Website Can Help You Become an Award-Winning Author

WRITERS. If you would like to mention in your publicity that you are an “award-winning” author, you can enter a growing number of contests. Whether winning any of these contests has any real value is up to you to decide.

For example, one of the stated goals of the website Readers Favorite is to help authors gain more exposure through a Book Award Contest. In their 2011 Literary Award contest, awards were given in 70+ categories including Children, Christian, Fiction, Non Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy and Romance.

Debra Gaynor, owner of Readers Favorite claims that, “Award winners can enjoy increased exposure and the attention of bookstores, publishers, libraries, journalists and readers.”

Contestants are invited to submit full manuscripts, published and unpublished books, eBooks, audio books, comic books and poetry books. There are four award levels in each category: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention.

Each winner will receive a personalized Award Certificate, a digital high-resolution version of their Award Seal for publication, and a roll of 500 reflective Award Seal stickers to affix to current editions of their book. Finalists will receive a digital high resolution Finalist Award Seal for future publications of their book, website or other marketing materials.

You can enter a book in one category for $89, or enter in up to three additional genre categories for $65 each. The deadline for entering the 2012 contest is May 1, 2012.

Readers Favorite also helps authors get their books reviewed, and will post the reviews on their site, Barnes & Noble, and Facebook. The site’s reviewers will also post your review on their websites, blogs, and popular review and social-media sites.

According to the Readers Favorite website, “We do not post negative reviews. If an author receives a poor review, we provide constructive criticism to the author instead. We are in the business of helping authors, not hurting them.” You can read bios of the volunteer reviewers on the Readers Favorite website.

LINKS

 Readers Favorite

 Winners of the 2011 Literary Award Contest