Printing & Copying

A number of self published books have managed to achieve financial and/or critical success. Several of them have even scooped literary awards. But an indie or self published book will never get one of the major book awards as things presently stand, simply because the major book awards are a completely closed shop.

For example, the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year, the last time I looked at any least, was not open to self published books. Many other awards have similar exclusions. Other book awards are only open to a select group of four of five publishers. The Richard and Judy Book Club on British television - a lucrative deal for its publisher sponsors - only takes books from a certain few publishers: it's basically a thinly veiled advert for the publishing houses that sponsor it (they're hardly going to promote another publisher's book!). I'm not saying the books put forward are not good or worthy of praise, but The Richard and Judy Book Club is certainly not a balanced or fair representation of all the best summer reads out there, despite what they lead the public to believe. The Richard and Judy Book of the Year and The Richard and Judy Viewers Choice award is also based only a vote from a base of the select few books from the select few publishers - so it's not a level playing field to begin with.

I hope that as publishing evolves, and more and more excellent traditionally published authors choose to go, or are forced to go, the self published route as their work is not viewed commercial enough by the big boys, that book awards, just like bookshops, will have to become more open to the new market, and the tide of public opinion. In the meantime, I won't hold my breath.

Any self publishing author out there in the meantime shouldn't despair - aren't, indeed, many things in life effectively closed shops? (I'm not a cynic, I'm just realistic) - and instead focus their efforts on smaller, more achievable prizes such as competitions run through Writer's Circles, and other regional prizes, which can be a great place for the self publishing author to scoop themselves up some acclaim. However, authors should be wary of any competition that asks for more than a couple of quid as a judging fee. Aren't these, indeed, vanity outfits in disguise? I had a discussion along these lines with the head of the local Writer's Circle. She'd been so suckered into the competitions circuit where a judging fee is expected, that she refused to believe that some writing competitions are a con, and run as businesses to get the cash flowing in with little real care as to the quality of the entries or indeed the winner. She was deeply offended that I'd even suggest a thing. Because, I guess, she'd then have to admit she'd been 'had' and her many prizes were not real. I, in fact, know for certain some writing competitions are a con because they are run by Vanity Presses. Almost everybody that enters wins a prize, and are then encouraged to buy the expensive, poorly produced poetry or short story anthology that is produced with the winning entries. Because the poor suckered author thinks he's won, and has something to be proud about, he buys lots of copies for friends and family. Shame. I'm really angry when I see it done to anyone - but especially children, probably because I remember my own bitter experience at the age of seven where my hopes were elevated to the heights to swiftly come tumbling down when my parents had the sense to realise I'd been hooked by a Vanity Press 'Writing Competition'. Every time I warn the poor deluded author this, I'm not thanked for my efforts. Such is the nature of self delusion.