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Enter IPPY Early and Save + Top 7 Reasons to Enter

2020 IPPY Awards Early-Bird Entry Deadline is August 31st

This is it! Just a few more days until the "early-bird" entry deadline for the 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards, with a per category entry fee of just $75. We want to thank everyone for your continued support of the awards and for the incredibly important work you do as independent authors and publishers, helping sustain the indie literary culture that is so vital to maintaining a healthy, informed society. We keep trying to make the IPPYs better each year, so we appreciate your involvement, your input, and your enthusiasm. Partying with medalists each year at the award ceremony is my favorite day of the year!

So, if you have an award-worthy book with a 2018-2020 copyright, enter by Saturday, August 31st, 2019 to qualify for the "early-bird" entry fee. This is a postmark deadline, so you may enter now, and send books later, right up to the final deadline in Feb. 2020. General category entries cost $75 per category, with an "add-on" fee for a regional or e-book category of $55. 

 

ONLINE ENTRY BY CREDIT CARD / MAIL-IN ENTRY FORM BY CHECK

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WHY ENTER THE IPPYs?

1. Your books won’t enter themselves.

Traditional publishers have well-oiled marketing machines at their disposal, churning out the latest bestsellers and promoting them nationally via the Today Show, Publishers Weekly, and the like. Self and indie publishers, on the other hand, have to make do without the financial support and connections of a big publisher, and this means doing the heavy lifting on your own. Finding affordable ways to promote your book is crucial to its success, and book award contests remain one of the most cost and time-effective ways to market your book.

 

2. Get judged by your cover.

There are currently millions of titles in print and available to consumers, with about 300,000 new traditional titles and about 1.5 million “non-traditional” titles. Competing with the big publishers is hard enough, but today indie publishers have to stand out among thousands of other self-published books as well. It’s not easy to get noticed in this mass of books, all vying for buyers’ attention with bold designs, clever titles and paid-for end cap positioning in bookstores. And your book doesn’t have very long to compete; the average bookstore shopper spends only about five seconds looking at the front cover and ten seconds scanning the back. That shiny seal on your book attracts attention and denotes the “seal of approval” from an established and well-known contest, and might just be the edge that convinces a shopper to make the purchase.

 

3. Spotlight your press.

From up and coming small presses, to long established independents, the biggest names in the indie publishing industry compete for the coveted award-winning titles. Each year's results listing celebrates the creativity and spirit of indies and the amazing titles they continue to produce. Join your fellow presses in the competition, and show off the hard work you've done this year!

4. Get publicity.

Unfortunately, the release of your new title may not be news-worthy, unless you happen to beat out a big publisher for a celebrity memoir. So how can you get the media to give your title the attention it deserves? Everybody loves a winner. Winning a medal from a book award contest draws attention from the media, and creates the perfect opportunity for press releases, interviews, etc. to generate publicity. Journalists and bloggers are more likely to cover your book if it has a fresh and appealing hook, such as “recent award-winner.”

5. Get legitimacy.

Because they sometimes lack the expertise and financial support of a publisher during the production process, self-published books are often dismissed as sloppy and unedited, and are ignored by the media. But with that shiny seal, you can show reviewers and buyers that your book passed the inspection of a panel of expert judges. That approval speaks worlds about the quality of your book, from content to design.
 

6. Increase sales.

Publishing is expensive, and getting a return on your investment is important. We understand that your marketing budget needs to stretch far, but awards contests can give you the most bang for your buck. Award winners often see huge spikes in their sales due to the publicity and buzz that come with a results announcement, and the sales begin to snowball. Winning a medal from a reputable contest boosts your books’ chances of getting noticed among booksellers, librarians, and readers.
 

7. The thrill of winning.

Writing requires courage because it involves putting a little piece of yourself out there to be judged by the world. And producing a book is no easy feat; it requires a lot of work to turn your idea into a finished book. That moment when your book is recognized as award-worthy by a panel of experts can be life-changing, and is certainly a huge morale boost for everyone involved in your book's production. Winning an award is a celebration of the hard work and love you put into that book.

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