Author Smarts: What to Do When You Win a Book Award

What’s next …  What do you do when you win a book award? The savvy author tells others about it. Don’t count on your publisher to do it if you are published by someone other than your own company. You need strategies–below are 10 that will add life to your book award … it’s all part of book marketing. Start by creating a shout out for yourself. And doing a happy dance!

Book Awards are a badge of honor ... they set you out and above thousands or other books. With hundreds of thousands of books published each year–a few hundred win awards create clout (hmm…let’s say Klout!) in their midst. Book awards and book marketing go hand-in-hand.

For several of the Author U members and my personal Book Shepherding clients, their email boxes were filled with happy news recently from USA Books News—they were Winners in 12 categories! In fact, 12 emails were sent for each win–two were double winners.

Standing ovations to the Winners and Finalists—many of the books they were competing against were published by major publishers—almost 2,000 entries in 40 plus categories.    

Rhondda Hartman- Natural Childbirth Exercises for the Best Birth Ever

Rabbi Joseph Schultz (a double winner)- The Kabbalistic Journey: From Religion to Spirituality to Mysticism and In Search of Higher Wisdom: Conversations About Religion, Spirituality and Mysticism  

Barbara Sternberg- Anne Evans: A Pioneer in Colorado's Cultural History, The Things That Last When Gold is Gone

Barbara Stratton (a double winner)- Your Child: It's Up To You! Respect Principles Applied Toddler to Teen

Debbie Wilde- The Sustainable Nonprofit: 10 Strategies to Grow a Successful and Exceptional Organization

Lynn Hellerstein- 50 Tips To Improve Your Sports Performance, Mara Purl- Where the Heart Lives

Dianne Maroney- The Imagine Project: Stories of Courage, Hope & Love

A J White- The Bloomers: Wise Women Creating a New World

Judith Briles- Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms                        

It’s time for you to start bragging … and formally announce you and your books kudos to the world. Here are 10 strategies to starting noodling with  … Get your computer open and begin your shout outs with:

1. Create the publicity to now support your book and drive up book sales. Write a media release that includes who awarded you, in what topic area. Make sure you include your book title (I’ve actually seen this forgotten), you as the author, publisher and where the book is available. For example, I live in Colorado—the top book store in Denver is the Tattered Cover—include that the book is available (and make sure it is). If you have a judge’s comment and appropriate, include it.

2.  Tell the media world. Create and send a media release to your local newspapers, TV, radio or any organizations you belong to.

3. Think social media. Let your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Pinterest, YouTube and any other Fans know … add the link to Amazon’s page for your book. You can create a video and post on YouTube. When I hear about AuthorU members or Book Shepherding clients, it is immediately posted on our Facebook Fan pages, the next It’s Monday at Author U and announced in next issue of The Author Resource ezine that includes the cover of the book.

4. Have a photo with you, your book, award … post it, post it, post it … on all social media sites. If appropriate, link to them as well.

5. Blog it … blog about it on your blog; and if there are other blogs you’ve been following or are appropriate to connect with …announce to their world as well.

6. Add that you are an Award-Winning Author to your signature line for all emails.

7. Don’t forget your website. Get it on the Home page—include a photo of you and your award and book. Add it to your Media page … if you don’t have one, create it—use the logo of the group that honored you … once you win one award, that seem to start multiplying. Add to the page as they come in.

8. Get it on your Amazon and B&N, Goodread  pages and any other pages you have out there.

9. If you are speaking on your book, or pitching your speaking skills to a group, make sure you let them know with a quick email or note of your award. You never know—it could be just the thing to push the program committee to select you.

10. Bravo … it’s celebration time—share it with your friends—have a party!

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd, the Author and Publishing expert and the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Author U, a membership organization created for the author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. She’s the author of 31 books including Author YOU: Creating Your Book and Author Platform that has won four multiple “best” in the writing/publishing categories in book award competitions in 2013. Her latest book is Snappy, Sassy, Salty … Wise Words for Authors and Publishers has just been released.  

Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for Author U Your Guide to Book Publishing on the Toginet network at: http://togi.us/authoru (you can subscribe on the show’s Home page to get weekly updates of the latest show). Connect on Google+ and become a Peep on Twitter at @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd.