This is the only writers digest competition exclusively for selfpublished books. Any indieselfpublished book in any genre in 2019 or 2020 is eligible for entry. Apr 17, 2015 dawsons first selfpublished book, the black mile a thriller set in londons west end between 1940 and 1970 again failed to register. Dec 10, 2012 here are the book contests i recommend for self published authors. Selfpublished book awards, writing contests and literary prizes. Sep 10, 2015 among the dozens of awards for self published books, there arent many that are worth winning. Submit a novel of 20,000 words or more in any fiction genre no fanfic, short stories or poetry.
An eligible entrant will be an author of a book or the publishing company. Our chairman provides helpful guidelines for selecting a book award. Christian book awards, writing contests and literary. Dawsons first selfpublished book, the black mile a thriller set in londons west end between 1940 and 1970 again failed to register. The best contests for selfpublished authors bookstand. Selfpublished books are books published by an author that the author owns all rights to, not a large publishing house. The awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university, and self published books released each year. What has your experience been with awards and contests. A regularly updated list of book and novel writing competitions, for published. Selfpublishing is no longer its former taboo self, previously known as vanity publishing.
Our indierecon 2015 book cover contest sets out to find what makes a good indie book cover. The winning entry will be selected by the editors of shelf unbound magazine. Telemachus by peter gray, jim morgan and the door at the edge of the world by jame. This is a front cover competition, for a book which is, or will be, published independently. The national indie excellence awards niea is open to all english language printed books available for sale, including small presses, midsize independent publishers, university presses, and self published authors. Another chapbook, ovarian, was published in 2011 by the dallas poets community press, and a third chapbook, beatrice. Book awards for selfpublished authors these awards were selected based on their acceptance of self published books.
Annotated list of publishing and writing contests for the selfpublished category. With a drastic shift in the digital world in the last year, its easier than ever to get your message out. By bernadette geyer book awards have made great strides in broadening. All books published or revised and reprinted between 2015 and 2020 are eligible. Whether youre a professional writer, a parttime freelancer or a self starting student, heres your chance to enter the premier self published competition exclusively for self published books. Based on the email i received this morning from writers digest, its that time of year again. Self published book awards some make the argument that book contests are a way to rip off writers. Book awards eric hoffer book award, a top independent. Creative writing is such a key part of life for those who enjoy writing yet it is increasingly difficult to become traditionally published.
Self e is best viewed as a marketing tool to build a readership. Contests for already published poetry books updated. While most novels were distributed by established publishers, there have been authors who chose to selfpublish, or even start their own presses, such as john locke, jane austen, emily dickinson, nathaniel hawthorne, martin luther, marcel proust, derek walcott, and walt whitman. Among the dozens of awards for selfpublished books, there arent many that are worth winning. Lawrence syncing forward book pipeline finalist though my first selfpublished novel was an award winner and was picked up by a producer, getting a selfpublished book recognized is an arduous process. It is designed to expose self published ebooks to more readers via public libraries. Im talking about the time of year to decide whether youre entering the annual writers digest selfpublished book awards. Writers digest selfpublished book awards writers digest hosts the 28th selfpublished book awards.
The spark award is an annual award that recognizes excellence in a childrens book published through a nontraditional publishing route. And if you want to learn how, theres no better person to learn from than jane friedman. My first book, sunbelievable, was published by my own publishing company and therefore qualified as a self published versus a printondemand self published book. But with so many contests out there, how should indie authors choose which to enter. Shelf unbound competition for best indie self published book any independently published book in any genre is eligible for entry. In the meantime, james minter has drawn together a list of 50 book awards open to self publishers. With amazons self publishing services you can reach millions of readers worldwide and keep control of your work. Writers digest selfpublished book competition winners. Including them here should not be taken as an endorsement of the competition or its sponsors. Online shopping for book awards from a great selection at books store. One of my favorite awards for selfpublished authors is the eric hoffer book award.
