# From the Author of "Three Minutes More" -- $20 Amazon Gift Certificate Contest



## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

Dear Kindle Readers,

With the new royalty structure in place, I’m hoping give a little something back to the very generous Kindle community. To that end, I’m holding a contest to give away Amazon $20 gift cards. No purchase is necessary, and I will guarantee at least 2 winners.

The contest will be dynamic. For every 20 sales my book generates, another gift card will be generated. At the end of the July, I will post all entrants in alphabetical order with a corresponding number. I will put the number of entrants into a random number generator, and it will choose the winner(s). 

I currently have only three data points, averaging about 80 sales per month on the Kindle. If that holds true, I’d expect to give away a minimum of 4 cards at the end of the month.

Rules of the contest will be as follows:

1. If you are selected as a winner, you agree to use a small portion ($3.00) to purchase and read  
   Indie authors.

2. You agree to purchase one Indie-authored book outside of your typical genre. This can be the       
   same book as indicated in #1.

3. You agree not to skewer me if not selected as a winner.

Please have no illusions – the end goal of this promotion is to generate interest in my work. But I am also abundantly aware that when readers find that rare gem, they enthusiastically pass it along. I believe my work falls into the “rare gem” category. So much so, I’m willing to put money on it! 

Again, no purchase is necessary to enter, and purchasing will not increase your chances of winning. This is meant for all Kindle owners - the most generous, open group of readers out there. That said, I’d like to keep this as “strictly Kindle” as I can. 

If you’re interested, please feel free to sign up on this thread, and tell your fellow Kindlers!

Regards,

Ed O’Dell


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## ReeseReed (Dec 5, 2009)

This sounds like something I might enjoy.  Going to sample now.


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

ReeseReed (and all others):

Thank you for taking a look! Please don't use the paperback's "look inside" to make a determination. It seems to have incorporated three different font sizes, rendering it incoherent. I'm working with Amazon to get that corrected (It is all supposed to be 12 pt. font).

Here is a link to smashwords, where you can sample up to 25% of the book. It is listed there at $1.49, and I have formatted it into all formats, but I've heard that Amazon's .dtf does it a bit better: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11544

I hope you'll be as moved in reading as I was in writing it!

Sincerely,

Ed O'Dell


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## Jamezwudz (Mar 28, 2010)

Any body know if this is a true story?


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## 3pointers (Jan 8, 2010)

What's the difference between the $.99 and $1.99 kindle versions?  They both are the same size.


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

All,

I thought that the $0.99 had been "unpublished." Please accept my apologies. They are the same file. Naturally, I'd hope that you'd select the $1.99 version, but since you've pointed this out, I will continue to leave it up through tomorrow also.

To Skaterhater: It is a true story.

Regards,

Ed O'Dell


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## Jamezwudz (Mar 28, 2010)

Damn good book! Can't believe I got it for 1.99. Are you planning on raising the prices soon? I have to let a whole host of friends know.


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

sk8trh8tr,

First, thanks for the kudos. 

I have no immediate plans to raise the price on the digital version. I have been reading that Amazon will be making $2.99 as a minimum sometime in the near future. My initial goals are to garner as many reviews (hopefully yours too), and get the word out.

If the rumors are true on Amazon raising its minimum, does anyone know when that'll take effect?


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

Hi All,

Last time I posted this, you gentle readers really drove this up the charts!

#3 in  Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Parenting & Families > Family Relationships > Dysfunctional Relationships 
#7 in  Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Nonfiction > True Accounts > Murder & Mayhem 
#11 in  Books > Parenting & Families > Family Relationships > Dysfunctional Relationships 

I thank you for your wonderful support! Now, how to get to number 1 in "Murder and Mayhem?" Thoughts? And before you "go there," I'm not gonna go and commit one!


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

My first "professional" independent review! 


A Disturbing Must Read, April 21, 2010 
By  The Book Journal "The Book Journal" (New York) - See all my reviews 

This review is from: Three Minutes More (Paperback) 
AMAZING- 

This is how you should feel after reading a book. I can't shake the imagery from my mind or the feeling of what I wanted to do to that mother each time she beat her kids. 

Edward O'Dell manages to write a fiction story with a memoir emotion. This book punches you in the stomach and leaves you gasping for air long after you finish reading it. It's perfect, appalling, heart-breaking, disgusting and raw. If I could I would give this author a standing ovation. 

