A special announcement - updated

[Updated 23/3 with new rules!]

With all the (very wise) social distancing going on at the moment, we can't help feeling for all those authors launching books into this chaos.

What should be a celebratory time is now one of uncertainty, as launch parties, signings and other promotional events are cancelled. And while we fully support putting people's health above everything else, we want to try and give those authors a bit of a lift. Plus, potentially add to our TBR piles! Any excuse, right?

So... over the next few weeks we're going to run some competitions/giveaways. Each one will last a day. And at the end of each day someone will win a book or two. (With prizes donated by the AMAZING Angry Robot and SUPER literary agent Sara Megibow and we might throw in one or two as well!)

In case you were wondering what this blog post is all about. (Also the only decent stock image I can find right now.)

The rules? (Updated)

1. We'll let you know in advance (on Twitter) what day the competition will be running and what the prize is.

2. We will confirm what category we're supporting for that day's competition. This could be either debuts or general new releases - or both! - launching between February up to (and including) September 2020.

3. On the day of the competition, we want to see your support for one of those books! Be as creative or as simple as you want. Just tag us into tweets (for example):

• telling us why you can't wait to read that book;

• pledging that you're going to add it to your TBR whenever you get the chance;

• letting us know you intend to order it at your local library;

• saying you've added it to Goodreads; or

• simply giving it a shoutout with a handy link.

The day after the event, we'll then pick a winner or two (depending on the number of prizes on offer) from all those participating! This choice will be made by our team (Dan, Kathryn, and Audra *waves*) and we'll be looking for those who really get into the spirit of the event.

NOTE: You DO NOT have to purchase a book to be eligible, but obviously if you did then that would be amazing and we're absolutely sure the authors will appreciate hearing about it. :)

And, as always, PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES WHERE POSSIBLE! They need our help more than ever.

That's it for now. Follow us on Twitter and keep an eye out for the date of the first competition coming soon...

- Team OcTBR