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At last! A book award run by another author
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Hmmm.Not strictly true.
One of our fine authors has done and will continue to run a very successful and well regarded indie book award that has zero entry fee.
To be honest, I can't keep track of all the fee based 'book awards' there are out there these days.
I'm sure the cream of indie book awards will rise to the top one day.
...I seem to be fixated on cream this morning...
Good luck with it anyway, Billy.
I'm all for anything that gives exposure to very talented indie writers.
I noticed that none of last year's winners are very high in the Amazon charts. Mind you, the organiser does say that he markets directly to schools so perhaps that is where the benefit comes in.
Thanks Darren and Patti. Yes, we do sell mostly direct to schools. My book, The Gullfoss Legends, is a class reader in well over a thousand schools in the UK. I think you would be surprised how many authors don't depend that much on Amazon. I, for example, sell approx 600 ebooks a year on Amazon and about 50 hardback and paperbacks. And after Amazon grabs 55 percent I'm left with a pound or two. Compare that with 10, 000 sales direct to schools with no middle man. I think too many authors fixate on Amazon but there is actually much more profitable markets out there. If you know where to look!Cheers. EDWARD
I'm a teacher and I've not heard of your book. :)
The Gullfoss Legends by Billy Bob Buttons. If you teach primary, it's very good for myths and legends. If you send me the address of your school thewishingshelf@yahoo.com I will send you a complimentary copy. Edward
Awesome!I'm always looking for fresh reading material for my students.
That's very kind of you. :)
Not wishing to Hijack Billy's thread here, but what sort of take up is there in schools for ebooks?
Hi Jim. A few kids do buy my ebooks but 99 percent of them want a signed paperback or hardback. Cheers EDWARD
I can understand them wanting something free that is 'real'
I entered book 1 in my series last year and heard nothing after confirmation that the paperback and payment had been received. When should 2012 entrants expect to receive the feedback, honest review and 'catchy quote' promised?!
ah. thanks for that Nichola.there you are, folks.
Hi Nicola, Everybody gets feedback, the review and the quote. I'm presently in the middle of sending it out to everybody. The finalists were announced in April and it will take approx. 3 months to get through all the authors. I have to condense the feedback and put together a quote based on the feedback for every author. Did you not request membership of our Facebook page? If not then do; that way you will know what's happening.
Cheers
Edward
Thanks Billy, I was aware of the finalists etc as I looked in on the website occasionally. Found the FB page now you've mentioned it.Patti, I think MT was a finalist the previous year - if I remember correctly! That's how I heard about it.
Hi Nicola. Thanks for requesting membership of the Facebook page All sorted. I had a look through the pile of books still to do; yours was third book down. I will try to get your feedback, reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and a catchy quote sorted on Friday. All the best and sorry for the delay. I run the awards as a hobby; no pay, so I can only do an hour or so a day on it. EDWARD
No problem, thanks Edward. When you mentioned it here, it reminded me, that's all, so no rush.
Hi Edward,This looks really interesting, I'll be entering!
I'm also fascinated by what you say about having books in schools. As a former teacher, I'd love kids in schools to be reading my books.
How did you go about getting your books printed?
I was going to go the Amazon route, at present my book is in kindle format only, but I'd like to branch out.
Thanks Rosie
Rosie wrote: "Hi Edward,This looks really interesting, I'll be entering!
I'm also fascinated by what you say about having books in schools. As a former teacher, I'd love kids in schools to be reading my books. ..."
Hi Rosie. It is a lot of fun visiting schools. I just got back from Oxfordshire visiting 8 schools and sold hundreds of my novels. I also persuaded a school there to help us assess the children's books that enter the awards. A very successful trip. Send me the blurb of your book to edward@thewsa.co.uk and I will send you a few tips of how to get your work in schools. Cheers. Edward.
Patti, thanks for the mention.Billy, I wish you luck with your competition.
I'm not sure that I personally agree with charging authors to enter a competition but I do appreciate that there are costs involved.
