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.
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!
The Evvy Awards are widely acclaimed for recognizing excellence in independently published books. Offered every year, these awards are sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers’ Association, and judged by a panel of professionals on a qualitative scale of merit in nineteen different categories.
Each year, Outskirts Press officially nominates a small percentage of the books published during the year for submission to the Evvy Awards. Since a nomination is the first step toward receiving the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award, this year the standards were exceedingly high; we nominated just 2% of the books we published in 2011. These nominations represent the very best of our publications as determined by Outskirts Press executives and members of the production teams. Potential nominees are notified via email in the fall. There is no obligation to accept the nomination; just being recognized is a great accomplishment.
Outskirts Press official nominees and winners receive additional exposure of their books in featured Outskirts Press marketing channels, including our blog, social media networks, and in our email newsletters. The winners are announced during an awards ceremony hosted by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association on May 17, 2012.
Congratulations to this year’s Official Outskirts Press EVVY Award nominees, presented alphabetically below:
There’s more!
Do you know that as a result of being nominated for the EVVY Awards, these Outskirts Press authors have taken the first step toward winning the coveted Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award? Three of the nominees above who subsequently win an EVVY Award next May will be selected as Semi-Finalists for our annual Best Book of the Year Award and its $1,500 Grand Prize. Stay tuned.
Wouldn’t you like to win an extra $1,500, and bragging rights as the author of the best book of the year published by Outskirts Press? Start publishing now, get nominated for an Evvy Award next fall, and your book could be in the running for the “Best Book of the Year Award” for 2012. If selected, you will also walk away with $1,500 credit to your account, which you can then use to publish your next book or purchase optional marketing services. For more information on rules and eligibility, click here: Best Book of the Year Award.
Are you an author looking for help to market your self-published book?
Last year Outskirts Press announced a new contest recognizing the best in self-publishing: its own Best Book of the Year Award. This award identifies the overall best book Outskirts Press publishes each year. One of the requirements to be considered for the Best Book of the Year Award is to win an EVVY Award. Those winners were displayed in yesterday’s blog posting.
From among the most recent EVVY Award winners, Outskirts Press selected three books as Best Book of the Year 2010 finalists. Those books and their respective authors were identified and notified yesterday. Please join us in publicly congratulating them today:
The Key To Job Success In Any Career, by Frank B. Leibold, Ph.D.
Frank B. Leibold, Ph.D., after a distinguished 30 year business career with three multinational corporations and nine jobs-culminating in the position of Group President- re-tooled himself by returning to school and obtaining his Ph.D. Frank then became a nationally recognized university professor of marketing while founding his own global management consulting company. He and his wife reside in South Carolina and spend time traveling to visit and spoil their nine grand-children- two in Australia.
In The Key to Job Success in Any Career, Leibold develops six scientifically validated Lifelong Transferable Competencies (LTCs) that are required for success in any job or career. He then offers over 60 practical suggestions on how you can enhance your future employment options by developing your own LTCs to improve your career transitions and influence.
More about The Key to Job Success in Any Career and its author will be posted on this blog on April 11th. And everyone can play a role in determining who wins the Best Book of the Year award and its $1,500 Grand Prize by participating in the open poll on this blog on April 15th.
Psych Consults, by Robert J. Mignone, M.D., F.A.P.A.
For decades, Robert J. Mignone, M.D., F.A.P.A., has helped people bounce back from all kinds of crises. A top-ranked psychiatrist in southwest Florida, Dr. Mignone has been called a gifted and inspirational speaker—in person and on TV. A two-time cancer survivor, Mignone shares his experiences in Ordinary Valor: How Cancer Saved My Life, Not Once, But Twice. He is also the author of Psychiatric Injury: Evaluation and Treatment of Psychiatric Impairment and Damages.
Full of practical information backed up by decades of experience, Dr. Mignone’s Psych Consults is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about mental health. This scholarly yet accessible book is designed for any adult seeking to recognize and treat everything from depression to specific issues faced by children and seniors.
More about Psych Consultsand its author will be posted on this blog on April 12th. And everyone can play a role in determining who wins the Best Book of the Year award and its $1,500 Grand Prize by participating in the open poll on this blog on April 15th.
The Beads of Lapis Lazuli, by Doris Kenney Marcotte
Doris Kenney Marcotte has turned decades of studying Minoan civilization into two novels. She has researched at the Athens National Museum, the Heraklion Archeological Museum on Crete, and the British Museum in London, among others. She lives in River House in New Richmond, Ohio, and Hilltop House in Wyoming, Ohio.
