Your Campaigner Challenge Stories - Ebook to benefit "Help Harry Help Others"

Guys, it's here! Katharina Gerlach has done an absolutely amazing job, and has published our ebook containing your awesome stories from the Challenges in my Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign (August to October 2011). We'd like to say a huge thank you to all those who volunteered their stories for the ebook. We've ended up with 176 stories from 81 Campaigners.

The book is on sale for $2.99USD, and all proceeds will be donated to "Help Harry Help Others." Help Harry Help Others is a fund-raising organization of eleven year old Harry who recently died of his inoperable brain tumor. When his friend Robert, who had a brain tumor too, became very ill, he set up his charity. So far, he’s raised nearly half a million British Pounds that he has donated to Cancer Research UK, to help them find a cure for brain tumors. This charity and its goals resonates strongly with me, as my father suffered (and still suffers) from a brain tumor and its effects. And the charity is doing such a fantastic job helping so many in a similar position.

We'd love you to purchase a copy (but just so you know, there is no obligation to purchase it even if your story/stories are included).

Purchase details are as follows:

Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/Campaigner-Challenges-2011-ebook/dp/B0066UV28C
Amazon (UK): http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0066UV28C
Amazon (Germany): http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0066UV28C
Amazon (France): http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0066UV28C

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/104468

Barnes & Nobel: [To be advised on receipt]

I hope you enjoy, and I can't wait to hear what you think seeing your story and those of your fellow Campaigners in print :)

The end of my Third Campaign (and the Winners of the Third Campaigner Challenge)

My Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign is now at an end, and I wanted to let you all know how much fun I've had over the last two months. I've loved getting to know you and I've made some truly awesome friends--and you all know how much this blogging community rocks! I'll be running my Fourth Campaign next year, so keep an eye out for announcements if you want to take part :)

Thanks so much to all who took part in my Third Campaigner Challenge! We had 131 awesome entries and hundreds of people voting on those they liked the best. The time has come to announce the winners, woot! But before I do, did you read my earlier post about publishing your Challenge stories? If you didn't, make sure you pop over to take a look. Cat Gerlach is compiling your stories (if you want one or more of them published) in an ebook, and all proceeds from the sale will be donated to Harry Moseley's cancer research fund. We'd love you to take part, whether you're a winner of a Challenge or otherwise! If you do want to take part, make sure you let Cat know asap, as she'll stop taking entries the day after tomorrow so she can get the ebook published.

The time has come to announce the winners, woot! Winners have been chosen in three categories:

1. 4 People's Choice Awards - chosen by you in the voting (by clicking "Like" on the entries);
2. 12 places awarded by the judges, who've done an absolutely fantastic job of winnowing 131 entries down to the top 11 under the supreme organizational genius of J from Concrete Pieces of Soul; and
3. 5 random prizes (chosen by Mr. Random.org).

Before I reveal the winners, I'd love you all to offer up a huge thanks to J, who has single-handedly administered the judging for this Challenge. I also want to thank the judges, who've generously given their time to choose the entries they think best and most deserving of a prize. And my thanks go again to the awesome people who've helped me out with the prizes for this round: K.T. Hanna, Rachel McClellan, Jeigh Meredith, Claire Hennessy, and Candy Fite. They did an amazing job administering the prizes and communicating with the prize donors (who generously donated the 130+ prizes you've seen be awarded). To say thank you, would you please pop over to all these peoples' blogs and follow them if you haven't already :)

And now to the winners and their prizes...*drumroll*:

Peoples' Choice Awards

First Place (tied) – LadyJai: A Proposal (91 votes)
First Place (tied) - K.T. Hanna: Do Unto Others (91 votes)
Second Place – Jessica McKendry: Synbatic Island (69 votes)
Third Place – Alynza: The Tacise Project (54 votes)
Fourth Place – David Powers King: Ghost by the Seashore (37)

(Source)

In First Place (tied) Lady Jai has won a choice of Children’s Books or Picture Books donated by Susanna Leonard Hill (in Susanna’s words: Winner can choose what they want: (1) A little kids vehicle package which would include one each of THE HOUSE THAT MACK BUILT, AIRPLANE FLIGHT! and FREIGHT TRAIN TRIP!, all hardcover or (2) two hardcover picture books of your choice (choose from PUNXSUTAWNY PHYLLIS, NOT YET ROSE, CAN'T SLEEP WITHOUT SHEEP and APRIL FOOL PHYLLIS - one each of two different titles or 2 copies of the same title))

In First Place (tied) K.T. Hanna has won a partial manuscript critique (up to 25 pages) or query critique donated by S E Sinkhorn from Maybe Genius

In Second Place Jessica McKendry has won a critique (25 pages) donated by Rachele Alpine from Freckle Head

In Third Place Alynza has won a first chapter critique donated by Sheri Doyle

In Fourth Place David Powers King has won a signed hardcover book “Hideaway” by Dean Koontz donated by Roland Yeoman from Writing in the Crosshairs (US/Canada shipping only)

Judging Round

The prizes below have been awarded based on the standard of your entries, as judged by a panel of judges (and thank you to everyone who volunteered!). Once the judges had determined the 11 Finalists, I decided which place each Finalist would be awarded. And boy was it hard, the entries were all SOOOO good!

Here are the Finalists and their prizes:

First Place: Kelly
Second Place: Avery Marsh
Third Place: Elisabeth Barrett
Fourth Place: Grillyfish
Fifth Place: The Chipper Muse
Sixth Place: Carrie Butler
Seventh Place: David Powers King
Eighth Place: Michael Haynes
Ninth Place: Barbara V. Evers
Tenth Place: Alynza Smith
Eleventh Place: Babydoll

Congratulations, you all really deserve it!!! Your prizes are:

In First Place Kelly has won:

1. Critique (up to 30 pages) donated by Reinhardt from The Reinhardt Experience
2. $30 Amazon Voucher donated by Matt Zandstra from Inflatable Ink
3. Fully guided private tour of West Ireland + guest room for one night donated by Fiona Claire from The Ageless Druid (Fiona says: I am a professional tour guide, living in and writing about Ireland. I can offer a fully-guided private tour in the west of Ireland (valued at 150 Euros), as well as a lovely guest room for one night. If any of your authors are writing about Ireland, this might be a big help for them). 

