For readers who object to big retailers crowding out the little guy, here are links to purchasing my books through a local San Diego bookstore.
The Cost of Living: A Life for A Life at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore
NanoMorphosis at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore
This is a list of awards offered for self-published books which I have compiled. I tried to eliminate those that have received poor reviews from writing groups and associations such as ALLI. I offer this as a starting point and make no recommendations one way or the other. Please do your own research before entering your book into any contest. They all cost money so invest wisely.
(entry fees under $100 per category unless noted)
American Book Fest- Best Book; Best Fiction (closes 8/31/18)
http://www.americanbookfest.com/2018bestbookawards.html
Axiom Business Book Awards (business books only)
http://www.axiomawards.com/
Benjamin Franklin Awards/IBPA
http://ibpabenjaminfranklinawards.com/
Best Indie Book Award (closes Nov. 1)
BookLife Prize in Fiction (due 8/31/18, max 100,000 words)
https://booklife.com/about-us/the-booklife-prize-enter-now.html
Christian Indie Awards (for Christian market)
CIPA EVVY Awards (Entries open Feb-May)
eLit Book Awards (early bird date 8/31)
http://www.elitawards.com/
Eric Hoffer Award (cash award, closes Jan 21)
http://www.hofferaward.com/
Feathered Quill (closes 9/30/18)
Foreword Indies Book of the Year (Closes 9/30/18)
http://www.forewordreviews.com/services/book-awards/botya/
Global eBook Awards (Opens 9/1/18)
IACP Cookbook Awards
http://www.iacp.com/awards/cookbook/
IAN-Independent Author Network (2019/Opens October 1, 2018)
http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/book-of-the-year.html
Independent Press Award (Closes 3/31/19)
http://www.independentpressaward.com
IndieBrag (continuous)
IndieReader Discovery Awards (Closes 2/28/19)
http://indiereader.com/enter-discovery-awards/
International Beverly Hills Book Awards *
http://www.beverlyhillsbookawards.com/
International Book Awards* ($10 off through 8/31/2018)
http://www.internationalbookawards.com/home.html
International Excellence Body, Mind, Spirit Book Awards*
http://www.bmsbookawards.com/index.html
IPPY/Independent Publisher Awards (Closes 2/23/19) http://www.independentpublisher.com/ipland/ipawards.php
Kindle Book Awards (2018 closed, re-opens 2/1/19)
https://www.thekindlebookreview.net/2016-kindle-book-awards/
Midwest Book Awards (for those based in Midwest)
National Indie Excellence Book Awards (Closes 3/31/19)
http://www.indieexcellence.com/
Nautilus Book Awards ($165 + 4 books. Fiction–no subcategories)
http://www.nautilusbookawards.com/
Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Cash awards! Closes 2/15/19)
http://www.indiebookawards.com/
North St. Book Prize Winning Writers) (cash award, Opens 2/19)
https://winningwriters.com/our-contests/north-street-book-prize
Reader Views Literary Awards (copyright date must be 2018)
Royal Dragonfly Awards
https://www.dragonflybookawards.com/royal-dragonfly/
The Eric Hoffer Award (cash awards, closes Jan 21)
http://www.hofferaward.com/
The Firecracker Awards (no info for next contest)
http://www.clmp.org/readers/programs/firecracker/
The International Rubery Book Award (UK, no subcategories for fiction)
http://www.ruberybookaward.com/index.html
The Living Now Book Awards (self-improvement books)
http://www.livingnowawards.com/index.php
The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards
http://www.moonbeamawards.com/
Shelf Unbound for Best Self-Published Book (no info)
The WISHING SHELF Awards [UK, includes feedback]
http://www.thewsa.co.uk/
Writers Digest Book Awards (Cash prizes) for:
Self-Published Printed Book (closed for 2018, opens in April)
Self-Published E-Book (Closes Sept 4, 2018)
http://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions
I debated between giving this 3 or 4 stars on Amazon, and decided to be generous because the writing is captivating and the science is impressive. I might have given it 5 stars if not for the frequent and sudden shifts in timelines to stories with all new characters and plots with no connection made between them. The shift to a fantasy like environment with a dragon-slaying princess threw me at first and I see from other reviews here, I wasn’t alone. If you pick up this book, I encourage you not to throw it across the room when you get to this chapter and trust that the author hasn’t lost his mind. He soon pulls you back into a science-based story.
