“Literary prizes should honor good books.” - Jennifer Szalai, New York Times Book Review
The literary awards season is an exciting time of year for us at PenPower Book Marketing. We often enter our authors into appropriate awards, but there is always a thrill when one of our own is selected as a finalist or awarded a prize.
However, there is more than just the elation that comes with each shortlisted title or recipient. For while an award honors the individual greatness of each book, there is also the increased notoriety that comes with the titles, a valuable commodity in itself. Or as Szalai puts it, “The true currency of prizes is recognition -- in scarce supply as books struggle to cut through the glut of our crowded culture.”
There is truism in the statement. Each award celebrates the works and the authors, but they also have a way of elevating the books in question; raising them from the sea of new titles that come on the market every year. They provide a robust endorsement that sets a work apart from its peers in ways that are invaluable to new and upcoming authors and can set them on the path of success as authors. Award stickers placed on covers act as 'light catchers,' drawing potential readers in, while increased exposure online encourages a larger and more robust audience.
Yet with so many awards to choose from, it is a daunting task for new authors to discover which they should enter. Luckily, an experienced partner can provide key guidance in steering a book towards the awards that are most suitable for them, helping to secure that critical recognition that fuels a book’s future.
This year we are proud to have four standout authors either as recipients of notable awards, or in finalist lists. Congratulations to:
Marc Romanelli - Mom’s Choice Silver Award for The Imagination Warriors
Jerry Brown - New Mexico-Arizona Book Award Finalist for Awaken Your Inner Golfer
Victor La Cerva - New Mexico-Arizona Book Award Finalist for Letters to a Young Man in Search of Himself
Diane Lynn - New Mexico-Arizona Book Award Finalist for Missing
Let PenPower Book Marketing Services help you discover which awards are best for your book.