How Do I Win an Indie Book Award?
Yes, even you can win an indie book award! But you can’t win if you don’t submit. I originally published this post in 2019, but the information below is evergreen. This are all longstanding, established, and legitimate book awards, and all the information you need to submit is listed below. Good luck!
Below is a list of notable book awards to consider. And if you are wondering: “Does a book award really matter?” Yes. In a previous post, I talked about why they matter and what to do with them. Read “What Do You Do with a Book Award?” for tips on how to make the most of your award.
- Dan Poynter’s Legacy eBook Award
- The Benjamin Franklin Book Awards (IBPA)
- The Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards
- The Writers Digest Self-Published Book Award
- The National Indie Excellence Awards
- Axiom Business Book Awards
- The Eric Hoffer Award
- Next Generation Indie Book Awards
- The Best Indie Book Award
- The IndieReader Discovery Awards
Here are The Details:
Dan Poynter’s Legacy eBook Award
- This award is for eBooks only
- $79 per eBook per category.
- Annual Deadline: April 30th
Before I get to the other awards, I’d like to take a moment and tell you a little story about Dan Poynter.
“The Godfather of Self-Publishing,” we called him. He passed away on November 1, 2015, a sad day indeed. I lost a friend and mentor on that day. When Chad and I first started Monkey C Media back in 2004, Dan was a champion of our work and helped spread the word about our fledgling company. Chad took this handsome photo of Dan back in 2011.
I first met Dan at an author’s conference in King of Prussia, PA. circa 2004. Dan always flirted with the ladies and charmed the men. He was ageless it seemed, always smiling and teaching his younger cohorts the newest in technology and publishing trends. But, the thing I remember most that Dan taught me has nothing to do with publishing and everything to do with table manners. Yes, table manners.
We were seated around one of those round-behemoth-dinner tables that seat 10 people. I looked down at the glasses of water that flanked me on both sides. Which one was mine? Dan must have noticed my inner turmoil.
He leans over and quietly asks me: “You know how to remember which one is yours, right?”
Surprised, I probably flushed a little in embarrassment, “uh, no. How?” I replied.
“Food is always on the left,” he said as he casually picked up the bread-roll plate to his left (which had my dinner roll on it). “Drink on the right,” he continued, lifting his water glass to his lips and taking a sip.
I looked at him blankly.
Then he smiled broadly and said, ‘left has four letters, and food has four letters,” he held up his left hand as he talked and counted out four fingers as he spelled out the word “F-O-O-D, and drink has five letters,” now counting out five letters on this right hand, “D-R-I-N-K.”
Then he smiled broadly and said, “The word food has four letters and the word left has four letters; the word drink has five letters, and the word right has five letters.” He held up his hands as he talked, counting out four fingers for F-O-O-D on his left hand, and five fingers for D-R-I-N-K on his right hand.
I’ve shared that story with countless conference attendees over the years. Dan may be missed, but his wisdom will never be forgotten.
The Benjamin Franklin Book Awards (IBPA)
- $95 for IBPA members/ $225 for non-members
- Deadline: 2 periods of entry each year. Between July and September and October and December.
This past year marked 31 years of IBPA honoring excellent books with the Ben Franklins. I am proud to serve as a judge for the design awards and encourage you to enter. The Independent Book Publishers Association is a fantastic organization and well-worth joining if you are an independent or small publisher looking for resources and networking opportunities. Plus, IBPA also puts on an annual conference, Publishing University , which I have been speaking at since 2006. It’s a tremendous event with an incredible amount of value for authors and publishers alike. Remember, you have two chances to submit to win an indie book award via the IBPA!
The Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards
- $79-$99
- Deadline: June 30th-Sept 30th
Open to indie presses, university presses, and self-published authors, this book award from Foreword Reviews spans almost every category and genre. It’s judged by booksellers, editors, and librarians–in other words, good people to impress when you want to get your book out there, and in the right hands. As a bonus, if you win an indie book award via Foreword, you’ll receive a subscription to Foreword Reviews, which is a great way to stay on top of what’s happening in the industry.
Brag Time! The book, Permission To Roar, written by Marni Freedman( fellow co-founder of the San Diego Writers Festival, and Program Director of the San Diego Memoir Writers Association) and published by my imprint MCM Publishing, was a 2018 finalist in the Reference(Adult Non-fiction) category.
