Category: Awards

Awards

Outskirts Press Proudly Sponsors the 2021 Colorado Book Awards

Attention all Colorado-based authors, editors, illustrators and photographers: Outskirts Press is once again sponsoring the annual Colorado Book Awards, and we encourage your submissions for the 2021 Awards!

The annual event is run by the Colorado Center for the Book, the program department of the Colorado Humanities, which is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of Colorado’s outstanding authors, editors, illustrators and photographers.

The Colorado Book Awards — presented annually by Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book — were launched in 1991 with four categories of awards to recognize authors, illustrators, editors and publishers, and have since expanded to 10 literary categories. Many of Colorado’s most prominent authors have been recognized with awards, including David Milofsky, John Fielder, Tom Noel, Stephanie Kane and Linda Hogan, among others.

Applications for the 2021 Colorado Book Awards are due January 8, 2021, and should be submitted directly to the Colorado Book Awards. Judging generally occurs in April, and the awards are presented at a ceremony in late Spring.

Visit www.coloradohumanities.org for more information about the Colorado Book Awards.

Are you a non-Coloradan but interested in other book competition opportunities? Visit Outskirts Press to learn more about how book awards can help move your book to new levels of success.

 

Author Spotlight, Awards, Best Book of the Year, Year in Review

2019 Self-Publishing Retrospective. A Year in Review and a Look Ahead

2019 was another banner year for self-publishing and for Outskirts Press authors specifically. Thanks to the talents and determination of the writers who published with us in 2019, many were rewarded with multiple awards and recognitions, which as we all know can be next to priceless when it comes to marketing a book in this competitive industry, where once again, the quantity of self-published books overshadowed the 5 large publishing houses.

If our authors’ accomplishments in 2019 are any indication, 2020 will be an amazing year indeed.  With so many authors publishing so many stellar books, and receiving so many awards, selling so many copies of books, we can’t possibly identify them all. So if we aren’t able to name you personally, please know that we are equally impressed with all you’ve accomplished this year.

Outskirts Press Author Awards

The Colorado Independent Publishers Association holds the annual EVVY Awards every year and once again Outskirts Press was honored to receive the most finalist nominations and the most awards among participating publishers. Winning an EVVY Award is a prerequsitte to winning the Outskirts Press Book of the Year Award and claiming its $1500 Grand Prize.

Three First Place EVVY Award winners were in contention for the Book of the Year:

E.J. Gandolfo won a 1st Place EVVY Award in the Mystery/Crime/Detective fiction category and was one of three finalists for the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year for her mystery To Paint a Murder. E. J. Gandolfo is a former advertising agency copywriter and sales executive. She is an artist, antique dealer and world traveler and resides in the Boston area.

Amy Jordan, author of Dance Because You Can, won a 1st Place EVVY Award on her way to becoming the second of three finalists in the Book of the Year contest. Her professional company, The Victory Dance Project, has honored legends of dance and stage including Chita Rivera. Jordan’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NY Post, and FORTUNE magazine among others. Amy is an in- demand motivational speaker and coach speaking for groups from ten to ten thousand, including corporations, organizations, youth programs, leadership development, health organizations, and schools.

The Third Finalist, Andrew Ceroni, is no stranger to 1st Place EVVY Wins, or Book of the Year awards, for that matter, having won both for his previous two books, Snow Men and Meridian., He completed his hat trick by claiming the 2019 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year with The Red Shore. Andrew Ceroni served a distinguished career as a Senior Supervisory Special Agent in the conduct of global counterespionage and antiterrorism operations. He received his BS degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy; MA from Case Western Reserve University; and studied several foreign languages at the University of Maryland. He lives in Colorado with his family.

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Outskirts Press President Brent Sampson joins Three Time Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Winner Andrew Ceroni at the 2019 CIPA EVVY Awards Banquet where Andy picked up his 1st Place EVVY Award for The Red Shore in person.

