Are YOU, the AVERAGE READER, the PERSON IN THE STREET, the EVERYDAY FOLK, sick of seeing SMARMY INDUSTRY INSIDERS, ARTSY-FARTSY CRITICS, and even worse, SELF-CONGRATULATING BLOGGERS, boast about receiving advance reader copies of the latest, keenly awaited books of your favourite authors, when you know YOU WANT THEM MORE?
I offer you, JOE PUBLIC, the chance to strike a blow for the COMMON MAN (or woman) against the FACELESS MACHINE OF THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY.
Over the next 3 months, I shall be giving away THREE, yes THREE BOUND PROOFS of the forthcoming Last Argument of Kings, final gripping installment in The First Law Trilogy, days, weeks, and yes, months prior to publication in March 2008.
As if this were not enough of a stab in the eye for JOHNNY PROFESSIONAL CRITIC, these books shall also be SIGNED by me, the author, DATED on the first day they reach my sticky hand, and LINED in my own handwriting with an inscription of your own personal choice (within reason – nothing unseemly/legally compromising). All delivered to your front door, anywhere on Planet Earth (again within reason) at the expense of my dark masters at Gollancz.
You LUCKY B*STARDS.
The rules of this game are simple.
1. Send an e-mail to comp[at]joeabercrombie[dot]com (replacing the [at] and [dot] with the relevant symbols). This e-mail should contain your name (fake names are acceptable), your e-mail address (fake e-mail addresses are not acceptable), and, to deter spammers and the unworthy, a completion of this sentence. “I deserve a proof of Last Argument of Kings because …”
2. That’s it. That’s all you have to do. At the end of October (if proofs are ready by then) I shall dig my old ten-sided dice from the cupboard and use them to randomly select the first winner. They shall receive an e-mail requesting a postal address and desired inscription, and, shortly thereafter (we hope) their proof will drop into their mailbox. At the end of November I shall again randomly select a winner. At the end of December, in celebration of my birthday, I shall select the answer to the sentence “I deserve a proof of Last Argument of Kings because …” that makes me laugh/cry/otherwise pleases me the most. The author of that sentence shall receive the final proof.
*PLEASE NOTE THAT: All duplicate applications, spam, overlong nonsense and other frippery shall be consigned to the flames of Mount Doom. I, Joe Abercrombie, refuse to be held legally responsible for anything, and retain the right to blame any/everything on my editor, Gillian Redfearn and/or my webguy, Ariel.
Enjoy…
14 comments so far
Yay!
My cyberstalking has come to fruition after all – a competition to get my grubby little mitts on the third installment of your most excellent series.
Because yes, I’m a (below) average reader. And yes, I’m into striking a blow for the common man. And, goddamnit, yes, I’m a lucky b’stard and deserve everything I can get my paws on!
Ojrngo wann jflsu lsuue ksur f sfo alsj eivnla aoeil ?????!
On reading this blog I had such an adrenaline rush over the magnitude of this once in a lifetime opportunity, I am not only lost for words but can’t even hit the right keys.
I am off to lie down in a small dark room, with a large chilled vodka, for a short wee while, to calm my thoughts.
Oh My!
I hope (in-keeping with the genre) you are going to use blood and not ink?
Bob,
In keeping with my own unique take on the genre, I shall be using my old ten sided dice to determine which of a range of bodily fluids shall be used in place of ink.
Hmm… you’re gonna need a bigger dice I reckon then, Joe. I’ve counted up to a dozen possibles already and that’s not including breast milk. You’re not lactating at the moment are you?
Hah! Now all I need is another quiet week or two in the office to work out a decent entry.
Time to expel my trainee, lock the door and feign madness.
Hey, thanks Joe.. I think it’s awesome that you’re doing this.
Bob,
Don’t worry about a dice shortage. I have all the dice a man could ever need.
Beefeater,
Are you sure you’ll have to FEIGN madness?
Taco,
Correct. It is awesome.
Ahhhhh, the pressure! Oh wait, ten sided dice = random, right?
But yes, I am a self-satisfied blogger who really really wants to read the next book.
I suppose I should save this for the email. But my inner spaz is acting up and I don’t know what to do with it.
Joe, you should focus on your writing and let me take care of those giveaways!:p
Let’s see…
How about: …because I’d feel special for once and most of my friends from the UK would probably want to kill me, so this would be a fitting compensation for never being able to set foot there again?
And last but not least, because I want it? :p
Can we enter more than once? Please say we can…
xx
I hope I win. I could really use some luck right now.