Contests for Authors

This is  by no means a comprehensive list of contests.
Rather this page spotlights contests I have entered,
some I have won won and some are contests run by people I know
so I'm confident that they aren't scams.
It also includes some lesser-known contests which
may give new authors a better chance at winning.

Scroll down for a how-to article on contests
and and the short,
but valuable contest list.

Click Here for Recent Media Releases.
Use them as resources (some of them announce my contest wins).
Use them as templates for your own contest coups.

Other Writers' Resource Categories

Find an excerpt from the Audio Divas' MP3 on contests.

How-To Article
Contests as Valuable Promotion Aids

Everybody Loves a Winner

(This is an excerpt from the coming 2nd Edition of
The Frugal Book Promote: )

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson (c)

CONTESTS: Awards Set Your Book Apart But Ya Gotta Enter Contests to Get 'Em

I pity the poor reader these days. Reviews can’t be relied on for unbiased opinions, so a reader may have trouble telling which book is most likely to set her heart a’ beating. As she shops, she often turns to the blurbs or endorsements on the back of the book. She may read a few of the first pages. But a book that has won a contest for book awards from organizations like Jeff Keene’s USA Book News award (usabooknews.com) or the New Millennium award (indiebookawards.com.com) or, yes, from universities like Columbia’s Pulitzer, will probably clinch a sale faster than many others.

Let’s take that one step farther. Authors who have won literary contests (contests run by journals, publishers and the like for poetry, short stories, novellas, novels and other literary entities) also gets bragging rights that might get inserted into their media kits, query letters, and Web sites. That makes it easier to sell a promotion idea (or a next book!) than someone who is new to writing. Gatekeepers—anyone from acquisition editors to feature editors at newspapers—can be influenced by a contest. Make that a contest win, place, or show. It may be what’s needed to set you apart from the many authors clamoring for attention. In fact on a slow news day, just about any award looks like a nugget of gold to a busy editor.

So why are authors so ready to hate contests? Fear of rejection is an easy answer. An article in the revered Poetry & Writers’ magazine mentions that writers often consider contests rigged and resent the fees (usually from free to $25 for literary contests and from free to $125. for book awards.). The magazine article pointed out that publishers and organizations become dependent on the fees they charge for contests and note that rarely does an unknown author win. I’m not sure the last part isn’t sour grapes; the point of many contests is to find delicious new voices that will keep the not-so-voracious appetite of publishers for new material well fed. If it is the truth, perhaps we should do something to hone our own skills to approximate those of more established authors.

Hint: There are other benefits to contests. Some offer critiques of entries—a value that cannot be overestimated in terms of learning more about the contest-winning process and one’s craft. Some publishers sponsor contests to attract submissions of great new manuscripts.

Regardless of the category (and there are some that don’t seem to fit neatly into either category), a contest win is a contest win is a contest win in terms of marketing.

Some contests only accept nominations from publishers. You may need to prod your publisher a bit if you know of a contest for which you think your book would be suitable.

Here are some guidelines for using contests to gain exposure and expand your credentials:

• Choose contests that fit the size of your pocketbook. No-fee contests work well until you refine your contest IQ. Those include following submission guidelines to the n^th degree and selecting contests that suit your material and your voice. Pick contests that impose fees at least as carefully as you might select a tomato from the produce department at your market. Sometimes journals that award prizes to the best work submitted for their pages in a given year are a good, frugal way to start.
• Choose contests based on the kind of writing you do. Read up on past winners. Examine past winners for genre, voice, length.
• Find contests from a source that lists less popular contests as well as those that have names attached to them like Hemingway, Faulkner, and Pulitzer. (See resources for finding some later in this chapter and some I like because even beginners have a chance at winning on my Web site at howtodoitfrugally.com/contests.htm)

• Pay attention to the contest’s guidelines, except for the one that calls for no simultaneous submissions. This rule is patently unfair to the author. You know it and they know it. It’s a rule, not a law. It is a courtesy, however, to notify those contests or journals you have submitted to if your entry wins elsewhere.

• To increase your chances and to keep you from worrying about each entry, submit work to several contests at a time.
• Keep track of entries so you don’t submit the same material to the same contest twice.

Hint: Some journals still don’t accept online entries. Don’t recycle paper copies that have been returned to you. Editors complain about entries that look as if they have spent a night in the rain.

