Win the ARC of The Kaiju Preservation Society (and a Reminder That You Can Pre-Order a Signed, Personalized Copy From Subterranean Press)
Posted on October 13, 2021 Posted by John Scalzi 2,386 Comments

Look! It’s an Advance Reader Copy of my upcoming novel The Kaiju Preservation Society! And also, Charlie, who is convinced that nibbling on a the ARC is a excellent way for her to get her roughage. It’s not! And also, I can’t let her eat this ARC, because I intend to give it away to one of you. That’s right, you’ll read it months ahead of its March 15, 2022 release. I’ll even sign/personalize it for you if you like! Here’s all you have to do to win it:
I am thinking of a number between one and one thousand (inclusive of those two numbers). Guess which number it is. Put your guess in the comments.
That’s it! If you guess correctly, and you are the only one to have guessed the number, then you win! If other people also guessed that number, I will count how many of you guessed that number and then ask my Google assistant to choose between you. Whichever one it picks will win the ARC. If no one guesses the number, I’ll pick the closest number to the number I picked, in the decreasing direction. Simple.
(I have recorded myself on video saying the number while holding the camera up to a clock with the current time/date, so you’ll know I’m trustworthy on the number thing.)
Who is eligible? Anyone on the planet, because I’ll have it shipped to you (NOTE: Some countries are not currently accepting US Mail due to COVID, etc, so there may be a delay if you live in one of those countries. We’ll figure something out if that’s the case).
Now: Rules:
1. Only one guess per person. Only guesses left in the comment section to this post will be valid (i.e., don’t leave guesses on Twitter or Facebook or other Whatever posts, or try to email them to me). Additional guesses will be invalid.
(PS: If you post a guess and don’t immediately see it in the comments, don’t panic — sometimes comments get punted into moderation. I’ll be along to free them presently. If after a few hours you don’t see your comment, go ahead and comment again.)
2. When you leave your guess, make sure you have a valid email address in the “email address” field. That is how I will contact you. (Don’t put your email address in the body of the comment, because then everyone will see it.)
3. Please don’t leave comments that don’t have a numerical guess in them. Those will be snipped out.
4. Please offer your guess in ordinal form, rather than in written-out form (i.e., “1234” not “One thousand two hundred and thirty four”).
5. Contest runs for 48 hours after I publish this post (around 10am Eastern, October 13, 2021) and ends when WordPress automatically closes the comments on this post. If the comments are closed, you’re too late. Sorry. After the contest ends I’ll announce the winner and contact them via email.
ALSO DO NOT FORGET
Even if you don’t win the contest for this ARC, you can still pre-order a signed (and, if desired, personalized) copy of Kaiju from my friends at Subterranean Press. These copies will be actual hardcover copies, and I will sign them so that they can be shipped to arrive on or near the official release date of March 15, 2022. Get one for yourself! Get one for a friend! Get one for a random person you meet on the street (although don’t have that one personalized, I guess)!
Got it? Then guess away, and good luck!
Once again: THE RULES.
Only one guess per person. Only guesses left in the comment section to this post will be valid (i.e., don’t leave guesses on Twitter or Facebook or other Whatever posts, or try to email them to me). Additional guesses will be invalid.
When you leave your guess, make sure you have a valid email address in the “email address” field. That is how I will contact you. (Don’t put your email address in the body of the comment, because then everyone will see it.)
Please don’t leave comments that don’t have a numerical guess in them. Those will be snipped out.
Please offer your guess in ordinal form, rather than in written-out form (i.e., “1234” not “One thousand two hundred and thirty four”).
Contest runs for 48 hours after I publish this post (around 10am Eastern, October 13, 2021) and ends when WordPress automatically closes the comments on this post. If the comments are closed, you’re too late. Sorry. After the contest ends I’ll announce the winner and contact them via email.
423
696.
27
309
326
462
667
777
42
432
761
753
256
and congrats on the new work! Looking forward to it.
937
278
511
523
269
799
506
9
863
542
186
633
865
636
782
856
555
333
999
320
994
42
92
231
729
524 – the numbers on a phone pad that corresponds with “KAI.” I enjoyed the cheesiness even if I don’t win 😁
999
313
838
492
32
376
389
678
781
1
524
394
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42
572
372
69
534
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798
13
732
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8
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739
1
323
942
42
531
781
420 (sorry)
522
13
248
848
62
951
47
847
403
465
832
803
907
713
804
170
407
786
555
219
22
391
313
393
734
826
223! Looking forward to the new book!
