Why Submitting Your Book For Awards Is A Must & How To Do It Right! By

As many of you know, I wrote my new book, Authentic Power: Give Yourself Permission to Feel (Available Now) as a self-help guidebook to provide healing and hope during the pandemic and beyond, and I am thrilled to share that it has won the Gold in the Literary Titans Book Awards! I am still in shock by this incredible honor and the beautiful book review written by Literary Titans here.

As a publicist, I know the importance of submitting my clients for book awards (hint: it holds the same weight as a media placement!), but as a new author, going through this process personally has not only been incredibly eye-opening and rewarding but it has also reinforced just how important book awards are.

Here’s why.

Up to about one million new books are published every year in the U.S., making it very challenging to set your book apart from the rest of the bunch. Of course, as a book publicist and founder of Nardi Media, I’ll always swear by the importance of elevating your message with a strategic PR and media relations campaign to get your book in front of the masses, but submitting to book awards should definitely be a part of your overall PR strategy.

For one thing, it gives your book the recognition it deserves after all of the hard work you put into it, and it builds credibility in the same way a media placement would because it’s another forum to share your book and story with the masses.

Not to mention that your award status lives on forever, so you better believe it should be used everywhere! Some examples include your email signature, your website, and your bio. It can also be used as leverage to secure future book deals, speaking engagements, book events, and more! And as a publicist who works with dozens and dozens and dozens of authors, I can tell you that including book awards in your pitches to the media is a must!

Now that you know just how important book awards are, the next steps are selecting the awards you’ll submit to (it’s all about finding the right ones for you!) and then starting the submission process. Nardi Media offers book award submission services so you don’t have to, but in case you’re curious and want to try going for it on your own, here are some helpful tips to get you started!

How To Select Awards:

There are various awards for all different types of book genres and categories – self-published, non-fiction, fiction, childrens, young adult, you name it. In other words, there IS an award for your book out there, you just need to look for it! All it takes is a little research.

Don’t know where to get started? Here’s a list of some book awards that I recommend checking out!

The Submission Process:

Once you’ve done your research, it’s time for the submission process, and there are a few important things to know before you jump in.

Most book awards need a physical copy of your book, so you’ll need to wait to submit until you have those in hand! A finished copy of your book is even better. There are also various fees you need to pay for book awards that range from $0 – $500 depending on the award. Just make sure the fees are part of your overall book campaign budget.

It usually takes about a few months to hear back once you’ve submitted, so hang tight!

Lastly, Celebrate!

This is the biggest tip of all! Launching your book campaign can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming, but remember to take this opportunity to celebrate YOU and all of your hard work and accomplishments. You wrote a book and are being recognized for it! Sit with that amazing honor and celebrate it.