tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post9196138245462423728..comments2024-03-17T06:03:00.362-04:00Comments on Fiction University: Self-Published Book Awards: Are They Right for You? Janice Hardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-55370870128370840912018-02-12T13:59:13.063-05:002018-02-12T13:59:13.063-05:00You have made some good points here, Marcy. I ente...You have made some good points here, Marcy. I entered 2 of my books in a state writers' association competition a couple of years ago. It was the first time I'd ever entered such a contest, and each book won an award: silver for my nonfiction book and bronze for my novel. As a self-published author, I thought it was well worth the $35 or $45 entry fee per book to win the awards, which will help promote my books and lend credence to my professionalism as a writer. Furthermore, this particular competition included 3 different judges' critiques, which can be very helpful, especially for the authors of unpublished works, which also were accepted for the competition. This contest accepts digital entries, so there is no added cost there, and as a result of my awards, I was invited to be a judge in the next year's competition and will be continuing in that capacity again this year. Thanks to this one competition, I now have awards to help promote my books and a judging credit to help promote my book editing business. I consider that a win/win!Ann Henryhttp://www.proseact.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-74935976104488830722014-12-09T03:56:24.945-05:002014-12-09T03:56:24.945-05:00Thank you for providing some great head's up f...Thank you for providing some great head's up for us new in the industry.Michael Spellinghttp://bookventure.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-33207220286472339492014-08-01T22:25:49.918-04:002014-08-01T22:25:49.918-04:00Thanks for this, Marcy! I've been very tempted...Thanks for this, Marcy! I've been very tempted to enter a number of contests, but when it came down to it, the same arguments you make in your points #6 and 7 discouraged me from entering: the cost outweighed any real benefits. As much as I would have loved to be a finalist or winner, in the end, being able to put another "X Award Finalist/Winner" on my product description won't sell more books. (At least, it doesn't seem to have helped much--I was fortunate enough to be a finalist in a juried contest that has no entry fees.)Jordan McCollumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16523599384793856702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-29010398683717877302014-07-27T11:29:06.531-04:002014-07-27T11:29:06.531-04:00I haven't entered any contests, but I've t...I haven't entered any contests, but I've thought about it. I'll have to study your links and make a decision. Thanks!Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-7471264995675686122014-07-27T10:12:41.045-04:002014-07-27T10:12:41.045-04:00You make some very pertinent points, Marcy. At Wri...You make some very pertinent points, Marcy. At Writers' Village we've been running a short fiction award for five years and recently began a bursary scheme for debut novels. Surprisingly, few entrants have been concerned about the monetary value of the prizes. The key benefit that almost everyone looks for is feedback from the judges. So we have always provided that. I'm personally astonished by the number of contests, some of them renowned names, that give no feedback - or even publish the winning stories, as a guide for future contestants.Dr John Yeomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03457052363231077457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-28362920014618549132014-07-26T08:21:58.360-04:002014-07-26T08:21:58.360-04:00Thank you for this advice FionaThank you for this advice FionaAE Ballakistenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07272518472406335288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-64059124536883329382014-07-26T06:09:33.698-04:002014-07-26T06:09:33.698-04:00Thanks for an informative article. I have entered ...Thanks for an informative article. I have entered a number of book awards since 2009 and have been fortunate enough to win eleven awards and nominations in the ones I entered. I checked them all out carefully first. Although some people might turn their noses up at self-published authors, winning awards shows that the book has met the standards required by the professional publishing industry. A few comments spring to mind - paperback vs e-book. Sending print copies can be costly (I live in South Africa where the rand to dollar exchange rate is horrendous), however, some contests will accept e-books if print is not possible. Genre: the contests I have entered have a wide variety of genres. In addition, consider entering your book into several if possible. I went into the Nautilus Book Awards and did not win the first time; the second time (advised by the organisers) I put it into a different category and won a Silver medal. The publicity one gets is worth it because the organisers usually really make the effort to publicise the contest and the winners, and often the details appear in their newsletters and magazines. I find that organisers are incredibly helpful if there are problems sending your books. Certificates can be printed out and stickers (always a good thing to attract attention) are free to use on your website. There is usually a nominal fee for the physical stickers. The comment about a judge's in-depth assessment. I was delighted when I won a Gold Award in the 2013 Wise Bear Book Awards, but what was most useful was the detailed review assessment, how they had judged it, what they liked the most etc. Apologies if this sounds like a trumpet-blowing exercise, but I really have worked hard to make the contests work for me. Yes, consider the cost (example the Mom's Awards are too expensive for me, although it is prestigious), but also the fact that your book is going to be viewed by the right people. Somehow your book can end up in high places. I have