How to Win Book Awards
Confessions from a Book Award Judge
Yes, you can judge a book by its cover. I do. I am a book award judge.
As a judge, I am sent a box of books, all entries in one category for a major book award. Sometimes two boxes of books. All from hopeful authors who want to promote their book as an award winner and apply those shiny stickers to the cover.
The Secrets of Winners
But what does it take to win or even be a finalist (plenty of glory in that)?
The answer is obvious, but I’ll tell you anyway: a well-written book (fiction or nonfiction, children’s picture book or coffee table book). A well-designed and executed book (that means a stunning and suitable cover for the genre and a readable interior). A perfectly edited book. On a topic of interest.
That’s it.
What Do Judges Look For?
Depending on the award procedure (and we judges are sworn to secrecy about the criteria and evaluation ranking), we are asked to review each book. We comment on the overall appearance, sometimes write feedback for the author, rank various aspects of the book such as cover and content, pricing and graphics, and give impressions about typos and writing style, author’s voice, plot, characters, and…
