A is for... ALA
awards.
The American Library Association hands out awards every year,
recognizing the best of the best. How many awards...almost 100. Not all of those are for books, but since they are a library association, most of them are.
Here's what you may not know. Authors, agents
and publishers can't nominate their own titles. That's right, as much as I'd love to put my own authors up for potential fame and glory, I can't. Guess who can nominate books. Anyone.
That's
right. For many of these awards, nominations can come from anyone. Hey there, readers and super fans!
Take a look
at the list linked above and see if any of your books are eligible for any of the over 80 awards available each year. Pick the one you think you are most qualified for. Now, ask for nominations. This is actually easier than you think.
Add a nomination link on your book page, right
where you ask for reviews (you are asking for reviews, right?). This doesn't need to be anything fancy.
You can add a link to your Amazon Author Central page and your Goodreads page. Did an adoring fan send you an email gushing about how great your book is? Wonderful, write them back thanking them for reading your book and ask if they'd be willing to nominate you for the ALA award.Loved this book? Help spread the word. Leave a review here or nominate BOOK TITLE for the SPECIFIC AWARD.
If you don't see an award that fits you from ALA, do a little research to see if there is another reader nominated award that suits you better.
For those of you who might feel a bit squeamish asking for nominations, keep in mind this is not a blanket "Hey, vote for me" plea. You would never post this on Twitter or your Facebook page. The people who will see this are those who have actively engaged with you and your book and are already fans. These readers want you to receive the recognition you obviously deserve. You're simply pointing them in the right direction.
Wow, I didn't realize publishers couldn't nominate their own books. Good to know!
ReplyDeleteYep, they are free to nominate other books they loved, but not their own. Probably a good rule even if I don't like it. ;)
DeleteHello Sarah and welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I need to thank those who wrote a good or great review for my books. I used to keep up on this but have slacked lately. Thanks for the reminder and I'll do that today.
ReplyDeleteIt can be time consuming, but it's worth it to build a relationship with your readers. Congrats on the book. :)
DeleteThis sounds awesome! Too bad authors can't nominate themselves.
ReplyDeleteI'd best get writing those reviews...soon...well done on your first post of A to Z 2014.
ReplyDelete