I'm celebrating an unexpected victory at the moment. Trying
to grasp what happened. I was just informed that my book Screamcatcher: Web
World took first place in the N. N. Light Book Awards contest for best Young
Adult novel of 2019. Not a huge event, nor a teeny one either. I must have been
auto-entered in this running because I had no idea such a platform was part of
their yearly program. I take it that about 1,750 books in 25 categories/genres
were considered because of their highest reviews. I wasn't even forewarned as a
finalist position. Since this was a no-pay entry contest, it made it all that
more significant and relevant to me. I really attribute most of this to luck
and timing.
This is the third time I've won or placed in anything literature related in 29 years. I think we all know how impossible the odds can seem. Yet when it happens, you sit there in a stupor and wonder the why of it, rather than the whole "Oh hell yes!" of it. Needless to say, I'm humbled and grateful to be called out for a little book that I thought was nothing more than a little slammer beach read. The heck with me—this is a win for the First Nation’s Tribe, a salute to our North American Indian cultural history.
I would encourage others to adopt the feeling that this could happen to you too when you least expect it. And isn't that always the way it seems to work? Victory always seems to sneak up on you with no pre-warning. I'll have fond memories of this day and time in my life. It felt like somebody wrapped their arms around me after a long period of loneliness. And in the writing world where rejection is 99% of our existence, these are the moments that make it all worth the insufferable effort to accomplish and carry on. On the upside, this contest required no payment or commitment to enter. These types are far, few and in between. Many of them are small and barely register a blip on the “who won what” radar. Yet even the smaller ones can have a huge reader base and attract the curious.
This is the third time I've won or placed in anything literature related in 29 years. I think we all know how impossible the odds can seem. Yet when it happens, you sit there in a stupor and wonder the why of it, rather than the whole "Oh hell yes!" of it. Needless to say, I'm humbled and grateful to be called out for a little book that I thought was nothing more than a little slammer beach read. The heck with me—this is a win for the First Nation’s Tribe, a salute to our North American Indian cultural history.
I would encourage others to adopt the feeling that this could happen to you too when you least expect it. And isn't that always the way it seems to work? Victory always seems to sneak up on you with no pre-warning. I'll have fond memories of this day and time in my life. It felt like somebody wrapped their arms around me after a long period of loneliness. And in the writing world where rejection is 99% of our existence, these are the moments that make it all worth the insufferable effort to accomplish and carry on. On the upside, this contest required no payment or commitment to enter. These types are far, few and in between. Many of them are small and barely register a blip on the “who won what” radar. Yet even the smaller ones can have a huge reader base and attract the curious.
THE DOWNSIDE OF CONTESTS AND AWARDS
J. A Konrath, the successful Indie guru, is noted for
saying that contests “aren’t worth sh.t.” That they have no relevance or
significance when it comes to notoriety or impact on sales—particularly sales. He goes on to say that they are a gimmick or
scam at best. Nearly all of them. He has a point, to a certain extent, and I
don’t and can’t disagree with his logic and opinion. Our senior population is a
favorite target of contest campaigns because the contests come in so many
venues and guises, covering a multitude of subjects.
Contests and awards can be an enticement, and yet they can
be an entrapment. Ergo an addiction. This, by the way, applies to just about
every contest or award out there for a multitude of products and
services—books, jewelry, appliances, gift cards, cars, vacations, artwork,
poems and the like. There’s no end to the array of prizes and circumstances by
which you can enter with the possibility of placing, becoming a finalist or
winning. Wouldn’t you know that many of them include honorable mentions as kind
of an afterthought. The more divisions to win in allows the host to pander and
cater to many more participants. First, second and third placements are the
most common winning sequences, with sometimes a hats off to the overall grand
prize winner of the entire field. Honorable mentions usually bring up the rear,
and make no mistake about it, those little wins won’t go unrecognized by
participants and can be just as important as the larger award positions. What’s
important is that you got ink!
