Self Publishing Author Contest: Reader Views Literary Book Award 2012

November 14, 2012

Kelly Schuknecht Contests, Kelly Speaks , , , Leave a comment

As a self-publishing author, it is important to constantly market your book and improve your credibility. One of the best ways to accomplish both of those tasks is entering your book into contests. Winning awards shows potential readers that your book is worthwhile and that you are a serious author, and it often results in great publicity as well. One of my favorite book award contests for self publishing authors is the Reader Views Literary Book Award. Here are all of the details.

What is the Reader Views Literary Book Award?

The annual literary awards were established to honor writers who self-published or who had their books published by a subsidy publisher, small press, university press, or independent book publisher.  POD books are accepted.

Who is eligible?

Reader Views Literary Awards are open to all authors  regardless of residency; however, the books must be published in the English language and targeted for the North American market. Works published by major book publishers are not eligible.  Books must  have a 2012 copyright date.  Submission for more than one category or more than one title is acceptable.  Books that have racist themes will be not be accepted.

Three finalists will be chosen in each fiction and non-fiction category. First and second place winners will be awarded in each category. Third place will receive an honorable mention. One finalist, the top score in each area, will be chosen in each regional and global category. Each winner will receive a certificate.

Finalists will be announced in Reader Views’ weekly e-mail newsletter on March 4, 2013 and the winners on March 25, 2013.

For more information, visit http://readerviews.com/Awards.html.

I’d love to know, have you entered your book into the Reader Views Literary Awards before or are you planning to do so this year? Tell us about it in the comments below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.

5 Ways to Promote Your Book in November

November 2, 2011

Kelly Schuknecht Book Marketing, Kelly Speaks , , , , , 2 Comments

Halloween is over and holiday shopping has begun!  During the hustle and bustle of all of the holidays events, don’t miss out on any opportunities to market your book.  Here are five easy ways to promote your book this month:

  1. Make sure you have business cards with your book cover image ready to hand out at all of your holiday events this year.
  2. Many book award deadlines are approaching fast. Make sure you have plenty of copies on hand to send out to the award competitions you want to enter.  Winning awards will increase the exposure for your book.
  3. One upcoming book award deadline is for the Reader Views Literary book awards is Friday, December 15th. Another upcoming deadline is for the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, December 31st.  Visit their websites now to find out if your book is eligible and submit your book before you get caught up in holiday activities.
  4. Offer a Black Friday deal on your book.  Visit http://www.couponsnapshot.com/ to get a promotion coupon for your book.
  5. Visit the website for National Novel Writing Month (NanoWriMo) to find out about events in your area during the month of November.  At NaNoWriMo you can write a novel (in a month!), network and get support from other writers.

DISCUSSION: How are you planning to promote YOUR book this month?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT:
Kelly Schuknecht works as the Vice President of Outskirts Press.  In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.

Self Publishing Book Review of the Week: The Gift of Schizophrenia by DJ Cushing

February 24, 2011

Elise L. Connors Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized , , , , , 1 Comment

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’t know about it? Paired with other book marketing efforts, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us let the community know about a great book. So, without further adieu, here’s this week’s book review:

The Gift of Schizophrenia book cover

The Gift of Schizophrenia: A Testimony

DJ Cushing

Outskirts Press (2010)

ISBN 9781432763565

Reviewed by: Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (2/11)

From a psychological viewpoint, Schizophrenia is misunderstood and often treatment by non-educated therapists provides more crises for their patients. Author DJ Cushing describes his own journey through discovering his life falling apart, being diagnosed with Schizophrenia, and how others viewed him.

One theme that I noticed throughout the book was that doctors or therapists first hospitalize then they try to diagnose and help. As the author states, many times the information received is hard to understand, much less try to overcome. When one is hospitalized for psychiatric reasons they lose their identity-they become a label and have to follow everyone else’s rules.

