Who doesn’t love free stuff? We all do, right? Right!

I love free stuff, too, and that’s one of the big reasons why I run so many giveaways. I give away signed books, souvenirs from London related to my books (keychains, pins, book bags, bookmarks), and most of these contests are international. In fact, every giveaway offered to my newsletter subscribers and on my own Instagram feed has been international. Book lovers from Saudi Arabia, the US, Northern Ireland, Canada, Estonia, Greece, France, the UK, Argentina, Indonesia, and Italy have been winners.

Recently I’ve heard that some have been unhappy about a signed London, Can You Wait? giveaway on Instagram that was US/Canada only. First of all, I’m incredibly flattered that you guys REALLY want to read my books—thank you! But it should be known that when a Bookstagrammer kindly offers a giveaway of my books, the rules and prizes are set by me—not them. If you have any issues with the rules, please don’t get angry or question them. Please come to me and I’ll answer your questions. This recent giveaway prompted me to write this post. Want to know why all giveaways can’t be international? Here goes…

Unfortunately not all giveaways can be international. I wish they could be, but shipping costs from Toronto, Canada are astronomical. We’re talking $40-$60 Canadian to send ONE BOOK to Europe, and it’s even higher for further destinations. A visit to the post office this past weekend resulted in a shipping charge for one book in a padded envelope (it wasn’t even in a box) that was over $100 Canadian. *gulp*

These costs come out of my own pocket. I don’t have a major publisher behind me. I’m an indie. I do everything myself or with the help of one or two other people. And as an indie, I cannot incur these huge expenses continually. Here and there, of course, I’ll take the hit! I love sharing books and goodies with all readers regardless of where they live, but I also have to be realistic. I’ve been really good about international giveaways. Many authors—authors with huge fanbases and authors signed to major publishing houses—don’t do international AT ALL. But I have always tried to do as many as I possibly can—and I have in the short time I’ve been a published author (which as of time of posting this piece, has been a year and a month!).

There will be more international giveaways coming up

International giveaways are so much fun, but I have to space them out so my bank balance can recover! I hope you’ll understand why all giveaways, both contests I host myself and those hosted by book bloggers and Bookstagrammers, can’t be international. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks so much for reading and caring about books! xo