[Submitted by James H. Byrd, Vice President, Logical Expressions]
Dr. Lynn Osterkamp recently posted an entry on her blog that got me fired up. Her post "Is Winning A Book Award A Big Deal?" talks about the value of book awards for small publishers. She asks the provocative question: "But does an award set up for the likes of us mean anything?"
My answer to that question is "yes" for two reasons:
1. We have to start somewhere.
2. Getting any form of external validation is helpful.
The industry is currently dominated by the major publishers. The major book awards are naturally going to pander to that market. The "indie" book awards give small publishers a separate playing field on which to compete. We may eventually see a day when books published by small publishers go head-to-head with books from major publishers, and when that day comes, we'll know we have arrived. Just don't count on it being soon.
In a way, what is happening in the publishing industry is something like what is happening in the music industry. Social networking through the Internet is creating new venues through which independents can compete against the majors on a virtually level playing field.
Amazon.com is just one example. Most people can't easily tell the difference between a book from a major publisher and one from an independent publisher. You have to know what to look for, and you have to care about it enough to look in the first place. The reader reviews and ratings tell you most of what you need to know about the value of the book, and many times, you can take a peek inside to be sure the quality meets your standards.
Dr. Osterkamp often says that we should "judge a book by the book." That is a healthy attitude for a self-publisher. It is also why I think independent book awards have value to self-publishers. We have to work hard to promote our own books, and a book award has great value as a testimonial. Anything that helps us stand out from the crowd has value to us as marketers. That is to say nothing of the emotional satisfaction of actually winning an award.
So, yes, awards for the likes of us have their place, and I believe the respect they receive will increase over time. For now, it is up to the authors to decide whether or not the entry fee is worth the potential emotional and financial benefit they might get from winning.