Eventually (and I do mean eventually), I started to see how the earlier timeline must have given birth to the later ones, but it was a struggle to see how they were all connected until the very end, which resulted in another issue for me … the ending felt very abrupt and unsatisfying due to so many unresolved questions–an obvious ploy to get the reader to purchase the next book. I prefer stand-alone novels, and this isn’t one of them.
What I enjoyed most in this book were the deeply philosophical discussions about God, religion and man. I definitely recommend this book for those who question authority and religious dogma. However, readers who are firmly ensconced in their faith may find this book offensive because the main character is an atheist and the religious characters are portrayed as scheming duplicitous murderers.
I also recommend this book to lovers of hard science fiction. The author bases his extrapolations on sound knowledge and at times goes in deep. Those who find the science challenging may find themselves skimming over those parts to get back to the plot.
Having said all that, I found Book 1 intriguing enough to get Book 2. So, I must give kudos to Anlee for pulling me into his world.
Here’s a look at how long it would take before no evidence of mankind existed on planet Earth. In the big picture, a blink of the eye…
Dystopian novels like “Brave New World”, “1984”, “Fahrenheit 451” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” made a big impression on me. Guess they must have because I wrote one of my own: “The Cost of Living: A Life for a Life”. My dystopian novella takes an opposite approach to the low birthrates presented in “The Handmaid’s Tale” and instead tells the story of Janice who accidentally gets pregnant in a world so overcrowded there is no room for children to be born unless someone dies in exchange. The math is simple but the politics are not.
I’m giving the ebook away free for two days starting tomorrow – 6/9-10/18. An honest review on Amazon (and/or Goodreads) is always appreciated, but of course there is no obligation. Read and enjoy. Available free for a limited time: “The Cost of Living: A Life for a Life”
It’s a been a long winding, up and down, road to get here, but worth the journey. My science fiction novel is now complete and on Amazon for sale. The e-book is there now and the print version will be there soon. Here’s the link to check out the listing on Amazon. New writers live or die by reviews. I’m hoping some of you will take the time to post a review to help me along. I’m looking forward to hearing what people think of the book and what they might like to see happen in the sequel.
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted to my blog here. Probably because of embarrassment over how long it’s taking me to get my manuscript ready for debut. NanoMorphosis is currently in the hands of my editor which should be for the last time. If all goes as planned, the book will be up on Amazon and available for purchase within the next thirty days. The benefit of working with an editor is coming up with a truly polished end product. The downside is the ‘hurry up and wait’ part. I’m in waiting mode again. Working on the book is great fun for me, but sending it off and waiting for someone else? Not so much.
I confess to neglecting my blog here, but not my writing. I’m working hard on NanoMorphosis, raising the writing to a higher level. The scifi story I’ve written is solid and won’t change, but I’m concentrating on reducing narrative and adding dialogue to carry the action forward. The challenge in world building is always to find a way to convey the necessary information without bogging the reader down with long tedious explanations. Most of the changes won’t be major, but this tweaking makes a definite difference in readability. Right now, my manuscript is being looked at by the scifi publisher Angry Robots. So wish me luck with that. Self-publishing is still an option and may be the best choice, once I’ve finished this last editing. We’ll see …
“What made you write about this? Where did you come up with your idea?”
These are common questions writers get asked. The answers are as varied as the writers themselves and the stories they’ve created. Inspiration comes from many sources ranging from a fleeting observation to a lifetime of hard-earned experience.
Since my writing focuses on science fiction, reading science related magazines and articles is a high priority for me and provides a reliable source of inspiration.
I find it fascinating to see what’s been newly learned and to read about research underway that might change how we perceive the world around us and interact with it. Sadly, I can only absorb a limited amount. Keeping up with all of the discoveries and inventions coming out of the scientific community is an impossible challenge. The rate of new information is accellerating at ever increasing speed and quantity.
There was a time when we thought the physical world could be explained with a set number of rules wrapped in a nice little package, but so far it hasn’t happened. One question just leads to another and another and …. well, you get my point. The unending openness of scientific inquiry can be disconcerting. Safety lies in what is known, danger lies in what is not
I agree, a neat package would be comforting, (perhaps explaining the appeal of religion, which provides set answers accepted on the basis of unquestioning faith), but the price of believing in a wrapped package without examining the contents, means closing one’s mind and ending the pursuit of knowledge.
Personally, it’s the uncertainty that keeps me awake and alive, ready to get up each morning to see what we might learn next.
