Second Column on Book Awards at WritingRaw.com

How Book Awards Can Boost
Your Marketing Campaign

There are over 1.4 million book titles in print and about 200,000 new titles each year in the USA and Canada. Being a new author with a new book can be daunting especially if you are self-published and responsible for your own marketing. Being a winner of a book award can instantly bring you credibility and help you promote your book. Winning book awards can really help boost your marketing campaign. Readers want to read award-winning books; book sellers and librarians want to stock award-winning books and journalists want to write about award-winning books.
In this column, I will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of applying for book awards.

Advantages:
First of all winning a book award is a morale booster for the writer. It gives recognition for a solitary profession. A writer may have doubts about whether a book is any good, but a couple of book awards can dispel those doubts. You can now call yourself an award-winning author and this is a relatively inexpensive way to get publicity for your books. (Book awards cost $50.00 to $150.00 to enter.) When one gets an award, one can make it a media event. If you win more than one book award, you can call yourself a multi-award winning author and that is even better!
Being a award-winning author can help you open new doors and get new contacts. You can attend book festivals and galas when you win the award. You can also get some good tax deductions. It can help you get a Book Club gig or be a featured speaker. It can help you sell foreign rights or make the leap from self-published writer to a writer with a publisher. It is also a nice way to meet other award-wining authors.
Book awards are a good alternative for shy writers who don't want to be in the public eye and speak about their books. Winning book awards speaks for itself. Book awards are also a good alternative if the writer is unable or unwilling to go on the book tour/lecture circuit.

Disadvantages:
Of course, not winning book awards can be demoralizing and can get fairly expensive so start slowly. We are not talking about the Pulitzer Prize or the Booker Award so look out for book awards that might not be prestigious enough for your book. Many companies that sponsor book awards are businesses and provide services, which they are also selling. Once your know the pros and cons, you can decide whether to go forward.

Mary's Tips for Entering Book Awards

1. Do your research and go slowly.

2. Look at the categories to see if you have a match. (Look at last year's titles). For example my titles are in "How to", "Self-Help.
"Business", "Career" and "Law."

3. Enter one or two and see how it goes.

4. To increase your odds, enter in two categories. Usually there is a discount for the second entry.

5. Pick a category where there may be fewer entries.

6. Be aware of cost. At $50.00 you can enter two or three contests instead of one $150.00 one.

7. Read instructions carefully. How many copies? What is deadline? postmark date?

8. See if list of books already entered (Florida Book Awards.)

9. Look at what is offered to winners: comments, free website listings, press release, stickers, book festival, award ceremonies,
and literary agent.

10. See if there are book awards just for your discipline or for your state (New Mexico Book awards.)

Next month, I will cover specific book awards.






Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author of How To Negotiate LIke A Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes, Winner of six book awards; How to Mediate Like a Pro, winner of twelve book awards; How to Interview Like a Pro, winner of eleven book awards.
Email: Howtointerview@aol.com. website www.marygreenwood.org

My First Column on Book Awards for Writing Raw

It Is Nice to be Recognized

Like many things in life, my best book award was my first book award so my first column is about that experience. Future columns will be about individual awards and what to do when you get one.

When I won my first book award (Best "How To" Book, DIY Book Festival) for How to Negotiate Like a Pro, I was very excited and felt validated as a writer. I had been involved in the lonely art of writing a book with little feedback from others. I was not sure if it was a "good" book or not. I liked it and it really boosted my spirits to know that someone else liked it, too. I was thrilled that I could now write, "Mary Greenwood, award-winning author" on my marketing materials.

All the winners of the DIY (Do It Yourself) Book Festival Awards were invited to an awards banquet in October in Los Angeles, California. It was only a few weeks away and I could hardly afford it, but I said to myself, "Mary, you may never win another book award so you owe it to yourself to go." I made my airline and hotel reservation using frequent flyer miles. Since this was Hollywood, I thought I might get discovered just like all those famous actresses at Hollywood and Vine.

When I arrived at my hotel in the Hollywood Hills, it had no record of my reservation and even worse it was totally booked. I must have sounded desperate. "I am a writer and I am getting an award tonight and I really need a room." The desk clerk, who was also a budding writer, said that there were apartments above the hotel that they owned and that there was a vacancy.

He said that he would show me the apartment, which Jerry Bruckheimer used when he needed peace and quiet to write. I was thinking that if it was good enough for Jerry Bruckheimer, it would be good enough for me! The apartment was very sparse and a little dumpy, but it did have a killer view of the Hollywood Sign. I was wondering where exactly Jerry Bruckheimer wrote in this apartment and what he was working on. Of course, I said I would take it and forgot about the nice hotel room below.

I went to the Awards Ceremony and got my award; it was very nice to be recognized. However, It was a little anti-climactic because the highlight of my trip was the "fact" that I stayed in the same apartment as Jerry Bruckheimer. Since then I have had a nagging feeling that the desk clerk made up a story so I would take the apartment, but it could be true.

