I run the Alpine Writers Guild which meets online every two weeks to share our works in progress. Some of our members write fiction, some memoir, some nonfiction. If you’re looking for a group to join, you can find us on Meet-up and Facebook.
Here’s a link for publishers who accept memoir submissions without an agent: https://www.authorspublish.com/12-publishers-that-accept-memoir-submissions-no-agent-required/
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 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.