Entering your book in a book awards program can be a fun marketing strategy. Winning an award may not necessarily generate a bunch of sales, but it will give you bragging rights. And most reputable award programs will publicly announce your prize and promote it to their networks. Beyond that, you will need to take some steps to get as much mileage out of that award as you can.
Following are some strategies for leveraging your book award to build awareness for your book.
1. Write a blog post announcing your award and include the award seal or picture of the award.
2. Share the blog post across your social media networks and invite others to celebrate with you.
3. Add “Award-Winning Author” to your title—everywhere!
4. Update all of your online bios and profiles letting people know which award you won.
5. Revise your bio on your website and in your Media page.
6. Update the description for your book’s sales page on your website, Amazon.com, Kindle, Smashwords, and any other place where you book is for sale.
7. Send an announcement to your email list subscribers.
8. Send an announcement to your family, friends, and clients.
9. Add the award seal or badge to your website.
10. Print the award seal on your marketing materials including your business card, bookmarks, postcards, flyers, etc.
11. Leverage your award-winning author status for future opportunities. For example, you can mention it when pitching a new book to a publisher or when reaching out for a freelance writing assignment.
12. Display your award (presumably a certificate of some kind) in your office for all to see.
13. Notify local media with a media announcement which can include a simple email or a press release.
14. Share the news with fellow group members of associations and groups that you belong to.
15. Notify online groups you belong to on Facebook, Goodreads, and LinkedIn.
16. If award seals are available, get yourself a roll of them and affix them to the covers of any books you distribute yourself.
17. If self-published, consider revising your book cover to include a digital image of the award seal.
18. Create images with your book and the award seal to share on your social media networks.
19. Create social media headers that feature your award status.
20. Consider entering your book in additional award programs. If you are honored with one award, chances are good you will earn another from a different awards program. It can impress potential readers, media professionals, and others to see a book has been honored with several awards.
21. Treat yourself to a reward of some kind—an afternoon off, a weekend away, or even some bonus writing time. You deserve to celebrate the achievement!
Did you know the Nonfiction Book Awards honors books year-round?
Hosted by the Nonfiction Authors Association, the Nonfiction Book Awards program accepts entries all year long. Books are not judged against other titles; they are evaluated by a panel of judges who rate the quality based on a series of factors.
Find out for yourself why the Nonfiction Book Awards has become a go-to resource for nonfiction writers, publicity firms, and publishing industry professionals.
Enter the Nonfiction Book Awards