We definitely have some legitimate and noteworthy contests
that can pull in lots of interest from industry professional watchdogs. These
contests are mostly free but require nominations to be included in their lists.
They are considered premium awards and are usually sponsored by huge
organizations and companies each year. Among the best known book awards and
competitions are: (Including fee entries)
General Book Awards Contests
1. TCK Publishing Readers Choice Contest
Website: www.tckpublishing.com Contest details: www.tckpublishing.com2019-readers-choice-awards Fee: Free2. Benjamin Franklin Awards
Website: www.ibpabenjaminfranklinawards.com Contest details:www.ibpabenjaminfranklinawards.comentry-form Fee: $953. Best Book Award (American Book Fest)
Website: www.americanbookfest.com Contest details: www.americanbookfest.comamericanfictionawards.html Fee: $69-$894. Beverly Hills Book Awards
Website: www.beverlyhillsbookawards.com Contest details: www.beverlyhillsbookawards.comrules-beverlyhills-book-awards.htm Fee: $755. Colorado Book Awards
Website: www.coloradohumanities.org Contest details: www.coloradohumanities.orgprograms/colorado-book-awards Fee: unpublished6. Georgia Author of the Year
Website: www.authoroftheyear.org Contest details: www.authoroftheyear.org/faq/ Fee: $607. Hollywood Book Festival
Website: www.hollywoodbookfestival.com Fee: $758. International Book Award Contest
Website: www.internationalbookawards.com Contest details: www.internationalbookawards.com/2020callforentries.html Fee: $69 –$899. National Indie Excellence Award
Website: www.indieexcellence.com Contest details: www.indieexcellence.comentry-form Fee: $7510. Nautilus Book Awards
Website: www.nautilusbookawards.com Fee: $165–$18511. NextGen Indie Book Awards
Website: www.indiebookawards.com Fee: $7512. Reader’s Favorite
Website: www.readersfavorite.com Contest details: www.readersfavorite.com/about Fee: $99 – $119, discount on multiple genres/book13. The National Book Awards
Website: www.nationalbook.orgnational-book-awards/submissions/ Fee: $13514. The Wishing Shelf
Website: www.thewsa.co.uk Contest details: www.thewsa.co.uk/enter/ Fee: $8915. Woodson Book Award
Website: www.socialstudies.orgawards/woodson/nominations Fee: unpublished16. Rubery Book Award
Website: www.ruberybookaward.com Fee: unpublished17. 2019 Foreword Indies
Website: www.forewordreviews.com Contest details: www.publishers.forewordreviews.comawards/#why-register Fee: $89Children’s Book Awards Contests
18. The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards
Website: www.moonbeamawards.com Contest details: www.moonbeamawards.com38/guidelines Fee: $5519. The Royal Dragonfly Book Awards
Website: www.dragonflybookawards.com Contest details: www.dragonflybookawards.compurple-dragonfly Fee: $6020. The Golden Kite Award
Website: www.scbwi.org Contest details: www.scbwi.orgawards/golden-kite-award/ Fee: unpublished21. Mom’s Choice Award
Website: www.momschoiceawards.com Contest details: www.momschoiceawards.com/apply Fee: unpublished22. The Purple Dragonfly Book
Website: www.dragonflybookawards.com Contest details: www.dragonflybookawards.compurple-dragonfly/ Fee: unpublishedChristian Book Awards Contests
23. Cascade Contest
Website: www.oregonchristianwriters.org Contest details: www.oregonchristianwriters.orgcascade-writing-contest-2019/ Fee: unpublished24. Illumination Awards
Website: www.illuminationawards.com Contest details: www.illuminationawards.com/entryform Fee: $8525. Christian Indie Awards
Website: www.christianaward.com Contest details: www.christianaward.comeligibility-guidelines/ Fee: $4526. Christian Book Award
Website: www.ecpa.org Contest details: www.ecpa.orgpage/cba_1_overview? Fee: unpublished27. Carol Awards
Website: www.acfw.com Contest details: www.acfw.comcarol Fee: $45 for members, $115 for non-members28. The Inspy Awards
Website: www.inspys.com Contest details: www.inspys.com?page_id=1183 Fee: Free29. Christianity Today Book Award
