I recently ran across an
article entitled Indie Author Awards: The Ugly Truth, written by J.N Chaney. I
opened the link, honestly thinking it would be derogatory and bashing but was
pleasantly surprised. Its focus was about the entry
fees and the actual return you get for winning one of the “prestigious awards,”
and how instead you could use that money for purposeful marketing.
I’m sure we have all entered a
contest hoping to be named its winner, and even paid for that entry.
Personally, I’ve never paid more than a $10 entry fee for any of the contests
I’ve participated in, which I could count on just one hand. However, I was
thrilled when I got to the part in Chaney’s article that read:
“NOT ALL INDIE
AUTHOR AWARDS SUCK
There are also
tons of free awards with no entry cost, such as the awards being handed
out in conventions like Utopia and Penned
Con. These don’t cost a thing. There’s no entry fee, no costs to use
the award if you win. Awards like these encourage peer review, networking,
and connection — all crucial to your success as an author.”
SCORE!!!
That’s one award I’ve actually WON––Penned Con: Best Cover 2015, along with a
Reader’s Choice Award 2015 from a different venue. However, did it have the
intended goal according to Chaney:
“Remember, at the end of the day, we're here to sell books. Awards can be a nice bonus, but their
reward must be meaningful and they have to actually help you.”
Winning
both of these awards was great, but did they make me more money? Perhaps. Honestly,
I’m not sure, as any spike in numbers could have been contributed to sales or
ads my publisher had running at the same time. For me, I was just so humbled to
have even been nominated, and grateful that my work had received even the
slightest amount of recognition, because that’s what it’s all about, right? Getting
your stuff out there and recognized.
As
for the Best Cover award, I can’t even take credit for that, lol. That was all
the work of my fantastic cover designer, Regina Wamba. She was who I thanked
when I told the crowd at Penned Con, “Thanks for liking what I loved.” At that
same convention, however, I was also nominated for Author of the Year (Fantasy,
Dystopian, Mystery) which I graciously lost to the amazing Denise Grover Swank. I was simply blessed for even being in the same category with her, Amy A. Bartol, and JD Nelson to mention a few, which brings us right back to the peer review, networking, and connection that
Chaney pin-pointed.
For
me, that connection with authors, readers, and bloggers is what it’s all about!
Does it make me happy when I look at my award sitting on my shelf, of course,
but what makes me even happier is knowing I’ll get to see the smiling faces of
my friends and fans at my next event. Maybe
I’ll get another nomination, maybe not, regardless, it’s all about putting
myself out there, connecting, and making it count!
[See
my full event schedule HERE]
[Read Chaney's full article HERE]
The Witches of BlackBrook
Winner: Best Cover Penned Con 2015
Winner: 2015 Readers Choice Award
