Fabulous Prizes and BFF’s

Okay. I think the problems with WordPress should be sorted out by now. I’m pretty sure that means I can both post things and have things be seen by y’all out there in internetland. Which is nice.

At this point, a lot of people might be tempted to say something bitchy about WordPress. Something along the lines of: “grumble grumble … fucking wordpress … mutter mutter …. pain in my ass….”

But the truth is, I love WordPress. It’s so much better than my previous blog hosting site. And if occasionally they have a hiccup and something goes wrong. Y’know, that’s just life. Shit happens. Whatever went wrong, they fixed it inside of ten days. And this is key, I didn’t have to do anything myself to get things back up and running.

So. Huzzah for WordPress. We’re still BFF’s.

Anyway, on to the news.

Worldbuilders:

Over these last couple weeks we’ve been diligently drawing winners for the Worldbuilders prize lottery, then packaging them up and mailing them out.

Pictured here are the first batch of prizes we packed and shipped. *Not* pictured here were the 100 or so other packages that we managed to get out the door over the course of that long weekend.

The more observant among you might notice two bright, smiling faces in this picture other than my own. (I’m the one with the beard.) Those are Amanda and Nicole, my two new assistants. Without them, y’all probably wouldn’t get your packages until next year. With them as newly initiated members of the team, I have time to do things like write, eat, and occasionally breathe.

Why are we grinning like we’re high on E? Well, because I’ve found that pharmaceutical-grade heroin is a much better benefit than health insurance. Also, we were really pleased with ourselves when we finally figured out how to work the timer on the camera.

A few other frequently asked Worldbuilders questions:

  • When will I be announcing the winners?

Well…. I won’t.

For one, it’s a privacy issue. It would be rude of me to suddenly post up everyone’s names without asking first.

For another thing, I really don’t have the time to sort all that out and post 500 winners up online. Or to e-mail you all individually. It’s just not possible. Not even with my delightful new assistants lending a hand.

  • What about the big prizes, like the ARC of Stardust and the Golden Ticket? Will we get to find out about those?

Gaiman and Goats: Gifts that Keep on Giving

200K Blog: The Golden Ticket(s)

As those prizes are drawn, I’m contacting the winners individually. First to make sure they want the prize, and then to make sure we have everyone’s address right.

I’m also asking those folks if it’s okay for me to mention them on the blog. If they say it’s okay, I’ll be posting up news about them when we post the official fundraiser wrap-up in about a month.

  • How will I know if I’ve won something?

It will show up at your house. Keep in mind that we’re shipping things media mail to save money, so they’ll take a little longer to get to you.

Fair warning: this is a random drawing, and therefore the odds are excruciatingly fickle, if not outright cruel at times. We had one person who donated $1000.00 but due to sheer bad luck didn’t win anything. While someone else donated 80 dollars and walked away with 6 gorgeous signed hardcover books. (I sent the thousand dollar donor something out of my personal stash anyway because I felt bad about their crummy luck.)

My advice is to assume you didn’t win, then be pleasantly surprised if something shows up on your doorstep.

  • How many of the books have you mailed out?

Somewhere between half and a third. We package everything carefully. Plus we had a lot of books this year, so it’s taking a long time.

Here’s the most important thing. Don’t e-mail us asking if you’ve won something. It slows down our shipping and makes my assistants cry. And while it’s true that I occationally enjoy the sound of my employees weeping softly to themselves in low, despondent tones. It’s one of those pleasures I prefer to enjoy in moderation, lest I develop a tendancy to laugh maniacally while gently petting a fluffy white cat.

More soon,

pat

This entry was posted in blogging, Worldbuilders 2011. By Pat33 Responses

33 Comments

  1. Blarghedy
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 11:59 AM | Permalink

    Pat, is “For one, it’s a privacy issue. It would be rude of me to suddenly post up the names of all the” a typo? It seems like it…

    On a less grammatical note, about how long does the whole process of sending out prizes and whatnot take? I didn’t donate anything this year, but I realized just now that if I had, I have no idea what address to put. My family’s moving soon, and I’m moving from my dorm to… well, wherever I get a job (yay graduation).