Whenever I see the closing credits of CSI, I ask myself whether he was working on the script for that or was it the Pirates of the Caribbean?




Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author of How To Negotiate Like A Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes, Winner of six book awards; How to Mediate Like a Pro, winner of twelve book awards; How to Interview Like a Pro, winner of ten book awards.
Email: howtointerview@aol.com; websites: www.howtointerviewlikeapro.org;
www.marygreenwood.org

Mary Greenwood's books have won 28 book awards

How to Interview Like a Pro has won ten book awards and is designated Rising Star and Editor's Choice by iUniverse.

1. Winner, Reader Views Book Awards, How to Category

2. Winner, Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards in Business Category.

3. Winner, Indie Excellence Awards, Career Category

4. Winner, Silver Award, ForeWord Book Awards,

5. Finalist, Eric Hoffer Book Awards

6. Finalist, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Career Category.

7. Hnorable Mention, Readers Favorites, Business Category

8. Honorable Mention, DIY Book Awards, "How to" Category

9. Honorable Mention, New York Book Festival, "How to" Category

10. Extra Mention, Millennium Publishing Book Awards












How to Mediate Like a Pro has won twelve book awards:

1. Finalist, Next Generation Indie Books, Business Category

2. Winner, Reader Views Book Awards

3. Winner, Best Naional Book Award, Law Category

4. Best E-Book, Indie Excellence Awards

5. Best How to Book, Beach Book Festival

6. Best E-Book, New York Book Festival

7. Winner, Pinnacle Book Achievement Award

8. Silver Prize, ForeWord Book Awards

9. Runner-up DIY Book Festival

10. Sprit Award, South Florida Writers Associaton

11. Runner-up New England Book Festival

12. Runner-up London Book Festival














How to Negotiate Like a Pro has won six book awards

1. Best How To Book, DIY Book Festiva, How to Categoryl

2. Finalist Best National Book Awards, Self-help Category

3. Finalist ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards

4. Runner-Up New York Book Festival, E-Book Category

5. Runner-up New York Book Festival, Self-help Category

6. Honorable Mention, London Book Festival






email: howtointerview@aol.com website: www.marygreenwood.org

How to Interview Like a Pro is Finalist in Readers Favorite Book Awards

Mary Greenwood's How to Interview Like a Pro is a finalist in the Readers Favorite Book Awards in the Business/Finance Category. The winners will be announced on September 1, 2011 and there will be an awards ceremony in Las Vegas in November.

This is Mary Greenwood's tenth book award.

Here are the other nine book awards:
1. Winner, Reader Views Awards
2. Winner Pinnacle Achievement Awards
3. Winner, Indie Excellence Awards
4. Winner, ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards career category
5. Finalist, Next Generation Indie Book Awards
6. Finalist, Eric Hoffer Awards
7. Honorable Mention DIY Book Festival
8. Extra Mention, Millennium Puboishing Book Awards
9. Honorable Mention, New York Book Awards





Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author of How To Negotiate LIke A Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes, Winner of six book awards Best How To Book, DIY FestivalRunner Up, New York Book Festival, E-Book and Self-Help CategoryFinalist ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year AwardsFinalist, Best National Book Awards, Self-Help CategoryHonorable Mention, London Book FestivalHow To Mediate Like A Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating Disputes Winner of five book awards Best National Book AWard, Law CategoryBest E-Book, New York Book Festival Best How To Book, Beach Book FestivalBest E-Book, Indie Excellence AwardsSpirit Award, South Florida Writers Association Email: howtointerview@aol.com, www.marygreenwood.com

How to Interview Like a Pro, Winner of Indie Excellence Book Award

How to Interview Like A Pro-43 Rules for Getting Your Next Job is the Winner of the Indie Excellence Book Awards in the Career Category. Awards were announced on May 15, 2011.


Here are the Finalists in the Career Category:

Getting to the Top-Strategies for Career Success
Kathryn Ullrich
Silicon Valley Press
www.gettingtothetop.com

No Sneakers at the Office-A Practical Handbook for the Business World
Adam T. Scholl
Landmarc Press
http://ceremarkcreations.com/NoSneakers/

This is the sixth Book Award that How to Interview Like a Pro has won. Here are the other awards:

1. Finalist ForeWord Magazine Book Awards, Winners will be awarded in June at the American Library Association Conference in New Orleans.
2. Finalist, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Career Category; Awards Celebration at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, May 24, 2011.
3. Winner, Reader Views Book Awards, How to Category
4. Honorable Mention, DIY Book Awards
5. Pinnacle Achievement Book Award




Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author of
How to Interview Like a Pro; Winner of five book awards
How To Negotiate Like A Pro: Winner of six book awards
How To Mediate Like A Pro: Winner of twelve book awards
Email: howtointerview@aol.com
Website: www.marygreenwood.org

How to Interview Like a Pro Finalist in Indie Excellence Book Awards

How to Interview Like a Pro Wins Fifth Book Award.






