The Summer Book Trek is an annual Reading Challenge that takes place every July. This is a month-long challenge, where participants read and review as many qualifying books as they can.

Daily winners are chosen using the Rafflecopter system of earning points. More points = more chances to win free books provided by sponsors (that would be you).

Reading Challenge participants earn DOUBLE POINTS by reading sponsoring books!

Application Deadline: June 19, 2021

Fee Payment Deadline: June 21, 2021

BOOK ELIGIBILITY DETAILS

To be eligible as a prize for the Summer Book Trek Reading Challenge your book must be:

• Fiction only (novels, novellas, or anthologies). No picture books, children’s chapter books, or memoirs.
• For Middle Grade, Young Adult, or Adult readers.
• Written or co-written by an LDS author.
• Full-length novel, novella, and/or anthology at 90 pages or more. No short stories or novelettes.
• Available as print and/or ebook (both .mobi AND .epub options)
• FINAL version of the book that is currently available for sale. No ARCs. No pre-release/uncorrected galleys.
• Available for purchase or pre-order on Amazon.com. (This is to help YOU with sales.)
• At least 10 reviews on Amazon, with a 4-star or above average rating. (See exceptions under Quality Check.)
• Rated on My Book Ratings. This is a FREE content rating and takes about 5 minutes to complete. It usually takes 2-3 days for the rating post to go live, so if you complete their form, type PENDING in my form and I’ll know to go look for it later. (Need help? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.)
• Meet any additional eligibility requirements in the specific promotional option (see below)

PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

There are two promotional opportunities available during the Summer Book Trek. You may choose to participate in one or both of them. You may enter for either giveaway on the same form. Button is at the bottom of this post.

1. Reading Challenge Rafflecopter Giveaway

This giveaway is conducted using points earned through a Rafflecopter form. Prizes are displayed on the Prize Page.

Additional Requirements:

• $5 per book, plus a copy of your book sent directly to the winner.
• NEW: Release date in the past two years between June 1,  2019 and June 1, 2021.

What You Get: When you choose this option, your book will be posted on the Prize Page (with links to Amazon) during the entirety of the challenge. Your book will be included in promo posts on Facebook and Twitter. Links to the challenge will be in my weekly newsletters and on my social media on a regular basis, before and during the challenge.

What You Do: If accepted, you will provide one copy of your book as a prize in the Rafflecopter giveaway. Winners may choose their book from the Prize Page. When your book is chosen, I will forward the winner’s contact information to you. You (or your publisher) are expected send the book directly to the winner in a timely manner.

2. FACEBOOK GROUP GIVEAWAY—FOR OLDER OR BRAND NEW BOOKS

(Limited to 26 books)

This giveaway is conducted in the Storytellers In Zion Reading Challenges Facebook group. Not all members of the Facebook group participate in the Rafflecopter portion of the reading challenge, but their comments and posts in this group get your name and book in front of more people. This also keeps the energy going and draws more attention to the official reading challenge. We give away 1 book a day, Mon–Sat during the challenge.

Since there are only 26 days in the Facebook Giveaway, I may have to limit submissions to one title per pen name.

**This is a great option for older books OR for books released during the reading challenge.

Additional Requirements:

• $5 per book, plus a copy of your book sent directly to the winner.
• Release date before June 1, 2019 or during the month of July 2021; book must be live on Amazon before your assigned date for the giveaway.
• If you are also doing the Rafflecopter promo option (#1 above), you must choose a different title for this giveaway.

What You Get: When you choose this option, your book will be featured in the Facebook group on a specific day, along with a challenge for group members. (See examples). Post will include an image of your book and a link to it on Amazon.

What You Do: If accepted, you will provide one copy of your book as a prize in the giveaway. A comment on your post will be randomly selected. I will forward the winner contact information to you. You (or your publisher) are expected send the book directly to the winner in a timely manner.

APPLICATION & ACCEPTANCE PROCESS

To apply to be a sponsor of the Summer Book Trek, you need to:

• Read this page carefully—in its entirety! Failure to do so may result in rejection of your application.
• Use the big red button at the bottom of the post to go to the Giveaway Application Form.
• Submit your application form(s) by June 15, 2021.
• Submit one application for each title.
• Application does not guarantee acceptance. All applications will be submitted to a quality check and all decisions are final.
• Acceptance will be emailed by June 18, 2021 and will include instructions for paying the fee via PayPal. (Multiple accepted applications will be included in the same invoice. Payments will be processed through the InkSplasher PayPal account.)
• Payment must be received by June 19, 2021.
• Promos may start as early as June 4, 2021. The sooner you pay, the earlier your book will be featured.

