Two award-winning authors share their tips for where to find the best opportunities for reviews and awards. There’s a handy list of entry fees at the end.
Once you’ve finished writing your book, the logical next step is to enter it into book awards.
How amazing would it feel to win a book award and receive formal recognition of all your hard work and skills as a writer?
And there is possibly nothing more powerful to a prospective reader than seeing an award sticker on a book they are contemplating reading (along with it being a ‘bestseller’ – but that is the topic for another blog post).
Author Mark Berridge knows what it feels like to win a book award – he has won 16 of them! He has even travelled to Bellingham in the United States to attend the Chanticleer International Book Awards and accept an award for A Fraction Stronger. Mark’s book was published in February 2022 and it tells the story of how his life changed in an instant when a cycling accident caused a severe spinal injury.
Mark was recently a guest on the Hembury Books Podcast and I asked him loads of questions about where to find the best opportunities to enter awards in Australia and beyond. You can watch the episode here or listen to it here.
Mark generously shared some extra tips with me via email, and I wanted to post them so that other authors can find them.
Enter book awards and reviews prior to publishing. Once your book is a finalised manuscript and you are sending to print, get out there. This may enable you to celebrate an award in your book’s early promotion period.
There is a 3-12+ month lead time on awards. Research the announcement dates and select awards that don’t bunch around the same time of year to maximise marketing opportunities.
Enter awards on a staggered basis, including across the first few years, to generate new marketing opportunities for your book.
Make it a story for your tribe. Be bold and share that you have entered to take your followers with you on the journey.
In terms of awards, I feel Chanticleer is right up there. Two other awards my US author friends saw as prestigious were the Eric Hoffer (I entered but missed out) and Benjamin Franklin (I skipped because it was expensive and I dismissed my chances – that decision was made before I won any awards).
In terms of reviews, Kirkus is seen as the most influential review house, then Chanticleer. You may want to go for cheaper reviews earlier, as I did, like Reader Views or Readers’ Favorite to gain some confidence before tackling the top shelf review companies.
When you do get awards or great reviews, get them into the top of your Product Review section in Amazon. They influence SEO outcomes. See Kyomi O’Connor’s multi-award winning A Sky of Infinite Blue as a high performing example.
Many of the book awards competitions only grant you a very low resolution file for the winning or finalist sticker. If you then want a high resolution version which you would need for a banner or reprint of your book cover, it will cost another USD85 (Indies) or USD130 (Jenkins group awards like IPPY and Living Now). If you can, establish which book awards include medals and high resolution (print quality) stickers – and even prize money – to winning authors as part of the award entrance fee.
Some book awards like The Wishing Shelf Book Awards (UK) and Reader Views include a book award entry and a book review.
Sometimes – such as the Next Generation INDIE Book Awards – a judge’s review is also published on the awards website. It takes the pride you feel in winning to an even higher level when you read what the judge loved about your book (see Motivational category at Next Generation Indie Book Awards – 2023 Judge Reviews). I have heard Chanticleer sometimes email authors feedback from their judges. I see this as great additional value.
I recommend finding programs that really get behind their authors and provide ongoing cheering on your social media activities, even beyond those relating to their award program. Goody Business Book Awards are one that stood out here for me.
If you are interested in meeting other authors, then seek out award programs that host prizegiving ceremonies – typically held in conjunction with author conferences or book fairs. Attending the Chanticleer International Book Awards was expensive but amazing – and because they are a community, once you attend and make friends there, you are embraced for life.
Research the authors that are top of your genre on amazon. Research what they do to market themselves on FB, IG, TT by following them.
I also recommend checking out industry resources like:
Mary Garden’s latest book is called My Father’s Suitcase. She was also a guest on the podcast and explained how she got Trent Dalton to write an endorsement for her previous book, Sundowner of the Skies. Mary is tenacious and leaves no stone unturned, and when she listened to the podcast episode with Mark Berridge, she immediately swung into action.
Below are Mary’s tips and feedback on the various opportunities out there.
Books+Publishing is highly regarded, but you need to apply about 6 months before publication to be considered for a review.
MidWest Book Review and Kirkus are also good. Here’s an excerpt of a review I received from Kirkus: “Garden’s memoir is highly readable and filled with surprising twists.” https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/mary-garden/my-fathers-suitcase/
I found Book Commentary, Readers View, Wishing Shelf Book Award, Chanticleer, Nautilus, National Indie Excellence through Mark Berridge. His website is a goldmine!! Oh, but I spent a lot of money… The costs are listed in the tables at the end.
I am still waiting for these reviews although have already received one from Reader Views. Here is Reader Views link to their review of MFS https://readerviewsarchives.wordpress.com/2024/10/24/my-fathers-suitcase-garden/
This is the link to enter their prize for which you automatically get a review https://www.readerviews.com/literaryawards/
Book Commentary – I particularly liked this one, as the reviews get posted to Amazon and Goodreads. I got such a fantastic review from them that I have opted for some more. They also check reviews before posting them. I was told via email: “Here is the thing: we always check reviews before they are posted. Our reviewers are paid for their time and they understand that we do not post negative reviews or reviews below 4 star rating. If we don’t like a book, we send feedback to the author.”
Here is a link to the review: https://thebookcommentary.com/review-preview/1477/my-father’s-suitcase
Courtesy of author Mary Garden, and prices as of November 2024.
| Awards entered to date | Entry fee | |
| Ockham Award (NZ) | $180.94 | |
| Nib Waverley Award (Australia) | $62.40 | |
| Victoria Premier’s Awards (Australia) | $100.00 | |
| Colin Roderick Award, James Cook University | $50.00 | |
| Memoir Award (US) | $154.57 | |
| Goody Business Award (US) | $119.70 | |
| National Indie Excellence Award | $114.62 | |
| Chanticleer (US) | $151.29 | |
| Nautilus Book Award (US) | $143.64 | |
| Indie Book Awards (US) | $114.62 | |
| Wishing Shelf Book Award (UK) | $170.91 | |
| American Bookfest | $118.42 | |
| Reviews | ||
| Reader Views | $136.01 | |
| Book Commentary reviews | $106.98 | |
| Kirkus Review | $624.81 | |
| Bestsellers World Express Review | $134.19 | |
| Readers Favorite | $201.50 | |
| Reedsy | $79.13 | |
| Midwest Book Review | $84.90 |
These websites are based in America. Mary has had a number of reviews in Australian publications: Books+Publishing, ArtsHub, The AGE/SMH, The Normal Grown Up Blog (by psychiatrist Matthew Roberts), Readings, Denise Newton Writes and Wombat Post.
A week after this post was first published, Mary Garden won a Goody Award! My Father’s Suitcase was the joint winner in the Self Help: Memoir category.
The Goody Business Book Awards are international awards that specifically recognise books with a social impact and explore important issues.
‘My Father’s Suitcase’ describes Mary’s experiences of sibling abuse at the hands of her late sister. Sibling abuse is a topic which receives very little public discussion or media coverage, despite the fact that it is the most common form of family violence (as I learned while reading Mary’s book).
Well done Mary!
As a self-published author, I paid for a review from Kirkus and although it was expensive, I have used it as marketing copy on Amazon and other sites. I even updated my back cover to include a short excerpt: “An honest, detailed, and well-structured account of the personal and political.”
Kirkus is highly regarded, so I was thrilled to get a positive review. If the review had been critical, I would have had the choice not to share it publicly on their website. This maintains the integrity of their reviews.
You can choose from a short review or a longer one. I would probably get the shorter one next time because I have really only used the first sentence.
Good luck with your awards and review submissions!
If you’ve got a tip, please share it in the comments section below.
