Giving Away 3,000 Copies of a Book, Part 2

Dare I show my face in the coffee shop? It's been over a month since I've come in. Anyone who has spent time in a hospital emergency room, doctors' offices and surgery waiting room will understand when I tell you that I would much rather have spent time with you than in the places I've been frequenting. I'm glad to be back.

Now to catch up.

I want to share with you some of the things I've done in giving away copies of my book. (As of today, I've given away 2,641 copies.)

1. I keep an eye open for unexpected opportunities. I attended a women's prayer group where I met the director for one of the local National Day of Prayer events. I gave her two cases to give away at the event. When I heard about our local Christian radio station's fund-raiser, I gave them a case to give as thank you gifts for volunteers.
   
2. I give a copy to my neighbors. One of my neighbors took twelve for the prayer group at her church.
   
3. I offer a copy to the people with whom I do business. The bank teller to whom I gave one copy eventually took 100 for her church. One of the clerks at the drugstore has given away at least 150.
   
4. I sent a copy to the people on my Christmas card list. Distant relatives and old friends were happy to get a copy of my book.
   
5. I gave away copies through Goodreads.com and LibraryThing.com. These give-away programs resulted in terrific reviews and ratings. Copies have gone to Canada, Malaysia, India, and other countries.
   
6. I look for ministries that could use my book. A pastor in Oregon is using twenty copies to teach a Sunday School class. A women's prison ministry in Massachusetts took 100 copies to use in their correspondence class on prayer. A friend took sixty copies to Haiti for teaching English in a private high school.
   
7. I ask for help. When I give away one book, I always asked the person to help me give away more. That resulted in my sister's church giving away 150 on Mother's Day. A close friend has given away almost 300 copies.
   
8. I give away copies at prayer workshops. Two family members and I hold prayer workshops around the city. I include a free copy of the book for each person who attends.
   

Conventional wisdom says that giving away my book would devalue it. I have found the opposite to be true. People in whom the prayers strike a spark value it highly and want their friends to have a copy. This ripple effect of a reader sharing the news with others pushes me toward my goal of giving away 3,000 copies of Changing Me, Change the World.

If you want a free copy, send me an email (at lynndaell [at] live [dot] com), with "Coffee House" in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body of the message.