Blog

Join The Book Party & Enter My Epic Contest!!

Today I’m celebrating the release of my second novel, The Doctor’s Lady!

It seems like just last week I was gearing up for the launch of my debut book, and now here I am watching in awe as my second book starts to make its way into reader hands.

To kick off this party, I’d first like to invite you to enjoy a gourmet cupcake or two, grab a glass of punch, and then play one of the party games!

Okay, so maybe this party doesn’t have a piñata or pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, but . . .

Here are a few fun things that you can do to join in the celebration!

1. Take a quiz about the Oregon Trail and life in the early 1800’s. Head to my Reader Fun page and see how much you know!

2. Send me YOUR picture with The Doctor’s Lady! Check out the slide show in the sidebar for all of the awesome readers who’ve already been sending in pictures! I would LOVE to add your picture too!

3. Head over to Amazon or B&N.com and pick up my gift to you! For a limited time, my debut book The Preacher's Bride is available FREE for the Kindle or Nook.

4. Make sure you stop by some of the blogs participating in my Blog Tour in September and October. I will be giving away LOTS & LOTS of signed copies of The Doctor’s Lady (close to 40 copies!). For this week's stops, see the bottom of this post. For the full schedule see my News & Events page.

5. Enter the Be A Trailblazer CONTEST!! The grand prize winner will receive a $300 pioneer package. To get your name into the drawing, fill out a simple entry form on my Contest page. If you've already entered the contest and you want to earn extra entries, you can go on a treasure hunt for 4 puzzle pieces (see the Extra Entries page on my web site for where to collect the puzzle pieces).

My digital marketing team created the whole Trailblazer Contest for me and they did a fabulous job! I’m super excited about it!

You may be wondering—what exactly is the purpose of a contest like this?

Well, basically a social network sharing contest is a marketing tool that can help authors spread the news about a book in a fun and exciting way. Contests like this help us show love for our readers with a great prize, plus reach beyond the scope of our normal sphere of influence, and give readers easy ways to share the news of the contest with friends and others that they think might be interested.

You may have seen other authors do giveaways for things like Kindles or iPads or other electronic gadgets. My digital team, PulsePoint has a different philosophy about prizes. The prizes for the Be A Trailblazer Contest are all things unique to my book, including:


• An antique wooden trunk (a smaller version of the one Priscilla has to leave behind on the trail)
• An antique sterling silver rose ring (just like the wedding band Eli gave Priscilla)
• The award-winning Oregon Trail DVD (so readers can enjoy a visual look at the journey my characters took)
• The Pioneer Women: The Lives of Women on the Frontier coffee table book (filled with incredible photos of real-life pioneers, and stories of their adventures and challenges)
• A leather and antique lace embossed travel journal (so the winner can keep record of their own trailblazing adventures)
• A pheasant feather quill pen and ink (I can imagine Priscilla writing home with this)
• Two packets of Lupine flower seeds (so readers can grow flowers like those featured in the book)
• and a 6-pack of Bear Valley Fruit & Nut pemmican bars (a staple food for pioneers in the 1800s)

I asked Kelli Standish (Founder/Creative Director of PulsePoint Design) to share a little bit about the philosophy behind the prizes they suggested for this contest. Here’s a summary of what she said:

"I think the use of thoughtful, creative prizes is a great way to demonstrate both love for your readers and real marketing savvy. Specialized prizes can help build an emotional connection to the author, and the story the author wants to promote--helping to make both more memorable in the minds of contest participants. A generic giveaway doesn't always draw the types of followers who are truly interested in the author's work."

So, as you look through the prize package above, you’ll see that every single one of the gifts is something directly related to the story in some way. I feel as if, through the prize, I’m giving readers a deeper glimpse into the story and a special way to remember the book.

Ultimately, through all of the fun release activities, my hope is that I can celebrate with friends, engage with readers, and share the news of my book in a way that can bless many people!

So, there you have it! I hope you'll join in all of the fun today and in the coming weeks! And don’t forget to grab one of the cupcakes!

What do you think? What are your favorite kinds of contest prizes? And what appetizer are you bringing to the party today?!

P.S. Don't miss this week's blog tour stops! (And LOTS of book giveaways!)

*9/1 Want to know what inspired the writing of The Doctor's Lady? Then check out Jaime Wright's blog! (And pick up Contest Puzzle Piece #1 there!)

*9/1 Stop by Karina Russell's blog to learn a little bit more about my writing process!

*9/2 Find out what movie I have almost completely memorized at Lydia Sharp's blog!

*9/2 Head over to Ellie Soderstrom's blog to learn why I'm known as the "Famous Hat Balancer."

