About a million new books are hitting the market each year, and short of being J.K. Rowling or John Grisham, it can be hard to get your book the notice it deserves.
The solution? Enter book award contests. Book awards are an easy and affordable marketing option, and the returns can be stunning. For example, when 2010 National Book Award fiction winner, Jaimy Gordon (Lords of Misrule, McPherson & Co.) was first nominated, the initial print run was bumped from 2,000 to 8,000 copies (45,000 hardcover copies were eventually printed). Gordon sold reprint rights to Vintage for $25,000, and received a $100,000 bonus for winning (the initial paperback print run was 75,000 copies). 120,000 copies in print and $125,000 in cash…not bad for an independently published book by a 65 year-old professor from Kalamazoo, Michigan. All awards don’t carry that much weight, but all awards do attract attention. Winning a book award is a great way to:
1. Gain notice from readers, publishers, librarians, etc. Putting a book award seal on the front cover of your book makes it stand out and signals that it is a book to pay attention to. Editors, agents, buyers, journalists and producers receive hundreds of books every week, and your award seal says, “I'm a book that's been honored. Look at me first. You can be assured that I'm a quality book worthy of your attention.” Award-winning status can get your book reconsidered or noticed for the first time, and help it get plucked from the pile.
"It's made a huge difference in my sales, and was the key factor in convincing me to go to a second printing. The IPPY gold seal looks great on the new cover, and I think it's opening some doors to publication reviews." - Ed Spivey, author of A Hamster is Missing in Washington, D.C., Humor category 2010 IPPY Award Gold Medalist.
2. Give you the credibility and prestige that we all need in this over-saturated market. Winning a book award translates to quality and value, and you just can't beat that. The credibility gained with a distinguished book award opens up a whole new round of attention for your book from journalists, reviewers, distributors and buyers.
"I can't tell you how much I value my initial Bronze IPPY award, and I know it's been instrumental in drawing attention to the The Tao of Rudy! Chronicle Books just made an offer for The Tao of Rudy, and of course I accepted the initial terms a couple of weeks ago, and am currently reviewing the rest of the contract. A lot has happened in the last year, and I appreciate your efforts in making my first book a success!" - Corrine Humphreys, Publisher/Author/Illustrator
3. Increase your P.R. possibilities. Just think what the title "Award Winning Author" will do for your press releases. It certainly warrants sending out a celebratory press release that can lead to newspaper and magazine articles, radio and television appearances, newsletter and blog mentions.
“After the book won the award, it was more attractive to reviewers. A lot of the blog reviews came after I won the award.” - Tonya Plank, author of Swallow, 2010 Best Regional Fiction/Northeast IPPY gold medalist.
4. Increase your sales, call for a reprint, and get your book in new markets. Everyone loves a winner! The PR blitz begins as you display your medal at the awards ceremony, and expands from there as you spread the word about your success. Everyone that sees your award will perceive you and your book in a different, brighter light, and that translates into increased book sales.
“Our winning of a gold medal in the 2008 competition has greatly helped book sales. We sold nearly 2,500 copies of Wild Alberta at the Crossroads last year and had to order a reprint of 1,500. When we show retailers the gold medal they are always impressed and invariably order some books.” - Robin White, NatureWatch Partners
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
So, which awards should you enter? There are dozens in the U.S., not to mention those offered in other countries. Some awards are wide open, some are only open to members of literary groups, and others have detailed eligibility requirements for entry. Your first step is to look for awards that suit your book and your promotional goals.