While this is a fiction work, the author has managed to make this personal for each person that comes across it. His writing, through the eyes of one of the children, is written from the POV of a child. He nailed this. Out of the park. The words used, the chapter lengths, the perception of events...I loved it. 

I have to have this book at my store. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I now have no choice but to raise my kindle price to something higher than $9.99.


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

With RedAdept's review today...this deserves to get bumped up.  Well done Ed.


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## Louann Carroll (Feb 24, 2010)

Congratulations! What a wonderful review.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I was almost embarrassed by how gushing Red Adept was. You clearly touched at least one reader, good sir.

David Dalglish


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

Wow! I just got home from work, checked my sales, and thought there must have been a glitch. I completely forgot it was Friday. Does RedAdept know how much power she wields? 

Anyway, thanks to the community for your support and to Nathan for bumping. I'm happy that people are as moved in reading it as I was in writing it.

As you'll read in my question and answer session, the book drained me. These last two days have really given me renewed vigor.

You guys rock!


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Red wields great power. I can attest to that after receiving a 5 star review for my first book. Had my best sales day ever by far. I'm hoping that, in time, her audience keeps growing at an exponential rate.

David Dalglish


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

"It's perfect, appalling, heart-breaking, disgusting, raw. He nailed this. Out of the park. If I could I would give this author a standing ovation" - The Book Journal.

Michael Steven's already troubled young life has taken a sudden, dramatic turn. Severely injured, he will need a miracle if he is to survive the night.

Reflecting on the evening's horrific events, wondering if could have altered them in any way, his thoughts begin to drift. He begin to contemplating his remarkable life, his dysfunctional family, and the possibility that he may have to soon answer for his life to God.

In recalling some of the most amusing, bizarre, distressing and disturbing times of his life, he comes to understand "the monster you know is easier to deal with than the monster you don't."

Will he get the miracle he needs, and make it until morning? If he does make it, will he finally find peace? Find out here: http://www.amazon.com/Three-Minutes-More-ebook/dp/B003B3JA

Following the first two chapters, in which Mike introduces you to his family and the shack, the book reads very quickly, with each chapter distinctly different than any other. His life a seemingly endless paradox, Mike is hardened by the cruelty of living many unsettling experiences, yet still views the world through the eyes of an innocent eleven year old. Here are two sample chapters (Mike's recollections):

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12492
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12496

Laugh. Cry. Get angry. Cheer. Reflect.

Ed O'Dell
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Minutes-More-ebook/dp/B003B3JA


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Get your The Indie Spotlight daily on your Kindle
Today's featured author at the Indie Spotlight is

Monday: Edward R. O'Dell - Three Minutes More

http://www.theindiespotlight.com

Come up and read and leave a comment.

Edward C. Patterson
& Gregory B. Banks


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

The more I read this, the more I think it might be my best review...


By Gina (Ohio, United States) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Three Minutes More (Kindle Edition)
I don't normally write reviews, but I had to give this author props. I listened to this entire book with Text to Speech on the Kindle. Even through a robotic and emotionless voice, the story gripped me and wouldn't let go. The personalities shone through anyway. When the story ended, and the TTS voice stopped, the silence was deafening. This book, although a disturbing subject matter, was a very easy read. Meaning, there are no flowery or wordy sentences. The narrator is a young boy, and the vocabulary is what you would expect from an average person that age. I was pulled into the story of this abused young man, and I am still thinking of him over a week later. Worth every penny I paid and then some. Thanks for one of the best books I've read this year.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Great review, Ed, but just a gentle reminder that we do ask you NOT to copy reviews here.  You may certainly post a link. . . .folks can easily find it that way. . . .


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

Dear Kindle Readers,

With the new royalty structure in place, I’m hoping give a little something back to the very generous Kindle community. To that end, I’m holding a contest to give away Amazon $20 gift cards. No purchase is necessary, and I will guarantee at least 2 winners.

The contest will be dynamic. For every 20 sales my book generates, another gift card will be generated. At the end of the July, I will post all entrants in alphabetical order with a corresponding number. I will put the number of entrants into a random number generator, and it will choose the winners. 

I currently have only three data points, averaging about 80 sales per month on the Kindle. If that holds true, I’d expect to give away a minimum of 4 cards at the end of the month.

Rules of the contest will be as follows:

1. If you are selected as a winner, you agree to use a small portion ($3.00) to purchase and read  
   Indie authors.

2. You agree to purchase one Indie-authored book outside of your typical genre. This can be the       
   same book as indicated in #1.