*9/3 I'm sharing a guest post on Sylvia Ney's blog called: 5 Ways to Make Our Stories Different & Unique.

Tell your friends about Jody's BE A TRAILBLAZER contest!
Share on Twitter!

Share on Facebook!

52 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your release, Jody! I had to email amazon last night b/c I'd ordered your book early, and it still hasn't shipped yet (grumble-grumble). Ever since I saw the trailer, I've been chomping at the bit to get my hands on a copy! I just finished The Preacher's Bride a few weeks ago and I *love* how you tell a story! Based on all the early reviews of TDL, I have a feeling I'll be just as amazed by that story, too!

    I'm looking forward to learning more about you through all your blog tour stops & interviews!

    Barb

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much, Barb!! You're too kind! :-) But it's great to hear that the trailer perked your interest! I'll have to let my publisher know that (they're the ones who designed it). I SO appreciate you reading both book! I hope you'll enjoy TDL once it arrives!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats Jody! You must be super excited. Doctor's Lady is sitting by my bed, and it's the very next book I'm going to read. Hoping to start it Monday! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for the congrats, Naomi! I am thrilled to be at this point again! You're a dear to read my book! Hope you'll enjoy it and the long holiday weekend! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. So much fun Jody!

    Pulse Point and my in-house marketer must be on the same page, b/c we've thrown some ideas around and she says it's good to keep readers in the "story world" when it comes to prizes and give-aways. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Katie, I was really pleased with the creativeness of PulsePoint in setting up my prize. In the case of launching a book, we need to keep in mind that we want to draw quality readers who will really be interested in our books, versus quantity numbers who just want the prize. I'll be excited to see what your marketing team comes up with for your book! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations, Jody!! I've never been part of a book release before. This is so fun! I will finally get to read your book this weekend and I can't wait. I hope you're having a great time with this and wish you all the best with it. Thanks so much for letting so many of us be a part of this celebration with you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you so much Sherri! I'm learning a lot through all of the planning and events! It's been fun, but it IS a lot of work too! Hopefully, I can spark ideas for everyone else! :-) And I hope that you'll enjoy the weekend--I can't imagine a better thing to do than read--especially my book, e-hem! ;-) (Not that I'm biased or anything!)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yay! Congrats! I think that's a great idea to have the prizes draw in the kinds of readers who will like the book the most! :) And I have all the Sound of Music lyrics memorized too. Still love the movie.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congratulations on the book release! I think not one, but two, cupcakes are in order :)

    And thank you for the free copy of Preacher's Bride - I look forward to reading it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks, Laura!! My kids think I'm SO weird for knowing all of the songs to Sound of Music. But I watched it every year on TV (in the days before DVD's) when we actually got excited to watch movies on TV! So, when I want to torture my children, I just start singing "Rain drops on roses. . ." ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Miranda, YES definitely take TWO. They're small! ;-) And hope you'll enjoy my book!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You are brilliant at this!

    Happy Belated Release Day!!!
    ~ Wendy

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks, Wendy! Glad to see you back online after getting hit by Irene! And HUGE congrats to you again on your agent news! I'm thrilled for you! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh my goodness, I am SO SO SO SO SO excited for you Jody!!!!!! What a GREAT idea for a contest!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Congrats on your newest release!! You have once again written a great novel!! Looking forward to reading many more of your novels in the future!!

    Amanda Barratt

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks you Krista & Amanda!! I am so grateful for your support! And I'm looking forward to seeing both of you in a few weeks! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Happy release day, Jody! Wishing you great success...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Throwing virtual confetti into the air, stuffing a calorie-free cupcake in my mouth and giving you an internet hug. You are Hope personified. Now I have to hurry off and get my copy of The Doctor's Lady for my Kindle!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Happy Book Release Day, Jody! :D

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Jane! Aw, I love the virtual hug! Just caught it! :-) And make sure you have more than one cupcake! Aren't they absolutely lovely? I'm thrilled they turned out so well. They were super easy to bake! ;-) Thanks for always being such an encouragement to me!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you, Lady Jai! Hope you enjoy your copy of The Preacher's Bride! (Thanks for that shout out earlier today on Twitter!)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Yay, Release Day!!!!! Sending many happy thoughts your way, Jody!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sending many hugs back your way, Heather!!!! ((((HUG)))) :-)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Jody, I love your prizes--very creative and appealing to this history and antique-loving reader! I know your contest will be lots of fun and I'm looking forward to reading my own copy of The Doctor's Lady!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi Rosslyn! Thank you so much, my dear! I'm thrilled with the help that PulsePoint has been to me in this contest! They've gone above and beyond the call of duty to make this contest so special for me! I hope you're having wonderful success with your contest too!!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Congrats! Great prizes. You're doing amazing work! I have to grab my copy this week :)

    Blessings to you!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Brooks! Thanks for stopping by the par-tay! :-) And I appreciate your kind words about my work. I'm trying to do the very best I can in all things! Blessings back at you!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Congrats Jody, thanks for the cupcakes and have a lovely day.