Find suitable contests on the Web, in books, and through organizations. Here are a few leads:

• Use the “Deadlines” section of Poetry & Writers magazine to find reputable contests. Most are very competitive and charge fees. Check them out at pw.org
• CRWROPPS is an announcement list for contests and calls for submissions. To subscribe send an e-mail to crwropps-subscribe@topica.com.
• A fat volume called Writer’s Markets (budurl.com/WritersMarkets) publishes an updated edition each year. It lists contests, publishers, agents, and tons more. Buy the book and get online access to updates.
• Check professional organizations like your local Press Women, the National Federation of Press Women, and the Wisconsin Regional Writers’ Association (WRWA).
• Do a Google search on “writing contests” plus your genre.
• Subscribe to Winning Writers newsletter at winningwriters.com. I love this one for finding free contests.

Once you’ve won a contest—finalist or first place—you are newsworthy:

• Add this honor to the Awards page of your media kit. If it’s your first award, center it on a page of its own. Oh! And celebrate!
• Write your media release announcing this coup.
• Post your news on media release distribution sites that allow you to post your release yourself. Find a list of these sites at howtodoitfrugally.com/mediareleasedisseminators1.htm.
• Notify all your professional organizations.
• Notify bookstores where you hope to have a signing and those where you have had a signing.
• Notify your college and high school. Some have press offices. Most publish magazines for alumni and their current students.
• Add this information to the signature feature of your e-mail program.
• Add this honor to the biography template you use in future media releases—the part that gives an editor background information on you.
• Use this information when you pitch TV or radio producers. It sets you apart from other others and defines you as an expert.
• If your book wins an award, order embossed gold labels from a company like labels-usa.com/embossed-labels.htm. You or your distributor can apply them to your books’ covers. If you win an important award, ask your publisher to redesign your bookcover or dustcover to feature it a la the Caldecott medal given for beautifully illustrated children’s books? If you don’t know this medal, visit your local bookstore and ask to see books given this award.
• Be sure your award is front and center on your blog, your Web site, your Twitter wallpaper, and your social network pages.
• Your award should be evident on everything from your business card to your checks and invoices.

Robert W. Schaefer, one of the readers of the first edition of The Frugal Book Promoter, wrote to tell me that he would appreciate a plan of attack for getting an award for a book:

§ First and foremost, write a great book. One with great content. One that is organized well. A reminder here. It’s almost impossible to do this without some personal guidance, which is why I recommend writers conferences (see the next section of this chapter), and well-vetted writing classes in your genre.

Caveat: When you change genres, take another class. Do it even if you have been supremely successful at writing in another genre. Authors who have achieved stature should be especially cautious about embarrassing themselves by launching into another arena without knowing all the new stuff they need to know. Poetry is not fiction. Writing a romance requires some skills science fiction does not, and vice versa. Journalists have a great start, but they’ll find knowing more about some elements of fiction like dialogue may inform their news stories as well as help them write a better novel.

§ Get your book edited by a professional editor. You’ll have an easier time of selling it if you do this before you begin the submission process, and because many publishers have cut their editing budgets, you’ll be more assured that the job is done well enough to have it qualify for an award. Read my The Frugal Editor (budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor) to know more about editing and how to choose a qualified one.

§ If you are self publishing, hire an excellent book cover artist. Mind you, I didn’t say a graphic designer or fine artist. People like Chaz DeSimone (charlesdesimone.com) know things about book cover design and marketing pitches that others may not know.

§ If you are self publishing, hire a good formatter or interior book designer, too, one that knows the intricacies of frontmatter, backmatter, headers, footers, and page numbering.

§ If you write nonfiction, learn the art of indexing. It isn’t as easy as the word processing programs seem to make it, but I think it’s one uphill battle that’s worth fighting on your own because no one will know your book—know what you feel is important for your reader to know—like you do. There are, of course, also excellent professional indexers who will work closely with you. If your publisher provides an index for you, check it to see if important categories or details have been overlooked.

§ Follow the guidelines above for finding the perfect contest, one that is a match for your book.

§ Attack this process with confidence and be willing to make an investment of time and some money.

As you can see, the more you know about publishing, the better equipped you will be to produce a product (and your book is a product!) you can be proud of—perhaps even a prize-winning book. You wouldn’t expect to become a computer programmer without knowing how the hardware worked, now would you?

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson promotes her multi award-winning poetry and fiction using contests of all kinds. She also sponsors contests as a way to market her writing career. Learn more about her methods in any one of her HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers: www.howtodoitfrugally.com. That series has won five awards and the marketing campaign for The Frugal Editor won the New Millennium award for marketing.

Contests for Your Consideration

Scroll down for poetry contests.

The contests below are contests that accept entries for books in many categories, from traditional, small press, subsidy press and self-published books. The ones I've entered and won I can personally recommend but It is your responsibility to research contests that you pay to enter. Some are more prestigious than others. There is always a chance that a contest could be a scam. But winning any contest can be an opportunity for recognition and promotion (scroll up and down to see articles on this subject). 