Actually I used to run a non-profit making short story comp until a few years back - the charge for entries never covered the prize but it was fun. So this is in no way an 'at last'
Karen wrote: "Actually I used to run a non-profit making short story comp until a few years back - the charge for entries never covered the prize but it was fun. So this is in no way an 'at last'"Hi Karen,
I did not know about your award. I enjoy running my award too; we just about break even but that's not a problem. It's a hobby anyway. All the best. Edward
Hi, my name is Billy Bob Buttons and I’m a UK-based children’s author. I’m pretty successful. My books, Felicity Brady and the Wizard’s Bookshop, The Gullfoss Legends, TOR Assasin Hunter and TOR Wolf Rising sell over 10,000 a year (hardbacks and paperbacks direct to primary schools). Not bad, I guess, for any independently published author.
But for all my success, I detest entering book awards. Not that I don’t do okay. I was a runner-up in the Rubery Book Awards and the prestigious UK People’s Book Prize. But the problem with many book awards for independently published authors is they don’t seem particularly interested in the book. All the organisers seem to want to do is sell ‘Winner!’ and ‘Runner-up’ stickers.
So, two years ago, I (my real name is Edward Trayer, Billy Bob Buttons is simply a pen name) set up The Wishing Shelf Book Awards (www.thewsa.co.uk). I wanted to offer other independently published authors a very different award to what was presently offered on the internet. I wanted authors who enter to feel ‘special’ and I wanted them to know we will judge their books thoroughly.
I visit approximately 200 primary and secondary schools a year giving literary workshops. Here, I thought, was the perfect judging panel. I persuaded a number of the headteachers to allow their students to read and judge the children’s books entered in the award. This way, not only are the finalists and winners decided by the intended readers and not a panel of so-called ‘experts’, but the feedback they send to us we then send on to the authors.
The adult books are judged by two established Reading Groups, one in London where I often work and one in Stockholm where I live. ‘They love reading the books and discussing them for hours over coffee and cake.
The next problem I faced was cost. I wanted to keep it cheap so as not to exclude any authors but also the award cost a lot to run. I had to set up and pay for the website (www.thewsa.co.uk), cover the cost of posting the books between schools, have certificates designed and printed and, most importantly, I wanted to advertise the finalists in a high-circulation magazine. In the end I set the price at £28 per book; a lot cheaper than other awards. And I decided to advertise the finalists with a quarter page, full colour advert in The School Librarian. It cost a fortune but I think it was worth it and it helps the finalists to sell their books.
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards boasts 100% satisfaction from every publisher and author who has, so far, entered (42 the first year, 104 the second year and probably about 150 this year). The problem with other awards is, if you win, you win. Fantastic! But if you don’t, you get nothing. With our award, every entrant, finalist or not, gets all the feedback from the judging, a catchy quote for the back of their next book or reprint and a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Then, if you are a finalist, you also get a logo, a certificate, marketing on the web and your book in The School librarian. This year, we even organised for the all finalists in the children’s category to have their book reviewed by The School Librarian. The authors were very happy.
With so many awards right now, particularly for self-published authors, the author is simply a number. Even if they win, by then the organisers are concentrating and getting next year’s authors to enter. But we answer every email personally, we ask authors to send us the blurb of their book prior to entering and, if we think it’s not the sort of thing our readers will enjoy, we urge them not to enter (we turn away approx. 10% at the moment; I often read the first chapter on Amazon (Look Inside) and if it’s full of errors and needs a good edit I tell the author). There is even a Facebook page so the authors can make suggestions on how to improve the awards and how to spend the entry fees to best market their books.
If you are interested in entering The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, check out the website www.thewsa.co.uk. Alternatively, send info on your book directly to me at thewishingshelfawards@gmx.com. I can promise you a very different experience; in fact, I’m so confident in how well the award is run, if you’re not happy at the end, I will refund your entry fee.
All the best and good luck with your writing.
Edward