    • Blarghedy
      Posted March 9, 2012 at 12:00 PM | Permalink

      Mm, sorry… I meant that I’m mostly curious about this for next year when I’ll theoretically have money.

      • Posted March 9, 2012 at 12:18 PM | Permalink

        Next year things will be much more streamlined. This year we were caught a little shorthanded. Hence the new assistants.

        • Blarghedy
          Posted March 9, 2012 at 12:33 PM | Permalink

          Ah, cool. Even then I’m not surprised when it takes… well, however long it takes to get the prizes out. There’re so may of ’em.

  2. Nola
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 12:04 PM | Permalink

    Congrats on getting the blog back, and regardless of whether or not I win anything, thank you and you assistants for all your hard work – it’s making my brain cramp just thinking about the logistics of getting all that stuff out. o.O I hope that next year I am a little more financially sound so that i can help out more. =)

  3. DShannon
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 12:09 PM | Permalink

    It occurs to me that one could write a short script to not only randomly generate winners with a high level of entropy but also to generate e-mails to said winners.

    And even to print out the shipping labels, too.

    • Lincoln
      Posted March 9, 2012 at 1:28 PM | Permalink

      I say do it and sent it to pat

    • eldrelore
      Posted March 9, 2012 at 2:15 PM | Permalink

      Pat,

      If you’re interested in a script/program that does this (handles the drawing, and notification, could do the labels, depending on what you wanted them to look like), let me know what the current format of the input is for both files (donators, and the prize list), what you want the output to look like, and how you want the drawing to work).

  4. paigedoliver
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 12:17 PM | Permalink

    Ah, gone are the days when you would actually call a low level winner up on the phone (if your index card asked nicely). Look at this fabulous empire you have built! Congratulations on your ever growing success, Pat.

  5. Nialith
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 12:25 PM | Permalink

    Meh…I moved since donating so if I won, I hope my tenants like what I got. :-)

    • Dianadomino
      Posted March 12, 2012 at 4:21 PM | Permalink

      There is a nifty service the post office does — mail forwarding. You may owe postage on something forwarded (though not normal mail), but a book from the Rothfuss Emporium® might be worth it! ^_^ If you win. ^_^

    • WidowOfSirius
      Posted March 13, 2012 at 10:32 AM | Permalink

      If you want, we’ll be happy to change your address in the spreadsheet in case it hasn’t been mailed out yet (if you won). Email us at [email protected]

      Amanda

  6. Geekgirl
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 1:00 PM | Permalink

    Good to have you back Pat.
    And congratulations to all the lovely winners!

  7. JoePerri
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 1:08 PM | Permalink

    Is the list on the worldbuilders site correct? I donated $40 before the deadline but my name does not show up on the website at all.

    Congratulations to everyone for helping so many people and making a real difference in the world!

  8. ericturner29
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 1:26 PM | Permalink

    Pat:
    I understand your stance on not emailing everyone individually to let them know how the contest turned out. This would take a lot of time.

    However, a modest proposal:
    I’d suggest loading all the people who participated onto a bulk mailing list. You could then email yourself (BCCing the list) whenever there’s something cool to announce. (Like the start of worldbuilders next year)
    If you were to do something like this, it’s not a much bigger step to split the list into two groups (hell, I’d volunteer to do it for you) so you could send to brief group emails along the lines of ‘You won something. Yay. Watch your mailbox.’ and ‘You didn’t win. But you helped people. And that’s cool.’

  9. kdculb
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 2:04 PM | Permalink

    Thanks for the gift from your personal stash. See you next year at Worldbuilders.

  10. Lincoln
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 3:49 PM | Permalink

    How many people total donated this year?

  11. Posted March 9, 2012 at 4:06 PM | Permalink

    Hello to Amanda & Nicole!

  12. rjleduc
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 4:51 PM | Permalink

    So Pat,

    if Amanda and Nicole show up for work tomorrow driving new cars, and then all the draws from that point on miraculously come out in my favour, don’t worry, it’s just a coincidence. Everything is just fine.

