Right now’s put up is by writer and journalist Mary Backyard.

However first, a observe from Jane: Ever since I’ve been within the enterprise, there have been pay-to-play e-book awards. They make up the vast majority of e-book awards, the truth is. (E book awards the place authors don’t pay sometimes can’t be entered by authors, can solely be entered by conventional publishers, and/or require somebody to appoint your work.)

Not all pay-to-play e-book awards are scams; the nice ones do have their makes use of. Not way back, an writer mentioned the potential worth of awards in her article on this web site, I Received a Writing Award. Does It Matter? I’ve additionally given my take on such awards for indie authors at IngramSpark’s weblog.

A few of these awards do little hurt, others are genuinely helpful, however most of them make no distinction in any respect to your profession or gross sales. Nonetheless, they could make you are feeling good. You’ll want to overview the Author Beware contests & awards archive to get a way of what’s on the market, what the actually dangerous ones are like, and the way to make investments your cash (and time) properly.

The next article makes use of a faux identify for the award in query because it’s not my intent to single out any award. I discover it is a very typical expertise.

OK, right here’s Mary.

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Receiving e-book awards could be fairly the ego enhance for indie authors. I’ve entered my fair proportion, and my newest e-book, My Father’s Suitcase, is sprinkled with shiny stickers. However are they price it? Are some simply scams?

How I acquired sucked in

The Huge Shot Quill Award (not its actual identify) is open to authors worldwide, no matter publication date. In 2025, there have been 129 books nominated throughout 17 classes—from Multicultural Peace & Concord, Mindset & Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Private Relationships and even E book of the Yr. There have been 97 finalists; just a few classes had just one submission, just a few had three or 4.

I entered my memoir, My Father’s Suitcase, within the “Memoir” class. I might have entered it in others—nonfiction or e-book of the 12 months—to extend my possibilities.

I used to be sucked in by the award’s flashy Instagram and Fb advertisements. Entries opened in Could 2025. I paid the $99 entry payment and shortly obtained a congratulatory electronic mail promising me this was “an excellent alternative to your e-book to obtain the popularity it desrves [sic].”

Over the following few months, doubts crept in. Their posts regarded too glitzy, too tacky. One thing felt off.

At an inaugural writers’ competition in South East Queensland (Australia) in September, the director introduced that one of many presenting authors had simply been named a Huge Shot Quill Award finalist. Afterwards, I sidled as much as the writer and talked about that my e-book was additionally a finalist, confessing my unease. I mentioned I assumed it was a rort. I can’t bear in mind her actual reply, possibly: it’s so arduous to get your e-book on the market, you seize what you possibly can. Possibly I used to be being too damaging.

Then got here the Zoom interview with the judging panel. One decide mentioned, with a conspiratorial air, that she “completely liked” my e-book and launched right into a dialogue of epigenetics and intergenerational trauma. Each judges praised my cowl—“How nice, how acceptable.” Afterwards, I assumed: Oh my, my e-book goes to win gold.

I booked flights and a resort in Melbourne, and paid $275 for the gala dinner, and even purchased gold sneakers on-line from New Zealand—surprisingly they had been from Tauranga, my hometown. That was a very good signal. Fortunately, they match. I had miscounted the finalists on the award’s social media feeds, pondering there have been solely 4—which appeared to vow a very good likelihood of gold, silver or bronze. There have been really 12 finalists.

Finalists, together with me, shared their pleasure on social media. Some had been reported in newspapers:

Native writer within the working for prestigious nationwide e-book award… [These awards] recognise and have a good time the extraordinary achievements of inspiring writers and honour the unimaginable expertise of authors and the affect their phrases have on the world.”

The writer wrote, “OMG my e-book has made the finals 🤸🍾🎉YEE HAAAAAAA 😁 so it’s off to Melbourne I am going. It’s a dream come true.”

