When your book wins an award, you can promote yourself as an "award-winning author" and the book as an "award-winning book." In addition, the award organizers often promote the winners and they usually provide some kind of a graphic that you can use for promotional purposes.
The entry deadlines for many book award competitions are in the first quarter of the year, so now is a good time to think about which ones to enter. There are numerous book awards available, but the entry fees can really add up so you’ll need to be selective about where to enter.
Begin by considering which contests are most appropriate for your book. Some are very general, while others focus on a specific type of book. Some book award contests accept entries with the current or previous year’s copyright date, while others allow entries spanning several years. Some are geared toward self-published books and others accept all books.
When deciding which contests are the best fit, look for those that offer book categories most related to the type of book that you write. For example, “historical romance” is much more specific than “romance.” Also consider the entry fees and the relative prestige and publicity value of the contest. Some contests even offer cash prizes for the top winners.
Here are some of the most popular book award competitions for self-published books. Check these sites for eligibility, categories and deadlines.
The Ben Franklin Awards, sponsored by IBPA, is considered by many to be the most prestigious award for independent publishers.
ForeWord Book Awards - sponsored by ForeWord, a book review publication.
Nautilus Book Awards - for nonfiction books
Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Dan Poynter's Global eBook Awards
National Indie Excellence Book Awards
Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards
Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award
See this page for a list of other book award competitions, and this list has links to some contests geared toward specific types of books.
Be sure to read the eligiblity and submission instructions carefully when entering. If a contest accepts both ebooks and printed books, it’s usually best to submit a printed book if you have one because it’s more tangible.
Another option for novelists is to enter writing contests such as the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, which has a short entry window in January and can lead to a publishing contract. Search online for other writing contests for various types of novels and short stories.
Thanks Dana for the list!
Posted by: Michael David Lawrience | January 01, 2013 at 10:40 AM
Great resource, Dana! Thank you so much.
Posted by: Viviankirkfield | January 01, 2013 at 01:12 PM
Thank you for this list of contests, Dana. I have a question for you.
David Telbat's eBooks have been selling well and we are going to pursue print this year. His first eBook (Dark Liaison, A Christian Suspense Novel) was published with KDP the end of 2011. If we get the print version out this year and decide to enter it into a contest, what publish date do we put on the entry? Do we consider the print version as if the book hadn't been published before?
Thank you for your time and help.
Dee
Posted by: Dee for D.I. Telbat | January 03, 2013 at 01:47 AM
I entered "Memory Lake: The Forever Friendships of Summer" in three contests last year; Nautilus, Michigan's Notable Book Award,and the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Award. The Michigan award was free, except 6 copies needed to be donated to their state library. I am proud to report years of writing and editing paid off, as well as the entry fee, because "Memory Lake" won first place in the 2012 Next Gen's Inspirational category. It has opened doors, though I have had to do the knocking, but at least people are now answering! Thank you Dana Lynn Smith for offering great advice here.
Posted by: Nancy S. Kyme | January 04, 2013 at 08:08 AM
Nancy, congratulations on your book award! I'm thrilled to know that it's opening doors for you.
Posted by: Dana Lynn Smith | January 05, 2013 at 06:44 AM
Dee, I am also going to publish some of my ebooks in print this year and I will use this year as the copyright/publication date. I'm not sure how award contest organizers will feel about the publication date, so I plan inquire in advance before entering. Good luck with the new print edition!
Posted by: Dana Lynn Smith | January 05, 2013 at 06:48 AM
This is a great resource, thanks Dana. You might be interested to know that we also maintain a page that gathers together all known book award contests that are open to self-published books. It's here: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/book-awards/
Posted by: Joel Friedlander | January 26, 2013 at 08:21 PM
There is also the Feathered Quill Book Awards. Numerous categories and they have several special awards for self-published works. www.featheredquill.com/awardprogram.shtml
Posted by: Ellen Feld | November 20, 2013 at 03:00 PM