The Beads of Lapis Lazuli is part mystery and part psychological drama as it mixes history, obsession, and the paranormal for an exhilarating read. Bridging time and space, the story is about seeking truth, taking control of our lives and discovering the unknown strength within each of us.
More about The Beads of Lapis Lazuli and its author will be posted on this blog on April 13th. And everyone can play a role in determining who wins the Best Book of the Year award and its $1,500 Grand Prize by participating in the open poll on this blog on April 15th.
Do you want to publish an award-winning book and be entered into the Best Book of the Year Awards?
The National Best Books 2010 Award Winners and Finalists have been announced by USA Book News. Congratulations to the following Outskirts Press titles and authors:
All Healths Breaking Loose by Loa Blasucci, Finalist in the Health: Exercise & Fitness CategoryAll Points North by Shelby R. Lee III, Finalist in the Fiction & Literature: Short Story Fiction CategoryBond Daddy By David Walby, Finalist in the Biography: General CategoryBreaking the Time Barrier by Gordon E. Morrison, Finalist in the Science: General CategoryCALLING ALL BOOMERS: REFLECT NOW BEFORE THE MEMORY GOES! by Randall D. Howard, Finalist in the Religion: General CategoryCareer Planning and Development-In Reverse by Dr. Carl M. Powe, Finalist in the Business: MotivationalDream For World Unity by Haile Gebre Egziabher, Finalist in the Business: General Categoryeverything b by William Monroe Dean, Finalist in the Science: General Category
Giving Voice to Your Cause: Speaking Tips for Nonprofit Professionals by Pamela Ziemann, Finalist in the Social Change Category
He Blew Her a Kiss by Angie Pechack Printup & Kelley Stewart Dollar, Finalist in the Self-Help: Motivational Category
In Search of the Great White God by Anthony T. Cluff, Finalist in the Religion: General Category
Kakos Prose & Poetry by Kakos Kakos, Finalist in the Poetry: General Category
Kims Confessions by Wilson Awasu, Finalist in the Religion: Christianity Category
Mystery of the Great Flood Confirmed by Elsar Amos Orkan MD, Finalist in the Science: General CategoryNarcissistic Predicaments by Sister Renee Pittelli, Finalist in the Religion: Christianity CategoryNo Hope for Gomez! by Graham Parke, Finalist in the Humor CategoryOutlook for a Better Life by Haile Gebre Egziabher, Finalist in the Religion: General CategoryPractical English Level 365 Volume 1 by Kaakyire Akosomo Nyantakyi, Finalist in the Education/Academic CategoryQueen Vernita Meets Sir HeathyBean the Astronomer by Dawn Menge and Heath Rhoades, Finalist in the ChildrenSavannahs Black First Ladies, Vol I: The Past, Present, and Future by Pamela Howard-Oglesby & Brenda L. Roberts, Finalist in the African American Studies CategorySteadfast Christian: A Higher Call to Faith, Family and Hope by Patrick Dillon, Winner in the Religion: Christian Inspirational CategoryTearing Down the Wall by Sharon M. Katzman, Finalist in the Self-Help: Motivational CategoryThe Cosmic Order of Reincarnation by Khun Shwe Thike, Finalist in the Science: General CategoryThe Heavens Weep for Us by Thelma T. Reyna, Finalist in the Fiction & Literature: Short Story Fiction CategoryThe Light of Innocence by Carl Marshall, Finalist in the Religion: Christianity Fiction CategoryThe Miserly Mind, 12½ Secrets of the Freakishly Frugal by Elise Cooke, Finalist in the Business: Personal Finance Category The Protected by Rowena Portch, Finalist in the Fiction & Literature: Romance Category The Summer That Changed My Life by Shanile Sharay Goggins with Benita Taylor, Finalist in the Religion: Christianity Category Two Sisters Journey: from Darkness Into the Light by Christi Rohan & Juli Rohan, Finalist in the Health: Death & Dying Category Unlocking the Poets Realm by Matt Wiebusch, Finalist in the Fiction & Literature: Fantasy/Sci Fi Category
Congratulations to all our winners! We already know Outskirts Press helps our authors publish award-winning books, and now it is easier than ever to promote your award with our Award Recognition Cover Enhancement option. For details and to order, visit the Marketing Options screen of your author’s center.
Ready to publish your own award-winning books? Click here for free publishing guides to help you get started.