Many of the contests have categories in addition to poetry and some have regional or other restrictions. Writers digest selfpublished book awards where writers win. Book awards contests can be a great way for a new or experienced author to win a prize, get recognition, and. Its fast and easy to independently publish your print book with createspace, your digital book with kindle direct publishing and create an audiobook with acx. If the book is a sequel or other book in a series, the book must have a standalone story that our judges can relate to without reading the other books. Self published book of the month the guardian legend selfpublished book of the month. Wds writing competitions recognizes writing excellence on a global scale. Contests are a great way to gain positive publicity for your book and increase your credibility as an author. Selfpublished is usually seen as a last resort for the rejected author, but dont tell that to photographers. Independent book publishers association runs this one. Aug 19, 2019 friedman is wellknown and respected in the selfpublishing world because he offers so much helpful advice on his site, and hes been doing it for years. For childrens book authors, here is a compiled list of upcoming and annual book contests either devoted to or containing categories for childrens and young adult literature.
With hundreds of thousands of selfpublished books hitting the shelves every year, indie authors need to find a way to stand out. Any indie self published book in any genre in 2019 or 2020 is eligible for entry. The spfbo has been operated since 2015 by the author mark lawrence. Beginning with the 2015 carol awards program, certain independently published christian fiction will be. These are for full length books, novelettes or novellas. Selfpublished book awards some make the argument that book contests are a way to rip off writers. Your book trips, travels and dreams how lsd saved me entered in the life stories category was included in the 2019 writers digest 28th annual selfpublished book awards and was considered, along with all submissions, for the prizes. Self publishing is the publication of media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. The annual best indie book award or biba is an international literary award contest recognizing outstanding indie authors. The majority of selfpublished book awards dont confer any benefit to the author, other than a seal that winners often must pay for.
The national indie excellence awards niea is open to all english language printed books available for sale, including small presses, midsize independent publishers, university presses, and selfpublished authors. Eagle book awards recognizes notable works of fiction by selfpublished or. The rubery prize is a prestigious international book award seeking the best books by indie writers, self published authors and books published by independent presses, judged by reputable judges. The book must be provided in pdf, ebook, word, epub, kindle, or mobi format. With hundreds of thousands of selfpublished books hitting the virtual shelves every year, indie authors need to find ways of standing out. Click on the links below to go directly to that section of the page, or scroll the page to browse them all.
Distribution through self e is royalty free, which means authors do not earn royalties though this platform. In 1759, british satirist laurence sternes selfpublished the first two. Selfpublishing has become a huge hit for photographers looking to get their work out. Entries are limited to independently indie published books, including those from small presses, ebook publishers, and selfpublished authors. Honoring christian books by independent authors and small publishers for outstanding contribution to christian life. A regularly updated list of contests for already published books of poetry, listed in chronological order of deadline. This competition spotlights todays best selfpublished works in a variety of categories. Shelf medias podcast network features interesting conversations about books and the arts. Benjamin franklin awards the ibpa benjamin franklin awards, which includes fiftyfive categories recognizing excellence in both editorial and design, is regarded as one of the highest national honors in small and independent publishing. My first book, sunbelievable, was published by my own publishing company and therefore qualified as a selfpublished versus a printondemand selfpublished book. And many of these contests are run by media groups that use them as a way to drum up business.
Inkitts writing contest runs quarterly and gives authors the chance to win an exclusive galatea publishing deal and the chance to showcase their book to. Niea national indie excellence awards united states. The carol awards are acfws recognition for the best christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses in the previous calendar year. Awards provide instant credibility which can influence purchasing decisions. Jan 14, 2017 a mong the dozens of awards for selfpublished books, there arent many that are worth winning. Catholic press book awards both cpa members and nonmembers may enter the cpa book awards. Each book received several awards, but im most proud of the indiefab finalist award nominated for best early reader picture book 2015. But how an obscure, selfpublished novel chock full of math and science ended up as a blockbuster certainly should be a question on every indie authors lips. Revised editions of previously issued books are eligible for entry only with newly issued isbns. Authors submit a book and a fee for the hopes of winning the contest and the grand prize, usually a sum of money. She has worked as a journalist and womens health educator in western massachusetts.
Researching book award contests can be overwhelming. Writers digest selfpublished book awards this in from writers digest whether youre a professional writer, a parttime freelancer, or a writing enthusiast who took the leap and published your own book, this competition may be for you. Jul 12, 2014 awards and their benefits is something alli watchdog jim giamatteo is going to be looking at and reporting back on soon. Awardwinning authors tend to be more successful when it comes to finding a literary agent, getting a publisher, and selling more books. The list is supplied as information for authors and self publishers interested in pursuing awards and citations as a means to their own publishing goals. This award was previously named christian small publisher book of the year award sign up to receive updates to stay uptodate about the award. Conducted annually, the independent publisher book awards honor the years best independently published titles from around the world. Check out her article how to selfpublish your book.
