Support for Indie Authors discussion

Hi J. L.
Yes, I had participated in StorytellerUK2017 with my recent book "Life In Shackles". There was no entry fee and because of that I am getting very good response from the readers of UK, US and India.

Hi J.L.

I entered my first book in a number of contests and am planning to enter my next book in contests as well. I did win some awards with the first book, and, although I did not see a big spike in sales, I tend not to have a problem getting into promos and such (although still trying to crack BookBub, haha). And the promos and Goodreads giveaways I do for that particular book tend to do much better than for my other books. I have also heard from various other, more established authors that having a few awards under your belt can really boost your career.

That being said, it's a tossup and an individual decision. Entering takes time and, for many of the contests, a not inconsiderable outlay of money, and there's zero guarantee that you'll get anything out of it. You normally have to wait months to hear back about the results, and even the bestest, most awesomest book in the world is probably going to lose more contests than it wins. Do you want to spend the time and money and possibly get a payout 6-12 months down the line, or just invest that time and money in advertising with a more immediate response?

Another thing to consider is whether your book is "award-y." This is totally my own opinion and based on anecdotal evidence I've gathered, but I'd say that more "literary" or "hot topic" books are more likely to do well in contests (and with professional review services like Kirkus), while less "literary" or "hot topic" books are more likely to do well with review groups and genre-focused bloggers. So that's something to consider in your strategy.

JL wrote: "Have any authors out there entered their books in the contests they run? Most I've seen have entry fees, which I wouldn't mind paying if participating in the contest had a chance to help promote my..."

I recommend reading Victoria Strauss' excellent blog before entering any contests. She has lots of information on how to identify scams.

JL wrote: "E.P. wrote: "Hi J.L.

I entered my first book in a number of contests and am planning to enter my next book in contests as well. I did win some awards with the first book, and, although I did not s..."

Yeah, if you want to do contests then you'll probably want to enter in the "thriller" category and also consider whether the contest is more "high brow" or "popular" and where your book fits in that continuum.

Finding good bloggers is a total pain! I wish I had tips, but I don't.