We all know the benefits of winning a big award: fame, recognition, validation, and perhaps even a solid paycheck. We’ve been taught to aim for them our entire lives, these little hallmarks of success, and not entirely without reason—but in the democratic world of self-publishing, a community that fosters an atmosphere of non-competitive support, is there a place for something like the USA Book News National Best Book Awards?
Simple answer? You bet.
Consider the benefits, both for the individual self-publishing author and collectively for the entire self-publishing community. Awards foster competition, absolutely, and by doing so they challenge interested authors to raise the bar for their own creative processes. The long-term result is a community where quality writing has value simply because that quality is recognized publicly when achieved. Raising the general tenor of a community is great, and winners receive tangible rewards for entering as well, but these benefits can be hard to hold on to when the chances of winning are slim or the possibility of being influenced by community standards is far off in time. So why should you care about the National Best Book Awards or USA Book News today, in the here and now?
The answer boils down to marketing and exposure. A book doesn’t have to win an award or even be listed as a finalist to benefit from being entered for an award! In fact, the moment your book is submitted for entry, it becomes a part of the larger narrative of the awards themselves. Remember when your favorite movie was nominated for an Oscar? Eligibility for an award becomes an icebreaker, and a platform for spreading the word that you have chosen to self-publish a book. You can proudly share the news on social media or in conversation that your book is up for an award, and encourage your readers to follow your book’s progress throughout the process. Meanwhile, your readers find out more about the content and qualities of your book, and are far more likely to buy copies as a result!
Of course, if you do win big at the National Best Book Awards, you have earned bragging rights forever—and a whole bevy of new promotional opportunities, many of them a form of free publicity as USA Book News releases the news to its huge subscriber base. And of course, we here at Outskirts Press are happy to brag about our contestants, finalists, and winners alike for the simple reason that what’s good for you is good for us—after all, you and your wonderful books are the entire reason we do what we do. Statistically speaking, we publish more award-winning books by award-winning authors than any other self-publishing company. In short, we want you to have the absolute best self-publishing experience possible! Wouldn’t you say that includes winning an award or two??
The only downside, if you can call it that, is that the deadline for submission to this year’s National Best Book Awards is imminent. And by “imminent,” we mean this Friday! Luckily, submission is easy, and Outskirts Press can cut through all the red tape for you, even on such short notice. All you have to do is click on the “Submit Your Book” button below or drop on by the Outskirts Press website and check out our “USA Book News Best Book Awards Submission” service for more information.
If you will pay my overdue book sales royalties. at least those of “opentrolley” (Singapore) of 67 copies quarterly, your credibility with me could rise above zero. Harrison T. Brundage 9781478752240