This list is only for fiction books, and only books published in 2015 if it is a new edition of a book published in 2015 i. Writers digest hosts the 28th annual self published competitionthe annual selfpublished book awards. The selfpublished fantasy blogoff spfbo is an annual literary contest intended to bring greater visibility to selfpublished englishlanguage fantasy authors. Shelf unbound competition for best indieselfpublished book any independently published book in any genre is eligible for entry.
This boutique publishing firm offers a prize of a publishing contract to its contest winner. Book contests offer extra exposure, recognition, and the chance to claim awardwinning during your marketing efforts as well as the chance to win cash and prizes. Writers digest selfpublished book competition winners goodreads. Usually its the one that instantly speaks to the reader, visually relaying allimportant info such as genre, and whether or not its your kind of book. Shelf unbound best indie book competition writing contest. Discoverability is the word on every selfpublished author s lips. Book awards open to selfpublished books fundsforwriters.
The awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university, and selfpublished books released each year. Some legitimate contests do charge a small entry or reading fee, but often a fee can be a red flag for a scam, so you may want to stick to free contests and there are certainly enough of them. Independently published books include selfpublished books and ebooks such as those published through createspace, iuniverse, etc. Contests can be another great way to market, promote and bring attention to your book. The eric hoffer book award recognizes excellence in publishing. Her manuscript, workers rites, won the philbrick poetry award from the providence athenaeum and was published as a chapbook in 2011. Selfpublished book awards, writing contests and literary. A mong the dozens of awards for selfpublished books, there arent many that are worth winning. Book awards for selfpublished authors the book designer. To the right are helpful links and resources regarding book awards. Book awards are part of your arsenal to achieve discoverability. The book should have been selfpublished either through an established selfpublishing enterprise or individually selfpublished. Select the category that best represents your entry. Book awards for self published writers are one way to do that.
Writers digest selfpublished book competition for mgya fiction 2015. Book awards contests can be a great way for a new or experienced author to win a prize, get recognition, and improve your chances at getting a major book deal. Please be aware that some book awards are more focused on making money than recognizing the accomplishments of authors. The majority of book purchases are made from existing authors who are known and trusted by readers, or through recommendation from friends, family, book clubs or the media. Ellen lafleche is a judge of our north street book prize. Mar 27, 2015 our indierecon 2015 book cover contest sets out to find what makes a good indie book cover. Any independently published bookincluding those from selfpublished authors and university pressespublished in 2020, and available for purchase in print or ebook formats. Here are the top 5 writing contests, as measured by bang. With hundreds of thousands of self published books hitting the shelves every year, indie authors need to find a way to stand out. I took a different tact with my second novel, and entered it into book pipeline, and now i have a chance to pitch it to industry. Christian book awards, writing contests and literary prizes. Book awards for self published authors including them here should not be taken as an endorsement of the competition or its sponsors. The annual best indie book award is an international literary award contest recognizing independent authors in major genres. In the meantime, james minter has drawn together a list of 50 book awards open to selfpublishers.
Book awards for selfpublished writers are one way to do that. One of my favorite awards for self published authors is the eric hoffer book award. Awards and their benefits is something alli watchdog jim giamatteo is going to be looking at and reporting back on soon. Writing competitions preparing your entry writers digest.
He explains why selfpublished books often look selfpublished, and suggests five great fonts for book covers. I am not including details of short story competitions here as i have a separate page for short fiction awards which you can see by clicking here. Dec 22, 2011 researching book award contests can be overwhelming. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using pod print on demand technology. Independently published books include self published books and ebooks such as those published through createspace, iuniverse, etc. Winners of the writers digest self published book competition award. If you know of any more good book contests for selfpublished authors, please let me know in the comments. The majority of self published book awards dont confer any benefit to the author, other than a seal that winners often must pay for. For more information about book awards and contests. Book awards for selfpublished authors publishers weekly. Authors submit a book and a fee for the hopes of winning the contest and the grand prize, usually a. Winning one of the many book awards for selfpublished writers is one way.