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Perennial EVVY favorite and prolific novelist Gabriel F.W. Koch learned that he was once again a finalist in the Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY Awards when he scored a Merit Award for his latest novel And Comes Day’s End.  He walked away with a 2nd Place EVVY Award a few years ago for his science fiction novel Paradox Effect (not to mention an Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year nomination). Last year he picked up an EVVY Merit Award for Emma and the Dragon Tooth Sword. 

Speaking of repeat EVVY Winners, Jeanne Blanchet discovered that she won 3rd Place in the Science Fiction category at the EVVY Awards, for her book Forger of Empire. She won last year for her book, Cursed.

What’s Coming in 2020?

With global distribution through Ingram and worldwide availability through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and elsewhere, it’s easy to think your Outskirts Press publication is everywhere (because it is!). But sometimes the most loyal readers and most engaged customers will be right on your street, at your church, on your softball team, or listening to a local radio program.  One of our most exciting marketing services in years launches in 2020 and focuses specific, surgical targeting on the full gamut of local media like newscasts, morning shows, radio programs, newspapers and magazines. But that’s not all. We’ll also locate influential bloggers who write about the same subject matter as you and pitch your book for an article, feature, review, or interview. Playing a big role in the Media Marketing Blitz is a new series of webinars and videos. Consider it a master class on publishing and marketing. Keep an eye out for the launch of the Media Marketing Blitz coming soon.

We will be attending the annual CIPA EVVY Awards, of course, and holding our own Best Book of the Year Awards.  Once again, many of our books will be on display and represented at the world’s leading book fairs and events including London, BEA, Bologna, Frankurt, and Beijing.

Come and join us! And to our growing family of writers, thank you for an amazing 2019!

How would it feel to publish in 2020 with the A+ Rated and 1-Rated self-publishing company according to the Better Business Bureau and Top Consumer Reviews, respectively? Find out more about publishing, marketing, promoting and submitting your book for publication, reviews, and awards.

Awards

Outskirts Press Proudly Sponsors the 2020 Colorado Book Awards

Attention all Colorado-based authors, editors, illustrators and photographers: Outskirts Press is once again sponsoring the annual Colorado Book Awards, and we encourage your submissions for the 2020 Awards!

The annual event is run by the Colorado Center for the Book, the program department of the Colorado Humanities, which is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of Colorado’s outstanding authors, editors, illustrators and photographers.

The Colorado Book Awards — presented annually by Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book — were launched in 1991 with four categories of awards to recognize authors, illustrators, editors and publishers, and have since expanded to 10 literary categories. Many of Colorado’s most prominent authors have been recognized with awards, including David Milofsky, John Fielder, Tom Noel, Stephanie Kane and Linda Hogan, among others.

Applications for the 2020 Colorado Book Awards are due January 6, 2020, and should be submitted directly to the Colorado Book Awards. Judging generally occurs in April, and the awards are presented at a ceremony in late Spring.

Visit www.coloradohumanities.org for more information about the Colorado Book Awards.

Are you a non-Coloradan but interested in other book competition opportunities? Visit Outskirts Press to learn more about how book awards can help move your book to new levels of success.

 

Awards, Book Awards

Another Award-Winning Self-Publishing Author From Outskirts Press

Outstanding-Fiction-2019-sCongratulations to George Yuhasz for his extraordinary wins at the Independent Author Book of the Year Awards, where his Outskirts Press book Imagine That was a finalist in the Children’s Juvenile Fiction Category and a winner in the Outstanding Children’s Fiction Illustrated Category.  (Just take a look at his book to see why!)

George Yuhasz is a passionate advocate for the preservation and protection of our natural world. A proud father and grandfather, lifelong learner, and world traveler, he especially delights in sharing with children his knowledge and enthusiasm for appreciating the joy and wonder of connecting with nature. George lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and is currently working on another children’s book and a suspense novel.