Cushing’s journey is well written, easy to follow and understand. His writing gives readers an opportunity to get into the mind of those who are diagnosed with mental illness. His honesty is truly a gift to see what individuals experience every day. Sometimes these individuals are never given any hope of recovery and this adds to their stress and anxiety.

There needs to be more educational awareness on Schizophrenia. Individuals with this diagnosis, as with other mental health diagnoses, do not have a tail and two horns; they are not dangerous when on medication. Before we judge we need to learn the facts. DJ Cushing has provided us with his personal story in The Gift of Schizophrenia: A Testimony.

Self Published Book Review of the Week: The Soldiers of the Cross

April 3, 2010

selfpublishingadvisor Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week , , , , , Leave a comment

The Soldiers of the Cross

by J. Laurence Stillwell

This self-published book was recently reviewed by Reader Views:

I have to admit, I took a personal interest in reading this volume. As a Vietnam veteran myself, I was intrigued to read what this Vietnam vet had to say and how he said it. Mr. Stillwell writes a very good book of poetic verse, he writes what he lived. As a veteran, he was there, to see the carnage, to feel and hear the terrible things he has scribed in this book.

He states “Nature itself seemed to be at war, as the thunder crashed like waves. Over the hills and valleys by the score, over the mountains and in the caves.” I could feel the pain and the fright he felt. I could feel his anguish, the heartfelt expression of his feelings poured out with such bravado.

Page after page, Mr. Stillwell’s poetry spoke out about the war between good and evil – this struggle that plagued man from the dawn of time. Using many references to scripture, he assimilates war, with the struggles of good and evil, God and the Devil.

Unique in its presentation, “The Soldiers of the Cross” by J. Laurence Stillwell was entertaining and well written. I was absorbed in it from the first page to the last. It is a general audience volume that is well worth the price and I gave it a well-deserved A. Entertaining, interesting and thought provoking, I would recommend it as an addition to any library.

For more information or to order the book, visit the author’s webpage: www.outskirtspress.com/thesoldiersofthecross



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Self Published Book Review of the Week: Through the Triangle

March 27, 2010

selfpublishingadvisor Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week , , , , , Leave a comment

Through the Triangle

by C.P Stewart

This self-published book was recently reviewed by Reader Views:

August 13, 2005, started off promising for Jake Myers. He and his teenage son Nathan would be deep-sea fishing on a charter boat in the Atlantic Ocean. However, unbeknown to him, a fellow passenger has a dark secret and will stop at nothing to keep it from being discovered.

To make matters worse, a bad storm arises and after it passes, the crew has no idea where they presently are located. After exploring the seemingly deserted land, they discover they have been transported to nearly three-hundred years in the future. They befriend several other people who have “disappeared” in the area known as the Bermuda Triangle. However, they also encounter the Azujos who are a race of hooded warriors who patrol the streets and are unfriendly to humans.

This work of science fiction will appeal to all adults. The author demonstrates an impressive imagination through his ideas of incredible futuristic technology. He foresees laser weapons, underground travel by automobile, and food preparation at the touch of a button. He also includes genetic experimentation as well as many other scientific principles to try to explain time travel. I love the science lessons but I was disappointed at the minimum amount of discussion about the legend of the Bermuda Triangle. In fact, most of the characters on the charter seemed to have never heard of the lore.

“Through the Triangle” contains several different elements to keep the story interesting. There is the aforementioned scientific aspect. There is a lot of suspense as they struggle to remain safe from the Azujos. There is an emotional side as the characters realize everyone they knew before they left on their trip have long since died and never found out what happened to their loved ones. It was emotional as they searched the news archives and learned of the events that occurred in the three-hundred years they missed. Sprinkled within the plot is also a bit of romance.

“Through the Triangle” by C.P. Stewart is a novel that will challenge the reader to think about the possibilities for the future. I enjoyed the subject matter and plan to do further research about the Bermuda Triangle and its mysteries.

For more information or to order the book, visit the author’s webpage: www.outskirtspress.com/throughthetriangle


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