#WTGV

WANT TO GO VIRAL BOOK GIVE-A-WAY

The fact that you’re here means somebody, somewhere, told you about my Want to Go Viral Book Give-Away.  It means somebody cared enough to pass along information about Sarah Darer Littman’s teen novel, Want to Go Private?  But in case you’re fuzzy about what you’re trying to win, you may want to read this review before hitting the give-away info.

• What is the #WTGV Book Give-away: It’s your chance to win a free copy of my favorite young adult novel of 2011: Want to Go Private? *entrants must live in USA or have access to Amazon’s Kindle to be eligible.
• Why: Because Want to Go Private? is timely, important and necessary for parents, teens and educators alike.  Sexual predators are there whether we acknowledge them or not.  Getting the word out will help keep kids safe–which is where you come in.
• When: From November 1st through December 31, or until the message has been told 1,000,000 times.  Whichever comes first.
• How: Do your part to spread the word.  Tweet, FB, blog and tell everyone you know about one of the most important contemporary young adult novels published this year.  Link them to Sarah Darer Littman’s website so they can see the beautiful cover, shoe them to either of my reviews of Want to Go Private? so they know what you’re talking about or send them directly to Amazon so they can purchase a copy for themselves.  Keep track of your totals and report them to me.

It’s that simple.  No gimmicks, no subscriptions and no effort on your behalf beyond a little math.  The pay-off, however, can be big.  For every teen exposed to this book, a tragedy may be averted.  For every parent who reads Abby’s story, one very important conversation may take place and one potential tragedy may be averted.  For every blogger who spreads the word, countless lives can be touched.  There is power in numbers.

And nowhere is it more important than with the safety of our youth.

As a reward for spreading the word, you have a chance to win one of four free copies of Want to Go Private?

 “Four?!?!?”

Yes four.  Here’s the deal,

1. Teens, you are eligible to win a free book.  All you have to do is report the total number of people you’ve told.  Just place a “T” in front of your totals so I know which drawing to put you in.
2. Parents (grandparents or other caregivers) can win a copy of their own by putting a “P” in front of their totals.
3. Bloggers, you also get a shot at winning this thought-provoking novel.  Blog it, link it and report with a “B”.

“But,” you say, “that’s only three.”

You’re right, of course, and already I applaud you for your awesome math skills, which tells me this give-away will be a piece of cake.  I will throw in one more book if we reach a collective 1,000,000 contacts before December 31st.  That means you can increase the number of prizes by sending people here, to this page, so they, too, can spread the word.

So, how are we going to keep track?

•  Simple, when you tweet about the give-away, check how many followers you have.  Don’t forget to use appropriate #hashtags to reach more peeps.  Report both your total and the specific #hashtag you used.  When tweeting about this give-away, please use #wtgv or I might miss your tweets.  I’ll do the same when I report our numbers on twitter.
• If you Facebook this give-away, note how many friends you have and report those numbers.
• Bloggers can count the total subscribers and/or followers they  have.
• If you email this info to your friends, share it at Thanksgiving with a room full of peeps or discuss it over coffee, at book club or your next PTA meeting, give us a head count.  Word of mouth is highly effective in spreading the message, and that is the whole purpose of the novel–to get people talking about cyber safety.
• Which reminds me, all forms of unique conversation are welcome.  If you hang out in a favorite online community and post the information there, drop me a line and let me know where so we can watch those numbers.  Places like AQC and Verla Kay’s Blue Boards track the number of readers for each post.

Add your total contacts and include your T, P or B to designate your category for the random drawing.  Then report to me.  You can do so by leaving a comment on this page, emailing me at catwoods.writer@gmail.com or sending a PM via Facebook or Twitter–as found on my contact page.  Just make sure you check back here periodically in case you should win a free copy of Want to Go Private?

Don’t worry if some of your contact lists overlap.  The point is to get the word out there that sexual predators are around and that kids–even smart kids–do fall victim.  The more often we hear information, the better we listen.  In fact, studies show it usually takes hearing the same thing seven times before we remember it.

So, who Wants To Go Viral?