 Book Details for Imagine That: The Magic of the Mysterious Lights

On a night when the sky is full of stars, sometimes there appears light that cannot be explained, even by the smartest astronomers…

Evelyn is a little girl who lives with her parents and brother in a house with a big backyard. On nights when the sky is filled with brightly shining stars, she loves to go outside before bed to see the Milky Way and the Big Dipper and dream about the planets.

But Evelyn has a secret: She is able to see flashes of light streaking across the night sky that no one else can see. And she’ll soon learn that her secret is actually a wonderful gift!

What an accomplishment, George!

Visit the Outskirts Press bookstore to save up to 50% when you order this award-winning full-color children’s book today.

Ready to publish your own award-winning full-color book? Browse our packages here to choose the right publishing package for you.

Author Spotlight, Awards, Best Book of the Year, Book Awards, contests, EVVY Book Awards

Andrew Ceroni is the 2019 Best Book of the Year Author

The votes are in and for the third time in nine years the winner of the 2019 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year is Andrew Ceroni, author of the CIA thriller, The Red Shore!

The three finalists in our annual Best Book of the Year contest all won First Place EVVY Awards during the Colorado Independent Book Awards Gala in their respective categories, so they’re all winners in our book; but only one can claim our highest honor: The Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year!

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As all the finalists will no doubt attest, winning the Best Book of the Year is no small feat, so to accomplish it three times with three different books (Snow Men, Meridian, and The Red Shore) is truly a remarkable achievement. Andrew earned 70% of the votes in the public poll last week at SelfPublishingNews.com.

Congratulations, Andrew! Please enjoy the kudos and the $1,500 Grand Prize that accompanies it.

About the Author:

Andrew Ceroni served a distinguished career as a Senior Supervisory Special Agent in the conduct of global counterespionage and antiterrorism operations. He received his BS degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy; MA from Case Western Reserve University; and studied several foreign languages at the University of Maryland. He lives in Colorado with his family.

About the Book:

Dave McClure arrives in Bar Harbor, Maine, for some rest and relaxation before returning to the CIA-a world he left behind years ago. But he is unaware of the danger he’ll face in the days ahead as he discovers the secrets that lie in the deep ocean trenches of the Atlantic. Deadly secrets.

McClure is unexpectedly thrust into the middle of a vicious Russian plot and a harbor town’s lethal intrigue, each as perilous as they are startling, and struggles to make sense of all the jumbled pieces in this deadly puzzle. Is there a connection between Russian drone submarines probing the U.S. coastline, a Top-Secret, advanced technology Navy torpedo program, and the sinister secret behind Tamarack Harbor’s missing boys? Another brutal murder is the catalyst that finally leads McClure to the juncture of high-stakes espionage and an impending attack on American soil. As the CIA and the U.S. Navy race against time and the Russian threat, the powerful pull of emotion will test the limits of Dave McClure’s skill, strength, and courage.

Watch the book video on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/tBJERz2_QRc

Buy from Outskirts Press for up to a 55% discount at: https://outskirtspress.com/bookstore/details/9781977207005

Buy the Paperback or Kindle Edition at Amazon at: https://amzn.com/B07MF3R68V

 

Author Inspiration, Awards, Book Awards

Two More Outskirts Press Authors Have Just Won Awards

Congratulations to Katie Patterson and Debra Parker Oliver, two more self-publishing authors who have just won Next Generation Indie Book Awards for their Outskirts Press publications.

rideaward

Everything Happens for a Reason in RIDE.

Seventeen-year-old Alyson Butler is living a dream life in Los Angeles, California, and she’s hoping for the perfect summer before her senior year. The daughter of two successful Hollywood professionals, she enjoys a life of privilege, wealth, parties, and independence—as she rarely sees her parents. But when an unfortunate decision lands Alyson in rural Minnesota as punishment to spend the summer with her grandparents at Davis Lake, she quickly realizes that living in this small town will be a far cry from the glitz and glam she is accustomed to. A slow start at the lake has Alyson believing she won’t survive beyond the first week, but things begin to change when the seemingly perfect Marc Maylore and his friends arrive a few doors down. As Alyson tries hard to keep her own secrets from those she meets, she soon realizes there may be more to this little town than she initially thought—and that anyone can be hiding something. Ride is a story of love, loss, friendship, lies, and self-discovery. As Alyson soon learns, moments in life define us, but it is our choice as to who we become.