In Second Place Avery Marsh has won:

1. Editing (4 hours) donated by Bill Jones from This Page Intentionally Blank (Bill says: I can offer up to 4 hours' worth of editing services. I'm a Grammar Guerilla, probably useful to those grammatically challenged writers). 
2. Book (PDF) “Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery” written and donated by Ryder Islington from Ryder Islington’s Blog
3. Book “Ribbon of Darkness” written and donated by Julie Coulter Bellon from LDSWriterMom
4. $25 Amazon Gift Card donated by Cat von Hassel-Davies from Cat Rambles

In Third Place Elisabeth Barrett has won:

1. First Chapter Critique (romance preferred) donated by Elizabeth Moss from Elizabeth Moss Regencies
2. Book “Techniques of the selling writer” by Dwight V Swain donated by Aimee L Salter from Seeking the Write Life
3. $25 Amazon Gift Card and “Bristol Boyz Stomp” written and donated by Doreen McGettigan 

In Fourth Place Grillyfish has won: 

1. Manuscript Review of Three Chapters donated by Kris Yankee from Adventures that Score 
2. $10 Amazon Gift Card donated by Brinda Berry
3. Picture Book “Thanks to Tank” by Maureen Howard donated by Clar Bowman-Jahn from Clarbojahn’s Blog (US shipping only) 
4. Signed Map from “The Dragon and the Crow” donated by T.B.McKenzie from Magickless

In Fifth Place The Chipper Muse has won:

1. Critique (1 Chapter or Short Story up to 15 pages) and a digital copy of the Romantic suspense Breathe Again written and donated by Bonnie R. Paulson
2. Book “Variant” by Robinson Wells donated by Donna K Weaver from Weaving a Tale or Two (US only)

In Sixth Place Carrie Butler has won:

1. Critique (First Chapter) donated by Michelle from Oh! For the LOVE of BOOKS!
2. Book “Making Waves” by Tawna Fenske donated by Coleen Patrick (US only)

In Seventh Place David Powers King has won:

1. Book “Writing Magic” by Gail Carson Levine donated by Julie Hedlund from Write Up My Life
2. Retro51 Rollerball Pen (choice of red, green or black) donated by Lesann Berry from Lesann Berry’s Blog

In Eight Place Michael Haynes has won:

1. Book of winners choice (up to $10 from The Book Depository) donated by Trisha from Word + Stuff

In Ninth Place Barbara V. Evers has won:

1. Book “A Happy Book for a Happy Baby” written and donated by Kristen Fairgrieve from Kristen Fairgrieve Write Create Inspire (US shipping only) 
2. Ebook “Voodoo Dues” written and donated by Stephany Simmons

In Tenth Place Alynza has won: 

1. e-ARC of Debut Novel “HUSHED” written and donated by Kelley York from Flowers for Ghosts 

In Eleventh Place Babydoll has won:

1. Book (PDF) “The Devil to Pay” written and donated by Maria Zannini from Tales of Otherworlds

Remember, you've been chosen from 131 entries - how awesome is that!

Random Prizes 

1. Kathy McKendry - Book donated by Scott Stillwell from Just a few lines… (US/Canada shipping if poss) (Scott says: The winner can choose one of the following: "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline or "Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes" by Johnathan Auxier)
2. S.B. Stewart-Laing - Book “Blank Slate” written and donated by Heather Justesen (ebook if outside US)
3. Liz A. - Book “Life, Liberty and Pursuit” written and donated by Susan Kaye Quinn (US/Canada shipping only)
4. Melodie - Book “Without Alice” written and donated by D.J. Kirkby
5. Patient Dreamer - Hardcover book: “Tales from China: World Favorite Fables” (first edition printing) edited by Steve Jackson and Mirando Sibo Paul and autographed by Miranda Paul, donated by Miranda Paul

Congratulations to everyone who won a prize today!!! Unless you receive an email from me, I'll be contacting the donors and asking them to email you regarding your prize.

Lastly, don't forget to check out my earlier post about publishing your entries if you haven't already.

Winners - Second Campaigner Challenge

(Source)

Thanks so much to all who took part in my Second Campaigner Challenge! We had 192 awesome entries and hundreds of people voting on those they liked the best. The time has come to announce the winners, woot! But before I do, did you read my earlier post about publishing your Challenge stories? If you didn't, make sure you pop over to take a look. Cat Gerlach is compiling your stories (if you want one or more of them published) in an ebook, and all proceeds from the sale will be donated to Harry Moseley's cancer research fund. We'd love you to take part, whether you're a winner of a Challenge or otherwise!

For my Second Challenge, winners were decided on the basis on your votes. I've also awarded 5 random prizes (chosen by Mr. Random.org). Before I reveal the winners, I'd love you all to offer up a huge thanks to the awesome people who've helped me out with the prizes for this round: K.T. Hanna, Rachel McClellan, Jeigh Meredith, Claire Hennessy, and Candy Fite. They did an amazing job administering the prizes and communicating with the prize donors. To say thank you, would you please pop over to their blogs and follow them if you haven't already :)

I also want to give all my thanks to those Campaigners who've generously donated over 130 prizes for my Campaigner Challenges (wow!) All I can say is, you guys rock, seriously!!! Wait until you see the awesome prizes below, and we've still got the Third Challenge prizes to go :D

And now to the winners...*drumroll*:

1. KT Hanna “Our Imago” (172 likes) 
2. Lady Jai “Psycho Imago” (153 likes) 
3. J “Deadly Imago” (118 likes) 
4. K S Collier “Imago of the Swamp” (99 likes) 
5. Jen “Mirror Imago” (66 likes) 
6. Rachel McClellan “Imago Reborn” (64 likes) 
7. Jeigh “Imago Ed.” (55 likes) 
8. Michael Haynes “My Name is Imago Montoya” (46 likes) 
9. Ruth Hartman Berge “Birth of an Imago” (45 likes) 
10. David Powers King “Your Imago” (42 likes) 
11. Claire Hennessy “Imago Nightmare” (39 likes) and Alynza Smith “The Imago Serum” (39 likes) 
12. FE Sewell “The Battle of Imago” (35 likes) 

