Secrets of a Children's Book Publisher: Part 3 - The Great Book Award Scam
When I first started publishing, I longed for a book award. I remember seeing all those pretty stickers and seeing authors boast about how many awards that they had received. I would look at author websites and drool over the little seals at the bottom of the screen. I mean, who wouldn’t want a pretty gold sticker on their book, right? Isn’t that like a book publishing gold medal? What I didn’t know then was that many of those awards are scams.
According to Words Rated (2023), The number of self-published books has increased by 264% in the last five years. Many scammers are aware that there is a treasure trove of amateur authors out there who will do anything to get an award sticker on their book. Many new authors see their books through rose-colored glasses having been told by friends and family just how great their book is. These authors are often unaware of a huge industry which earns its money off naïve authors looking for fame. This is why you will find hundreds of children’s book awards.
How can you tell which awards are worth the shiny seal? There are a few things you can do.
1. You can go to the Alliance of Independent Authors site and type in Book Awards. They have a long list of awards which they caution authors to avoid as well as a few that they recommend.
2. Personally, I find the fastest way is to type into Google the “award name + Year + Winners.” For example: Titan Book Award Winners 2023. If more than ten books are listed under any category, then your book award is likely just a way for the award to make money. Titan, for example has pages upon pages of winners. This is one of the easiest ways for an award to scam. Anyone who enters, wins.
3. Another thing to look for is the number of categories that are listed. Some awards have a zillion. The Purple Dragonfly Award, for example, has 70. This is a way to make authors feel special and limits the amount of people who win in each specific category. The Purple Dragon Fly does pick winners, but they pick a lot. In the children’s book category in 2020, for example, 10 people got first place and there were over 50 who received honorable mention. In comparison, the Caledcott, the most prestigious award for children’s book illustration, only has one category. Plus, they let anyone buy award seals and they cost $29 a piece! Ouch!
Taken from storymonsters.com/store/purple-dragonfly-seals
4. Good awards are transparent. They explain who their judges are and how the books are chosen. They list how many prizes and names will be recognized in each category. They list previous winners and books.
5. The worst scammers might surprise you. These book awards have big name recognition. A lot of people may be surprised to find out that some of these awards are not legitimate. The one I find which takes the scam flavored cake is the Mom’s Choice Award. You can find this award on a lot of books. In order to get a Mom’s Choice Award, all you need to do is pay them $500. There is no competition. The site has it spelled out plain and simple. If you pay $500 you get 500 stickers. It’s as easy as that.
Taken from Momschoiceawards.com/application-levels
In my opinion, having a scam award on your book just makes it look unprofessional. It frustrates me when I see new authors fall into this trap unaware of what the seal on their book is projecting. Nevertheless, there are also authors who choose willingly to use these awards. Some say that they want to be able to use the term “award winning author” while others say that it doesn’t matter because most consumers have no idea that many of the awards are fake. Personally, I am not a fan of using consumer ignorance for profit. That doesn’t mean that I am against book awards in general. There are legitimate awards out there. They are not all scams. Nevertheless, they are not all equal. Some golden stickers are, unfortunately, only fool’s gold.
The End.
Support Authors and Illustrators
Go on to Goodreads, Amazon, etc… and write a review. These reviews not only make an author really happy, they also help to push a book in the algorithm so that more people can see it. Log on to your favorite author’s website and see what they have to offer. A lot of authors have free worksheets and games on their site. Invite one of your favorite authors for a visit. If you don’t have a big budget, find a small self-published author. Many offer discounted rates and may even come for free as long as you offer to sell their books. Finally, send your favorite author an email. You can usually find a way to connect on the author’s website. Your support really makes a difference!
