All Authors Deserve An Award

It was so nice to see hundreds of talented writers and members of the book publishing industry come together for the IPPY Awards this past week. As the event’s sponsor, Media Connect recognizes that just having the courage and conviction to write a book and get it published deserves an award.

Even though there are millions of books available in the marketplace – and millions more writers who hope to pen and publish a book – many fail to take their ideas and turn them into a book, and many fail to take a completed manuscript and find a way to get it published. So when a writer puts his work out there and puts his career, ego, and talents on display and up for judgment, it’s a huge step.

Of course winning an award means you did more than just show up, though that’s half the battle. It means you not only wrote a book worthy of an award but that you took the initiative to promote and market your book. Too many authors sit on the sidelines when it comes to pushing their words onto others. Being shy, or reserved won’t cut it here. One needs to forcefully propel his or her book into the media’s mindset and consumer’s consciousness. Writing a great book is just a starting point. Having a great marketing or PR campaign is what gives it a chance to succeed.

I have worked with many authors over the years, the last 15 with Media Connect (www.Media-Conect.com), the nation’s largest book promoter. Authors that succeed usually have a big PR push behind them. And applying for awards is one part of a strategy that tends to work well.

The author of 2014 has a lot of competition for attention. People are distracted by or engrossed in:

·         TV

·         Movies

·         Videos

·         Streaming Content

·         Smartphones

·         Tablets

·         Social Media

·         Email

·         Blogs

Even those focused on books are challenged by 3,000 new titles flooding the market daily.

But authors persevere. They’ve heard “NO” too often. No, don’t write that book. No, no one will publish it. No, the media won’t cover it. No, they won’t buy it. Say No to No!

The IPPY Awards and those like it really recognize the hard work, dedication, creativity, and resilience that many writers possess. I wish all of them can get an award, because they deserve it just for trying to write, publish, sell and market a book to a nation distracted by so much, especially by things that just don’t seem as valuable as books. 

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2014