Congratulations to you all!!! Here are the winners' prizes:

(Source)

In First Place, K.T. Hanna has won:

1. Full Manuscript Beta or 50 Line Page Edit AND $10 Book/eBook/Gift Card donated by Anonymeet from By Anonymous Writer
2. Signed copy of “Delirium” by Lauren Oliver donated by Melisso Sarno from This Too…
3. $50 Amazon Gift Voucher donated by Saba from Of Thoughts and Words

In Second Place, LadyJai has won:

1. 30 page critique donated by Katharina Gerlach from Katharina Gerlach
2. Ebook “Claiming the Prize” written and donated by Nadja Notariani from Nadja Notariani: An Author’s Adventures
3. $30 Amazon Gift Card donated by Margo Berendsen from Writing at High Altitude
4. Book Cover Art (or blog banner) donated by Shelly Koon from Dark Writes (examples at http://shelleykoon.com/artist) 

In Third Place, J has won:

1. Three Chapter Critique plus eBooks: "The Familial Witch," "Scent of a Witch," "Glazier," and "Caffe' Seduzione" donated by Bri Clark from Bri Clark The Belle of Boise
2. ARC of “Ditched” by Robin Mellom and “Dirty Little Secrets” by C J Omololu donated by Christa Desir from Christa Writes (US only) 
3. book to the value of $10 from The Book Depository donated by Sher A Hart from Sher A Hart: Fantasy Writer’s Fancies

In Fourth Place, K.S. Collier has won:

1. 30 page critique plus two eBooks: “Fencing Reputation” by William L. Hahn and "Urchin King" donated by Katharina Gerlach from Katharina Gerlach
2. $5 Gift Card to either of her Etsy Stores (http://www.etsy.com/shop/KACSales or http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageFusionJewels) and a custom made wallpaper donated by Kristy C from KAC Sales

In Fifth Place, Jen has won:

1. Critique (3 Chapters, up to 10K words) donated by Kay Springsteen from The Romance of Your Life
2. “Stealing Mercy” written and donated by Kristy Tate from Kristy’s Stories
3. Jewelry: Sterling Silver and Swarovski Crystal Earrings and Bracelets donated by Julie Fedderson from Gypsy in my Soul
4. e-ARC of Debut Novel “HUSHED” written and donated by Kelley York from Flowers for Ghosts 

In Sixth Place, Rachel McClellan has won:

1. Manuscript Review (20-30 pages) donated by Ru from And then she was like blah blah blah
2. ARC of "Possession" by Elana Johnson donated by Lola Sharp from Sharp Pen/Dull Sword
3. Ebook containing two stories: “Sam, the Strawb Part” and “Dark Clouds” donated by Scott Bury from Written Words

In Seventh Place, Jeigh has won:

1. Critique (up to 7K words) donated by Rebekah Loper from Rebekah Loper, Writer
2. “Hating Game” by Talli Roland donated by Ann Ormond Fennell from Inkpots N’ Quills (US/Canada only) 
3. eBook “The Last Page” donated by Lacy Camey from Live Learn Dance

In Eighth Place, Michael Haynes has won:

1. “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creative Writing” donated by Saba from Of Thoughts and Words
2. Detailed 15 page manuscript critique donated by Margo Kelly from Margo Kelly
3. Mini hand decorated Surfboard donated by Janice Seagraves from Janice’s Home (US/Canada shipping only) 

In Ninth Place, Ruth Hartman Berge has won:

1. Critique (limited for a new work or line edit of a final draft, up to 5K words) donated by Sedona Leigh from Sedona’s Attic
2. “With Seduction in Mind” by Laura Lee Guhrke (signed) and “A Kiss at Midnight” by Eloisa James donated by Carole St-Laurent from Romance & Beyond Blog (continental US only) 

In Tenth Place, David Powers King has won:

1. Critique (5 pages) donated by Chris Eboch from Write Like a Pro!
2. $5 Starbucks Card donated by Madam P from P Nuttier Pearls

In Eleventh Place (tied), Claire Hennessy has won:

1. Hardcover copy of “Exclusively Chloe” donated by J.A. Yang from jonyangorg

In Eleventh Place (tied), Alynza Smith has won:

1. “Thanks for the Memories” by Cecelia Ahern donated by Len Lambert from Conversations with Self

In Twelfth Place, FE Sewell has won:

1. Ebook “A to Z Stories of Life and Death” by D Biswas donated by Damyanti from Writing on Writing: Amlokiglogs

Random Prizes

I'm also awarding 5 random prizes, chosen by Mr. Random.org! The winners (and prizes) are:

1. Tia Bach - “Walking on Water” by Madeleine L’Engle donated by Angelina C Hansen from Musing on the joy of writing
2. Catherine M. Johnson - “The Proper Order of Things” written and donated by Tara Benwell from Beyond ELT (Canada only) 
3. Elizabeth Varadan – Signed copy of “The House on the Corner” written and donated by Andrew Leon from StrangePegs (No International shipping) 
4. Jana Denardo - “Yours Until Dawn” by Teresa Medeiros donated by Mary from Waibel’s World (US/Canada shipping) 
5. Sheri L. Swift - “Journey’s End” written and donated by Dora Hiers from Heart Racing, God-Gracing Romance

Congratulations to all the winners, you've done such a great job in this Challenge!!! Remember, you've been chosen from 192 entries - how awesome is that! Unless you receive an email from me directly after this post, I'll be contacting the donors and asking them to email you regarding your prize.

I'll be announcing the winners of the Third Campaigner Challenge as soon as the judging is finished. In the meantime, don't forget to check out my earlier post about publishing your entries.

First Campaigner Challenge Wrap-up (and the Campaigner Notice-Board)

So, um, 352 entries in my First Campaigner Challenge so far. Wow!!! That's such an awesome response - I'm loving seeing you all so keen to join in and challenge yourself, even if the little task I set is outside your comfort zone. And the quality of entries is so high, well done to all of you. I don't know how the judges are going to decide!!!

The Challenge is still open, though the Linky List will close at 11.59pm EDT Friday, so hurry and get your entry in if you haven't yet. You'll be able to "Like" entries for the next week, to give you time to get through some/all of them. If you haven't started going through them yet, think about starting at the bottom of the list, where fewer people have read/commented.

