How to Run a Book Giveaway!

As many of you know, I had a book release this week--Bayou Myth! Bayou Myth is a young adult horror novel set in Louisiana. It's about Joan Renault--a teenage voodoo queen in the making-- and her struggle to fight off the contents of Pandora's Jar once they are unleashed. I'm currently on a virtual book tour with the novel and so far, I am really pleased with the reviews. As part of my book tour, I'm doing an ebook giveaway using Rafflecopter. Interested in getting your own free ebook of Bayou Myth? Then hop over to my blog, LOESCH'S MUSE, and enter today!

Okay, now that I've got the shameless self promotion out of the way, let's move on to today's topic: running a giveaway. It probably doesn't seem all that difficult, but I've discovered that in order to be fair to your readers there are a few tips to follow.

1. If you can, offer more than one copy of the book. Sometimes publishers, especially small press, will frown on this, but I think you should push the boundaries as much as possible. The idea is to get your name out there! So be in a giving mood!

2. Don't rely on blog comments to help you pick a winner. Some people are too shy to leave a comment, but they really want to a shot at winning.

Which brings me to tip 3.

3. Use Rafflecopter. It's a pretty simple way to set up a giveaway. All you do is go to the Rafflecopter website, sign up for free, and then customize your giveaway. The directions for how to put it on your blog are pretty easy to follow. The great thing is that you look so much more professional when you use this particular tool.

Try it on your own blog and let me know how it works for you!