Readed Views Annual Literary Award

The Reader Views Annual Literary Awards are granted in 20 fiction and 30 nonfiction categories, as well as 15 specialized, sponsored categories. The entries are judged by Reader Views reviewers, all avid readers with a wide range of experiences, considered experts in their respective fields.

 Reader Views is an Austin, Texas, based company that publishes reviews and offers  publicity services to authors. Now they are a one-stop center for budding authors. For more information, visit www.readerviews.com.

Entry information, registration forms and further information can be found online at http://www.readerviews.com/Awards.html.

Book Contest Searches for Green . . . .

The 2009 Green Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual competition honoring books that contribute to greater understanding, respect and positive action on the changing worldwide environment.

The 2009 Green Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher works in the following categories: non-fiction, fiction, children's books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/graphic novels, poetry, science fiction/horror, biography/autobiography, gardening, cookbooks, animals, photography/art, e-books, wild card (anything goes!), scientific, white paper, legal and spiritual.

Entries can be in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Italian. Our grand prize for the 2009 Green Book Festival Author of the Year is $1500 and transportation to our April, 2009 Earth Day celebration in Los Angeles OR an equivalent amount donated in your name to the environmental charity of your choice.

A panel of judges will determine the winners based on the following criteria:

1) The overall writing style and presentation of the work;

2) The potential of the work to enhance understanding of the environment and its issues;

TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online at http://www.greenbookfestival.com or may be faxed/e-mailed to you by calling our office at 323-665-8080.

The Green Book Festival is produced by JM Northern Media LLC, producers of the Hollywood Book Festival, New York Book Festival and DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books and is sponsored by eDivvy, Larimar St. Croix Writers Colony, Westside Websites and Shopanista.

The Clive Cussler Award

....is for adventure writers: Here is the link. http://www.cusslersociety.com/writers_competition.html.

The Noble (Not Nobel!) Prize

..is a feature of MyShelf.com, sponsored by Carolyn Howard-Johnson. It is her answer to the Nobel and is for poets and literary writers only. Learn more at  http://www.myshelf.com/backtoliterature/column.htm Check the archives on the Back to Literature Column page for past winners and guidelines. This contest is free, but a copy of the book is required.. Anyone may nominate a book.

From one of the winners of the Noble (Not Nobel!):  "I can't tell you what an honor it is to have Healey's Cave up on your 9th Annual Noble (not Nobel!) Prize for Literature awards. I'm thrilled, I'm deeply honored, and I love what you wrote about it!  I'm about to send out a big email blurb with links to your site and thanks to you - and I am going to post about it all over creation. Natch. ;o) " ~Aaron Paul Lazaar, winner 2010.
 

www.USABookNews.com.

Contest Director, Jeffrey Keene
 

Military Writers' Society of America

A modest membership fee entitles your to have your book fairly reviewed and then nominated by the reviewers for awards. You need not be military or even write about military subjects to belong to this supportive group ( http://militarywriters.com  ).  Here is the slideshow they put out this year featuring their award finalists:

Global E-Book Awards

This contest from Dan Poynter et. al. offers tons of benefits to the authors of nominated books and winners. Just following the process will help authors new to marketing understand the process--especially how to make awards work for them.
http://awardsforebooks.com/book-writing-contest/enter/top-10-reasons-your-ebook-should-be-in-our-competition/

The Beach Book Festival

The 2008 Beach Book Festival is looking to give your book a "hottest reads" designation. They will consider independently published books. The grand prize is $1,500. Learn more at www.beachbookfestival.com  or by phone!! 323 665 8080. Here's the fun part. Your marketing plan will be considered in a tie situation.

The address is: JM Northern Media LLC, Beach Book Festival, 7095 Hollywood Blvd, St 864, Hollywood, CA 90028--0893 

Business Book Awards

Jenkins Group give the Axiom Business Book Awards. Find them here: http://www.axiomawards.com/entry.php.

The Next Generation Indie Book Award

The HowToDoItFrugally Web site was part of the overall marketing campaign that won Carolyn Howard-Johnson the Next Generation Indie award for marketing.

Enter the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards by March 2, 2009 to have your book considered for cash prizes, awards, exposure, possible representation by a leading literary agent, and recognition as one of the top independently published books of the year!