3. You agree not to skewer me if not selected as a winner.

Please have no illusions – the end goal of this promotion is to generate interest in my work. But I am also abundantly aware that when readers find that rare gem, they enthusiastically pass it along. I believe my work falls into the “rare gem” category. So much so, I’m willing to put money on it! 

Again, no purchase is necessary to enter, and purchasing will not increase your chances of winning. This is meant for all Kindle owners - the most generous, open group of readers out there. That said, I’d like to keep this as “strictly Kindle” as I can. 

If you’re interested, please feel free to sign up on this thread, and tell your fellow Kindlers!

Regards,

Ed O’Dell


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Cool promo idea Ed, count me in!

Folks. . . .remember, though, only one entry in this thread per person. . .please don't post multiple entries: they will be deleted.

Of course, if you have a salient discussion point to make, you may post that.


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## webhill (Feb 12, 2009)

How do you enter? Just by posting here? Sounds like a great read. I'm going to check it out.


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## LuvMyKindle (Aug 1, 2009)

Hi Ed! 

I see you found your way back to KB! I would like to enter the contest. 80% of my kindle books are indie authors and quite a few purchases are outside my normal fare. I have your book, too - just haven't read it yet, but I will!   
I hope this contest quadruples your monthly sales! Keep us posted. Good Luck!


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

Would love to enter. Going to get a sample right now. 

Melissa


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## AlexJouJou (May 16, 2010)

I'm in.

I just downloaded the book too..glad you reposted..I just joined up and had missed the earlier post to catch your book. I read lots of indie authors (although right now I've got to finish 4 books for reviews so those may take a couple of weeks!)


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

I just downloaded the sample.. I hope to get to it soon, it sounds interesting.  I love the idea of the contest, very generous of you


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Great contest! Count me in. I have bought and read a lot of indie authors' books, and have found some great ones. 

Thanks for the contest!


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## Stormy (May 24, 2010)

I'm interested!


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## pooka (Jul 31, 2009)

What a great promotion! Love the contest idea. 


Also, I have your book in my TBR pile. Looks good!


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## hopetah (Jul 4, 2010)

Going to check out your book sample right about now  

Cool promo!


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## Kimmieg (Jul 4, 2010)

Sign me up!!

I'm checking out the sample this weekend.

Kim/SC


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Please sign me up as well, I'll even commit to spend the whole $20 on indie books if I am one of the lucky winners.. there are many in my wish list at the moment, but my wife thinks my several hundred book TBR list should be more than enough to satisfy my reading needs for the foreseeable future! =)


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

All,

Here are the contestants so far (in alphabetical order). I would have hoped to have more entrants by now!

AlexJouJou
Ann in Arlington
Cindy416
hopetah
Kimmieg
LuvMyKindle
Pooka
Stormy
911Jason

I'm at 44 units so far, right on par with previous months. I hope to be giving out at least 4 certificates at the end of the month, so tell your Kindle friends to enter!

Regards,

Ed O'Dell


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## chefazn (Jul 12, 2010)

I'm interested .


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## hopetah (Jul 4, 2010)

Cool - sign me up! I'm checking out the sample of your book too


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## webhill (Feb 12, 2009)

Well with reviews like this, who can say no? I'm getting the sample. Great contest idea!


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## Laurie (Jan 9, 2009)

Ed_ODell said:


> All,
> 
> Here are the contestants so far (in alphabetical order). I would have hoped to have more entrants by now!
> 
> ...


Guess I can't be in the contest because I already read the book. Just thought I'd let others know it's well worth the read.


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## lonestar (Feb 9, 2010)

Just bought the book.  Hope I'm in time for the contest.


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

Count me in.


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

Laurie said:


> Guess I can't be in the contest because I already read the book. Just thought I'd let others know it's well worth the read.


Laurie,

First, thank you for reading. This contest is open anyone and everyone who enters (but meant for Kindle readers). I've taken the liberty of placing your name on the list.

Thanks to all others who are participating. Here is the updated list:

AlexJouJou
Ann in Arlington
chefazn
Cindy416
gadgetgirl003
hopetah
Kimmieg
Kinbr
Laurie
Lonestar
Lyndl
LuvMyKindle
meljackson
Pooka
Stormy
webhill
911Jason


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## Ed_ODell (Mar 27, 2010)

All, 

I haven't had much time to promote, and sales have suffered a bit. That said, I am up to 3 gift cards. If you haven't entered, please do so before midnight on July 31. Odds right now are better than 1 in 6!

Regards,

Ed O'Dell


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