by Penny C. Sansevieri
You’ve seen those shiny seals adorning the covers of some of your favorite books, and you’ve certainly taken note when you’ve come across the words, “Winner of the [X] Book Award.” You can work on acquiring your own accolades with a little research and time, and after you celebrate your win, you can use your newfound acclaim to help you sell more books! Book awards may seem glamorous, and they truly are fantastic, but the award itself won’t help you sell more books–it’s what you do with the honor after you receive it that truly matters.
Book awards, in their most basic form, are designed to shed light and praise on the best books in a particular genre, and most book awards offer categories for just about any major genre–even poetry, which always tends to be tougher to market. But what does a book award really do for you? Well, as it turns out, a lot! From helping to build your platform to pulling in more readers (book awards are eye-candy) and yes, even to selling more books, entering a competition can offer an indie author a real boost. So let’s dig in and discover some ins and outs of finding the right book contests for you, as well as a few pitfalls you might encounter along the way.
Different Types of Book Contests
Book contests and book awards often vary by the types of books and authors invited to participate. Some welcome submissions from indie authors, while others are specifically targeted to new authors. By the same token, book awards are sometimes split into fiction vs. nonfiction. The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) is a great resource, because it looks at all book contests out there. Regardless of how you publish or what your genre is, ALLi can be a huge help in navigating the book-award world.
Why Contests Matter
First, if you’re really serious about being a successful author, you probably appreciate feedback. If nothing else, book contests that allow judges to offer specific book feedback are a terrific way to gain new insight and ideas to make your book even better. Beyond that, of course, is the all-important goal of actually winning a coveted book award.
These awards aren’t easy to get; most contests are fiercely competitive. So a win is not only a super way to get confirmation that your book is, indeed, award-worthy, but it’s also a great way to build your platform. And, let’s face it, there’s nothing quite like adding the term “award-winning” to your book cover and/or Amazon book description.
Why Awards Sell More Books
Book awards are really eye-catching to retail stores and the media. So you can expect to book more events, earn more distribution opportunities, and secure more media if you have an award in your back pocket. And all these wins mean massive amounts of exposure, and exposure is what drives book sales.
Plus, adding “award-winning author” to your bio signals to book buyers that you’re a sure thing.
Not All Opportunities Are Created Equal
I’m always discouraged when I see contests that are nothing more than profit centers, which, sadly, some are. You’ll want to vet the book contest carefully before you submit your book, but a fee shouldn’t dissuade you from entering, because every contest has an entry fee. Some fees are steep (but worth it), while others charge only a negligible fee to cover basic book-contest costs.
So how do you vet book contests? First, check to see how long the organizing body has run them. For example, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) has run the Benjamin Franklin Awards almost as long as I’ve been in business. You can ask trusted sources, and I also recommend getting to know Writer Beware, which is run by Victoria Strauss and hosted by The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. This fantastic resource covers everything from complaints about indie publishing services to book awards that are nothing more than profit centers. Definitely check Writer Beware on your quest for a coveted award.
Submission Tips
Before you submit your book for a particular award, I recommend you look at some of the previous winners to make sure your book is really ready for the big time, and that it’s right for that particular competition.
One of the biggest challenges I had as a book-contest judge was giving feedback to authors who either didn’t have books well-suited to the competition or didn’t have books that were contest-ready. What I mean is the author had not done the due diligence on their market, their cover wasn’t great, etc. Authors sometimes think book contests work for all types of books, and to some degree that’s true, but your book really must be able to stand alongside any of the winning titles, even in the case of honorable mentions.
Be sure to follow the contest guidelines to the letter, and take time to fill out all required information such as marketing of the book, book description, etc. Keep in mind that the judges have probably never heard of you or your book, so at a very basic level you should cover as much ground as you can by submitting all the requested information. In some cases, you may see some items that aren’t required and are marked as optional. My suggestion is to fill out all of it, unless it just does not pertain to you or your book.
How to Use Your Book Award
You’ve won a book award, congratulations! Now what do you do with it? First and foremost, if it’s feasible to add the award to the book cover, do it! It should also be added to your Amazon book page as well as your bio (remember, you are now an “award-winning author”).
Once you win, you have a great opportunity to reach out to local bookstores for an event (especially if they’ve turned you down previously). Let them know you received the honor of an award and would love to be considered for a future book event. If you’re a speaker, be sure to add the award to your speaker packet.
Here are some other ways to announce your book award and make the most of this fantastic opportunity:
- If you have a newsletter, let your subscribers know you won an award!
- Announce it on social media.
- Change your social media banners to include your achievement.
- Host a book giveaway or contest to celebrate.
Book awards and book contests can be a fabulous way to drive more attention to your book, gain more momentum for your platform, help build your tribe, and even sell more books. Winning a book award can also lead to bigger things if, let’s say, you want to find a traditional publisher for your next book. Having a book award to your credit can go a long way to possibly impressing an agent or publisher.
Penny Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. (AME) and an adjunct professor at NYU, is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns.