Greenwood's book is a Finalist in the Indie Excellence Book Awards in the Career Category. Awards ceremony will be at the Plaza Hotel on May 24th, 2011.

Greenwood's other awards are the following:

1. Finalist ForeWord Magazine Book Awards
2. Pinnacle Achievement Book Awards
3. Honorable Mention, DIY Book Awards
4. Winner, Reader Views Book Awards

How to Mediate Like a Pro has won 12 book awards and How to Negotiate Like a Pro has won 6 book awards.

Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author of How To Negotiate LIke A Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes, Winner of six book awardsBest How To Book, DIY FestivalRunner Up, New York Book Festival, E-Book and Self-Help CategoryFinalist ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year AwardsFinalist, Best National Book Awards, Self-Help CategoryHonorable Mention, London Book FestivalHow To Mediate Like A Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating DisputesWinner of five book awardsBest National Book AWard, Law CategoryBest E-Book, New York Book FestivalBest How To Book, Beach Book FestivalBest E-Book, Indie Excellence AwardsSpirit AWard, South Florida Writers AssociationEmail: howtointerview@aol.com. www.marygreenwood.org

How To Mediate Like A Pro Is Runner-UP in DIY Book Awards

How To Mediate Like A Pro Wins Ten Book Awards

Mary Greenwood’s book, How To Mediate Like A Pro is the Runner-Up in DIY Book Festival in the E-Book Category. This is the tenth book award Greenwood has won. The other awards are Winner, General Law Category, National Best Books 2008 Awards; Winner, 2008 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award; Winner, Reader Views Book Awards 2009 in “How To” Category; the Spirit Award, South Florida Writers Association; Finalist, ForeWord Book of the Year Award in Self Help Category; the Best E-Book, New York Book Festival; the Best “How To” Book, Beach Book Festival; the Best E-Book, Indie Excellence Awards and Honorable Mention, London Books Festival in the “How To” Category.

Greenwood, Attorney, Author, and Mediator, has mediated over 8000 cases and has put her knowledge and experience into How To Mediate Like A Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating Disputes, which has also been published in Kenya, Africa, by Acrodile Publishers and is a textbook in Nova Southeastern’s Master of Law in Education program.
“For anyone who works in mediation, is thinking about becoming a mediator or training mediators.” Cherie Fisher, Reader Views
“Greenwood is an experienced Mediator who passes on her knowledge and experience in a logical fashion that makes learning easy.” S. Toner, Publisher

HOW TO ORDER

How To Mediate Like a Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating Disputes Price: $12.95 Self-Help Paperback: ISBN: 978-0-5 visit: http://www.marygreenwood.com/ ; Blog: http://howtonegotiatelikeapro.blogspot.com/; email: Howtomediate@aol.com

Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author of
How To Negotiate LIke A Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes, Winner of six book awards
Best How To Book, DIY Festival
Runner Up, New York Book Festival, E-Book and Self-Help Category
Finalist ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards
Finalist, Best National Book Awards, Self-Help Category
Honorable Mention, London Book Festival
How To Mediate Like A Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating Disputes
Winner of five book awards
Best National Book AWard, Law Category
Best E-Book, New York Book Festival
Best How To Book, Beach Book Festival
Best E-Book, Indie Excellence Awards
Spirit AWard, South Florida Writers Association
Email: howtonegotiate@aol.com
www.marygreenwood.com

Greenwood Wins Spirit Award at South Florida Writers Conference

Photo by Connie Goodman-Milone

Here is a picture of me with my Certificate of Appreciation for giving a presentation on How Book Awards Can Boost Your Marketing Campaign. Later in the evening I received the Spirit Award with a lovely plaque. It was a wonderful writers conference and thanks again to SFWA. This was SFWA's first annual conference and the next one will be in Miami in October 2009!

Greenwood gives talk on How Book Awards Can Boost Your Marketing Campaign

Mary Greenwood gave a presentation to the South Florida Writers Conference on How Book Awards Can Boost Your Marketing Campaign.

There are over 1.4 million book titles in print and about 200,000 new titles each year in the USA and Canada. Being a new author with a new book can be daunting especially, like me, you are self-published and responsible for your own marketing. Being a winner of a book award can instantly bring you credibility and help you promote your book. The presentation included the advantages and disadvantages of applying for books awards, my tips for entering book contests, and how to build the buzz after you win an award. Book sellers and libraries want to stock award-winning books and readers want to read award-winning books.

The talk is mostly based on my own experience applying for book awards. How To Negotiate Like A Pro won six book awards, including best "how to" book from the DIY Festival and How To Mediate Like A Pro won five book awards, including best general law book from National Best Books Awards 2008.

If you want to discuss book awards further, please contact me.