Contest: win free books!

The contest is now closed. This year's winners were Stephen D., Boulder, CO (print book), Julia B., Bristol UK (eBook) and Michele R., San Diego, CA (eBook). Congratulations to all the winners! The next contest will likely be held in December 2012.

To continue the holiday tradition from 2008, 2009 and 2010, I will again be giving out two electronic copies of my book "Reviving the Broken Marionette: Treatments for CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia". This time I am also giving out one print copy, if there are at least 20 entries. I have also added a new rule to the contest, which enables you to get a second "ticket" (though you can still enter just like before, just by sending me an email). See below for the rules.

The eBook version is not an "ordinary" eBook - most eBooks tend to be more like PowerPoint presentations with very little actual content. This is simply the electronic version of the 346-page book that features over 250 medications that can be used to treat chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, fibromyalgia and related conditions, such as migraines, neuropathic pain, myofascial pain, temporomandibular pain, IBS and some autoimmune diseases. So, even if you do not have CFS/ME or fibromyalgia, you might benefit from it.

The eBook is a normal PDF file, which can be printed and it should be compatible with all screen readers. It is about 1.3 MB in size, so it can be downloaded fairly quickly even on dialup.

All contest entries will be kept confidential. Your email address will not be used for any marketing or other unsolicited purposes. All emails received will be deleted after the prizes have been delivered to the winners. By default your name will be published on this page if you win (e.g. "Lisa W., Munich, Germany"), but if you do not like this, add the word "ANON" somewhere in your contest entry. If you want I can also link to your website/blog if you win (as long as it does not contain any questionable content, such as pornography or MLM marketing).

If you want a guaranteed copy, buy yours now! The book would also make a great Christmas present for anyone with CFS/ME and fibromyalgia - or your doctor.

Contest rules

  • Everyone is eligible to enter, no matter your age or where in the world you live (unless you live in a state or country where, say, people under a certain age cannot legally participate in contests or contests like this are forbidden altogether). However, if you win a print copy, you have to be able to give your postal address to send it to. A person entering the contest may have either one or two lottery tickets depending on how they enter. (Having two tickets doubles your chances of winning compared to one.)
  • You can get one ticket to the contest by sending email to book@brokenmarionettebook.com with the subject line "CONTEST ENTRY". Please include your name and your location (city and country/state), though this is not mandatory. Keep in mind that if I cannot contact you via this email address, your prize cannot be delivered.
  • You can get another ticket to the contest by advertising either this contest or the Reviving the Broken Marionette book (as in, mentioning them and including a link) somewhere in public where it is appropriate, e.g. on Facebook, Twitter, your blog or a CFS/ME/fibromyalgia/chronic pain forum/newsletter. In that case include a link to this "advertisement" in your email (see above). If you have e.g. a protected Twitter/Facebook account I cannot necessarily verify your entry, but I will take your word for it. You can only get one extra ticket to the lottery even if you advertise in several places.
  • All entries must be received by December 22nd 2011, 23:59 CST (that's US Central Time, eight hours behind GMT).
  • There will be at least two (2) prizes of one (1) electronic (PDF) copy of the book "Reviving the Broken Marionette: Treatments for CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia", worth $13.50. If there are at least 20 entries, I will also give out one (1) print copy of the same book, worth $23.95. One entrant can only win one prize (even if they have two tickets). The prizes can not be exchanged for money or other products. The winners of the electronic copy agree not to distribute this book outside of their households, as that would be in violation of copyright (you are allowed to give an electronic copy or print material from the book to your medical professional, however).
  • The winners will be decided by a random draw, which depending on the number of entries/tickets will be conducted either by a paper ballot or by computer-generated random numbers.*

* If you wish to insist that computer-generated numbers are pseudo-random, feel free to, but they are random enough for this purpose.