lots of info in this blog post, including a calendar of the best awards to enter (dates/links/print vs e-book etc). I am happy to share this with other authors. http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/2013/01/best-book-awards-for-indie-authors.htmlFiona Ingramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12858421058191075567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-86119052775794520232014-07-24T20:01:47.488-04:002014-07-24T20:01:47.488-04:00Although I haven't entered for any awards, I t...Although I haven't entered for any awards, I think they have their benefits. I recall a year or two ago Susan Ee's Angelfall was considered for an award and that is what brought my attention to her writing.Angela Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03324366495151363782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-86276271055402065572014-07-24T14:12:00.671-04:002014-07-24T14:12:00.671-04:00Indeed. I can't stress enough how we need to c...Indeed. I can't stress enough how we need to consider what we're getting out of the competition before we go in. Marcyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18326611302720771943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-35157420486827559072014-07-24T14:09:10.446-04:002014-07-24T14:09:10.446-04:00Congratulations! I hope you did something to celeb...Congratulations! I hope you did something to celebrate :)Marcyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18326611302720771943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-54033476158724758612014-07-24T14:08:09.847-04:002014-07-24T14:08:09.847-04:00You're very right. Anyone who wins an award or...You're very right. Anyone who wins an award or who receives an honorable mention should be proud of what they've created. Someone felt their work was the best piece submitted and that should encourage them to keep moving forward as a writer. That's valuable above and beyond any prizes. Winning can sometimes be the push a writer needs to keep going rather than giving up. Marcyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18326611302720771943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-35960519320252845902014-07-24T14:03:30.311-04:002014-07-24T14:03:30.311-04:00Thanks for adding such great elements to the discu...Thanks for adding such great elements to the discussion!<br /><br />Everyone needs to make their own choice, but, like you said, I'd be wary about a contest that doesn't use professionals for judges. The average reader can be easily swayed by a lot of things, and the hope is that a professional will carefully look at all the elements that should be considered.<br /><br />Some contests do share their judges list. Many won't do that prior to the competition (for obvious reasons), but you can go look at the lists of past judges. That can really help give you a good idea of what personal preferences the judges might be bringing in with them and also whether the judges really have the experience necessary to make a fair assessment. Marcyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18326611302720771943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-23781616143461626092014-07-24T13:31:35.948-04:002014-07-24T13:31:35.948-04:00This article brings up some important points.
Ov...This article brings up some important points.<br /><br /> Overall I think winning an award or even getting an honorable mention speaks to your ability to take good advice and use it effectively. Working at wining an award or two is an important exercise.<br /><br />I have won many public speaking awards. They have done nothing for my career. I do use them for self confidence and when I need to make a point. <br /><br />Thank you Marcy for your contribution to Fiction University and my further learning.Harry Sarkisianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02734703704447800714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-54757626714302439082014-07-24T11:45:57.553-04:002014-07-24T11:45:57.553-04:00I was recently in an organization that has been ru...I was recently in an organization that has been running a book contest for many years. In their call for judges, one of the categories of people they are looking for is "people who love to read." In my opinion, not having professional judges of a certain caliber destroys a contest's credibility. <br /><br />This organization would be bankrupt without the income from this contest, so let the author beware...<br /><br />I wonder if authors can get any honest information about who is judging the contests they are considering entering?<br /><br />One of my editing clients was outraged by the useless and unprofessional comments she received on her work when she entered the competition I'm referring to, things like "I really wanted to like it but I just didn't."<br /><br />As with all things publishing related, due diligence on the author's part is a must!lesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01867886481362543250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-28088919617025995512014-07-24T10:43:31.618-04:002014-07-24T10:43:31.618-04:00I think #6 is a really huge consideration. A few f...I think #6 is a really huge consideration. A few friends from my critique group keep entering a high-cost contest that, should you win, enables you to put stickers on your book, which must also be purchased at a high cost. They're thrilled with how "nice" the folks are, but why wouldn't they be seeing as they rake in over $400 per victim. So many of these "awards" really do strike one as a subset of vanity publishing.Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-50182894714589717622014-07-24T08:12:02.222-04:002014-07-24T08:12:02.222-04:00Great article, Marcy! One of my books is a finalis...Great article, Marcy! One of my books is a finalist in the first award contest I've entered, so I've been considering entering one of my other books in a contest and this will really help me make my decision!Heather Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815204762105256632noreply@blogger.com