Next Generation Indie Book Awards,  19 Horizon View Court, Calgary, Alberta, CA, T3Z 3M5

http://www.indiebookawards.com/index.php

Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse
Fifteen cash prizes totaling $5,350. Top prize $2,000. Submit poems in traditional verse forms, such as sonnets and free verse. Winning entries published online. Both published and unpublished work accepted. Entry fee is $7 for every 25 lines, payable to Winning Writers. Postmark deadline: June 30. Judges: J.H. Reid, D.C. Konrad. Submit online or mail to Winning Writers, Attn: Margaret Reid Poetry Contest, 351 Pleasant Street, PMB 222, Northampton, MA 01060. Winning Writers is proud to be one of "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2005-2008). More information: www.winningwriters.com/margaret

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest
Fifteen cash prizes totaling $5,350. Top prize $2,000. Submit poems in any style or genre. Both published and unpublished work accepted. Winning entries published online. Entry fee is $7 for every 25 lines, payable to Winning Writers. Postmark deadline: September 30. Judges: J.H. Reid, D.C. Konrad. Submit online or mail to Winning Writers, Attn: Tom Howard Poetry Contest, 351 Pleasant Street, PMB 222, Northampton, MA 01060. Winning Writers is proud to be one of "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2005-2008). More information: www.winningwriters.com/tompoetry

Article
Advice on Contests from a New Fiction Writer

By Janet Kay Jensen

I recently published my first novel. Because my publisher is a small regional publisher and I am a virtual unknown in the fiction writing world, I was anxious to prove myself as well as and sell some books, so I entered it in some published book competitions. And I also needed the personal validation. There. I said it.

There are many positive aspects to entering writing contests for published and unpublished works. Preparing work for a competition can challenge you to improve and try a new genre. Learning professional manuscript preparation is another skill you can learn by entering contests. Judges notice every typo or other error, and that can make the difference between winning or not placing at all, so it’s an incentive to turn in the cleanest manuscript you can produce.

Some contests offer publication as part of the prize. Consider this carefully before you enter. If you’re eager to publish with that organization and you’ve checked them out, it can be an excellent opportunity to launch or further your writing career. Some competitions offer monetary awards, and that’s always a plus.

It’s a good idea for a budding writer to enter local contests sponsored by art councils, state writing organizations, schools, etc. Usually these contests have no or minimal entry fees and provide valuable feedback on their judging forms. Recognition from doing well in a competition can lead to good publicity and further opportunities, as well as a boost in self-esteem. Placing in writing contests also looks good on your resume when you’re looking for an agent or publisher.

Some writers organizations advise against entering contests that charge any entry fee at all. From my experience, it costs money to run a contest. Judges deserve honorariums, though they are often embarrassingly modest. Awards, even simple certificates, cost money. Postage costs money, too. Many legitimate contests charge small fees to pay for their expenses and do not make a profit.

So, before you enter any contest, research it carefully. Fortunately, you can learn a great deal by studying all the rules thoroughly and reading feedback from contestants, all of which can readily be found on the web.

Writer Beware: Beware of contests that are more expensive to enter, as they may only be moneymakers for the organizers. They can be a front for vanity presses to hook unsuspecting writers into then buying the books that contain their “winning” entries. The truth is, in a vanity publisher’s contest, most entries are “winners.” No matter how distinguished the name of the organization may sound, it may still run scams

An excellent resource to consult is http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/contest.html. Another good Web site for information on contests, good and bad, is http://www.preditorsandeditors.com.

Entering published works: Google “awards for published books” and you will find many contests for published books. Use the same criteria above to evaluate the pros and cons of entering a particular contest. Find competitions that seem to fit your book and its subject. Consider your budget. Costs can mount quickly when they include entry fees and sending multiple copies of your book at your own expense. Choose the competitions that suit you and your work.

Use your own good judgment in entering any writing contest. The benefits can be career-changing. There’s nothing like writing “award winning author” before your name in a media release, under your email signature, on your Web site and blog, or in any other publication.

-----

Janet Kay Jensen is the award-winning author of Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys (Bonneville Books, Cedar Fort Press, 2007). She is also co-author of The Book Lover’s Cookbook, Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of Literature and the Passages that Feature Them (Wenger & Jensen, Ballantine Books, 2003). In addition to receiving numerous awards from the League of Utah Writers, she is first runner-up in the prestigious Best New Writers: Eric Hoffer Award in Commercial Fiction contest, and was named a finalist in religious fiction by both USA Best Books 2007 and ForeWord Magazine. Visit her web page at www.janetjensen.com and her blog at www.janetkayjensen.blogspot.com.

Editor's Note: This is what Janet's e-mail signature looks like. It includes contest wins that will impress her readers! Those interested in learning more about promoting with e-mail signatures will find information on them and hundreds more in The Frugal Book Promoter.

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Contests you can count on, and articles on how to promote with contest. Click Here.

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