405
816
107
512
666 😈
816
471
69
764
637
21
231
486
455
667
907
876
756
548
968
987!
746
661
3
16
243
996
528
937
505
513
373
385
524
472
723
573
636
97
1
352
421
How fun! Look forward to the book!
42
123
228
359
I can’t wait for the new book!
376
676
519
792
451
327
359
2
696
724
798
189
365
494
638
24
412
763
614
347
624
738
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236
312
553
242
327
582
787
732
37
128
748
877
333
798
723
13
683
817
725
742
202
773
737
352
373
272
472nd (which is ordinal, will accept disqualification for nitpicking.)
557
119
8
824
779
927
537
42
But also… you said the numbers were inclusive of 1, but if no one picks 1, and you DID pick 1, then your algorithm for picking a winner will fail, right? Because you cannot count “in the decreasing direction.”
So… do you bounce back up? Or go negative and use absolute values? Or some alternative I can’t think of currently?
640
314
431
510
42
205
274
315
379
748
52
624
732
374
703
33
732
523
459
13
888
3 is the number…and the number is 3.
789
713
359
785
368
666
462
512
537
237
986.
I am so looking forward to this book, whether the ARC or in March. I sure it will be a blast!
637
547
Root of 2
617
50
521
499
763
666
541
169
42
17
274
536
802
11
967
488
808
325
575
2145
315
456
572
778
529
742
8
499
272
726
763
456
419
272
179
791
212
606
62
427
525
755
171
972
323
250
791
888
668, the next door neighbor of the beast
1066
542
712
837
74
309
896
737
743
666
762
124
350
42
643
335
17
714
432
246
11
344
47
333
118
548
447
42
427
137
75
276
117
602
75
398
7
217
Obviously.
168
516
011
465
🖖🏻
919
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537
214
64
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690
627
269
334
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510
118
Dang it, someone got 666 while I was typing.
112
125
676
547
643
42
427
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217
995
24
39
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783
68
789
3.141592654
842
849
91
886
75
418
379
423
307
477
617
272
74
142
819
790
372
11
748
598
359
12
397
627
7
625
825
202
666
902
409
616
55
398
755
697
274
442
687
239 but I only want the copy Charlie nibbled.
372
928
619
451
667
792
864
155
444
276
860
56
811
14
19
831
628
317
836
752
392
31
742
822
735
Thanks and good luck with the book!
666
Great idea! 424.
777
336
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635
12
363
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718
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374
76
763
812
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114
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906
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357
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405
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879
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587
319
23
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486
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727
799
222
317
155
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663
720
13
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859
27
73
72
556
62
42
913
263
Thank you
682
778
901
714
311
188
637
697
684
979
532
(Good luck to us all!!)
603
489
497
42
789
67
684
701
575
815
179
395
778
669
894
55
544
173
I’ll guess 857.
Looking forward to the new book!
53
141
704
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100
638
722
812
553
221
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227
442
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213
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475
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768
18
272
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777
555
272
152
564
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435
430
494
8
619
769
987
381
13
Hasn’t been lucky yet, but it has to be someday, right? Right?
875
666
671
342
719
472
279
437
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1088
121
771
952
510
731
437
566
164
467
354
974
777
637
910
985
517
521
666
437
42
752
Sorry just turning off follow up emails
770
121
27
374
14
742
[Room] 217
113
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318
363
44
726
476
709
389
634
315
45
451
810
642
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976
224
315
627
137
524
734
333
726
611
369
868 Here’s to hoping!
567
22
177
181
266
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836
427
372
500.
642
368
914 thank you
935
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126
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151
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651
7
872.
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576
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693
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247
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558
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13
776
88
824
11
546
629
162
626
good luck to all
315
Looking forward to the new book!
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579
552
387
593
1000
351
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2
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367
1.
342
101
391
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841
832
466
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418
626
736
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325
636
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315
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847
52
345
567
879
42
772
742
482
42
862
766
123
357
997
679
812
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891
345
893
365
488
959
1
421
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873
298
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314
789
334
466
154
401
997
660
564
642
324
773
676
238
653
681
742
175
217
2
386
984
362
349
867
647
323
567
783
663
257
777
596
863
147
678
920
537
272
117
272
632
723
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387
922
857
453
5
13
501
455
543
42
666
287
335
675
38
5
793
578
113 (November 3rd was the date the first Godzilla movie was released)
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568
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358
13
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229
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539
356
793
147
312
13
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369
850
228