Have you submitted published and unpublished books to contests but never won or even been a semifinalist? Then you know that congratulating your friends who won can be bittersweet.
Consider:
Most Books Don’t Win Awards.
As with any condition where excellence is recognized (corporations, sports leagues, Emmy and Grammy awards), acclaim is based on a pyramid. Most books will remain at the bottom of the pyramid, while, as you travel up the pyramid, you’ll narrow the field down to semifinalists, finalists, and then winners. My guess is that you and I, as readers, have been blessed by far more books that have not won awards than those that have. We’ve been touched, edified, and encouraged by those books. When a reader loves your book, he doesn’t care if it’s won an award.
Contests Are the Sum of Judges’ Opinions.
When a group of prominent people in publishing all agree that your book is the best of the best, you feel great. And rightly so, since winning or even being a finalist in a contest affirms your efforts. However, all contests are the expression of the outlook of a group of people. Another year, different people may have decided differently about the winners’ list. I’ve also heard from authors how one low score probably cost them a win. In that case, I’d say the outcome resulted from one person’s view. As for opinions, I’ve struggled to read some books that won Pulitzer and Nobel prizes, only to give up.
Keep Writing and Keep Entering!
For contests to have any meaning, the submission pool must be significant. If a contest has five entries and three are declared winners, the contest struggles to hold as much sway as those known to have thousands of entries. Though the odds are not in most writers’ favor to win a prestigious award, those who don’t try never give themselves a chance to be recognized. You bless the contest and the judges with your entry. Regardless of the outcome, through your efforts to enter, key people in the industry will notice your book.