    Nothing to be concerned about. ;-)

  13. kitgordon
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 8:33 PM | Permalink

    Congrats to Pat and all the rest of us on this amazing accomplishment. My lovely lottery prize arrived yesterday: way cool!

  14. JacobW
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 9:02 PM | Permalink

    I have a suspicion that the person with the bad luck was probably me… That’s the exact amount I donated, and I have notoriously bad luck… Also, I’m not sure I recall giving my address when I donated (although I might have)– is there any way to verify this? If I got lucky and I’m not the person from the blog, I’d hate to actually win something (for once) and not actually receive it due to my stupidity :P Either way, congrats on the success this year Pat!

  15. IvoryDoom
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 10:41 PM | Permalink

    Yay for the blog being back! Cant wait to get Worldbuilders going again for next year, I’ve got some money set aside already for when the lottery starts up!

    Secondly, thats a pretty good picture, you all look so happy to be at work! LOL. This picture actually reminded me though, the other day I looked at your Wikipedia page and, I have to admit it could use some editing, but that was a rockin’ picture of you as a gnome man. I actually had a little coffee go through my nose. But yah, someone should update that article with better writing…. (which means that wont be me)

  16. iburnbrass
    Posted March 9, 2012 at 11:18 PM | Permalink

    Glad to see you have minions. One of my other favorite authors (Christopher Moore) says very great writer needs them so that they can focus on those other things. Now go, Pat! Write, eat, enjoy the tears of your minions, and by all means, breathe!

  17. thatguythere
    Posted March 10, 2012 at 4:39 AM | Permalink

    Could we by chance get a video of you laughing maniacally while stroking a white cat? I think that would be gold…or a great new meme!

  18. calihanna
    Posted March 10, 2012 at 7:29 AM | Permalink

    I received my prize yesterday! Thank you and Hello to Nicole, Amanda and Pat! I won a book from Subterranean Press and it is gorgeous, starting to read it on my flight home to Seattle. Thank you all!

  19. Robin the Acolyte
    Posted March 10, 2012 at 10:21 AM | Permalink

    OK. Now I have to race home from work to see if there’s anything in my mailbox. I haven’t checked it in a couple of days.

    And thanks, Pat, for the Check These Out calendars. I enjoyed listening to you on the panel discussions at StellarCon. My friends now understand why you are my Personal Writing Deity. (Though they persist in calling you The Dwarf King.)

  20. Posted March 10, 2012 at 12:02 PM | Permalink

    Now I’m really curious how addresses of the winners are known. Donating via Amazon, I don’t remember if my address was asked for or not. Maybe they just pull it from your account?

    Anyways… Congrats to all winners and to all of us for raising such a great amount for a wonderful cause!

  21. huchamabacha
    Posted March 10, 2012 at 7:06 PM | Permalink

    Thanks for taking the time and effort to get all of those prizes out quickly!

    • huchamabacha
      Posted March 12, 2012 at 6:56 PM | Permalink

      Also, I think it’s funny that someone has been donating little bits since the fundraiser ended. It went from around 310,700 t0 310,715. Well, it’s not funny that someone’s donating, just that the widget is still counting it.

  22. Posted March 11, 2012 at 10:00 PM | Permalink

    …and when Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset, people die.

  23. javivi200
    Posted March 27, 2012 at 5:07 PM | Permalink

    pat for when a movie’s first book and I think my neighbor is an alien I do.
    javi from Spain

  24. lordloki
    Posted August 28, 2012 at 2:15 PM | Permalink
    • lordloki
      Posted August 28, 2012 at 2:15 PM | Permalink

      Well, my html didn’t work out for some reason, must’ve missed a “” mark. Still, same question.

Post a Reply to Nola Cancel reply

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • RSS info

  • Visit Worldbuilders!

  • Our Store

  • Previous Posts

  • Archives



  • Bookmark this Blog!

    (IE and Firefox users only - Safari users, click Command-D)