Writers in the Storm

by Hannah Jacobson

There are literally thousands of book awards out there. How do you find the right ones for your book?

The World Celebrates Award-Winning Authors

It's no secret that the world celebrates award-winning authors. From building your author platform to fueling your story marketing, awards are a boon to every author's career.

How can you find the best book award opportunities for your book to win?

Book Award Basics: How They Work

Most authors don't know that award-winning success is within their reach. It doesn't happen like magic, but with a little work, adding "award-winning author" to your bio could be in your future.

In fact, it is commonly believed that an award simply "happens" to some authors: perhaps somewhere in the mystical literary ethers, a magical selection occurs and deems them award-worthy.

That incorrect assumption leads many authors to believe they may not be ready for an award, or worse, that all awards are out of their reach. That is simply not the case!

There are awards within your reach, and award-winning success is attainable for your book.

With many thousands of possible book awards, the trick is finding exactly the right ones for your unique book.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, children's picture books or highly cerebral literary sagas, published many years ago or want to publish it in the future, or even have a manuscript you want to "test" for potential...

There are awards for your book, and lots of them.

Here is an overview of how the actual book awards process works:

• Find the right awards
• Submit to them
• Monitor your progress
• Share every step with your readers in a meaningful way

Today, we'll focus on the first step: how to find awards for your book.

Protect Your Time and Get a Curated List of Awards

There are hundreds of generic lists of book awards online and in print. Though not malicious, these lists actually create more work for you instead of meeting their intended goal: making your life easier. You'll spend time sorting through lists of expired children's picture book awards when you're really trying to find award gems for your nonfiction biographical work.

If you've tried the "list strategy," you know how frustrating this method is. It's a top complaint among busy authors. Instead of generic, outdated lists, you need a list of awards curated specifically for your book.

As the publishing industry evolves, so too has the book award sphere.

You no longer need to spend countless hours trawling massive lists of awards. The modern, free, and time-saving way to find awards is to have a service tell you exactly which awards are right for your book.

How to Find the Best Awards for Your Book

Once you discover relevant awards for your book, it's time to determine: what are your very best opportunities?

Keep in mind what is right for your book may be very different for another author. As every book and story is unique, every award is unique and looking for works that suit their criteria and dazzle their judges.

And, what is best for you right now may also be very different even a few months from now. Awards are evolving all the time!

Here are some thoughts to keep in mind when pursuing awards and deciding which ones to submit.

Consider award programs of all sizes

Though certainly a reason to celebrate, it is a common pitfall to think winning a famous, prestigious award is the only key to success.

While the National Book Award, Nobel Prize, and the Pulitzer Prize would be an honor to win, you can leverage awards of all sizes for the success of your book.

In fact, many smaller award organizations are created by genuine people who want to support the author community while recognizing literary achievement. Nominees, finalists, and winners of these awards still find they are immensely valuable in story marketing.

Regardless of fame, ultimately every book award can have a meaningful impact on your author career.

Hone in on award requirements, logistics, and timelines

Pay close attention to award requirements. Each award is specific and unique. Is your book a good fit?

Importantly, also consider the logistical side of things. When is the award due date, is the entry fee within your budget, and will you be able to submit your book in time?

When evaluating an award, look for legitimacy. Every award match provided by Book Award Pro is highly researched and analyzed for legitimacy. If you decide to research awards on your own, know that award scams and poor experiences are the exception, not the rule. You can easily avoid award scams by knowing these red flags.

Maximize the value you receive from each award

There is value in every award submission, even without winning. When maximizing the value you can get from each award, consider:

• Is this entry fee within my budget? The industry average is $89, but there are awards as inexpensive as $0 (free!) and as pricey as $500+.
• Does this award provide additional bonus benefits? Look for programs that offer additional benefits included as part of your entry, such as an editorial review or marketing assistance to share your book with new audiences. Every bit counts, and the concept of "bonus benefits" is a growing trend in awards.
• Is this award ultra-specific to my book? Pay special attention to awards that fit your book like a glove. For example, highly-specific regional awards can be a great boon for your book and your marketing.

Take the Leap: Pursue Awards for Your Book

Pursuing awards for your book is one of the most fulfilling endeavors you can take as an author.

