- Contests that charge high entry fees and have no clear benefit or reputation. As a new author, it can be very tempting to enter any award contest. Don’t do that.
Take a look at BookAwardPro - they have a free option, and all awards are vetted and updated daily.
- Awards that are given out without a rigorous selection process. It’s great to have a sticker on our books that shows it’s an award-winner, right? Make sure the award carries weight.
When I entered several contests with my first few books, I won first place in all of them. So did thousands of other authors. Sigh. We live, we learn.
How to Handle:
- Participate in well-known and reputable contests and awards.
- Verify the legitimacy of the competition by checking past winners and judges."
What about Hybrid Publishing? This is becoming a legitimate way to publish, although I recommend researching the publisher to ensure they meet the criteria (only accept manuscripts at traditional quality standards), they have a sales team, their distributions include bookstores and libraries, can get trade reviews, etc.)
Yes, hybrid publishing is a thing for sure (I was with a hybrid til they shut their doors, sadly). I do plan to do a specific to publishing article - thank you for bringing this up, Catharina (beautiful name). x
You're the best thank you!
"Recognizing Fake Competitions and Awards
What to Look Out For:
- Contests that charge high entry fees and have no clear benefit or reputation. As a new author, it can be very tempting to enter any award contest. Don’t do that.
Take a look at BookAwardPro - they have a free option, and all awards are vetted and updated daily.
- Awards that are given out without a rigorous selection process. It’s great to have a sticker on our books that shows it’s an award-winner, right? Make sure the award carries weight.
When I entered several contests with my first few books, I won first place in all of them. So did thousands of other authors. Sigh. We live, we learn.
How to Handle:
- Participate in well-known and reputable contests and awards.
- Verify the legitimacy of the competition by checking past winners and judges."
Thank you, lovely. We gotta look out for the sharks!
What about Hybrid Publishing? This is becoming a legitimate way to publish, although I recommend researching the publisher to ensure they meet the criteria (only accept manuscripts at traditional quality standards), they have a sales team, their distributions include bookstores and libraries, can get trade reviews, etc.)
Yes, hybrid publishing is a thing for sure (I was with a hybrid til they shut their doors, sadly). I do plan to do a specific to publishing article - thank you for bringing this up, Catharina (beautiful name). x
Thank you.
Great advice. Thank you.
Thank you, Colin! Appreciate it.