Ever since she was born, Colorado native Katie Patterson has spent summers at her grandparents’ lake house in Minnesota. She completed Ride, her debut novel, years ago at the age of fifteen and now attends the University of Colorado, Boulder, studying Biology and Secondary Science Education. Katie hopes to complete her second novel soon.

legacieslivingroom Legacies From the Living Room is an emotionally powerful love story about family, commitment, and living in the midst of dying. It is a unique memoir written not by an individual who is dying, but by a spouse faced with caregiving and loss. It is targeted for family members facing the terminal illness of their loved one as well as the professionals who are responsible to care for them.

Debra Parker Oliver is the Paul Revare Family Professor of Family Medicine, in the School of Medicine, at the University of Missouri. She has a Masters of Social Work and a PhD in Rural Sociology from the University of Missouri. She was a hospice social worker and administrator in three hospice programs for a total of more than 20 years. After getting her doctorate she continued her commitment to the improvement of hospice care through research with more than 170 peer-reviewed articles related to palliative and hospice care. In an effort to teach and advocate for those facing cancer and terminal illness Debbie and her husband David created a blog to share their journey with others. The received the Project Death in America Community Education Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine two weeks before David passed away. Debbie now continues the journey through grief and bereavement, continuing her commitment to share her journey.

Please join us in congratulating them both!

Awards

6 Outskirts Press Authors Are Honored in the Reader Views Literary Awards

Book awards give readers an important clue about the quality of a self-published book, and this year’s award season says a lot about Outskirts Press and its authors. We’re thrilled to have six of our authors recognized in the 2018/2019 Reader Views Literary Awards. Your success speaks to the many reasons we’ve been rated the No. 1 self-publishing company by Top Consumer Reviews for three years running!

The Reader Views Literary Awards recognize writers who self-published or had their books published by a subsidy publisher, small press, university press or independent book publisher. Books that were self-published and copyrighted in 2018 and 2019 were eligible for this year’s awards and the cash prizes and kudos that come with a win. In years past, winners of the Reader Views Literary Award have received expert marketing assistance from renown marketing experts like The Kick-Start Guy, Author Marketing Experts, Perceptive Marketing and others.

Following are Outskirts Press’ finalists for the 2018/2019 Reader Views Awards. Information about each of these books (and their self-published authors) is available at the Outskirts Press Bookstore, where they are available for purchase.

HUMOR
First Place: Lexicon: American Style 2 by Patrick Ragains
RELIGION
Second Place: Unwelcome Opportunity by Richard V. Battle
CHILDREN — YOUNG READER (AGES 8 – 12)
Second Place: Night Life by Donna Somboonlakana
POETRY
Honorable Mention: Poems of Love, From My Heart to Yours, Vol. 1 by Kerry C. Irons
PARENTING/FAMILY/RELATIONSHIPS
Honorable Mention: My Backyard Garden by Debra Hester
SCI-FI
Honorable Mention: Tara by J.G. Possum

Please join us in also congratulating Outskirts Press authors on their success in the Reader Views Literary Awards. Then be sure to ask us how you can throw your hat into the ring for next year’s awards!
Awards, EVVY Book Awards

Will YOUR Book be on Our List Someday?

listAs the #1-rated self-publishing company according to Top Consumer Reviews, we’ve often been asked, “Can an author be successful going through a self-publisher instead of going through a traditional publisher?”

And the answer is, yes. Absolutely.