 

QUALITY CHECK

We want prize winners to be pleased with the books they receive. When poorly written and/or formatted books are given as prizes, or when prizes are not delivered to the winner in a timely manner, it decreases enthusiasm for future giveaways and diminishes the effectiveness of other author/book promotions.

Therefore:

• Every submission will be reviewed by a committee before acceptance. Preference is given to books with professional look to the cover design and formatted interiors, as well as quality writing.
• Submission does not mean automatic acceptance as a sponsor.
• Using the book sample available on Amazon, a committee will do a spot check on each submission for book cover, internal design, and writing level. Books don’t have to be perfect and we’re not looking at stylistic preferences, but each title should meet minimum reader expectations for a published book.
• We will also read a few reviews at all star levels. The content of the review is more important than the actual star level given. (Don’t worry, we can tell the difference between thoughtful reviewers and trolls.)
• We understand that brand new books may not have many reviews. Exceptions will be made for authors who have a backlist of published books with good reviews, authors who have done well in our previous reading challenges or giveaways, or if a trusted reader has given it a good review.
• We also understand that some authors have many family and friends who 5-star their books regardless of the actual quality or content. Despite the average rating of your book, it may not be accepted if responses to your giveaway in previous challenges have been negative or if a trusted reader has given it a poor review.
• If your application is not accepted, we will notify you.

 

SPONSORING FINE PRINT

Please read carefully. By submitting any application, you agree to be bound by the following:

• Prize must be the FINAL version of the book that is currently available for sale. No ARCs. No pre-release/uncorrected galleys.
• Prizes may be either print (shipped to U.S. addresses only) or e-book. Sponsor must be able to provide the ebook in .epub AND .mobi formats.
• Sponsor may be either the author or publisher.
• Traditionally published authors: Many publishers will provide the prize for the reading challenge if the author pays the $5 fee. Please check with your publisher about this option.
• Preference is given to newer releases and to books that will create a good blend of genres, if available. However, quality of the book is the main determining factor. All decisions are final.
• Sponsor shall pay $5 per title, upon notification of acceptance as a sponsor. Each $5 fee purchases one promotional opportunity for the Summer Book Trek.
• You may submit applications for multiple titles, as long as they meet the Eligibility Requirements above, but you may only give away one copy per title.
• Depending upon the number of submissions, we may need to limit prizes to one title per author. If I have to limit the number of sponsoring books, I will contact you to determine which of your titles you want to give away.
• Sponsor shall send book to the prize winner selected by Storytellers in Zion.
• Sponsors must be able to accommodate reader preferences as to .epub, and .mobi formats.
• Sponsor shall contact the winner and send the book within one week of receipt of notification from Storytellers in Zion.
• Summer Book Trek promotional posts will be made to Storytellers in Zion social media accounts and newsletters throughout the challenge. These posts will cover the the challenge in its entirety and also feature Summer Book Trek individual titles (alone or in a group) at least once during the challenge.
• Sponsors are encouraged to notify their readership through email and social media about their own titles in connection with the Summer Book Trek
• Sponsors may also participate in the reading challenge and are eligible to win prizes.
• Sponsor may withdraw and request a refund (minus processing fees) via email by June 30, 2021. No refunds shall be given after that date.
• If for some reason the Summer Book Trek is cancelled due to default by Storytellers in Zion, sponsors will receive pro-rated refunds for the days the challenge was cancelled. There will be no pro-rated refunds due to acts of God or temporary server downtime.
• If you have any questions, please contact me at ldsbookgeek [at] gmail [dot] com.
• Sponsors are strongly encouraged to join the private Storytellers in Zion Reading Challenge Authors Facebook group. This is the easiest and fastest way for me to give you updates and answer your questions.

Disclaimer: Although I cannot imagine a problem developing, I have been advised to state the following: The owners of Storytellers in Zion (www.storytellersinzion.com) make no claims nor offer any guarantees of effectiveness and shall not be held responsible for any traffic or lack thereof generated by sponsoring StorytellersInZion.com. StorytellersInZion.com shall not be held liable and prizes may not be retracted once the reading challenge has begun. The owners of StorytellersInZion.com, other companies that support or contribute to StorytellersInZion.com, readers, family, friends, neighbors, etc., etc., etc. CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE for any outcome, positive or negative, that may or may not arise from participation in this sponsorship program, including but not limited to individual blog/website traffic or lack thereof as generated by sponsoring this website and/or its contests; increase or decrease of book sales; a late post date; or anything else that may or may not irk you. SPONSOR AT YOUR OWN RISK.

*LDS = Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints