Tag: Book Awards

Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Saturday Book Review: “Paradox Effect”

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, 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 to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review, courtesy of Amazon reviewer faience:

Time Travel and Purified DNA Merge to Halt the Collapse of Human Existence gabriel koch

Paradox Effect: Time Travel and Purified DNA Merge to Halt the Collapse of Human Existence

by Gabriel F. W. Koch

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478756224

Synopsis:

In 2554, the World is Coming to its End, unless an impossible mission through 600 years of time travel succeeds. Maternal instinct knows no boundaries, including the nano-neural-net intravenously installed in Dannia Weston’s mind to repress her identity, allowing her to perform a mission 300 years before her time. Transported to the year 1954, Dannia becomes a woman with a mid-twentieth century persona, college educated with an aptitude for mechanical invention. Due to her work during the war, she is employed by the U.S. government on a secret project. But what no one knows-including Dannia or those who sent her back to tinker with the mechanical past to reduce future pollution-is what might happen should she become emotionally involved in 1954. The 2254 science team programmed the nano-net to prevent the possibility of pregnancy, but each person reacts to strong emotional stimuli differently, and using birth control not available in 1954 is out of the question. When Dannia falls in love with Peter Hersh and becomes pregnant, her hormones erode a small section of the nano-chained network that stabilizes her new identity, triggering a mild memory rebirth…and threatening her mission and the fate of the world.

Critique:

I’m picky about science fiction, but this time travel novel does three things that won me over. It willingly faces the question of whether changing history is an absolute wrong. The plot and the characters are complex. And the heroine is awesome.

In the year 2254 CE humanity has had a brush with near-destruction. The surviving remnant of political order decides it’s not only right, but vital, to develop time travel and use it to tweak history. Carefully chosen people with skills that can nudge humanity toward a better end are sent back to various times in history where they can make a difference.

One of those people is Dannia Weston, a government researcher working a top secret technology project in 1950’s America, and thank heaven the novel does NOT dredge up cliches about gender roles in the ‘fifties. Dannia, and the people she encounters and works with, are still the generation that worked together during World War II and earned each other’s respect.

Transplanting people from 2254 CE to the extinct culture of 1954 is tricky business. Their own memories are suppressed and replaced with personal histories that fit in the historic period to which they’re sent, and their knowledge is tailored to the period as well, advanced enough to dial back the doomsday clock, but not spectacular enough to draw dangerous attention.

Dannia’s particular assignment is an invention that will advance energy efficiency. If it can be implemented in the 1950s, the benefits for both environment and world peace are huge.

But a glitch occurs in this little interference with history. Dannia’s suppressed memory begins to awaken. Why? The answer – her unplanned pregnancy – comes early in the book, but produces more dangerous paradoxes that need delicate handling. Can this child be born? Can Dannia be extracted and brought back to 2254? Can her child? The passage in which the project directors talk about the paradox that would create was a mind-bender.

The other thing I liked is that the story doesn’t build its plot on stock-character bad guys. At worst, the man sent to hunt her is overzealous and ill-equipped to make the judgements he has to make, and his commanders are naive. What seems like a simple question of conflict between Dannia’s two lives in different centuries is actually a multi-layered, multi-century problem in which authorities are flying blind.

The book raises questions about fate and choice, about how many of the cards we deal ourselves and how many are dealt by an unseen hand. The story is exciting, mind-expanding, and often funny, with some amusing cameo appearances by historic figures, and the secondary characters are as unpredictable and interesting as the main ones. It’s a fun read.

[ reviewed on Amazon by faience ]

2016 CIPA EVVY Awards

3rd Place Winner in the Science Fiction/Fantasy Category!

CIPA EVVY Award 3rd place

Book Trailer

saturday self-published book review

Thanks for reading!  Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!

Self Publishing Advisor

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from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “Congratulations to the [2016] CIPA EVVY Awards Finalists”!

Welcome back to our Tuesday segment, where we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular posts from the last few years.  What’s stayed the same?  And what’s changed?  We’ll be updating you on the facts, and taking a new (and hopefully refreshing) angle on a few timeless classics of Self Publishing Advisor.

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[ Originally posted: May 15th, 2013 ]

Later this week, on May 18th, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) EVVY Awards will be hosting the 2013 award banquet. The event will take place at Marriott Denver South at Park Meadows and all proceeds will benefit the literacy projects of the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation (CIPA ELF).

CIPA is a nonprofit association of independent book publishers, authors, future authors and related publishing service providers that has been providing leadership since 1992. Members come from many states as well as from Colorado and three foreign countries to take advantage of the resources made available through CIPA membership. Organization membership, along with active participation in CIPA programs, can open doors to many opportunities and can save thousands of dollars in costly mistakes.

Best of luck to all the finalists! To learn more about the event, visit http://www.cipacatalog.com/pages/CIPA-EVVY-Awards.

– by Kelly Schuknecht

It’s been a long time since we’ve mentioned the CIPA EVVY Awards, an unforgivable lapse given that the EVVYs are one of independent publishing’s few (and most prestigious) award competitions.  Talk about a shortfall!  The world of traditional publishing is rife with similar awards (or as my dad would say, “It’s right lousy with ’em.”) and while yes, they’re sometimes the hallmark of snootiness and a competitive dynamic that self-publishing authors have for the most part eschewed, but they can also be a fantastic marketing tool.

Not only does winning an award create another cross-searchable entry in your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy; not only does winning an award gain you recognition from those present at the awards ceremony and throughout the judging process; not only does winning an award give you a great new addition to your book’s listing on Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere that will boost your profile among new potential readers; not only does winning an award give you a great excuse to re-release your book in a new e-book or physical edition (after all, an award notice makes for a great new feature of your cover design); not only does winning an award do all of these things, but it also provides affirmation of your hard work and conversation fodder for the rest of your life.

The 2016 CIPA EVVY Awards differed, of course, a little from their 2013 ancestors. (And I’m not just speaking about the contest entries themselves.)  The EVVYs closed to entries this year in May and the Awards Banquet was held in August.  (August 20th, to be precise.)  In a gesture to its own growing profiles, the banquet wasn’t held in a hotel this year, but in a museum–the Forney Museum of Transportation.  (A beautiful place if you haven’t been.)

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By all accounts, the awards themselves were a blast.  I take great pride in knowing that the self-publishing company I and several other of the bloggers here at SPA  work for (Outskirts Press) made the list of winners–regularly–and that we are in very good company.  Take a look at the list of all the 2016 CIPA EVVY winners!  Scan through the list of author names, and through their publishers.  I’ve never seen such a diverse list of hybrid and self-publishing companies, D.I.Y.-ers, and interesting book titles.

Clearly, I have some new reading material to get through!

Thanks for reading.  If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.  Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can.  ♠

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com.

 

 

from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: A Reader Views Book Awards Retrospective (#2)

Welcome back to our Tuesday segment, where we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular posts from the last few years.  What’s stayed the same?  And what’s changed?  We’ll be updating you on the facts, and taking a new (and hopefully refreshing) angle on a few timeless classics of Self Publishing Advisor.

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[ Originally posted: April 5th, 2016 ]

This week we will be leaping off of the platform we set last week, in which we took a look back in our archives at a number of posts related to the Reader Views Literary Awards.  As of last week, the Reader Views Awards committee had revealed its finalists, and this week they have released the winning titles for the 2015-2016 round to their website.  We will not rehash last week’s post, but we will build upon it:

 

readerviews

Last week, I wrote about how the Reader Views Literary Awards are not just for authors, but for readers, too–and this week, with the announcement of not just its finalists but its winners, I can’t help but think how right I was.  (I’m working on humility, too, I promise!)

The award categories are as follows:

  • Children, from toddlers through 5 years of age
  • Children, from 6 to 8 years of age
  • Children, from 8 to 12 years of age
  • Teens, from 12 to 16 years of age
  • Teens, from 16 to 18 years of age
  • Body, Mind, & Spirit
  • Business, Sales & Economics
  • Fantasy
  • Gay, Lesbian & Erotic Novels
  • General Fiction Novels
  • Graphic Novels & Short Stories
  • Health & Fitness
  • Historical Fiction
  • Humor
  • Ebooks
  • Memoir, Autobiography & Biography
  • Mystery, Thriller, Suspense & Horror
  • Poetry
  • Religion
  • Romance
  • Science Fiction
  • Self Help
  • Societal Issues & Spirituality
  • Travel
  • Classics
  • Regional
  • Global

And if that wasn’t enough reading for the awards committee to knock out, there are also fourteen (fourteen!) special individual awards.  If I had to pick five of the books that particularly pique my interest, they would be:

As Executive VP for Outskirts Press, I’m always excited to see so many of our books in the winner’s list.  This year, there are twelve.  (Twelve!)  But really, I’m mostly just honored that my company has attracted people of such talent, and I’m equally excited to pick up the other award winners to get a peek at what great company they keep.  The Reader Views Literary Awards just keep getting better and better, year by year.  Kudos to you, Reader Views!  (I promise to stop fangirling now.  Just for a minute or two.)10:00 AM

Thanks for reading.  If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.  Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can.  ♠

KellyABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com.
Advocacy in Self-Publishing, from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: A Reader Views Book Awards Retrospective

Welcome back to our Tuesday segment, where we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular posts from the last few years.  What’s stayed the same?  And what’s changed?  We’ll be updating you on the facts, and taking a new (and hopefully refreshing) angle on a few timeless classics of Self Publishing Advisor.

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[ Originally posted: March 16th, 2009 ]

Last week Reader Views announced the official winners of their 2008 Literary Awards and just in time for National Reading Month.

The Reader Views annual literary awards were established to honor writers whoself-published or had their books published by a subsidy publisher, small press, university press, or independent book publisher geared for the North American reading audience.

If you’re looking for something good to read this month, why not try one of these award winning books: Click here to view Reader Views winners.

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[ Originally posted: November 14th, 2012 ]

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-publishedor 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.

Well, it’s that time of year: Reader Views have released their list of finalists for their 2015/16 Literary Book Awards, with winners and placements to be announced in upcoming weeks.

readerviews

We’ve been following Reader Views and the awards in question for some time, as you’ll see in the first post above, which ran on Self-Publishing Advisor back in 2009.  We’ve kept up with them, too, and in 2012 I took a moment to break down what, exactly, the awards are all about.  (Hint: You.)  And the good news is, in the interim Reader Views has kept up its good work, delivering year after year of high-quality indie finalists for their subscribers to discover and enjoy.  Books appearing in the final rounds of competition see, as a matter of course, spikes in popularity and sales–and this is exactly the kind of exposure that you should pursue as a part of your holistic marketing strategy!

It’s for Authors

Luckily, submitting your book for consideration remains as easy in 2016 as it was in 2009 and 2012, and all the information you might need to do so can be found at the Reader Views website, under the “Literary Awards” tab.  Submission dates change from year to year, of course, so it’s always worth double-checking what this year’s requirements are (particularly if you’re a time-traveler and stumble across this in some other year than 2016)!

It’s for Readers, Too

That’s right!  As I’ve already mentioned, the exposure finalists and winners alike receive throughout the submission and consideration process reaps all sorts of rewards for authors–but it has a wonderful side-effect of benefiting readers of indie and self-published works in equal share.  How?  First and foremost, the competition generates lists.  Several lists!  Lists of nominees, lists of finalists, and lists of winners and their placements.  Each list serves as a siren call to readers looking for something new to add to their to-read bookshelves and to their Amazon shopping carts. By raising awareness about such a carefully curated list of high-quality indie works, Reader Views broadens the discerning reader’s horizons.

It’s Worth a Look

A lot of book awards are the province of institutionalized hierarchies enforced and policed by the traditional publishing industry–but Reader Views is something else altogether.  In the spirit of discovering the undiscovered, recognizing the unrecognized, and treasuring the undervalued, the Reader Views Literary Book Awards filter through the noise of a crowded self-publishing market to find the very best of the best–and then they present their findings to the public, free of charge and free of any agenda other than celebrating the good work done by good authors.  That’s an agenda I can get behind–and I think you can, too!

Thanks for reading.  If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.  Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can.  ♠

KellyABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com.
Kelly Speaks, Self-Publishing Week in Review

Self-Publishing Week in Review: 4/15/14

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry. This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Tuesday to find out the hottest news.

Amazon’s Vision for the Future of Self-Publishing

This article discusses Jon Fine’s, director of author and publishing relations at Amazon, vision of the future of self-publishing. Predictions include a name change, more options, and discoverability problems. This is a must read for self-publishing authors.

Why Audiobooks Are the Next Big Thing in Self-Publishing

This article looks at traditional and self-published audiobooks and shares the writer’s first hand experience with publishing paper books as well as audiobooks. The writer is the author of more than 14 books, so she has a lot of experience in the traditional and self-publishing industry. This is an interesting read for all writers.

 UK Paper The Guardian Launches Monthly Self-Publishing Award

The Guardian and Legend Times have announced a new monthly writing prize, highlighting the best self-published novels. The winning novel will be selected by a panel of industry judges each month and reviewed in the Guardian. Awards are a great way for self-published authors to gain credibility and publicity. The article discusses all the submission details.

If you have other big news to share, please comment 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.