I'll be announcing the winners on Monday, September 19th, so make sure you pop back then :)

And don't forget to come back for the Second Campaigner Challenge on Thursday, 22nd September!!!

Campaigner Notice-Board

Check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:

1. From Sangu at Echoes of a Wayward Mind: I'm having a contest to get to 300 followers and would love it if people stopped by and entered! I will be giving away prizes like critiques and Amazon vouchers. Detail here. 
2. From Nadja Notariani at Nadja Notariani: An Author's Adventures: My first novel, Claiming The Prize, is now available, and for this week, I'm offering a free coupon on my blog page! Stop by here to celebrate with me and grab up a free book!  
3. From Leah at Leah Writes Pretty Fierce: Campaigners can choose to join up in a fun little tag to stretch their writing muscles a little and get to know each other at Leah Writes Pretty Fierce. Campaigners can participate by filling out the "Don't Be a Stranger" tag, participants are listed up at the blog every Friday. Check out the details here.
4. From Clar at clarbojahn: Contest for free signed copy of book give away by commenting on book review post of "Another Bad Dog Book" by Joni Cole. Contest starts September 13th ends September 23rd, winner announced September 24th on my blog. Other contests coming up soon. Stay tuned.
5. From Dafeenah at Finding the Hidden Treasure Within: Inviting all those in my groups (memoir, nonfiction, short story1) to do guest post on every Friday during the entire Campaign challenge. Email me if you're interested in doing a guest post on my blog. My email is dafeenah (at) gmail (dot) com or here’s my contact link. 
6. From K. M. Walton at Some Things I Think: Starting this past Thursday I did a post called “Campaigner Spotlights.” I plan to do one each week of the Campaign. I will spotlight five of my fellow Campaigners from either of the groups I'm in. I put up a photo, a little bit about the blogger and link to their blog - all in an effort to shine the spotlight on some new bloggers.
7. From Juliana at Aspire to be: Mid-October I will be hosting the Warm Fuzzies blogfest. For four weeks we'll celebrate being a writer! Check it out here. 
8. From Ruth Schiffmann at Out on a Limb, Shy Writer Goes Social: In celebration of my daughter launching a brand new book blog, I'm giving away YA & MG books. Check out the details here.
9. From Alex J. Cavanaugh at Alex J. Cavanaugh: The Insecure Writer's Support Group - posts the first Wednesday every month. Connect, encourage, and share with other writers! Check it out here.
10. From Jess Byam at Jest Kept Secret: Jess Byam runs a feature on her blog called "Before They Were Published" (BTWP), where she interviews unpublished authors. If you are interested in being interviewed, please email her at jestkeptsecret at gmail dot com and let her know. Details here.  
11. From Alana Garrigues at writercize: In celebration of my 100th writing exercise post, I'm inviting people to invent a fun pizza name and topping for a chance to win a family meal from a local Los Angeles pizza chain (L.A. area residents) or Starbucks giftcard (out of L.A. - U.S. residents). Contest open through Tuesday, Sept. 13. Check it out here. 
12. From Theresa Milstein at Substitute Teacher's Saga: I'm hosting a contest, where you can win 1 of 4 books. 2 books are signed! Details here.  
13. From Cristina Dos Santos at Once Upon a Time...: To celebrate my 100th post and all the amazing writers I'm meeting through the Campaign, I'm doing a giveaway, writerly style. Enter here to win a copy of "Plot and Structure" by James Scott Bell.  
14. From Melodie at rewrighter: This Friday-Saturday, I'm hosting a Twitter pitch/two-line pitch event with debut YA author Jolene Perry. Leave your pitch in the comments for others to marvel at/critique and by doing so, enter the drawing for a critique by Jolene. Check it out here.  

If you have a blogfest, a contest, or a something-or-other you want me to let people know about, fill out this form and I'll run your announcement in the following Friday's post. Make sure you include all the details please.

Happy Campaigning!!! :)

First Campaigner Challenge

The time has come for my First Campaigner Challenge, woot!!! The Challenge is:

(Source)

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open” These four words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: "the door swung shut." (also included in the word count)

For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!

Once you’ve posted your Challenge post on your blog, pop back here and link directly to it in the Linky List below (please make sure you include the direct link to your post, not just the link to your blog!).

Entries in the First Campaigner Challenge will close on Friday, September 9th (at 11.59pm EDT), so make sure you get your post in the Linky List before then if you want to be eligible for a prize! As usual, while everyone is very welcome to take part in this Challenge, only Campaigners will be eligible for prizes.

Thank you so much to all the Campaigners who have volunteered to judge one or more of the Challenges. I'm amazed by your generosity—you all rock!!! In terms of judging,Michael Offutt from SLC Kismet will be in touch about that very soon (and if you don't hear from us this Challenge, it's because we're hoping you'll judge the Second or Third Challenges instead). I'd love you all to take a moment to pop over and follow Michael, to say thanks for all his hard work in co-ordinating the judging.

There will be a stack of prizes awarded this Challenge (and future Challenges), both for the entries that are judged the best and through Random.org. We're talking ARCs, books, critiques, and other items galore! My thanks go to everyone who has volunteered to donate prizes. You're all awesome!!! Either I or someone in my team will be in touch over the course of the Campaign.

I've also set up the Linky List so you can "Like" entries, so make sure you come back here and vote for the People's Choice Awards!!!

I'll hopefully be announcing the winners on Monday, September 19th (the same day as my Campaign Beta Match post).

So, all that remains is to enjoy. Leave a comment to let me know you're doing the Challenge. Have fun writing your post, then pop round to the other entrants, check out their posts, follow and comment, and decide which entry or entries YOU like the best!

And don't forget to add your name and post link to the Linky Link below before 11.59 pm this Friday!

IMPORTANT: DON'T PUT YOUR NAME IN THE LINKY LIST UNTIL YOU'VE WRITTEN YOUR POST - THEN LINK DIRECT TO THAT POST PLEASE (ie, insert the complete URL to your Challenge post, not your blog address/URL)


"Like" voting is now over, please don't vote any more, thanks!

