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Didya hear the BIG news? Maggie is headed to Texas! The fictional pole-vaulting farm girl from Grain Valley, Kan., will be ridin’ high atop the awards stand Saturday, June 15th, at the Texas River Vault Championship. As many as 300 … Continue reading →

Gain Exposure For Your Self-Published Book!

You’ve put countless hours into writing your book and perfecting it for publication. You did your homework, and found the right self-publisher for you. Now, give your book the exposure and accolades it deserves – enter the Writer’s Digest 21st Annual Self-Published Book Awards!

You could win:

•Up to $3000 in cash
•National exposure for your work
•The attention of prospective editors and publishers
•A paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City!

Early Bird Deadline: April 1, 2013

Enter Now!

How to enter: register and pay online or download a printable entry form. (Early Bird Entry fees are $100 for the first entry, and $75 for each additional entry.)

Enter your book into one or more of these categories:
•Mainstream/Literary Fiction
•Genre Fiction
•Nonfiction
•Inspirational (Spiritual, New Age)
•Life Stories (Biographies, Autobiographies, Family Histories, Memoirs)
•Children’s/Picture books
•Middle-Grade/Young Adult books
•Reference Books (Directories, Encyclopedias, Guide Books)
•Poetry

Read the rules and get the details: Writer’s Digest Self-Published Awards

One Grand Prize Winner will receive:

• $3,000 cash and a trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City
• A priceless endorsement for their book from the Writer’s Digest Editors–10 copies of their book for submission to major publishing review houses
• A one-year membership for Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the largest not-for-profit trade association representing more than 3,000 independent book publishers, courtesy of Brian Jud & Book Marketing Works, LLC
• Guaranteed acceptance in a special sales catalog and national representation through 1,800 salespeople who sell to non-bookstore markets
• A one-year membership to Author-U
• A copy of Show Me About Book Publishing and consultation with Book Shepherd Judith Briles (valued at $500)
• A guaranteed review in Midwest Book Review

Nine First-Place Winners will receive:

• $1,000 cash and promotion in Writer’s Digest
• A one-year membership to Small Publishers Association of North America (SPAN)
• A guaranteed review in Midwest Book Review
• A one-year membership to Book Central Station where you can find lists of suppliers rated by previous clients, provided by Brian Jud & Book Marketing Works, LLC
• An ebook titled Beyond the Bookstore by Brian Jud (with CD).

All Grand Prize and First Place winners will:

• Be featured on the Writer’s Digest website
• Receive a copy of The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, 4th Edition by Tom and Marilyn Ross
• $100 worth of Writer’s Digest Books

Honorable Mention Winners will receive $50 worth of Writer’s Digest Books and be promoted on www.writersdigest.com.

All other entrants will receive a brief commentary from the judges along with a link to the entrant’s website (only if the URL is accurate) on writersdigest.com.

THE RULES:

1. The competition is open to all English-language self-published books for which the authors have paid the full cost of publication, or the cost of printing has been paid for by a grant or as part of a prize.

2. You may register and pay online for faster service.

3. Entrants must send a printed and bound book. Entries will be evaluated on content, writing quality and overall quality of production and appearance. No handwritten books are accepted.

4. All books published or revised and reprinted between 2008 and 2013 are eligible. (Writer’s Digest may demand proof of eligibility of semifinalists.)

5. All books not registered online must be accompanied by an Official Entry Form. Photocopies of the Official Entry Form are acceptable. You may enter more than one book and/or more than one category; however, you must include a separate book, entry form and the additional fee for each entry.

6. We accept check, money order or credit card payment for the required judging fee. The early bird entry fees are $100 for the first entry, $75 for each additional entry must accompany submissions. For books submitted after the April 1 early bird deadline, the fees are $110 for the first entry, $85 for each additional entry. Payment must accompany submissions.

7. All early bird entries must be postmarked no later than April 1, 2013. Entries submitted for the regular deadline must be postmarked by May 1, 2013. All winners will be notified by October 14, 2013. If you wish to receive confirmation that your entry was received before the deadline, we recommend using certified mail or some other tracking method to send your entry.

8. Judges reserve the right to withhold prizes in any category. Judges reserve the right to re-categorize entries.

9. Books which have previously won awards from Writers Digest are not eligible.

10. Employees of F+W Media, Inc. and Book Marketing Works, LLC and their immediate families are not eligible. Books published by Abbott Press are not eligible to participate.

11. Writer’s Digest is not responsible for the loss, damage or return of any books submitted to the competition.

Talk soon,

Kathy

By now, almost everyone in the world must know I received a 5 star review for Killer Career by Morgan Mandel from Midwest Book Review on Amazon. In case you missed seeing one of the email messages to a zillion egroups and networks, here's the link on Amazon -
http://www.amazon.com/review/R169FXMK7RVLB6/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
and also the one on Midwest Book Review's site itself - http://midwestbookreview.com/sbw/oct_09.htm#Mystery/Suspense

My next project is to put the review to use in strategic spots, such as on my website and promotional materials.

What do you do when you get a good review?

June is 'Book Reviewing' month at Blogcritics Magazine! To promote the release of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, author Mayra Calvani will be interviewing 15+ reviewers and review editors during the month of June. Learn all about the business of book reviewing and what's in the mind of some of the most popular reviewers on the internet today. Some of the guests will include: Alex Moore from ForeWord Magazine, James Cox from Midwest Book Review, Irene Watson from Reader Views, Andrea Sisco from Armchair Interviews, Magdalena Ball from The Compulsive Reader, Sharyn McGinty from In The Library Reviews, Lea Schizas from Muse Book Reviews, Linda Baldwin from Road to Romance, Hilary Williamson from Book Loons, Judy Clark from Mostly Fiction, and many others! To see the complete lineup, visit: The Slippery Book Review Blog.
Stop by and leave a comment under the interviews for a chance to win a Virtual Book Tour (sponsored by Pump Up Your Book Promotion, a $150 value!) or a $50 B&N gift certificate!

As she looked BACKWARDS over her shoulder Paulette saw the stunned and surprised looks on her parents' faces. As she fell further and further into the foaming sea, she hollered BACKWARDS over the waves, " Don't worry! I'm sure I'll wash up somewhere!"

Finding no comfort in her words, her bereft parents furiously untangled their fishing nets and cast them into the sea in a desperate effort to snare their fast disappearing daughter. Alas, they unfurled them BACKWARDS, and Paulette disappeared beneath the waves.

However, she did wash up on shore, kiddies, and can be found (quite well and happy and also very very clean!) in another Illustration Friday theme...to be announced.