Shard & Shield: Preorders & Loot & Charity

Today is the official start of Shard & Shield‘s preorder countdown, and I’ve got goodies to share!

Got a minute? Let me tell you about what’s available if you order your copy in advance. Bonus: You get the sadistic glee of watching me try to be all professional as cold rain intensifies. (It’s winter in New Zealand, where I recorded this just a couple weeks ago.)

(video removed, see important charity update )

Too long? Got distracted watching me get rained on? Here’s the breakdown:

  • I have stuff to give away for every preorder and stuff to win for preordering
  • with the bonus prequel, you’ll get 150,000 words of epic fantasy for just $1.99
  • and [see important charity update]

Here’s How To Get Sweet Preorder Loot

Forward your preorder receipt (from any authorized retailer) to [email protected]. This will get you a return email linking you to a special advance purchase swag bag with:

  • cool new character art
  • a full-color digital map of Chrenada and the surrounding lands
  • a prequel story (novelette, really)
  • and most exciting, you’ll help [a charity] fight human trafficking and chattel slavery, as [see important charity update]

It was through research for Shard & Shield that I actually first learned of how persistent and prevalent slavery still is. So let’s celebrate the book’s release by doing something about that.

And More Sweet Preorder Loot

By sending that email, you’ll also be entered to win one of three limited-edition collections of loot:

  • a small crystal Shard fragment of your own
  • a lovely printed map
  • gorgeous character cards featuring that cool new art
  • a personalized signed paperback of Shard & Shield

(Fine print: Note that [the charity] is not a sponsor of this giveaway, does not endorse Shard & Shield or me personally, and generally is not legally involved. We’re just giving them money, that’s all. Note also that physical swag boxes are officially limited to the USA for shipping considerations.)

Get Your Inbox Ready

In Gmail, for example, you can click the flag, the star, or both to help keep future similar emails out of the spam filter.

Make sure you can receive the email. After you submit your preorder receipt, you’ll receive an immediate response. (Well, “immediate” depending on current server traffic, but usually within 20 minutes.)

Make sure you whitelist to train your software to deliver my message properly. You can also open that email message and star it, mark it important, put on flag on it, do whatever your email service prefers to make sure similar messages don’t get filtered as spam, or you won’t receive your goodies or any winning notification. Note too that you are not subscribing to any long-term list; your email will be deleted after the preorder drawings.

Get Swag On The Cheap

Are you a student? On a limited income? Did someone already clean the change from your couch cushions? Do you just plain not have two bucks? No worries! You can still join the preorder swag club—just forward, instead of your purchase receipt, a screen-cap or other evidence of your purchase request at your local library (any format, paperback, ebook, audio).

Ask them to buy the book and you get the loot. Such a deal!

Any Format

Yes, I know many sites allow preorders only for ebooks, but maybe you want a paperback. I got you covered!

Forward your purchase receipt for a paperback purchased on July 2, release day, and it’ll still count for preorder swag. But you gotta move quickly, because preorder loot orders close at the end of release day, Laura-time. Put it on your calendar. (Friends in Asia and Oceania, you effectively have a bonus day! But don’t procrastinate too long.) Worried about time? Submit a library purchase request to guarantee your spot on the list.

Audio fans…. This one’s a little tougher, because I can’t rush audiobook approval any faster than the distributors choose, and they can sometimes take weeks to finalize. If you are waiting for the audiobook, I hear you and I appreciate you! Go ahead and make a library request for Shard & Shield and enter with that, which won’t cost you anything, and it might actually get you a free download from your library!

But wait, there’s more!

Tell a friend about Shard & Shield, and you’ll get additional entries to win one of five more boxes of physical loot. With lots of ways to share, there are lots of ways to win. You can claim your chances via the Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are (counting quickly on fingers) about 50-70 more chances to win the five extra boxes of Shard & Shield swag by sharing, so put the odds in your favor.

Okay, I hope that’s all clear, and I hope you’re anticipating too. Just two weeks until release day! /excited dancing/

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3 Comments

  1. I pre-ordered with iBooks, but I will not get any proof of my pre-order until I can download the book. What do I do?

    • Thanks for ordering, Susan!

      Does iBooks not send a confirmation email? Or does the preorder show in your account history? A forwarded email or a screenshot are both fine. If that doesn’t work, talk to me. :)

  2. Hey, just discovered your blog! nice content, keep on writing! ;-))

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