Website: www.christianitytoday.com Contest details: www.christianitytoday.comct/2019/may-web-only/nomination-instructions-2020-christianity-today-book-awards.html Fee: $4030. CPA Book Awards
Website: www.catholicpress.org Contest details: www.catholicpress.orgpage/CPABookAwards? Fee: $36 for members, $76 for non-members31. The Christy Awards
Website: www.christyawards.com Contest details: www.ecpa.orgpage/christy_submissions Fee: $175Self-Published Book Awards Contests
32. The IndieReader Discovery Awards
Website: www.indiereader.com Contest details: www.indiereader.comproduct/indiereader-discovery-awards-entry-2020/ Fee: $14933. The Best Indie Book Award
Website: www.bestindiebookaward.com/live/ Contest details: www.bestindiebookaward.com/submit/product/best-indie-book-award-entry/ Fee: $5034. Foreword INDIES Book of the Year
Website: www.forewordreviews.co Contest details: https://publishers.forewordreviews.com/awards/register/ Fee: unpublished35. Indie Reader Discovery Awards
Website: www.indiereader.com/enter-discovery-awards Contest details: www. indiereader.com/product/indiereader-discovery-awards-entry-2020 Fee: $15036. The Independent Publisher Book Awards
Website: www.ippyawards.com Contest details: www.secure.independentpublisher.comcart/?program_id=4 Fee: $75-$9537. The Eric Hoffer Award
Website: www.hofferaward.com Fee: $6038. Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Website: www.indiebookawards.com Contest details: www.indiebookawards.com/enter/guidelines Fee: $75Crime and Mystery Book Awards Contests
39. CWA Daggers
Website: www.thecwa.co.uk Contest details: www.thecwa.co.uk/the-daggers Fee: unpublished40. The Edgar Awards
Website: www.mysterywriters.org Contest details: www.mysterywriters.org/edgars/edgar-submission-information/ Fee: unpublishedE-book Book Awards Contests
41. ELit Awards
Website: www.elitawards.com Contest details: www.elitawards.com/entryform Fee: $70–$9042. Global E-Book Awards
Website: www.globalebookawards.com Contest details: www.globalebookawards.com/instructions-for-entering/ Fee: $4.9743. Digital Book World Awards
Website: www.digitalbookworld.com Contest details: www.digitalbookworld.com/dbw-award-form Fee: $59Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Book Awards Contests
44. Bram Stoker Award
Website: www.thebramstokerawards.com Contest details: www.thebramstokerawards.com/submissions/ Fee: unpublished45. Fanstory Horror Writing Contest
Website: www.fanstory.com Contest details: www.fanstory.com/contestdetails.jsp?id=105611 Fee: unpublished46. Hugo Awards
Website: www.thehugoawards.org Contest details: www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-categories/ Fee: unpublished47. Nebula Awards
Website: www.nebulas.sfwa.org Fee: unpublishedBusiness Book Awards Contests
48. Axiom Business Book Awards
Website: www.axiomawards.com Contest details: www.secure.independentpublisher.comcart/?program_id=1 Fee: $75-$9550. Financial Times
Website: www.ft.comwork-careers/business-book-award Fee: unpublishedOther Book Awards Contests
51. TipTree Award
Website: www.tiptree.org Contest details: www.tiptree.orgabout-the-award/the-process Fee: unpublished52. Spur Awards
Website: www.westernwriters.org Contest details: www.westernwriters.org/spur-awards/ Fee: unpublished53. WILLA
Website: www.womenwritingthewest.org Contest details: www.womenwritingthewest.org/willaCurrentFinalists.html Fee: $6554. Royal Dragonfly
Website: www.dragonflybookawards.com Contest details: www.dragonflybookawards.comroyal-dragonfly Fee: $60-6555. Stonewall Books
Website: www.ala.orgawardsgrants/awards/177/apply Fee: unpublished56. Living Now Book Awards
Website: www.livingnowawards.com Contest details: www.secure.independentpublisher.com/cart/index.php?process=product_detail&product_id=5 Fee: $9557. Green Book Festival
Website: www.greenbookfestival.com Fee: $5058. American Fiction Awards (American Book Fest)
