From The Contest Queen

I have been asked what is the difference between the Canadian and American Editions of my book. Well, I didn’t intend to write two books. It just worked out that way.

When I first had the idea for my book I had no idea where to start. A colleague who had written a marketing book told me, “Create the Table of Contents and keep writing.” So I did.

While I was doing research, I discovered the Annual National Sweepstakes Convention held every summer in the United States. In 2005, I contacted the committee that was running the convention, bought passes for my husband and I along with wrangling myself a speaking spot.

I was not prepared for what I found. What I found was 600 kindred spirits. For the first time in my life I felt as if I belonged. What a great feeling! (As good as a win!) I also discovered many differences between Canadian “contestors” and American “sweepers”, the first being the lingo. The second is; Americans must pay income tax on all their winnings. Plus all the online resources are different. From that point forward It became obvious to me I had to write two separate editions of my book.

Being Canadian I finished the Canadian Edition first, published in March of 2006. Then I began on the American Edition. I thought I could write it in six months. I finished it in 18 months. (Adding in a six month hiatus to run a convention. What was I thinking?!). The American Edition was published in April 2008.

Technology moves so quickly I would like to update the Canadian Edition before I begin writing my third book (working title) How To Create A Promotion From The Outside In. It will be for marketers and how they can avoid the errors we entrants see in promotions, over and over again.

I would also like to write a fourth book on LUCK.

Now I only need to clear my desk, the big pile of filing, the backlog of emails in my inbox, and catch up on my contesting….

I announced my first blog contest yesterday. WOW, what a great response! I think I am having as much fun running the contest as I do entering them! (Maybe I’ll do this once a month?!)

I am LOVING all the great comments. (I read each one to ensure nothing offensive has been written before approving it.) Such fun stories about prizes, adventures or various perspectives on the hobby.

I did want to post some replies to a few of the comments. If you are new to my blog, I do offer many free contesting and sweepstaking resources on my Contest Queen website. I also write a free bi-weekly e-newsletter and host a free bi-weekly online radio show (which is now also podcast on iTunes).

Many people are stating that they rarely win, never win or only win small prizes. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” If you think you rarely win, or you won’t win, you won’t. I say, “Half the hobby is in your head.” You have to think you are lucky and you have to think you are a winner (and believe it) before you are lucky and a winner. I expect to win and therefore I do. I recommend reading, (besides my book of course) The Law of Attraction by Michael Losier. His book is a simple step-by-step how-to book vs. The Secret which many people find overwhelming or sometimes confusing if they are new to the concept of you attract into one’s life what you think about most.

GOOD LUCK to all!

At first glance the headline may not seem to be true. I ran a contest last week and Kay won tickets to see $5 a Day from the TIFF. I feel the headline is true because this is, what I believe, to be what a real blog contest is; post a prize, ask for comments, draw a winner. I am keeping my first one very simple. Simple is good.

Who can enter? Anyone.

How does one enter? By submitting a comment to this blog post. No comment will be judged, so essays are not required. Have fun as that is what this hobby is all about! One entry per person please.

When does it end? The contest closes at 11:59pm Eastern Time on Friday September 19th.

The prize? An autographed copy of my book, You Can’t Win If You Don’t Enter. The winner will have their choice of either the American or Canadian edition.

I will choose the winner the same way I do for all my prize draws. I will use random number generating software to select an entrant.

GOOD LUCK!!

Journalist Natalie Pompilio wrote a great article about sweepstaking that appeared in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer.

Read full article here.

After interviewing Helen Hadsell on my radio show and reading her books, I created a list of very specific goals, desires, dreams and wishes.

One of those goals is to be a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I am sending an information package, including a copy of my book, to her Human Interest department. I would also appreciate your help getting on her show. Please email Ellen with your wonderful show idea, ME! Thank you.

Joe Vitale wrote in his book Zero Limits that the best things that have happened to him in life he never could have planned for. He was inspired to take action but his amazing results came from unexpected places.

So, please also email the following shows, as you never know which door will open. (I am mailing each of them a copy of my book too.)

The Bonnie Hunt Show

The Late Show
email Mike at: mbuczkiewicz@cbs.com

The Late Late Show

Live with Regis and Kelly

The Maury Show

Oprah

The Rachel Ray Show

The Tyra Banks Show

Thanks again!!

I was organizing all the photos from the convention this weekend and I found photos of many familiar faces (to me). I thought you would like to meet some of the people behind the links on my website.

