Build the award plan
Build an awards calendar before publication
If awards are part of the plan, list the eligible programs, their windows, and their fees in one calendar well before publication, because many deadlines fall before the book exists.
Why it matters
Award deadlines do not move for you. A program that would have suited the book is of no use if its window closed the month before you looked. A calendar built 6 to 12 months out lets you plan copies and budget, coordinate with the publisher, and skip programs that do not fit without feeling you missed something.
Your part
- What you do
- Do it. You normally do this yourself.
- Who normally owns it
- Author and Publisher and Publicist. Author, publisher, or publicist builds; author keeps the master copy
- When
- 6 to 12 months before publication, then kept current through the eligibility period (Build the award plan: twelve to six months before publication, because eligibility windows close early)
Your part changes with your publishing route.
How to do it
The full walkthrough
An awards calendar is a simple table: award name, who may submit, the eligibility window, the entry period, early and final deadlines, the fee at each tier, copies required, and who on your side is responsible. Building it early matters because award cycles are keyed to publication year, and some programs close their windows before the book is out, or within weeks after.
Traditionally published authors should start by asking the publisher which awards it submits to as a matter of course and which it will consider if asked. Many major literary awards accept entries only from publishers, so the author's role is to know the calendar and ask in time. Anything the publisher will not enter is yours to consider.
Hybrid authors need to read the contract: some hybrid publishers handle award entries, some charge for it, some leave it to the author. Self-published authors do all of it and should expect that some programs exclude self-published titles while others exist specifically for them.
The calendar is a decision tool, not a to-do list. Its purpose is to let you see the whole year, weigh fees against fit, and choose a handful of programs on purpose rather than react to every deadline email.
Common mistakes
- Building the calendar after publication, when the earliest windows have already closed.
- Copying deadlines from a third-party list without checking the official page.
- Listing every award you have heard of instead of the ones that fit the book's genre, subject, and publishing path.
- Assuming the publisher will enter the book everywhere, or nowhere, without asking.
Choose from the directory
Set a status on any award and it joins this step.
A template for this
Award submission information sheetOne sheet per award entry that captures the book details, the program rules for the cycle you entered, the fee, the copies sent, and the confirmation.
When to use it: Use this when you are entering a book award and want one record per program per cycle: fill in the top half before you enter, and the rest as you submit and ship copies. Do not use this when you are still deciding which awards to enter. Compare programs in the Awards directory first, and start a sheet once you have chosen one.
What done looks like
- One table listing every program considered, including those you decided against and why.
- Entry windows and deadlines copied from the official rules page, with the date you checked.
- Who submits (publisher, author, or publicist) recorded per program.
- Fees at each deadline tier and the number of copies required.
- A budget line and a copy count that the publisher or your own stock can actually supply.
Ask your publisher
Copy this into an email. Replace the bracketed parts with your details.
Sources and last checked
- Official source
- No single official page for this step.
- Last checked
- Not checked against its source yet.
- How confident we are
- Verified