Book Awards—Long List
Awards—we all want them, but why? Most authors rely on publishers to submit for book awards. The publisher works within a fixed budget and may only enter a few awards competitions.
What authors and illustrators may not realize is they can submit for book awards. Some awards offer monetary compensation, while all offer either local, regional, or national exposure. What value is an award?
Awards offer something unique for each person.
Authors may use awards to validate their profession to consumers, peers, or family.
Readers may see awards as a quality review from book professionals.
Publishers may see the award as a reason to contract for future books.
No matter what the reason, be confident that your book is professional quality before submitting. Be open to the fact, not all submissions win. Being a finalist is as important as receiving a medal. For my forty published books, only eleven have won awards. Use critiques from judges to enhance your next book or second edition printing of the current book.
Where do you find book awards? Below is my long list of book awards. This list gets revised as I hear of a valid award from fellow authors and publishers. Bookmark the list for quick reference, I have.
