You won an award, congratulations! Now what?
Okay, let's begin with congratulations! Clearly, writing a book in itself is an award-worthy feat. For that alone, you should take a bow and acknowledge your accomplishment.
In 2014, I was awarded my first medal for my memoir Frock Off: Living Undisguised, and to say I was surprised and excited was an understatement. In fact to say it was surreal was an understatement. Never in a million years did I think that possible ... NEVER! Privately, I was over the moon dancing in my kitchen, scaring my pets with delighted shrieks, and more. Maybe you've also had your own in-house celebrations.
The problem is, many award winners stop right there and never take their success beyond their front doors. Awards create visibility and help your readers find your book. Writers write for many reasons, most often including a desire to be of service to readers. To provide entertainment, add value, inspire, create intrigue, or possibly even transform the reader in a positive way. So as you hesitate to share your award more publicly, consider this: if a reader doesn't know about you - or your work, your desire to serve that reader goes unmet, and your beautiful piece of writing goes unread. That would be sad indeed.
We have to get over our fears of sharing our accomplishments. Over the years, I've encountered many writers uncomfortable with sharing for fear of seeming boastful. Of course it's important to be tactful and respectful when you celebrate your accomplishments, but there's nothing wrong with honestly sharing your excitement about a good thing that has happened to you.
Don't only celebrate your accomplishments; make acknowledgment of others a regular practice. I am constantly reminded that I didn't get here by myself, and I'll bet you didn't either. We can accomplish so much more together than alone. Remember that generosity is contagious and that as you practice lifting others up, you'll learn about how to share your own successes.
Awards are synonymous with creditability and likeability and part of an effective marketing strategy. As an entrepreneur, I've learned the power of a good endorsement. An award is one of the best kind of endorsements you can have, and can help the reader focus on the content. I had the good fortune of many wonderful reviews for Frock Off, and sharing these helped bring the focus back to the value of what I was offering while I learned others things. For instance, my first cover design was lacking. But putting an award sticker on that cover and sharing the glowing endorsements kept attention on what was inside the book, giving me creditability and the space to work on improving my next book cover.
Thousands of books are published each month, and an award can validate and make your book stand out. When you share that you won award and why, it assists your potential reader in deciding if and why they'd want to buy and read it. Your award can help your readers know that your book is the one they need right now and worthy of their time.
Awards can take your work to the next level. Receiving the award was more than a lovely, surreal, gobsmacking surprise. It was a key component in launching me and the book forward. I've built my whole speaking and live-event production business around my memoir. I primarily attribute the success I've enjoyed both to the first award and to my understanding of marketing. I believe the awards have directly contributed to the TV show I co-host and the documentary I'm working on.
Keeping the award to yourself is tantamount to saying it's not a big deal. Having just returned from the Readers’ Favorite Awards Ceremony in Miami Florida, I'm here to tell you that's crazy. Although countless books are written and released each year, only a fraction of them are award-worthy. Sharing your award is a way of giving your book staying power.
So share your award with everyone you know. Share your enthusiasm and the pride of knowing you created something beautiful, meaningful and enduring. Post about it in social media, write about it in your newsletters and blogs, and showcase the award on your website.
As you get busy sharing your work, I invite you to follow and copy anything I do. I am happy to share and see your soar! You can find me at frock-off.com.
Congratulations again on your book and your award!
Jo Dibblee
Founder and CEO of Frock Off Inc. www.frock-off.com