Where to from here? (and the Campaigner Notice-Board)

Now that sign-up is over, the official part of the Campaign has begun, woot!!! First, I want to say a huge welcome to the Campaigners. I can't wait to get to know you over the next two months, and I know you're all looking forward to getting to know each other. I'm sorry I haven't been able to respond individually to/visit each and every one of you, but I've been buried under all the admin and thousands of emails I've received since the Campaign started :(

I'm sure you've been wondering how many Campaigners there are, after that huge list of comments (Is it a record, do you think?). Anyway, I'm pleased to announce that the final number of Campaigners is...wait for it...480!!! Wow. That's 480 people who want to network together and support each other as writers. And that, I think, is amazing!

I didn't make the cut-off/I'm not on the List of Campaigners :(

To all those who didn't quite make the cut-off, I'm so sorry you can't take part this time around. But I'll be holding my next Campaign in February next year, and I'd love to see you all on board then.

If you did fill out my Campaigner Form before 11.59 EDT, then you're still a Campaigner, even if you didn't manage to get your name on the Linky List on time. Send me an email with the name you want on the List, your blog url, your picture, and the Group(s) you want to join, and I'll add you to the List. Please do this quickly though, otherwise you'll miss out when your fellow Group members get to know each other.

First Campaigner Challenge

The First Campaigner Challenge is on Monday, so pop back here then if you want to take part in the fun!

Where to from here?

Where to from here, you ask? I gave you some suggestions in my previous post. Basically, take advantage of all the networking opportunities the Campaign is providing you. You can:

• meet and chat with other Campaigners on Twitter at #writecampaign
• join in the Campaigner Yahoo Group
• visit the Campaigners' blogs
• and above all, get to know the members of your Group(s) and see what fun activities you can come up with together

If you haven't already, now's the time to go around to your fellow Campaigners and meet those in the same Group(s) as you. Make sure you follow and leave a comment and tell them who you are. Some awesome blogging connections have been made this way in the past. Try to visit them as much as possible during the Campaign, and make sure you leave comments as this is one of the key ways Campaigners can show their support.

This post about organizing Google Reader may help.

As you may have seen, I've assigned numbers to each of the Groups in my List of Campaigners. Find your name and double-check which Group(s) you're in, because I have moved some people around to make the Group sizes more even. I have to make a few more tweaks to the Groups over the weekend and add those people who were late putting their name down on a list (so make sure you check back next week), but basically these are the Groups you'll be in for the rest of the Campaign.

Campaigner Notice-Board

Check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:

1. Cynthia at Random Thoughts: Synopsis/ Query critque posted on Mondays. I'll comment and everyone else can add help in the comments as well. The side link on my page shows how to submitt  Also I'm hosting a Labor Day blog fest. It's planned to run on September 6th.
2. Gwen Gardner at Run Gwen, Run! Write Gwen, Write!: Lady Gwen is celebrating her first blogoversary with a Judge and Jury Blogfest beginning On September 5th through September 10th - the first 12 to sign up will be the PAID jury. Be prepared to defend yourself with a scene of less than 300 words, and if you're accused of having the best scene, you win! PLEASE JOIN FOR LOTS OF FUN AND PRIZES!  
3. Kristy Tate at Kristys Stories: "August 29th- 30th I'll be hosting a contest and two novels, Angela Morrison's TAKEN BY STORM and my own debut novel, STEALING MERCY are up for grabs. Keep posted, because in September I'll be running Kristy's Incredibly Kindle Kontest and one lucky winner will take home a Kindle e-reader.
4. J. Gunnar Grey at Sweet Saturday Samples: Sweet Saturday Samples is a sort of weekly mini blog hop, where writers post a brief excerpt from a published masterpiece or work in progress, including the genre and a movie-style rating for both the excerpt and the novel. On Saturdays, readers (and writers) hop from blog to blog in search of new-to-them books and writers. All genres are welcome, including erotica. The book doesn't have to be sweet, just the excerpt. Check it out here.
5. L'Aussie at L'Aussie Writing: Romantic Friday Writers: participate in a fun weekly blogfest where members write 400 words of flash fiction to a different theme each week. Stories must have an element of romance. @RFWer (twitter homepage) #RomanticFridayWriters (twitter hashtag). It's open to all writers of romance. You can showcase your WIPs and ask for whatever level of critique you want. Francine (from Romancing the Blog) and L'Aussie choose a Featured Writer each week. Check out our dedicated website for all the info you need.
6. Sarah P. at The Restless Writer: Chance to win a $12 Amazon giftcard for tweeting to @NaiaUnderwood or commenting on her FB page the answer to this question: "What would you do if you came face to face with an alternate version of yourself?" Winner will be announced on Sept. 5, 2011. Check it out here. 
7. Enid Wilson at Steamy Fantasy is hosting a drabble challenge in Sept for fellow campaigners. Send her a drabble of no more than 200 words with the word "love", "constant", "savage", "prejudice" or "impression" in it and your blog detail. She will post your entries and blogs in the corresponding Friday.  
8. Michele Helene at A Wanderer in Paris: Each Monday I will be running a series of interviews with fellow MG/YA campaigners called: Getting to know you. So if you would like to find out a bit more about the other writer's, pop along each Monday until the 31st Oct. The first week's interview is already up.  
9. Lisa L. Regan at Lisa L. Regan: I am running a Hook for Your Book Contest for the following genres on the following dates: Fantasy October 10th through October 17th, Romance December 12th through December 19th, Historical Fiction February 13-20, 2012. The contests will be judged by my agent, Jeanie Pantelakis of Sullivan Maxx Literary Agency. Entrants must follow my blog, tweet or blog about the contest, have a finished novel in the applicable genre, post their 50 word pitch with email address into the comments section of my blog after the contest commences. Three finalists will be chosen to send synopsis and full manuscript to Jeanie. She will choose one of those three to give a full read and possible contract with Sullivan Maxx. See my blog post on Contest dates.
10. Elizabeth Briggs at Liz Writes: To celebrate 500 followers I'm having a huge giveaway, with 2 prize packs (1 YA paranormal, 1 adult urban fantasy)! Ends September 12. Check it out here. 
11. Susan Kaye Quinn at Susan Kaye Quinn: Summer Breeze, an anthology to support breast cancer research, will be available until September 30th! It's a collection of sweet romance stories by a group of Omnific Authors (including myself).  Buy it here. 
12. Michelle at Oh! For the LOVE of BOOKS is looking for people who want to be part of a book hop. Its from Sept 26 to Sept 30 and you donate or give whatever you want! Email her at mf060784 at gmail dot com
13. Jessica Aspen at Jessica Aspen Writes: I’m running a round robin story on my blog on Thursday,
14. September 1st. Check it out here if anyone wants to jump in! 
15. GlitterLady at Glitterword: #tuesdaytales is a 100 word flash fiction contest held well, every Tuesday! New judge every week great way to prompt your writerly prowess and earn a blog badge while you're at it! Join the fun!
16. Doreen McGettigan at They say Everyone Has a Story: On my quest to reach 1000 followers; I have a contest running from now until the release of "BRISTOL bOYZ STOMP" see website for easy details and great prizes...(secret clue...follow the book trailer link to 'you tube' and leave a comment)  
17. Rebekah Loper at Black & Dark Night: A trivia contest is happening today for $10 (USD) in Amazon.com gift cards! Deadline is Sunday to submit answers (specifically, 48 hours from the time of post). Must subscribe to be able to win, and read the blog for all the details! 
18. Damyanti at Amlokiblogs: J.C. Martin, Lisa Vooght, Stuart Nager and Damyanti are organizing a month-long blogfest for fiction writers. Sign up for some great prizes, and for the unique experience of writing a short story with a lot of writers in a shared world, following the fictional Rule of Three.  
19. Ruth Hartman Berge at Ruth The Writer: I'm looking for entries in a "Just Who Was This Jones Guy Anyway?" contest. We're having fun with Jones Creek in Jupiter, Florida - no one knows who Jones really is. Runs through 9/07/11. Check it out here. 
20. A.J. Mullarky at Magpie & Pen: I'm hosting a Hidden Gems Blogfest over on my blog. If you've read a book that you thought was fantastic but seems to be unknown/underrated by other readers, talk it up on your blog and see what other people are recommending! Check it out here.
21. Elizabeth Varadan at Elizabeth Varadan aka Mrs. Seraphina: My MG fantasy, The Fourth Wish, is out on Kindle. I'm holding a contest.for a free copy -- winner's choice, either paperback or Kindle version. Check out the rules on my blog. Contest ends Friday, September 9th.
22. Jennifer Hoffine at YA Audiobook Addict: Friday will be my monthly, How Many Have You Read/Heard Contest where I list the YA audiobooks I listened to that month, and those who comment will get an entry for every one they've read. Prizes will be five Oct pub date ARCs, including FROST, by Wendy Delsol and THE SCORPIO RACES by Maggie Stiefwater.
23. Aimee at A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman: In 2001 The United Nations unanimously adopted 21 September as International Peace Day. I am hosting a blogfest the week of Peace Day to help spread the word and promote peace. 
24. Meradeth Houston at Write Stuff: The YA & MG authors at the ebook house MuseItUp are holding a giant blogfest throughout the month of September. There will be lots of fun books showcased, including giveaways, contests, and all kinds of fun! The schedule of all the interviews can be found here.
25. Sarah Ketley at The Precocious Scribe (new Wordpress address): Published authors in the #writecampaign can sign up to the linky with a link to where i can buy their book. During the camapign i will buy as many as i can. I will probably do a little promotion for them and leave reviews.