With thousands of awards out there, it's easy to get overwhelmed knowing where to begin. The good news is that the future is bright for authors, and you can lean on technology to do the heavy lifting for you.

Stay organized, plan your limited time and resources, and most of all...have fun! The universe of book awards is yours to enjoy.

What questions do you have about book awards?

About Hannah

Hannah Jacobson is the founder of Book Award Pro, the company that makes it easy for authors find and submit to book awards.

Book Award Pro is the industry expert on awards, researching and monitoring 8,000+ legitimate awards. Every year, authors spanning 6 continents win more than 1,000 new awards using this service.

As the company's founder, Hannah's expertise has been recognized as the industry's leading voice in awards and author advocacy.

Begin your award-winning journey for free or connect with Hannah and Book Award Pro on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

By J. Alex Greenwood

A critical way to build awareness of your work and credibility as a writer is by sharing your ideas, writing, and opinions with people in your niche. Podcasts are an excellent marketplace for ideas — according to PodcastHosting.org, there are two million podcasts out there, so surely there are a few shows that can help you grow your brand by booking you as a guest. The secret to getting booked comes down to answering one question.

While likely not a traditional media organization, a podcast still deserves the same level of professionalism. If the show does regular guest interviews, assume the producers or host gets numerous pitches for guests every week (I know my shows do!). This means you are in competition to get placed, and you need to put your best foot forward by answering this question:

What’s In It for Me?

No, I don’t mean you — we already know what’s in it for you to get booked.

When you pitch yourself as a guest, put yourself in the show’s shoes. When they get your pitch, are you telling them you offer something unique? Did you write a book, article, or paper that shares information the show’s audience would find interesting? Did you do a fantastic TedX talk?

If so, tell them about it. Here’s an example:

Hi (host/producer),

I’ve recently become a fan of your podcast, and I love the way you talk about _____________. As the author of an eight book mystery thriller series, I think I can add something valuable to the continuing conversation you’re having with your listeners about _______.

In fact, my latest book _____________(link) explores aspects of _______ from a new perspective your listeners may find engaging.

Besides being an author, I’ve been a professional speaker for twenty-two years and pride myself on offering concise, interesting, actionable information for your listeners. Here are a few points I can discuss on your show:

A._________________

B._________________

C._________________

I have guested on several shows on TV, radio, and more recently, podcasts, including The Unnoticed, #Feelings Matter, All In with Rick Jordan, and Business Bros, to name a few. I use an excellent external mic and video camera to provide an optimal listening and viewing experience.

I’ll vigorously promote my appearance on your show to my 1000-subscriber eblast, 8000+ Twitter followers, 1500+ LinkedIn connections, and 4000+ Facebook fans.

If you’d like to learn more about me, check out my detailed bio on my website here, and LinkedIn.

I’m happy to chat about any questions you have. I very much want to join you on the show soon. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Regards,

J. Alex Greenwood

Email/Phone Number

JAlexanderGreenwood.com

What Did I Do There?

I answered the producer or host’s question of “What’s in it for me to book Alex Greenwood?” by:

• Demonstrating I’m a noted expert or respected member of the industry the show covers.
• Sharing examples of how I add value by listing topics I can credibly discuss along with tips/tactics I can offer listeners.
• Including links to my books and speaking engagements.
• “Auditioning” via links to my previous podcast and TV appearances.
• Quelling concerns my appearance won’t sound or look good — I have a quality sound and video setup.
• Guaranteeing to promote the show on my social media channels/eblast.
• Providing links to more info about me so they may vet me as a guest.

Note that my pitch may be a little on the long side. Still, as a podcast producer myself, I appreciate people who send me detailed info to vet interviewees quickly. Your mileage may vary, and you will undoubtedly tweak your approach depending on the podcasts you’re pitching.

After a while, you will also determine what points you need to tweak if you’re not getting the responses you seek. If you get frustrated, seeking out a booking site like MatchMakerFM or paying a PR agency may be an excellent alternative to doing it yourself.

Remember:

The main thing is, be sure to answer that one question effectively. Do so, and you will very likely see your podcast bookings grow.

Note: I’ve previously covered how to be a good guest once you are booked on a show and tips on finding the best podcast for you. I am the host and producer of the Mysterious Goings On and PR After Hours podcasts. If you would like to be a guest, please visit the websites for more information.