In December 2009, Outskirts Press announced a monthly promotion in which we were seeking the best manuscript to publish for the author without cost. Once published, the best book would receive a refund equal to 110% of the publishing fee. That’s right! Free publication and an “advance” of sorts, just like a traditional publishing contract (only with us, our authors still kept all their rights).
A lot of manuscripts were submitted and a lot of books were published. We reviewed the published books among all those December manuscripts and have decided upon what we feel is the best all-around publication.
Congratulations to Mark Irving, aka Irv Sternberg, and his book The Persian Project.
From the author: “The Persian Project is my third book with Outskirts Press, but the first to be described as ‘a tour de force.’ I’m surprised and elated, and can’t stop pinching myself.”
The Persian Project
In a timely and perceptive prequel to his popular Clint Jagger series of international thrillers, award-winning author Mark Irving mines his public affairs experiences and expertise in Tehran in the mid-1970s to create a work of fiction that brings alive the people, places and events of that period, and the threat of a nuclear catastrophe in the Middle East.
Irving introduces the indefatigable Jagger, the former Special Ops veteran of Vietnam, who has settled in the Colorado Rockies to escape his wartime demons. Savoring the solitude of his new lifestyle, Jagger reluctantly accepts a special assignment from his former Marine commander to investigate the failure of secret underwater detection devices monitoring Soviet activity in the Caspian Sea.
Why It Won
The Persian Project is an excellent example of the type of exemplary work traditional publishers are on the look-out for. It features a finely-crafted and timely plot, an engaging, sympathetic character, and deft writing.
Like many talented authors who write in multiple genres, Mr. Sternberg uses a pen name for some of his books. “Mark Irving” is the pen name under which he wrote The Persian Project. Some authors are secretive about their pseudonyms; Mr. Sternberg is not. His dust jacket reveals all, perhaps to leverage his past credits. Mr. Sternberg has also published two other books with Outskirts Press under his actual name: No Laughing Matter and Neptune’s Chariot, both of which appeared on the Denver Post‘s bestseller list when they were published.
Last year, Neptune’s Chariot was a Colorado Book Awards finalist. Each year, the Colorado Humanities recognizes the best books from Colorado authors. This year, Outskirts Press is a sponsor of the Colorado Book Awards, and the 2010 awards are being presented in Aspen on June 25th.
In this day and age, publishers are looking for more than just an outstanding book — although that certainly helps! They want to work with professionals who “bring something” to the table. Mr. Sternberg is the consummate professional, the best selling author of four award-winning novels, and a tenacious marketer.
He released the hardback edition first (dust jacket edition, naturally), followed-up with the paperback, and already has book signings scheduled at the Tattered Cover bookstores in Colorado. Understanding the importance of the perfect cover, he opted for the Custom Cover design from Outskirts Press and received the free e-book edition, standard with the Diamond publishing package.
Congratulations, Irv!
Books published with Outskirts Press in 2010
are automatically eligible to win $1,500 in the
2010 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Awards.
So start publishing today.
The June 15th edition of the self-publishing and book marketing newsletter is now available by clicking here.
Highlights of this issue include:
Last December’s “Best Book” author announced. His book is published for free by Outskirts Press.
Through May 15th, you can save 10% on your Diamond, Ruby, or full-color Pearl publishing package
New page count ranges announced. Outskirts Press can now publish black/white paperbacks ranging between 18-1000 pages, and hardbacks (both in color and black/white) as short as 24 pages.
Read the full issue of the newsletter by clicking here:
Every year USA Book News honors outstanding mainstream and independent books with their National Best Books Award.
WINNERS & FINALISTS IN EACH CATEGORY RECEIVE:
USA Book News Exposure: A six-month book listing which includes your color book cover, a brief paragraph about your title and a hyperlink to your website. Fantastic coverage for the busy 2009 holiday season! Additional coverage in the USABN E-zine, sent to thousands of book buyers.
National Media & Industry Exposure: Coverage of results from the USA Book News network of media outlets and industry contacts for exposure to over 500,000+ subscribers. In addition, the USA Book News national media campaign highlighting the winners and finalists runs from October through January.
The registration deadline is August 14, 2009.Click here to access your Author’s Center and register now. Here are a few of the Outskirts Press titles that have already registered:
Don’t forget, you can save 25% with our Book Award Submissions package and submit your book to all six major book awards. Click here to access your Author’s Center and learn more about these optional marketing services from your Marketing Options screen.
