"LIKE" It or Not- A Popularity Vote

I enjoy entering contests.  If I win or get acknowledged in some way, it gives me validation that my stories have potential.  So far I've entered two contests, which happens to be held by story app companies.  And both times I made it to the semi-finals:  "Running Boy" for Smories.com and "Funny Face" for MeeGenius.

But the thing with technology today is that it is easy for companies to leave the voting to the general public. All the company has to do is post the stories on their site, leave it up to the authors to promote it, and have the public vote on it.  It's a great way to spread the word about the company, no doubt.

So that's what I had to do.  I  shared the good news with my family and friends, and asked them to vote for me.  The contest is definitely a popularity vote.

When my first story, "Running Boy," entered the voting ring, I realized that I didn't have enough friends to compete with those with 1000+ friends who "liked" their story.  But that didn't stop me from entering another contest.

Right now I have until December 18 to gather support from everyone I know and get them to "like" my story, "Funny Face." I notified everyone on my e-mail list, Facebook, LinkedIn, JacketFlap, Twitter, my two blogs (this writing blog and my running blog), and even my running community on DailyMile.

I still don't have 1000 friends. But by participating in this contest, I can get my name out in the community.  Who knows, maybe I'll gain a friend or two.  In any case, this experience is a practice in shameless self-promotion.  And it's a LOT of work.  As much as I dislike it, I find that it gives me practice.  So when the REAL book deal comes along for me, I'll be ready.  And EVERYONE will  hear about my book.

In the meantime, please "like" my story so that I can win a publishing contract, $1500, and some e-books for the school of my choice.

Thank you!