This topic of book awards and their value is both subjective and nuanced. It is one reason I’ve not tackled it before since it can be easily misunderstood.
There are a lot of book awards in the industry, both in the general market and in the Christian market. Some are quite prestigious (the Pulitzer or the Nobel prize, for example) and others could be perceived as a scam to get unsuspecting writers to pay to enter.
Sometimes the publisher pays the entry fee. The rest of the time the author pays the fee. And there is a wide variety of costs for entry. This fee is legitimate and helps offset the significant expenses related to the management and processing of the entries. Ask your publisher which ones they will underwrite on your behalf. The others are the author’s choice.
Be sure to note the difference between being nominated for an award and being a finalist. One time a writer thought being nominated meant they were a finalist. In reality, nominated only meant the publisher had paid to enter the book in the contest and told the author about the entry.
What if You Win an Award?
Winning an award is great! At the very least, it is validation of the quality of your work. But it doesn’t always translate into new sales. The biggest reason is that awards presented this year, 2024, are for books published in 2023. So there is a lag time well after the initial marketing push when the book was new. (However, it does create an excuse to shout about it, especially on social media!)
Many times an award is presented, but the only ones who really know about it are those inside the industry. Compare the book industry to the music industry. You may hear the news of the top Grammy Awards, but did you know there are 91 Grammy Awards given out each year?
While not necessarily a fair comparison, I must ask the question, “Can you name two of the last five winners of American Idol?” (Fun fact: Kelly Clarkson won the first American Idol competition. But that was 22 years ago.)
Not all contests are equal in the eyes of the market or even in the industry. You may win a local writing contest in your small town (congratulations!), but does an award like that get your attention when considering the purchase of a new book?
Don’t get me wrong. I am glad there are organizations that work to provide recognition of great books. And it does look nice in your book proposal when pitching to an agent or an editor. But it is one piece of the larger picture. If your new proposal isn’t well written or on a topic of interest, it won’t matter how many past awards you have won; the answer will still be “no thank you.”
Also, let me be clear. We are very proud of the awards our authors have received. We have an entire page dedicated to those on our website. (Click here for our awards page.) It is a honor and a privilege to work with such amazing writers.
Should you enter contests? Absolutely. Will winning that award guarantee a massive book deal down the road? Unlikely. But it will give you an accolade that may encourage you to keep working on your writing gift.
An award ain’t gonna pay a bill,
and crowds ain’t gonna hoot and holler,
but do one thing it surely will;
make you stand a little taller,
’cause someone realized your worth,
put a gold star on that resume,
and that can bring a quick rebirth
to dreams starting to fade away.
So fill the form and send it in,
and pay that goldurn entry fee.
You’ve got a future, yours to win,
but the only way you can, you see,
is to go ahead and play the game
for sake of your work and good name.
Love this post. I use contests as a way to improve my writing, add to my resume and make industry connections. Winning is nice, and who doesn’t like a shiny sticker, but in the end only publication of a quality book and sales matter.
My novel Arequipa was second runner up for the general fiction category of the Booklife prize. That did not translate into finding an agent but it may have helped get an agent or two to ask for the first 100 pages to read after my initial query. It was validating to receive both the original judges’ praise and the affirmation of the general judging panel. It was worth the entry fee.
Winning awards is nice. I’ve won a couple for my first two books. It would be great to keep winning but what I want most is to earn the trust of more readers. To do that I need to make sure I improve my craft and put out the best work I can.
Thank you for the wonderful post. It certainly helps to put awards into perspective and, no, I honestly can’t name two of the last five winners of American Idol. Not even one of the last ten, or last twenty.
Thanks for this reminder, Steve. I have a file on my laptop, which I had forgotten about, of a poetry chapbook I intended to submit, and the deadline is next week! I’ve won a few awards up here in Canada, from Write Canada and InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship. (In fact, I’m on a short list at the moment). Both of these organizations usually run their contests in conjunction with their conferences, so, in my experience, there is a bit of a bump in sales at the conference, and a few online orders as well. It is always a boost to be recognized by my peers and the critiques offered are usually valuable. The prize money is nice too! 😉
A good and balanced word for all writers, Steve. Thank you for sharing.