Meet (from L-R) Joyce Gilliam of Alaska Cyber N Gifts, Al Sayward of CJ’s Designer Envelopes, Carol Calvin of Elegant Envelopes, Jennifer Day of Print My 3×5s, Amy Kincade of Savvy Sweepers, Al Sayward Jr. of The Sweeper Times and Victoria Barber of Victoria’s Handprinting Service.

There is a new film out of interest to contestors; $5 a Day.

In one of the most charming and heartfelt performances of his career, Christopher Walken a free-spirited hustler named Nat who claims to the world that he can live on five dollars a day. His ramshackle apartment is a veritable warehouse of freebies, coupons and contest prizes, not the least of which is bubblegum pink and white Sweet’n’Low car that he won free use of for a year. (Nat has mastered the art of speed for radio contests!)

None of this bounty has helped him repair his fractured relationship with his son Flynn (Alessandro Nivola), who has not spoken to his father in years because of a lifetime’s worth of resentment’s and bitterness. When Flynn discovers that his father might be terminally ill, the father and son reconcile briefly in order for Flynn to drive his father to New Mexico for an experimental treatment—and so begins one of the craziest road trips in recent cinema.

The movie is being launched at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and they have donated a set of tickets as a prize!! So, if you live in the GTA, and wish to see the film, send an email to enterme@contestqueen.com with $5 a Day in the subject line, with your full name and address before Midnight tonight (Friday September 5th), to be entered to win the tickets for tomorrow night (Saturday September 6th @ 6:45pm @ the Scotiabank Theatre, 259 Richmond St. W.). The draw will be made tomorrow morning. The tickets will be at the Will Call box office.

Also, visit the TIFF promotions page as there heaps of other contests currently running.

Sunday morning began with a Pinata Party. Twelve people were called up to the front, a designated pinata smasher broke the pinata and each person grabbed one of the eggs that rolled out. They won was was written on the little piece of paper that was inside.

We then watched videos of big winners including Jon of Natick, MA a finalist in the Pepsi Billions sweepstakes. Very nail-biting. No, he didn’t win the billion, but he did win a million!

It was announced that the 2010 Annual National Sweepstakes Convention will be held on the Labour Day weekend in Bloomington MN. I’ll post the details as soon as they are available.

Then we had all the editors of America’s most popular newsletters answer questions, panel-style.

Brent Riley & Kerrie Bloss of Online-Sweepstakes.Com
Carol McLaughlin of This N’ That Sweepstakes Stuff Newsletter
Patti Osterheld of SweepSheet
Judy McCurdy of Sweeping America
Al Sayward Jr. aka. “Captian Jack” of The Sweeper Times

The last game played was Keyturn. Ten players came up, selected a key and won what was behind the door their key opened.

We closed with a big YEE-HA!

See you in New Hampshire for a Star Spangled Celebration!!

We are back at home safe and sound getting Nicole ready for her first day of school. We were so busy and had so much fun in Texas, I was not able to blog as often as I would have liked. I will continue to document our adventures at the 19th ANSC even though, like most of you, we are now back to our “regular” routine.

Saturday started with a surprise guest; Santa! Did you know he spends his summer vacations in Texas? I would too if I lived at the North Pole! (Notice his belt buckle even says SANTA.)

His elves passed out candy canes and a present for each table which one person won.

He also administered the Grand Prize Draws, Santa-style. All the prizes were wrapped and under the tree. If your name was called, you got to go up and select any gift you wished. Very exciting.

After all the gifts were passed out we had a fantastic Tex-Mex buffet lunch.

Followed by a Q&A session with Jeffrey Feinman. What I found the most interesting was that almost all the questions asked were the exact same ones I had sweepstakes marketing companies and promotional lawyers answered in my book.

We left when the raffles drawings began to spend extra time with Nicole at the pool as we did not participate in any of the raffles. Why not? They are only applicable to Americans as the prizes are stamps, envelopes, etc.

Back to the Riverwalk for dinner.  We managed to talk Nicole into eating Italian for one night followed by a big scoop of Blue Bell ice cream.

Friday morning started off with a really fun game called “Give’m the Boot”! Twelve names were drawn and the first player got to sit in seat #1. Then the other eleven players rolled a set of Texas-sized dice. If the player got doubles, they got to roll again. They then rolled one die and if they got a one then they would give the first player the boot. If not, then they won a custom painted boot with a prize inside.

Then Jeffery Feinman, former President of Ventura Associates and author of The Prize Winners Handbook, spoke about the hobby from a marketer’s perspective.

After a quick lunch we came back for session of the nail-biting Deal or No Deal. To make the game even more interesting, Brent Riley, owner of Online-Sweepstakes.Com, matched dollar for dollar, whatever each contestant won.