About Alex

J. Alexander Greenwood is an award-winning writer, public relations consultant, podcaster, speaker, and former journalist and broadcasting executive. He is best known as the author of the John Pilate Mysteries and host/producer of the Mysterious Goings On podcast and the PR After Hours podcast. Mysterious Goings On was named an Apple Podcasts "New & Noteworthy" show in 2016 and was a 2019 People's Choice Podcast Awards nominee. In 2022 the show was named a Top 5 Literature Podcast by CrowdUltra. Alex has recorded hundreds of hours of podcasts and made numerous appearances on TV, radio, podcasts, webinars, and conferences. He is the author of the Amazon Top-Selling eBook, The Podcast Option.

Top photo by cottonbro from Pexels

by Karen DeBonis

At a family wedding recently, I mentioned my forthcoming memoir to my husband’s cousin, who hadn’t known I was writing a book.

“What’s it about?” he asked, oblivious to the fear the question strikes in the heart of many authors.

My mind went blank. I had two great loglines that sank into the sea of my subconscious and refused to surface.

“Well, you know about Matthew’s brain tumor when he was a kid, right? My book isn’t actually about that, well it is, but not completely; it’s really my story and about my people-pleasing as a mother because I’m a people-pleaser, which you probably didn’t know, and it’s about that, really.”

It may have been the emptied flute of champagne he gripped, but his eyes glazed over. I quickly ended the conversation and slunk off to find the bar.

How do you fix this?

When I got home, I opened the document with my two favorite loglines and vowed to memorize them. (More about loglines below.)

But would a one or two-line, well-honed description of my memoir have been the best answer to the question posed at a noisy wedding reception? Probably not.

Just as written dialogue doesn’t follow the rules of proper writing because we don’t speak that formally, our answer to a verbal inquiry about our book should be conversational. (Unless it’s asked by an agent, editor, or influential person in the book publishing industry prepared to offer a 6-figure advance.)

Book description as a marketing tool

The way a person talks about whatever it is they want to sell will shape a listener’s desire to buy it. So don’t think of your book description as simply a convenience for yourself and a reader. It is, in fact, a powerful marketing tool. 

We need to describe our own book using the same language we’d use in telling a friend about another book. Word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM), in fact, is used by half of businesses worldwide. Often WOMM occurs online—think reader-written book reviews—but that only represents a small percentage of communications.

The majority of word-of-mouth communication happens face-to-face.

"In a lot of ways, the greatest marketing tool we have in publishing -- and [this] probably will never change -- is word of mouth.”

~ Heather Fain, marketing director for the publisher Little, Brown and Co. (NPR)

Amazon Examples

Let’s look at two Amazon book descriptions and see how they could be revised for effective face-to-face WOMM:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens:

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.

Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

If a friend in the grocery store asked Owens what her book was about and she launched into this beautiful but lengthy description, the lettuce in the cart might wilt before she finished, and Owens might never get a book sale.

Here’s a conversational alternative with short sentences and easy-to grasp concepts:

“It takes place in a quiet town on the coast of North Carolina. A young girl is abandoned by her parents and raises herself alone in the marsh. When she reaches puberty, she catches the attention of two teen boys. One of the boys is later found dead, and the girl—called the ‘Marsh Girl’--is accused of his murder. It’s a coming-of-age story.”

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini:

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, caught in the tragic sweep of history, The Kite Runner transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial moment of change and destruction. A powerful story of friendship, it is also about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A conversational description:

“The title comes from kite running, a popular and competitive social sport in Afghanistan. It takes place in the 1970s, when the country is on the verge of political turmoil. A wealthy boy is best friends with the son of his father’s servant. One boy violently betrays the other, and it takes a lifetime to redeem his honor. It also explores the power of fathers over their sons.”

With these descriptions, your neighbor’s lettuce won’t wilt, her ice cream won’t melt, and you’ll be prepared for your next neighborly encounters at the coffee shop, the pet store, the gas station.

Using Loglines

What about loglines—the one or two sentence description of a book? Are they short and conversational enough?

I’ll use mine as examples.

Logline 1:

Growth: A Mother, her Son, and the Brain Tumor they Survived is a memoir about a woman’s naive expectations of motherhood and inability to assert herself, even when her young son’s survival depends on it.

