The Odds of Winning

...And COWBOY CHRISTMAS Giveaway Announcement

My husband likes to play the lottery on occasion.  He hates it when I shake my head.  

Lucky lotto?  We'll see!

"You know, the odds of you winning are very slim," I tell him.

"But you're never going to win if you don't play," he says.

According to cnn.com, the odds of winning the recent $550 million Powerball Jackpot is 1 in 175 million.  You are more likely to be struck by lightening than winning the lotto.

What's a better odd?  Getting a book published.  Your odds are 3 out of 10,000 manuscripts or 1 out of 200 at best.  (Further discussion on this by Harold Underdown)  So I'm taking my chances on my stories than trying to win a lotto.  To me, sharing my stories with children throughout the world is more rewarding.  But don't get me wrong, if I happen to win a million-plus dollars, that's good too.

To paraphrase my husband's comment:

 "You never know if you don't try!"

Here are a few of this year's (2012) first-time picture book authors who took their chances and got published traditionally:

Brianna Caplan Sayres- Where do Diggers Sleep at Night
Tiffany Strelitz Haber- The Monster Who Lost his Mean
Donna Earnhardt- Being Frank
Laura Murray- The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School
Sherry Duskey Rinker- Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
Amy- Dixon- Marathon Mouse
Robert Sanders- Cowboy Christmas

"Winners are not those who never fail, but those who never quit" ~unknown

These writers all pursued their dreams of becoming an author.  The important thing is that they took a chance and submitted their manuscripts.  Luck may have played a part in this, but most of their success was based on  hard work, persistence, and research.  That's how they got to be winners.

And speaking of winners...today is the day I announce the lucky recipient of COWBOY CHRISTMAS by Robert Sanders.  I chose Random.org to make the selection.  The odds of winning are 1 in 9.   Your chances are better winning this picture book than winning the lotto!  Anyway, let's get on with the announcement:

And the WINNER is....

Christie Wright Wild!

Christie, please contact me with your address and COWBOY CHRISTMAS will be on its way!

To the rest of you, don't quit trying.  There are other giveaways in store for 2013.  Or you can pick up your copy of COWBOY CHRISTMAS at your nearest bookstore or online.