giveaway!
-Kelly H.
kghobbs@gmail.com
I forgot to put my contact info, just in case ;). My reply was this one:
I would give one to my mother-in-law. Her mother was a TERRIBLE hoarder and it has pained my mother-in-law as she does not understand the disease. She was also left to clean up/out the mess after Grandma died and harbors some resentment. Unfortunately I see some hoarding tendencies starting in her as well (shhhh....don't tell her I said that!) and in her nephew whom I am raising and have to constantly tell to throw things away.
williams447 @ roadrunner dot com
Wow! Great stories! I only wish I had more copies to give away - I'd give one to each of you.
Thanks!
Oh wow, that snowman is absolutely enormous! I'm also a California gal and I was so sure that you couldn't actually make a giant snowball by ROLLING a little ball of snow!
I would probably give away the extra copy to one of my twitter friends, which is going to be hard because I know everyone will probably want that copy! We all love free books, lol!
As the daughter of a compulsive hoarder, I would read the book and then give both copies away. First one would get mailed to one of my COH friends who aren't part of the forum (I don't want to share her name b/c she is very private about her family's secret as I was for so long!).
The second copy would probably go to the local middle school--Salk--where my children go to school. Since I'm not a hoarder, my children don't really get what my childhood was like, but I'm confident that they will cross paths with a teen who does. And I don't want that young adult to suffer in silence the way I did for so long.
The truth, breaking the secret, will set you free. I know this SO well after taking my story public. I'd love a copy!
PS. I encouraged a ton of my friends to become fans--ones I think the story will read true to...I might send it to one of them instead...
Made it! Points for tenacity, lol!
(The final solution...Firefox.)
So of course I would read one, and most likely give it away when I interview you for my Story Secrets feature! (That is, if I can part with it.)
The second I would give to my niece, age 15 - somehow, like the Faberge commercial, everything that comes out of her mouth multiplies exponentially among her friends, and the book would make the rounds, and you would score me serious Cool Auntie points for giving her a signed copy. ;)
Awesome idea!! LOVE the snowball ;) I miss snow now that I, too, live in California!
I would give the second copy either to one of my friends who is also book-obsessed or to one of my best tweeps who lives in the Dominican Republic... depending on how much shipping costs xD
Chloe
lookaftermyheart1901(at)gmail(dot)com
If I win, I'll donate a copy to my local public library!
skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net
Hi Cynthia,
Just wanted to let you know your book is really being _read_! I know this info might now please the book sale people, but my paperback of DLS has gone to my sister...my niece...and now it's going to a member of the COH group who is going to send it on to another who is short on $ when she is done... and hopefully it will just keep being paid forward.
My hardcover has been read by my MOM (who really liked it!) and now it's going to a good friend ...who will then send it to her sister, who hoards and has a child.
Thanks for letting us share your good work!
Donna
Fantastic contest!! If I won I would give the book to one of the libraries I student-taught at because their budgets are dwindling and I want to encourage YA reading with every possible opportunity, I get. Plus it'll be like giving the book to the community.
Great contest!
goodbooksandgoodwine@gmail.com
I'd love a copy of the book, and I'd give one away to someone in my book club - that way we would both have someone to talk about it with! Thanks!
Heather
Lol, I love the snowman! I live in NYC and we get a fair bit of snow, but my snowman making skills are sub par.
I would most likely do an international contest on my blog ljboldyrev.blogspot.com or send to a friend in a foreign country.
And I forgot to say why! The USA hogs all the good authors, lol! And the books we love here aren't available to other countries for months!
If I won I'd like to have my own little contest with about a dozen of my friends - whoever proves their love to me the best will get the second copy....
In reality though I'd probably give it to my sorority sister - we always read the same things and lend each other our books. It would be nice to give her a sparkly new signed copy of Dirty Little Secrets :D
Awesome contest!
If I win, I will be giving the second book to my little siter in law who is 15. I am just getting her into the wonderful world of literacy, and I know she would appreciate a great book. :)
If I win I will give it to my cousin who is 14. Rumor has it her parents are hoarders, not surprising since it runs in the family.
Awesome!
If I won I'd give the other copy to my friend, because I think she'd love the book.
Travis
spongyman1026@yahoo.com
It's fun reading other people's "giveaway" promises! Some interesting stories in there...
If I win, I'll give a copy away to my cousin who lives in the Maritime provinces here in Canada. We've been sharing books and recommending reads to each other since we were... good grief... seven or eight years old. It would be fun to read it "together" though we're hundreds of miles apart! (Maybe we'll do it anyway!)
If I won these books I would give one to my friend who is on a pretty restricted budget due to having 2 little ones under 3. She loves to read as much as I do. Thanks for the giveaway:) My email is bangersis(at)msn(dot)com
I think I would give it to my niece and have her pass it on or donate it to the library when she was finished. This is an intriguing title and I'm quite curious about it.
I'm a daughter of a hoarder so I would be inclined to read it and then pass it along. One copy would go to my BFF and the other to the local library. :-)
I'd prob give it to Lena. (She already commented as Book Addict Girl) If she had it I'd ask around my friends to see who didn't have it.
You guys are making me cry - in a good way. I'll draw two names Monday morning!
I want to win sooo badly!! If I won, I'd give the other copy to my BFF, who is already looking forward to purchasing it anyway and my sister because she would love it. :0)
I can't wait to read this book! If I won, I would give a copy to my friend Nancy because if she liked it, she could suggest it for her book club and spread the word.
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