If you have a blogfest, a contest, or a something-or-other you want me to let people know about, fill out this form and I'll run your announcement in the following Friday's post. Make sure you include all the details please.

I think that's it for now. Happy Campaigning everyone!!! :)

And so the Campaign begins!!! (plus the Campaigner Notice-Board)

All I can say is wow!!! What a fantastic response we've had from so many awesome people. The internet has been buzzing and I'm overwhelmed by everyone's interest and enthusiasm in my Third Campaign. To all Campaigners, welcome! I'm so glad to have you on board, and I can't wait to get to know you all as the Campaign progresses.

Can I still join?

Yes. The list is open until August 31st, 11.59pm (EDT). Just go to my original Campaign post and follow the directions.

Where to from here?

The Campaign has begun, so once you've added yourself to one (or more) Linky Lists on my List of Campaigners page, feel free to dive right in. Please note, however, that the Campaigner Groups are not yet finalized, and it's possible I'll have to move some people around depending on numbers in Groups. I'll be doing my best to finalize the Groups by next Friday (after the List of Campaigners closes on Wednesday).

I gave some suggestions in my original post for the type of things you can do now. Basically, I've asked that you follow the Campaigners in your Campaigner Group, but after that everything else is voluntary.

You can connect on Twitter at #writecampaign, in our Yahoo Group, on Campaigners' blogs, on Google Plus (Sarah Ketley has started a Campaigner lists here), or anywhere else you can think of. You could also see what you can come up with in your Groups - I know some people are already starting to interview their fellow Group members.

For those of you who are planning to follow heaps of people, this post about organizing Google Reader might come in handy :)

My first Campaigner Challenge will be on Monday, September 5th, so make sure you come back here for that if you want to take part. I rather think it will be massive!!!

A few people asked me about this, so I thought I'd better clarify. Outside of the events I'll be organizing, it's all up to you. This Campaign is all about giving you guys the opportunity and means (and a bit of encouragement) to network with your fellow writers. I cannot, unfortunately, do the networking for you. Basically, you'll get out of the Campaign what you put in (if you just put your name down in a Linky List and don't now go out there and meet other Campaigners, you won't get the full Campaign experience). So I hope you have fun with your networking and make heaps of great connections with all the awesome writers out there! :)

Beta Match for Campaigners

In the past I've done a beta match on Rach Writes, to help everyone find critique partners and beta readers. I'll be doing one during the Campaign, on Monday, September 19th. So mark that in your calendars and come back then if you're looking for somebody to help out with your writing. (You don't need to have a completed WIP to put your name down, as CPs help during the writing process as well).

