My company, Intrigue Publishing, was well represented at the Love is Murder Mystery Conference last weekend. We took pitches from authors. I sat on one panel and moderated another. We sponsored the newcomer’s breakfast and I moderated that too. We worked the con the way I hope other small presses work our Creatures, Crimes & Creativity con. And our big win was that one of the books we published, “Girl Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie” won the Lovey Award for best horror/sci-fi/fantasy novel of the year. The Lovey, voted on by Love is Murder attendees, is given in several categories.
In today’s crowded marketplace winning an award is one way to distinguish a book and make it stand out. Awards that are voted on by readers can carry a lot of weight with a specific audience. Like Love is Murder’s Lovey, the Agatha award is granted by the fans at the Malice Domestic conference. For authors and publishers who attend writers conferences, this can be a great extra benefit.
There are also plenty of awards available to authors and publishers who don’t love Cons, although there is usually a price. For example, the annual International Beverly Hills Book Awards is open for submissions through Feb. 15. They consider cover and interior design, promotional text, aesthetic components and other factors that demonstrate outstanding presentation, in addition to the writing. They accept fiction and non-fiction books in a wide range of topics and categories including mystery, romance, business, self-help, memoirs and inspiration.
USA Regional Excellence Book Awards recognizes books that take readers into the heart of a “place.” If your book delivers the distinctive character of a locale, say the glitz of Hollywood or the hustle and bustle of New York City, it is a perfect candidate for a USA REBA award. Again, Sept. 15 is this year’s deadline.
USA Regional Excellence Book Awards recognizes books that take readers into the heart of a “place.” If your book delivers the distinctive character of a locale, say the glitz of Hollywood or the hustle and bustle of New York City, it is a perfect candidate for a USA REBA award. Again, Sept. 15 is this year’s deadline.
And while the International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America restrict their awards to well-established publishers, that doesn’t mean all others are shut out. The National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA) was created to help establish self-publishing as a legitimate side of the publishing industry. You’ve got until March 31 to submit to them.
You could question the promotional value of book awards, but there’s no denying the joy of such bragging rights. So go see if your book can become an award winning.