    Great ideas for prizes for your trailblazer contest. Can you put it in a link so we can share it on Twitter? I can't put it on my sidebar on Wordpress at all. I'm such a technophobe :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Congrats Jody, thanks for the cupcakes and have a lovely day.

    Great ideas for prizes for your trailblazer contest. Can you put it in a link so we can share it on Twitter? I can't put it on my sidebar on Wordpress at all. I'm such a technophobe :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Catherine! I will make sure to check with my digital team to find out if that's somewhere within the contest pages. I know they do have something that goes to Twitter. But maybe they could get it on the first contest page too! Great suggestion! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Congratulations on the release of The Doctor's Lady! I can hardly wait to read it!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Congratulations, Jody! I loved your first book.

    I already bought TDL from Amazon(along with Rosslyn's - Fairer Than Morning)and will be reading both this month.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi Heather and Loree! Thank you for your congrats!! Appreciate your kind words today! Many days of happy reading to both of you! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Congratulations on your release, Jody! I'm thrilled for you.

    I love how the giveaway items tie into the story. Just wait until readers discover the part the pemmican plays. =)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hahaha! You're right, Keli! I'm not so sure whomever wins the prize will want to actually eat the Pemmican bars! Especially once they discover how Priscilla and Eli made pemmican! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  37. Congratulations, Jodi, on your release day! And how thoughtful and sweet of you to not only offer The Preacher’s Bride for free during this special time but to put together the most intriguing and thematic contest giveaway I’ve ever seen. I’m hopping over to read your guest posts. :)

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hi Michelle! So glad you like the theme of the contest! I really love it too! Thanks for joining in the fun and reading some of the guest posts!

    ReplyDelete
  39. AWESOME event, Jody! And super-huge congratulations! I'm so excited for you, and so excited to get a free copy of Preacher's Bride. I've wanted to read it for so long. What a great reason to move it to the top of the TBR pile. *hugs*!!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hi Michelle! Super-huge thank you for your excitement and congratulations and for coming to the party today! :-) I'm thrilled that you'll finally get the chance to read The Preacher's Bride! Now I'll be crossing my fingers that you enjoy it! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Exciting to hear of release and now your contests. I got Preacher's Bride on my iPod for a re-read. Thanks for all the encouragement your blog and books give for real-life living a God Honoring life.
    Donna Czerepinski

    ReplyDelete
  42. Congratulations, Jody! I am so excited for you. I can't wait to read this book!

    I'll be visiting some of your blog spots. Great contest, too!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Thank you, Donna! Glad you have The Preacher's Bride for your i-pod for a re-read! Thanks for stopping by my party and for encouraging me! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  44. Hi Suzie! Great to see you! Hope you'll have the chance to pick up my new book at some point and that you'll enjoy it! Wishing you all the best in your end of the writing world! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  45. Congratulations, Jody!! I can't wait for my copy of The Doctor's Lady to ship. :)

    ReplyDelete
  46. Thank you so much, Bridgette! I'm so grateful for all of the encouragement and support! Hope you'll get your book soon!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Question: Did your publisher/publicist set up your book signing? What are your thoughts for authors who have to set them up themselves?

    ReplyDelete
  48. Hi Gina,
    I think every book signing is going to be different depending on the publishing house and the bookstore. My publicist is always so willing to help me. She put together my invitations, sent books for the giveaway, sent announcements out to the papers, etc. She really does a lot for me. But I know that's not always the case for every publisher. And not every bookstore is as helpful either. Mine is a locally owned store, and they really go all out for their events in promoting it. So that helps too!

    ReplyDelete
  49. If you are looking for a good contextual advertising network, I recommend you take a peek at ExoClick.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Nice Post thanks, This time to take advantage of Power Washing Services in Sacramento CA visit for more details.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Your book is so informative and interested. I will try to read the complete book. I really like your post. Furthermore if you are worried about roofer repairing, then I suggest you to hire Roofer Repair Service in Denver CO for outstanding work. Our expert team provide complete solution in short time.

    ReplyDelete

© All the articles in this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without prior written consent from the author. You may quote without permission if you give proper credit and links. Thank you!