book awards - do they matter?

I'm often asked how important it is for us, as authors, to actively seek out book awards for our work. My answer is two-fold: 

1. Anything we have that can make our book stand out from the millions of other books on offer at Amazon or any other outlet, has to be considered. The reality of the situation is that we are competing with so many other titles that being noticed is incredibly important. A book award can do this for you.
2. You must ensure the award carries some credibility in the marketplace. For example, I issue my Annual Grunter Awards every December to the books I consider to be the best books I've read that year. For me, it's a lot of fun and for those that receive an award, I'm sure it's a nice feeling but value in the marketplace - probably zilch. So, you really must look for an award that has some literary standing and some value for the investment you put into it.       

Now, if you can get your book nominated for, say, the Man Booker Prize well all power to you and you can go ahead and ride the coat-tails of success. But for the majority of us struggling authors, especially Indie Authors that sort of recognition is a mere pipe-dream for now. 
That having been said, there are some exceptionally highly thought of annual awards that are well worth the effort entering and require a minimal investment. Two that immediately spring to mind are the New Apple E-Book Awards and the Readers' Favorite Annual Book Awards. Both have an excellent reputation and both are well-worth the investment. 
I'm going to concentrate on the Readers' Favorite Awards because, as an Official Readers' Favorite reviewer, I get to see the high-quality work that comes through their 5-Star Award system. Many of the books I read would definitely qualify and be justified as entrants in their annual awards.     

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The time for entering is perfect. The 11th Version of their Awards - The 2019 Awards cut-off date is APRIL 1 2019. 
The following is culled directly from the Readers' Favorite Website: 
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Become an award-winning author! Book awards grab the attention of bookstores, publishers, libraries and readers, which can translate into increased sales. If you place in our contest you will be able to add your Readers' Favorite award seal to your book and all other marketing materials as well as identify your book as an "award-winning book" and you as an "award-winning author."
We accept manuscripts, published and unpublished books, eBooks, audiobooks, comic books, poetry books and short stories in 140+ genres. We do not have a word count restriction or a publication date requirement, which means it does not matter when or if your book was published. We are an international competition, but your work must be in English.
We receive thousands of entries from all over the world. Because of these large submission numbers, we are able to break down our contest into 140+ genres, and each genre is judged separately, ensuring you only compete against books of your specific genre for a fairer and more accurate competition. We receive submissions from independent authors, small publishers, and publishing giants such as Random House, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, with contestants that range from the first-time, self-published author to New York Times bestsellers like J.A. Jance, James Rollins, and #1 best-selling author Daniel Silva, as well as celebrity authors like Jim Carrey (Bruce Almighty), Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek) and Henry Winkler (Happy Days). 

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So, how do you go about entering? It's dead simple. Just click on any of the images in this article and you'll be taken to the Readers' Favorite Entry page, or alternatively, just click here: readersfavorite.com/ref/5636
You won't regret entering your book and gaining some serious credibility in the marketplace. 

Till next time, have a wonderful, peace filled day! 

CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!

EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES LIFE PRESENTS TO YOU AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!

HAVE A GREAT LIFE AND SPREAD THE LOVE!

CHANGING THE WORLD – ONE READER AT A TIME