In fact, many authors have accomplished more as self-published authors. We’ve seen authors find success in the entertainment industry, create Audible books, and become award-winning writers…all because they invested in their dream and had the determination to follow it through.

So, we would like to celebrate a few of those amazing writers by highlighting some who have won awards from the highly coveted EVVY Award to the acclaimed Pinnacle Achievement Award.

Will your book be the next one we applaud?

CIA agent Pete Novak is racing to Europe with orders to stop Laszlo, to kill him if that’s what it takes. Several agents have already died trying. Novak’s dedicated security escort, J.T. Brannon, former assassin unmatched in the art of killing, is leery of Novak’s assignment and warns him of its danger. As Novak unravels the alarming secrets behind the MERIDIAN program and his path converges with Laszlo’s desperate pursuit to annihilate his demons, Novak and his family are swept into the crosshairs of rogue Agency assassins. Only Brannon can save Novak’s family, and he is committed to sacrificing his own life to do so. The final confrontation and profound revelation of MERIDIAN explode into a deadly struggle over what may be the very future of mankind itself.

John Lee is riddled with guilt and psychologically traumatized by the unexpected postoperative death of a special patient ten years before. Heavily medicated, impoverished, and on the county dole, Dr. Lee lives alone in a ramshackle single-wide trailer with his dog, Sunny, on the banks of a Virginia river. One hot summer day he is visited by Sarah, a nurse and past lover, who confesses that all this time she has known that “Thumbs” Berringer—her husband and Dr. Lee’s surgical rival—murdered the patient out of spite. This revelation enrages Dr. Lee and unleashes a series of events that lead to Sarah’s death and the disappearance of Dr. Lee and Sarah’s husband…and the local sheriff must seek the help of two most unlikely individuals in solving the case. Insanity of Murder is a humorous yet riveting mystery novel about guilt, madness, and murder.

Boscoe is an 11-year-old dog who suddenly finds himself at a shelter competing with puppies for potential adopters. When a family finally comes in looking for an older dog, Boscoe can’t believe his ears! Will he find his forever home?

Few books will touch your heart like Just George, the true story of a small dog found limping beside the highway, scared, injured, and near death from starvation and dehydration. You will experience almost every emotion imaginable as George himself relates the events of the year that follows.

 Learn More 
Advice, Awards, Book Awards

Reach for the Moon and Land Among the Stars This Awards Season!

Book contests are a wonderful way for self-published authors to build upon their platforms and cultivate credibility. And yes, while they’re occasionally the hallmark of snootiness, awards ought not to be overlooked as the fantastic marketing tool they are! Not only will winning a book award (or two, or three) boost an author’s physical and social presence, they also create cross-searchable entries online and, as such, play a big role in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies.

Yes, winning awards make for a great addition to your book listings on Amazon, Goodreads, and other websites, and they also give you a great excuse to throw a party or a book reading and possibly even release a new celebratory edition of your book! Awards do all these things–and they also perform a truly critical service in affirming your hard work.

It has been hard work, what you’ve accomplished. But awards aren’t just about you, they’re also about your readers! There are so many books in the world, and such fierce competition online and in bookstores for customers’ attention, that readers can easily be swamped by the sheer number of options available. Awards lend distinction, dare we say credibility, to help your book stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Book Contests

An award win or nomination increases your exposure in several key ways, including:

  1. Fleshing out your resume, biography, and social capital;
  2. Boosting your book’s marketing presence with feature articles in publications or online, in press releases, and elsewhere;
  3. Award badges which can be featured on your book’s cover, rendering it eye-catching both in stores and in online retail listings;
  4. Last but not least, several contests (including those held by Writer’s Digest and ForeWord Magazine) are attached to cash winnings, which can go a long way toward further marketing efforts for your award-winning opus.

It’s true that many contests have deadlines based upon the book’s publication date, so it is in every author’s best interest to enter as many contests as possible as soon after publication as possible.  But there are other contests that don’t depend upon publication dates (or at least, not as strictly), so even if your book has been published for a few years, your marketing efforts would be well-served to enter contests for which you are still eligible.