The awards ceremony

The awards night time on the competition resort was surreal. Most attendees (I guess most had been authors hoping for a medal) wore night apparel. I approached one of many organisers and chatted together with her for some time. She was actually pretty and requested if she might purchase a replica of my e-book. (I’d introduced alongside two copies, simply in case.) She handed me $40, and I didn’t have change—I nonetheless owe her $5.

After mingling on the drinks bar, we entered a convention room and sat at our allotted tables. After an extended speech by the organiser, there was a magic efficiency that went on for much too lengthy—individuals stopped paying consideration and chatted to one another. Different speeches adopted, together with the judges who all took to the stage. There have been about ten of them, all ladies this 12 months.

I observed a sort of strategic emotionality—encouragement, uplift, and unity veering into cult-like territory. Authors had been repeatedly referred to as “world-changers,” “leaders,” and “visionaries,” no matter attain or affect.

Then got here the awards: 45 winners.

These current went up on stage, shook arms with the organisers, obtained trophies and posed for pictures. Fairly just a few authors had sensibly skipped the occasion. One advised me, “I couldn’t justify spending a lot to attend.” Not one of the 17 gold winners gave speeches.

At first, I used to be gutted that my e-book didn’t win. The writer subsequent to me—she had additionally flown down from Queensland—missed out. The writer on the opposite aspect received, though hers was the one submission in that class. One of many judges had entered her e-book; it had received different awards together with the NYC Huge E book Award 2023 however not this time.

Then the organisers had all launching authors take the stage one after the other. Lights dimmed, for a “religious expertise,” with a second’s silence. I couldn’t imagine it. Eye-rolling and suppressed laughter rippled round me. I messaged the writer from the competition, “the strangest factor I’ve ever been to in my life,” and connected a brief clip of one of many authors swooning. She replied, “You probably did say it was a rort.”

Thank God I hadn’t received something. I left early, sat at the back of an Uber laughing to myself: Oh, Mary. You idiot.

After the awards ceremony

Though I wasn’t the one one who had misgivings—one attendee who additionally left early advised me it was the worst occasion he had ever been to, it was “laughable”—trying on-line most had been very enthused. One of many judges posted on LinkedIn:

Wow! What an excellent platform for authors (and audio system)!!! [This] is a lot greater than a e-book award program. That is the way to launch your e-book, construct your profile and create alternatives as a thought chief or changemaker … I’m so grateful to be a part of this superb group. I really feel very liked!

I emailed the award organizers afterward, asking why winners weren’t notified upfront—most awards do that—as many people travelled from interstate at appreciable expense. I obtained no reply.

Some weeks later, I obtained an electronic mail inviting me to use to be a decide at subsequent 12 months’s awards: “You’ll achieve a singular alternative to assist and uplift the literary group, join with like-minded people, and depart your mark on this prestigious occasion.”

I didn’t reply. There can be no cost, though the Australian Society of Authors recommends judges be paid for such work (for instance, $2,250–$3,250 for judging 50–99 books). You additionally should not have to be an writer to be a decide. Among the 2025 judges had been enterprise entrepreneurs, described as “passionate readers and fiction fanatics” serving as judges for the third time. Judges present no suggestions to those that win an award, so authors don’t have any sense of what their work was judged on or why their e-book received.

The writer I had met on the inaugural author’s competition received. The writer celebrated the win:

Congratulations to the Huge Shot Quill winner … We’re thrilled to see this work recognised on such an excellent stage. [This award] is a two-day celebration in Melbourne, bringing collectively gifted and best-selling authors from world wide to launch their books earlier than readers, media, and trade leaders.

One of many winners was a transferring biography about a teenager from a distant village who, via their charity work, had helped tons of of deprived youngsters entry education and protected shelter. Her native newspaper reported on her successful gold, saying the writer was “thrilled the e-book was being recognised and reaching new readers.”

Though a number of the winners appeared essential and galvanizing, the awards as an entire are largely self-importance awards, taking advantage of the goals of aspiring writers. However I nonetheless love my gold sneakers. I confirmed them off, tapping my ft when Tim Freedman performed at Pomona’s Majestic Theatre. Some issues are simply too good to half with.