Campaigner Notice-Board

Check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:

1. From Christine Tyler at The Writer Coaster - Come join the Sparkfest and let us know what book or author inspired you to write. Give a little back, make some blogger friends, and be entered to win an Amazon gift card!  The Sparkfest runs from August 22-26th. Late entrants are welcome. 
2. During my last Campaign, Kerri Cuev at Craft Junkie organized a Choose Your Own Adventure bloghop for the Group 9 Campaigners. She would like to organize another one this Campaign and is calling for anyone who'd like to be involved. Participants would write their own "part" of the adventure, and then post them in a bloghop for others to read. Check out the details here.
3. From K. M. Walton at Some Things I Think - I need daily votes for the Philly MVB (most valuable blog) award - now through September 9th. Click here for details. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help!!  
4. From Heather McCorkle at Heather's Oddysey - To celebrate the release of my debut novel, The Secret of Spruce Knoll, I'm doing a Tour Of Secrets where you can learn all about me and my novel. There are great prizes to be won! Check out the details here.
5. From Kelda at Kelda Crich - My blog for horror and dark fantasy short stories is here. This is a new site under my new pen name. Some of you might know me as Deborah Walker.
6. From Rebecca Ryals Russell at Under the Hat - MG/YA Author September Blogathon/Giveaways. Discover new authors and win prizes throughout September. Looking for blogs to promote MG book, Zarena, and YA book releasing Sept, Prophecy.
7. From Deana Barnhart at Deana Barnhart Writing and Publishing Simplified - Everyone in their writing journey experiences firsts. I spotlight that each Friday by interviewing debut authors, new agents, editors, fresh platform builders as well as pick the brains of some old hands in the business and take them back to some of their firsts as a way to inspire us newbies to be better and always strive for greater things. This meme is called Firsts Fridays.
8. From Kimberly Zook at Zook Book Nook - Hooked on Hooks? Get the first 1 - 5 sentences of your WIP ready for the first weekend in October! Starting on Friday Sept. 30th you can post a link to your blog through the Hooked on Hooks linky that will be available on my blog, Zook Book Nook. From Sept. 30th to Oct. 2nd you can link up to have your Hook reviewed by fellow campaigners. The only requirement is to stop by at least three other campaigners blogs to give them comments about their hooks. The WIP may be any piece of writing (short story, essay, fiction, YA, chic lit, fantasy, article, blog post, etc) that you are currently working on.F
9. From Susanna Hill at Susanna Leonard Hill  KidLit Writers: I run a weekly feature on my blog on Wednesdays called Would you Read It. Check out the details here. Participants can enter their working title (if they have one), the genre they're writing (Picture Book, Early Reader, Chapter Book, MG, or YA - this is for children's books only) and their one sentence pitch and then get valuable feedback from objective sources who are knowledgeable about children's books (parents, teachers, librarians, and other writers.) One pitch is posted each week. At the end of the month, readers vote on which pitch they thought was best and that pitch is evaluated by an experienced freelance editor! (one who has worked for Little Simon and Scholastic!) If you win the editor evaluation, not only will you get great advice from her, she might even ask to see your partial or complete ms!  Even if you don't have a pitch to submit, please consider stopping by on Wednesdays and lending your expertise to those brave enough to post their pitch! 
10. From Angela Yuriko Smith at Dandilyon Fluff  Sept 2nd - Live Goodreads Q&A session with author Angela Yuriko Smith on her new release No Money Marketing: All You Need Is Like. Learn how to sell your book without going broke! Check out the details here. 
11. From Christa Desir at Christa Writes "Christa Talks to The Teen"-- My teen beta reader answers questions from adult writers. Friday, August 26. www.christadesir.com
12. From Lorelei Bell at Lorelei - I'm having a birthday bash, and a contest. Winner gets an autographed copy of my novel, Vampire Ascending. Easy to enter, just leave a comment, your name and contact info. Details, and how to win can be viewed on August 27th, at my blog Lorelei's Muse Contest will runc until September 1st" http://loreleismuse-lorelei.blogspot.com/
13. From T.B. McKenzie at Magickless My first book is coming out this Christmas. The Dragon and the Crow, published by Dragonfall Press in Australia. http://www.dragonfallpress.com/F
14. From Shelley Koon at Shelley Koon - Dark Writes Contest to name my Monday feature showcasing blogs pertaining to writing (writers, agents, book reviewers and so on). Can submit up to three entries - winner, picked by me, will receive a $25 gift certificate to the online book seller of their choice. Check it out here.
15. From Ellen Goodlett at Word Thief  Win a SIGNED advance-read copy of Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races, coming October 18th. All you have to do is comment on this entry post!
16. From Marcia Richards at Marcia Richards' Blog - Author interviews at Marcia Richards' Blog: L isa Rivero 8/31, Jody Hedlund 9/7, Kim Wright 9/15. Please join us!

If you have a blogfest, a contest, or a something-or-other you want me to let people know about, fill out this form and I'll run your announcement in the following Friday's post. Make sure you include all the details please.

I think that's it for now. Happy Campaigning everyone!!! :)

Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

There are so many of us out there. Aspiring authors, bloggers (whether established or beginning), industry peeps, even published authors, all of whom want to build their online platforms. We write insightful posts and articles, actively blog within the blogosphere, take part in challenges, competitions, and contests galore.

We have the passion and the drive to make it, but…we could all do with a bit of support.

So I started thinking. What if we link all these people together? What if we create a way to meet people in a similar position, people who genuinely want to help build our online platform while at the same time building theirs? People who want to pay it forward in the spirit of writerly writerness and blogging beautificity (and see it come back to them in turn).

And so, my Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign was born.

What is the Campaign?

Basically, the Campaign is a way to link those of us in the writing community together with the aim of helping to build our online platforms. The Campaigners are all bloggers in a similar position, who genuinely want to pay it forward, make connections and friends within the writing community, and help build each others' online platforms while at the same time building theirs.

I originally referred to my Writers' Platform-Building Campaigns as "Crusades", but I've recently changed that name for reasons including this one. So we'll be referring to ourselves as Campaigners rather than Crusaders from now on (and I hope you can all get behind the new name as strongly as you did behind the original one).

In 2010 we had 55 people take part, many of whom have become great blogging friends. We saw our followers skyrocket and the comments on our posts increase, and had fun taking part in the Challenges as well (kartofflepuffer anyone???).

