The Best Books For Compers

One of the reasons we've never written a book about competitions is that it'd be very short. Our advice simply is use Loquax, click on links, enter competitions, hopefully win prizes. That doesn't make for a right riveting read. There are however a few folks out there who have put pen to paper and created some useful - and not so useful - books about entering competitions. For seasoned compers the books may be a little on the 'how to suck eggs' side but for newbies and compers needing a bit of winspiration then they might be worth checking out.

SuperLucky Secrets - Di Coke

Di Coke has established herself as an online comping specialist. Her blog and Facebook groups are valuable resources for all compers. Back in 2015 Di published SuperLucky Secrets: 100 tips for winning competitions, contests and sweepstake and it's probably the best book you will find on comping. It is packed full of useful hints and tips and is written in such a way you can dip in and out whenever you need too. The only drawback to this particular book is that it's expensive. At time of writing the Kindle version was £9.99 and paperback version cost £14.99.

When Losers Don't Quit - Neill Johnstone

This book is described by Di Coke as "essential reading for all fun-loving compers". It's about Neill's adventures in comping and parenthood so it's a little bit different to the usual guides to winning. It's free to check out using Kindle Unlimited so we may take a look. However it's also reasonably priced at £1.99 for the Kindle version and £7.99 for the paperback. Not many guys write about their competition experiences so it's nice to see this 2019 book available to compers.

Overcoming the Odds - Rebecca Beesley

Published in 2018 Rebecca "explains some of the skills and strategies she has learnt over the years that have led to her winning thousands of pounds worth of prizes". We don't know anything about the book nor have been able to see a preview of it but it does have some good reviews. Also worthy of note is that all proceeds from Overcoming the Odds go to Juvenile Arthritis Research in the search for a cure for juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

The Happy Comper Journal - Rebecca Beesley

This isn't a book about comping but a kind of diary so that you can "plan your competition entries". It's ideal if you want something to help you organise your comping as there are spaces to create wishlists, note your favourite brands and record your wins. It costs £8.99 for the paperback version but to be fair you could just use a blank pad/journal or spreadsheet and it'd be a lot cheaper and equally as effective. Like her book above this one is also raising money for Juvenile Arthritis Research.

Win Cars Holidays and Prizes - Lynne Suzanne

Over the years comping has had a number of comping queens - or celebrity compers who were loved by the media. It's fair to say Di Coke has that mantel now, but others have been before her. Lynne Suzanne was one and back in the early days of Loquax she launched a Win With Lynne site as well as being a contributor to a magazine. Win Cars Holidays and Prizes is her guide to comping. It has some useful elements in it but feels like a nostalgic trip back to early internet days when offline comps were king. At £11.99 for the Kindle version you're better off buying SuperLucky Secrets.

The Easy Way To Win Competitions - Rita Smallburn

This name rings a bell from back in the early days of Loquax and that makes me think Rita was a "name" in the say was as Lynne Suzanne. Rita's book explains "tried and tested ways to win competitions and prizes". However as it was published in 1993 we suspect that it might be a little out of date. If you enjoy books on comping it might be worth a read for a trip down memory lane but it might not be helpful for Instagram comps!

Win Competitions Online - David Fuentes

David Fuentes has written a number of guides on comping. On Amazon these are "jam packed with tips and advice for the fledgling to seasoned comper". The great thing about Amazon is you can get a snippet of a book via the "Look Inside" feature and this is worth doing before purchasing any book. Fuentes' books seem to be a series of short paragraphs which whilst informative aren't as indepth as SuperLucky Secrets. If you can flick through on your Kindle for free give it a shot but don't expect too much.

Other Titles

Search on Amazon and you might find other competitions related titles like The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less, How To Win Cash, Cars, Trips & More, How To Win Prizes & Competitions & Sweepstakes, How To Win At Competitions and How To Win Prize Contests. There's even a book on How To Win Prizes With Vegetables. In terms of story The Prize Winner of Defiance is probably the one we'd suggest picking up but the rest are probably not going to be much help.

It is true that a lot of information contained in the above books can be gleaned off the internet, but it is nice to have at least one reference book. We recommend Di's book as that reference although perhaps try and pick it up at a better price. The other titles barring those from Beesley and Johnstone you might be better off without. Most certainly don't pay for the last few mentioned titles and instead look for chances to read them for free via your Kindle.