The Writers Digest Self-Published Book Award
- $20-$35
- Deadline: June 3rd
The Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Award is open to any self-published author, with categories from Literary Fiction, to Memoir and Genre Fiction. Entries are judged on content, quality of the publication, and appearance. It’s notable that the Grand Prize is $8,000.
The National Indie Excellence Awards
- $75
- Deadline: March 31st
This award is open to self-published authors as well as small to mid-sized presses and universities. The NIEA is a bit unique in that it focuses on niche genres like Fantasy, Western and, Steampunk amongst others, which some awards tend to overlook in favor of more mainstream genres. So if you write stuff that’s a little different than your average fiction, this may be a good one for you.
Another win for Marni Freedman, and my imprint, MCM publishing for Permission to Roar, this time in the Writing and Publishing Category.
I tell you this not just to brag(though yes, I’m sort of bragging still) but because the philosophy of ‘submit early, submit often’, applies heavily to book awards. Of course, you still have to have a worthy book, and submitting to the right award and category are essential!
- $75-$95
- Deadline: January 28th
The Axiom BBA’s are, as the title suggests, open to both traditional and self-published books on the topic of Business. Categories include everything from Business Theory to Women and Minorities in Business and many more. The books are judged on content, originality, design, and quality.
And more bragging! For Permission to Roar, published by my imprint MCM Publishing, Marni Freedman took the 2019 Silver for the Women and Minorities in the Business category.
Sidenote: If you long to win an indie book award for prestige and bragging rights–Condoleezza Rice is also a recipient of this award! She won a Sliver in the Business Theory category for her book with Amy Zegart, Political Risk.
- $55
- Deadline: January 21st
The Eric Hoffer EIP Award is another great one that will get your book into the hands of those in the industry. The judges range from other authors, and librarians to agents, and editors.
There are 19 categories including Business, Self-help, Art, and Poetry, as well as Fiction and Nonfiction. Did you know you can even win an indie book award for chapbooks? A neat thing about this award is that it’s also open to chapbooks, at the smaller entry fee of $40.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards
- $75
- Deadline: February 14th
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards are another one judged by editors, publishers, and writers. There are over 70 categories to submit to and cash prizes range from $100 to $1,500 and best yet–the top 70 winning books will be reviewed by literary agent, and founding partner in the Allen O’Shea Literary Agency, Marilyn Allen. I definitely encourage you to give this one a shot.
- $50
- Deadline: October 1st @noon
The BIBA’s only accept entries in which the full right-of-title belongs to the author–so self-published or independently published books only for this one. There is a wide range of categories and the books are judged mostly on writing quality. If you win an indie book award through this contest, it says something about the quality of your content. After all, they are called the Best Indie Book Awards!
The Indie Reader Discovery Awards
- $150
- Deadline: February 28th
The IRDAs is a big one for getting attention and opportunities! Like the other awards listed here that offer connections to the industry, this one does that and goes a step further. Their judges include The Director of Author and Publishing Relations at Amazon and two editors from Kirkus indie amongst others. Award winners get announcement coverage in The Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly to name a few.
This is a big one to reach for with a big pay off. I say go for it! You can’t win if you don’t enter.
Other awards worth mentioning are listed below.
It should be noted that some of these may not be open to indie or self-published authors. But it’s still good to know what’s out there, and the many opportunities that come your way when you win an indie book award.
Good luck, friends!
- $65
- Deadline: December 31st
- Notable: The Maxy Awards support children with disabilities.
National Book Award by the National Book Foundation
- Notable: Prestigious, competitive, highly recognized.
National Book Critics Circle Awards
- Learn more with the link
- Notable: Also prestigious, competitive, and highly recognized
- Learn more with the link
- Notable: Science Fiction’s most prestigious Award
- Learn more with link
- Notable: Lambda is a national, cross-industry organization supporting the LGBTQ community. Their literary awards reflect their mission.
- Learn more with link
- Notable: Children’s Literature. Prestigious award by Association to Library Service for Children.
- $60
- Deadline: June 30th
- Notable: A prize with a lot of value for authors including a $3,000 cash prize and marketing and distribution help.
Well, now you know where to start! Make a list. Check the deadlines. Do your research. And submit your book for a chance to win an indie book award!