In February 2011, we had 217 people take part before I closed the List, and many more who wanted to join. I made so many wonderful friends, and heard of some awesome connections and friendships being made between other writers. The new Group concept worked very well, and we saw Group interviews, get-to-know-you sessions, a Choose Your Own Adventure bloghop, among other things. The Challenges were again heaps of fun - I think we'll all remember the goldfish bowl flash fiction for a long time! And the Show Not Tell Challenge in April (linked with Arlee Bird's A-Z Challenge) was a ball of fun too!

I can't wait to see what fun comes out of this Third Campaign!

As the Campaign kicks off, you'll have the names and blog addresses of the Campaigners on my List of Campaigners page (above), so you can keep in touch with the other Campaigners. That way you’ll have a list of bloggers in the same position as you, who genuinely want to help you succeed. And you'll be able to meet those who have the most in common with you. You can visit their blogs and other places they haunt, follow along, leave comments galore, and share your highs and lows as you journey through the blogosphere and build your online platform. And they'll be doing the same for you.

Length of the Campaign

This Campaign will run from August 22nd to October 31st. I'll be closing the List of Campaigners on August 31st, so join up before then if you want to come on board!

Organized Campaign Events

During the Campaign, I'll be running Campaigner Challenges and the Campaigner Notice-Board. Other than that, go for your life! I've set up a Campaigner Yahoo Group here, for you to chat among yourselves, and there'll be lots of Twitter-talk at #writecampaign.

Mark these dates in your diary now:

1. First Campaigner Challenge - Monday, September 5
2. Second Campaigner Challenge - Thursday, September 22
3. Third Campaigner Challenge - Monday, October 17

Each Friday I'll be running a Campaigner Notice-Board, where you can announce blogfests, book launches, things you'd like to share with your other Campaigners, etc etc. You'll need to send me the information in advance, and I've made up a form to make things easier. If you want me to include your details in this Friday's post (August 26), please fill out this form.

How to join?

If you’d like to join the Third Campaign, here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. follow me if you haven't already, so you can check out the Campaigner Notice-Board on Fridays and take part in Campaigner Challenges 
2. comment on this post, to let the other Campaigners know you’ll be coming on board
3. blog about the Campaign to help spread the word (include a link to this post and encourage your followers to join)
4. tweet about the Campaign if you're on Twitter, and include a link to this post. Follow me here if you wish
5. pop a link to this post on Facebook (if you’re a Facebook fan) and/or on Google Plus if that's your favorite haunt. Or anywhere else you hang out, it's up to you. My links to Facebook, Google Plus, and LinkedIn are on my sidebar if you want to find me there
6. and fill out this form.

Thanks to JYS at A Writerly Pensheep
for designing this - you're awesome!

Once you’ve joined the Campaign:

1. Go to my List of Campaigners page and put your name down for a Campaigner Group (or more than one if you want to get to know more people)  
2. pop round and introduce yourself to all the Campaigners in your Campaigner Group. If you wish, pop round to some or all of the other Campaigners and introduce yourself as well
3. follow the Campaigners in your Campaigner Group(s) (and others if you wish). Due to the size of the Campaign, there's no need to follow all Campaigners!!!
4. put this Campaign badge on your sidebar and link it back to my Writers' Platform-Building Campaign page. Don't forget to take down the old "I'm a Crusader" Badge
5. keep an eye out for posts/comments/tweets by other Campaigners (and particularly those in your Campaigner Group) and do your best to comment on as many as you can, as often as you can. Also consider following your fellow Campaigners on Twitter and liking them on Facebook, mentioning their blog posts and re-tweeting their tweets, and otherwise supporting them
6. get to know your fellow Campaigners at #writecampaign and/or at the Campaigner Yahoo Group
7. see what fun you can come up with in your Campaigner Groups
8. join in my Campaigner Challenges if you wish. They're a great way to get to know the other Campaigners and have fun at the same time.

I can't wait to have you on board!

Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign - Campaigner Form

Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign - Campaigner Notice-Board Form

What's involved in being a Campaigner?

For those of you who haven't taken part in a Campaign (previously called "Crusades") before, I thought I would write a post letting you know what to expect before my Third Campaign kicks off on August 22nd.

In a nutshell, my Writers' Platform-Building Campaign is a way for you to meet your fellow bloggers and get to know them better, while at the same time getting support in your blogging. It's also a way for you to increase your followers (though please don't join just for that, this is about networking and platform-building rather than increasing follower numbers). 

The Campaigners are people who genuinely want to meet others, pay it forward, and make connections with other bloggers. This therefore gives you a pool of bloggers (some starting out, some established) who you know are in the same position. You can make friends, find critique partners, get support in your writing etc etc - basically, it's up to you. For those bloggers who are just starting out (and even those who've been blogging for a while), the Campaign gives you a head start in finding other like-minded bloggers to connect with.

Campaigners will join Groups based on genres (and a few other fun things), and there will be Campaigner Challenges for everyone to take part in as well. And there'll be a badge (with a new design, woot!) to put up on your blog as well.

If you want to become a Campaigner:

Keep an eye out for my post on Monday August 22nd and follow the directions. Remember to join between August 22nd and August 31st, because I'll be closing the List of Campaigners on August 31st so Campaigners can get to know each other better.

Once you are a Campaigner:

• follow other Campaigner in your Group(s), pop round to their blogs, and introduce yourself
• if you wish, pop round to some or all of the other Campaigners and introduce yourself as well
• join in on the Twitter chat at #amcampaigning
• join in on the Yahoo Campaigner Group
• keep an eye out for the Campaigner Notice-Board on Fridays, where I'll post about blogfests and other announcements concerning Campaigners
• put the Campaigner button on your blog sidebar and link it back to my Writers' Platform-Building Campaign page at the top of Rach Writes...
• keep an eye out for posts by other Campaigners in your Campaign Group, and do your best to comment on as many as you can, as often as you can. This is one of the key ways Campaigners will help each other out and pay it forward
• join in the Campaigner Challenges if you wish. It's a great way to get to know the other Crusaders and have fun at the same time, and there'll be prizes too!

Can't wait to see you all in the Third Campaign!!!