Published Outskirts Press authors can browse through the free Top National Contests & Awards ebook in their Book Marketing Bookshelf from within their Publishing Center for a vetted listings of many of the best book awards to enter (many of which have upcoming deadlines for submission).   Here’s just a sample of some of the awards with upcoming deadlines:

Top National Contests and Book Awards

USA Best Book Awards

  • Deadline: Fall
  • Website: USABookNews.com
  • Details: This contest is another option to spread your marketing dollars, as they accept manuscripts up to two years after publication. All winners receive industry and media exposure.

Benjamin Franklin Awards

  • Deadline: Fall/Winter
  • Website: IBPABenjaminFranklinAwards.com
  • Details: Held by the Independent Book Publishers Association, the annual Benjamin Franklin Awards is one of the premiere contests in independent publishing today, where Gold Medal winners in each category receive an engraved crystal trophy acknowledging their accomplishment.

Reader Views Literary Awards

  • Deadline: December of your copyright year
  • Website: ReaderViews.com/literaryawards
  • Details: With numerous categories and various awards per category (including cash prizes and publicity packages), the Reader Views Literary Awards should not be missed. And it’s easy to miss them! They have the earliest deadline among all these contests, so plan early.

INDIEFAB Awards

Deadline: Dec/Jan
Website: IndieFab.ForewordReviews.com
Details: Held by the prestigious review journal Foreword Reviews, the INDIEFAB Awards are a cornerstone of the independent publishers marketing foundation. Not only are winners featured in the print and digital editions of Foreword Reviews, but they play a role in a national publicity campaign.

Eric Hoffer Book Awards

  • Deadline: January
  • Website: HofferAward.com
  • Details: One submission automatically makes you eligible for numerous category considerations, including most-thought provoking work, best cover, best first-time author, and best over-all book, which comes with a $2,000 Grand Prize.


The Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Awards

  • Deadline: By invitation only
  • Website: OutskirtsPress.com
  • Details: Every year Outskirts Press recognizes one book as our official Best Book of the Year with this prestigious award that comes with a $1,500 Grand Prize for the winning author. The prerequisite for becoming one of the three special Semi-Finalists in this contest is winning a Colorado Independent Book Publishers Association EVVY Award.

Each award presents its nominees and winners with unique advantages, from cash and promotion in print and online magazines to possible literary representation in areas such as film and foreign rights, to promotion at public events such as the Book Expo of America.  But each award submission process also presents its own unique challenges, from entry fees to stringent eligibility requirements to the logistics of producing and mailing book copies to reviewers and judges–and as with many other marketing opportunities, this process can eat up a lot of a self-publishing author’s time, money, and energy. And with the holiday season rapidly approaching, it’s easy to get distracted and miss the submission deadlines entirely.   Don’t let that happen to you!

If you’ve published with Outskirts Press, why not let us take care of the details? We’d love to help you, and we’d love to take your book to the red carpet!  But even if you choose to do it all yourself, make sure you do it.  Winning a book award for your published book is truly one of the most amazing feelings! There’s nothing quite like it.  Here’s to your great success!

 

 

 

Awards, Best Book of the Year, EVVY Book Awards

The Best Book of the Year Finalists are Coming!

Happy Labor Day! Did you do some writing? Did you do some reading? Did you do some marketing? Did you do some eating? Use the “Comments section” to tell us how you spent this Labor Day weekend.

Labor Day

All this week we will be announcing the three Finalists in the 2016 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year contest.  Our first finalist will be be announced tomorrow, the next on Wednesday, and the final finalist on Thursday.  The three finalists are selected from among our recent EVVY Award winners.

Then, on Friday, the public polls open for everyone to vote on their choice for the winner of the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year and its $1,500 Grand Prize. Good luck, everyone!