[Gangani]

Hi Everyone,

Just joined to see what everyone's interested in. My friends have an organic smallholding with a jacob sheep and a bantam hen, loads of fruit trees, a 3 bedroom barn conversion, beautiful garden and acres of fresh air. Due to ill health they have to let it go - just when the housing market has collapsed and no-one is buying. I'm a publisher with a fantastic book to market, so I said I'd help them out and we've put the 2 together and we're giving the smallholding away to one of the purchasers of the book.

If anyone's interested have a look at the website, it's absolutely genuine. Or if you need help with anything smallholder, after 20 years of working it out we're a font of information.

Look forward to chatting
www.ganganipublishing.co.uk

[the great composto]

Can you clarify if this falls inside or outside of the gambling act as it appears you have to purchase something to enter.

[Gangani]

Hi,

Good question. It is a Free Prize Draw, therefore every copy of the book gives one free entry to the draw. What you buy is the book - which is a really good read and well worth the money- not a raffle ticket or a lottery ticket, therefore it is not under the constraints of the Gambling Act. The smallholding is effectively like a giveaway on the back of a cereal packet, you are buying the cereals, not entry to the competition.

Hope that clarifies it. It is not gambling, it's a great book about a couple of idealists who buy a smallholding then have to face reality, and one of the 250 000 people who buys a copy will win the property in a totally random draw on 31.01.2013.

Have a look at the site, www.ganganipublishing.co.uk it's a lovely property even if the roses have been ruined by the rain!

[Dan]

I think you need to get some legal advice regarding the Gambling Act. This does not sound like a free draw to me, since you are requiring a purchase to be made for entry.

Under the terms of the Act it's almost certainly a lottery, for which you need a licence. The distinguishing element of 'free draws', which are exempt from statutory control, and 'lotteries', is the requirement to pay to enter.

Or are you offering a 'no purchase necessary' free entry, for example by sending a postcard with entry details, like they do on chocolate bars and cereal boxes.

[tizaala]

What was that Monty Python song Dan,    "Spam spam spam spam....."

[the great composto]

Dan - thats what I thought but reading further into the gambling act it says as long as the product containing the entry doesnt cost any more than the normal product(book in this case) to get the entry then it is classified as a free prize draw.

[Dan]

Dan - thats what I thought but reading further into the gambling act it says as long as the product containing the entry doesnt cost any more than the normal product(book in this case) to get the entry then it is classified as a free prize draw.

You're right, thanks.

Sorry Gangani, should have read more carefully.

[tizaala]

Questions :
 
1 , When would the draw take place ( with members of the national press , independent witnesses and general public present)
 
2,  Who would do the drawing, ( preferably an independent celebrity not related to you or attached to your publishing house in any way , shape or form.)
 
3 ,  How much for these tickets or " booklet "
 
4 ,  Will the funds be held by an independent Auditors and propper accounts be published in the national press.
 
It's not that we don't trust you, But some of us have been conned by experts.

[deepinthewoods]

just for the sakes of balance, wheres the con? do you think there is no prize?
 
hi, btw.

[Gangani]

Hi Tizaala,

You're right to ask, I would do the same. I'll try and answer your questions:

1. The draw will take place within 2 weeks of 31.01.2013 in the presence of an independent solicitor, a Councillor and as many members of the public as we can fit in and want to be there.

2. We're trying for the actor Rhys Ifans as he was born locally. But I'll keep you posted on that one!

3. They're not tickets. It is a novel, 255 pages long, ISBN number 978-0-9573031-0-2. So even if you're not the lucky winner you still get a good read. The paperback is £7.99 retail, £6.50 +p&p online, or £5.50 for the ebook. Each book allows 1 free entry to the draw.

4. The accounts are those of a limited company, controlled by an independent account.

And 'deepinthewoods' the prize is absolutely real. Have a look on the website. Over the next week or 2 there'll be lots more pictures of the property on the facebook page.

Hope that helps.

[suziequeue]

Well I'll be dipping my toe in but I can't find it on Kindle......

[Gangani]

It's currently not with Amazon as we're running the promotion with local independent bookshops, and the only way to protect them from Amazon discounting is to keep it off there for the length of the promotion. But you can get it in kindle version direct from the site - www.ganganipublishing.co.uk

[tizaala]

"We're trying for the actor Rhys Ifans as he was born locally. But I'll keep you posted on that one!"
 
So that's a celebrity famous for at least a mile radius ' locally ' then ! and a book that could be a Welsh language publication , judging by the title, to be appreciated only by the ...er... Welsh ? 

The point I'm trying to make here is this : The majority of members on Accidental are from north of the border in Scotland, there are quite a few dotted about England, even a couple from Ireland, but probably less than twenty from Wales and most of those are migrants from Englandshire.
So , you are trying to flog a book with a title that's half Welsh , an actor that nobody has heared of (outside of S4C watchers, all 3 of em) This is really restricting your market and I think you are going to struggle.
It never fails to amaze me when I see plumbers , electricians and builders driving about in vans that are sign written only in Welsh, they must lose out on an awful lot of business.

[suziequeue]

Oh Tizz....... Your post comes across as really irate

I'm sure this forum isn't the only means of publicity that Gangani is pursuing.

Give the guy/girl a break :-))

But - yes - I hadn't considered that the book with a Welsh title might be in Welsh..... Gangani??

[Gangani]

Rhys Ifans !! He may be Welsh, but he's a very well known actor - Notting Hill and many many others!

It's a valid point you make about the Welsh language, but the book is written in English, and if you read it you'll find it addresses that point exactly. Nationality is a relevant issue to anyone in the UK whether we're from Wales, Scotland, Ireland or even England.

If you come from Scotland and you win the smallholding you may not want to move here, but you could always sell it !!

Of the books sold this morning 50% have gone to New Zealand, 25% to Italy and only the remaining 25% in the UK. Hey - I'm not here to offend anyone - just wanted like minded people to have a chance.