To make this conversational, and because it’s memoir, I’d change it to first person and use past tense. Otherwise, it works. I can imagine saying this at a wedding reception:

“My memoir is about my naive expectations of motherhood and inability to assert myself, even when my son’s survival depended on it.”

Logline 2:

A happily married, working mother of two wonders if she can survive the demands of motherhood, especially after her eight-year-old son develops mysterious symptoms that show her just how weak—and then exactly how strong—she is.

This works on paper or a screen but not in conversation. I’d make these changes:

“My book is about my son’s increasingly bizarre behaviors, starting when he was eight, and how I had to wrestle with my fear of conflict to find answers to what was going on.”

The “wrap-up”

In the Amazon descriptions earlier, the final comment boils the story down to its most basic themes. This is done often in written reviews. On a random perusal of NetGalley.com, I found these themes, usually at the end of a longer description and prefaced by “This book is about:”

• Race, masculinity, and love
• Love and belonging
• Morality, family, and war
• Life, loss, grief, and renewal 
• Good vs evil

Sometimes the themes are more complex:

• The lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t. (The Help by Kathryn Stockett)
• The conflict between personal ambition and family responsibilities (Little Women. Louisa May Alcott)
• The secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves. (Mad Honey. Jodi Picoult)
• Women’s friendship, true love, and what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond. (The Giver of Stars. Jojo Moyes)
• Race and power. (Harlem Shuffle. Colson Whitehead.)

These brief statements frame the story so the reader knows what to expect. Authors should prepare similar summaries in case a listener, podcaster, or radio interviewer has only a brief moment before a “commercial break.”

Thoughts about broad statements

I don’t advise using these wrap-ups on their own because they are usually too vague to be useful, but ending a discussion or longer summary with a pithy talking point adds a nice punch.

I hadn’t nailed down a wrap-up for my memoir, so here’s my stab at both a broad statement and a complex one:

Broad: “It’s about motherhood, overcoming people-pleasing, and perseverance.”

Complex: “It’s about the overwhelming demands of motherhood, the fight to reclaim my voice [or “one’s voice,” if fiction], and learning to advocate for a loved one.”

What is your "why?"

Another puzzle piece in being prepared to talk about your book is knowing your purpose in writing it.

Why did you write this particular story? What do you hope it will achieve?

Whether fiction or creative nonfiction, writers share stories to connect with others. But you may have a more specific goal. Defining your statement of purpose is another way to help the reader know if your book is right for them, another way to give context to your story.

In the fiction examples above, Delia Owens’ goal in writing Where the Crawdads Sing may have been to highlight the damaged caused by bigotry and stereotyping. In writing The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini’s goal may have been to shed light on a poorly understood culture and country.

My purpose in sharing the least flattering parts of myself and my Achilles heel of motherhood is that other people-pleasers will see themselves in my story, learn from my mistakes, and decide to break free of their own destructive habits. 

Let’s put my “why” into a conversational format:

            “I hope others will learn from my story.”

Your statement of purpose gives a reader a connection to you, not just your story. If you sell yourself, you’re more likely to sell your book.

X meets Y (aka Comparisons)

One final conversational talking point is describing your book in relation to other well-known books, sometimes called an “X meets Y” statement. This technique works best when your story is a new twist on an old favorite or a mash-up of two genres, ideas or characters. (This link has great examples, too.)

If your listener hasn’t heard of your X and Y, you’re wasting your breath, and if, like me, you can’t find comparable books, don’t force it. But it’s worth giving this technique some thought to see if it works for your project.

Now that I have my literal talking points, I’ll print a gazillion copies and post them around my house and in my car until I can recite them in my sleep.

At the next family wedding (which will be my son’s, so you know I’ll be incapable of ad-libbing a coherent thought) I’ll be ready for the question:

What is your book about?

What IS your book about? Give us your best, conversational description in the comments.

About Karen

Karen DeBonis writes about motherhood, people-pleasing, and perseverance, an entangled mix told in her debut memoir Growth: A Mother, Her Son, and the Brain Tumor They Survived, forthcoming from Apprentice House Press in 2023. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, HuffPost, The Insider, Today.com, and numerous literary journals.

A happy empty-nester, Karen lives in upstate New York with her husband of forty years. You can see more of her work at www.karendebonis.com.