Website: www.americanbookfest.com Contest details: www.americanbookfest.comamericanfictionawards.html Fee: $69–$8959. PEN/Faulkner Awards
Website: www.penfaulkner.org Contest details: www.penfaulkner.orgaward-for-fiction/submission-guidelines/ Fee: unpublished60. AICP Cookbook Awards
Website: www.iacp.com Contest details: www.iacp.comawards/cookbook/ Fee: $150–$200
Among this list are free contests that carry a lot of
weight—the Hugo, Nebulae, Booker Prize, Pulitzer, Bram Stoker and other such
notables. However, take note of the fees associated with most of them. Name
your category or genre and you’ll probably find yourself eligible in one or
more of these offerings. Some are for unpublished manuscripts. How deep are
your pockets? What are your realistic expectations?
BUT LOOK AT THOSE ENTRY FEES!
Do you think for one minute those sponsoring agencies are
losing money by bestowing huge cash prizes and publication upon you? You would
be wrong. They are making money hand over fist. The question you have to ask
yourself is…is it worth the expense and nail-biting to anticipate or expect a win
of any kind in any of them? With thousands or tens of thousands of applicants,
tabulate your odds of picking up a win. It’s worse than a crap shoot in Las
Vegas. If you are a contest chaser and think that you can even your odds by
entering many or most of these contests, you’ll end up sitting on the curb with
your hat in your lap begging for living expenses. If you happen to feel good
about your odds in a certain competition, it doesn’t hurt to enter. Just do so
with the full knowledge that everyone has the same hopes and dreams and the
playing field is level.
I’m sorry, but I can’t see myself as a wunder talent since
I might have edged out a runner up because of a dropped run-on sentence or a
POV slip. Final decisions could be that close.
How much does talent have to do with copping a win?
Fortunately a great book will stand out whether it is picked by a panel of
judges or a reader’s poll. It is
subjective and a matter of personalized opinion. Yet the wheat will win over
the chaff. Every time.
There are and have been instances where an applicant can
actually sway the votes by using huge marketing campaigns (more expense) aimed
at fans, readers and relatives. This happens a lot with book cover contests. Get
somebody to click on you as a favorite and wallah! You start stacking up the
votes. This happens. It’s a little desperate, but if the cover really is great,
it’s justified. People can go to extreme lengths to win—you’ve heard of those
authors who have bought thousands of copies of their own books to hit the NYT,
USA Today and Amazon top-seller lists. The same thing happens in the contest
and awards arena.
What’s in it for you if you pick up a substantial or even
moderate win? Besides publication and a cash prize (if it’s offered), you have
bragging rights. Sometimes you get permission to wear the contest badge, usually
a star with the logo displayed prominently on your book cover. Does it help?
Money and publication is fine. Wearing the badge? That’s up to you. A little
gold star might give you a second look. It is NOT a guarantee that your sales
and reviews are going to skyrocket. Your win is not an earth-shaking event and,
except for the most prestigious awards, don’t expect front page news, radio
interviews or TV spots with the major networks. This kind of news goes over
with fans, friends and relatives more than other segments of the populace.
So you won something…consider it a personal best. Take
pride, include it in your diary and remember it fondly. You certainly did something
right and, no, it really wasn’t all luck. It was pluck and you just happened to
be there with a beloved book that made an impact on somebody who cared enough
to draw you out of the crowd. Good luck with your future entries, and may we all
have our 16 minutes of fame!
