From the Publisher
At my first meeting with Carol Shaffer, I could not believe what I was hearing. I was truly amazed at her success rate in winning contests and sweepstakes. Carol is the mother of three grown children, and the proud grandmother of eight grandkids. She lives in suburban St. Louis, and works at the local Wal-Mart in the evenings. She is just a regular work-a-day type of person, just like the rest of us except that Carol knows how to win!
In addition to many fabulous prizes in cash and merchandise, Carol's contesting hobby has brought her many glamorous life experiences that she never would have enjoyed were it not for her hobby. She has dined with celebrities, appeared on national television, and literally traveled the world. She has been featured in The National Enquirer, The Examiner, and Woman's World Magazine, in addition to many feature articles in local and regional newspapers. She appeared on the "To Tell the Truth" show. She won a brand new Chrysler LHS automobile, and she cruised the Caribbean on a luxury cruise ship. She has won free trips to San Francisco, San Antonio, Washington D. C., Branson, Missouri, Denver, and elsewhere. She and her family members have won dozens and dozens of contests and sweepstakes with prizes large and small, and they continue to win consistently.
Carol Shaffer, the Contest Queen, is one grandmother whose enthusiasm and zest for life should serve as an example for us all. And her creative and imaginative contesting strategies and techniques are absolutely remarkable.
Jim Criswell, Publisher Truman Publishing Company
From the Author
After I discovered how easy it is to win fabulous prizes in contests and sweepstakes, I decided to write Contest Queen so that everybody can share in the kind of fun and excitement that I've enjoyed since I got serious about contesting as a hobby.
If you're like most people, you probably never thought of contesting as a hobby, but it's been my hobby for several years now and I've discovered that it's a lot of fun and you will be amazed at all of the wonderful prizes that I've won.
It still amazes and astounds me every time I win something, whether it's a big prize or something of lesser value. I jokingly tell my friends that if a goat was offered as a prize I would try to win it! I just love winning, and to date, I have won close to $150,000 in prizes for myself, my relatives, and for my friends.
I don't win every contest that I enter, not by a long shot, but in a surprisingly high percentage of them I do win something. By my estimate I've entered around 1,000 contests and I've won over 100 times. I think you'll agree that a 10% win rate is far better than pure chance. In fact, chance or luck really has very little to do with it.
The big wins are just some of the highlights of my contesting career. I've won numerous small prizes, fun prizes, so have many of my friends and family using the techniques revealed in this book. For me, winning is always fun, whether the prizes is a diamond or a donut. It's always a thrill to pick up the phone or open the mail and hear or read, "Congratulations! You're a Winner!"
-- Carol Shaffer
