KEEPING YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE: Book Awards by Andrea Downing

When I decided to put my multi-award winning novella, Dearest Darling, on sale, it struck me that one way to garner interest is to mention the awards it has won.  Ah, but would it?  This opened a whole can of worms in my mind:  what, exactly, are the benefits of  book awards?  There are few authors around who don’t bother to go after at least one, yet the actual value of saying ‘Award-winning Author’ in—not a sea -- a veritable tidal wave of award-winning authors is questionable.

In the August RWR, Neal Thompson, director of Author and Publishing Relations at Amazon is quoted in an article titled ‘Making Amazon Work for You’ as saying, “The number one thing authors should concentrate on is writing the best book possible.”  Nowhere in this article does he even mention awards.  Now, you may say that having an award  says  you’ve written the best book possible, but that’s not why authors go after awards.  One author wrote to me, “I worked with a marketing company for a time, buying their services at a Brenda Novak auction.  They told me a vital step was to submit my books to places where I could ‘win’ awards…and to highlight those awards in my publicity.” Another  author with whom I spoke said she went after awards because of  “prestige of contest, opportunities offered, and/or contacts or for personal reasons.”  Yet another author told me, “As a reader, I notice awards books have won…..I'll take a second look at a book from an unknown author that's won awards because I feel someone must have found merit in the book…it depends on who sponsored the contest.” A fourth said,  “As an unknown getting an award seemed to be one way I could possibly garner some attention for my work.” And that seemed to be the prevalent view:  if you are unknown, saying your book won an award is one way of drawing attention to it.

While most authors feel it validates their writing, the possibility that awards actually help sales seems to be a very grey area.  The authors I contacted didn’t feel it was a huge boost.  One wrote, “I have my doubts if (awards) help sales. However, it does seem to help you get on paid promotion places. LOL”  Another person told me, “…people are more likely to take a chance on an ‘award-winning’ author.” But does “more likely” increase sales?  Yet another said she wasn’t sure, while others agreed with Thompson that it was writing the best book possible that eventually gained sales. 

So what does generate sales, assuming you have written that ‘best book.’? “THE NUMBER OF REVIEWS I HAVE!”  “…Contest wins do NOT, IMHO, help as much as a bunch of good reviews….word of mouth.”  “Marketing, promotion, repetition of book title and/or author name. And writing quality stories that a majority of readers like and recommend to others. There is nothing like word of mouth kudos to move books.”  That seemed to be the consensus of opinion—it all came down to writing the best possible book and getting reviews or word of mouth.  Is there a feel-good factor to winning an award?  Yes, of course; it validates what the author has just spent several months doing. But do you sleep better at night having won?  No, not really. And if it came down to winning an award or being on a best-seller list, what do you think the answer was?

So, here I am with my multi-award winning book, Dearest Darling, on sale through Sept. 9 for 99c.  It has won a lovely marble plaque for Best Novella from The Golden Quill, a handsome token from the Maple Leaf Awards for Favorite Hero, along with Honorable Mention as Favorite Heroine, Favorite Short Story and Favorite Novel; and  placed Third in Historical Short at the International Digital Awards. It was also a 5* Reader’s Choice.  But did I write the best book possible?

You tell me.

Coffee Time Romance is currently featuring a contest with 3 winners in which Dearest Darling is part of 2 of the prizes.  head to  http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/ContestPage.html#.V8hEgCMrKRs  to take part.

The story:  Stuck in a life of servitude to her penny-pinching brother, Emily Darling longs for a more exciting existence. When a packet with travel tickets, meant for one Ethel Darton, accidentally lands on her doormat, Emily sees a chance for escape. Having turned down the dreary suitors that have come her way, is it possible a new existence also offers a different kind of man?

Daniel Saunders has carved out a life for himself in Wyoming—a life missing one thing: a wife. Having scrimped and saved to bring his mail-order bride from New York, he is outraged to find in her stead a runaway fraud. Even worse, the impostor is the sister of his old enemy.

But people are not always as they seem, and sometimes the heart knows more than the head.

And an excerpt: 

Emily liked the sound of his voice, low but not husky, a slight twang he had cultivated, but not pretentiously so. When he spoke, she envisaged melting caramel, something delicious, the way it could be so appealing as she stirred, with a shine and slow drip from the spoon, before it gradually solidified. Soothing. A liquid velvet.

But he hadn’t spoken today. Not since first thing when he’d told her to get ready. Not through breakfast, or as he helped clear dishes, or gave her a hand up into the wagon.

“You haven’t seen her. You didn’t see her picture, did you?” The questions came sudden, yet without malice.

Emily straightened, alert. “No. No, I didn’t.” Would I understand better? Is that what he meant?

“I keep it with me.” Daniel began to fish in his pocket. “Would you like to see it?”

“No. No, you keep it, please. It won’t change anything.” Emily panicked. She would be beautiful, the other, that would be the answer. So stunningly beautiful that just her photograph had enthralled him, mesmerized him into loving her. Emily couldn’t bear to look, didn’t want to know the answer. Didn’t wish to torture herself further. “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for reading the letters.” A rush of words, they flowed out of her. “I should never have done that. It’s not like me. But you...well, you understand it seems—”

“You’re probably wondering what I see in her. Or what she sees in me. As for that, what she sees in me, I have no idea. Maybe, like you, she wishes to get away.”

Emily studied his profile, the planes and contours of his face, the eyes set straight ahead, the slouch hat low on his brow. He gave nothing away, was a man in control of his emotions, thinking, maybe still wondering how he had won that woman. Or maybe set on keeping the answer to himself.

Overhead, clouds scudded, scoured the sky, leached the blue, threatened.

“Did you ever ask her? Why you?”

“I did. She never answered. I’m thinking what she sees in me is husband material. I guess. She tells me about her day, the people she knows, what she does. As you read.”

“She just seems so...so outgoing, so...so very social to ever want this life. I found it difficult to believe.” She jutted her chin out, then turned to him, waiting.

He gave the reins a sharp shake. “I don’t know. I never asked if she knew what she was getting into. I described it. I assumed if she wanted to stop the correspondence there, she would have. I was pretty damn amazed and happy she’d wanted to come, written back even though I described the cabin to her, the isolation.” His gaze slid toward her.

“And you think she’ll make you a perfect wife, do you? Be happy living here? Cook your meals, mend your clothes, keep your cabin, have your babies?” Exasperated, she tried to make him think, think of what he was letting himself in for, how long a marriage like that could go on, how it could end up being even lonelier than he was now. Emily would seem to him to be trying to win him over rather than making him see the truth, but push him she must, save him, stop him. She knew those sorts of women, the debutantes, the socialites. Not a one would last out here, not for a single day.

His head snapped around to stare at her. “She’s been writing. She hasn’t stopped.”

Available at:  Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Dearest-Darling-Letters-Andrea-Downing-ebook/dp/B00NGWT816

The Wild Rose Press:  http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=5842

Ibooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/andrea-downing/id547850055?mt=11

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23348501-dearest-darling

Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dearest-darling-andrea-downing/1120514529?ean=2940150718128

Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/dearest-darling