Build the award plan
Identify publisher-only major awards
Several major literary awards accept entries only from publishers; know which ones apply to your book and confirm with the publisher whether it plans to submit.
Why it matters
Nothing on this list is more time-sensitive than a publisher-only award window, because the author cannot act alone and the publisher's decision has to be made before the window closes. Knowing the calendar lets you have the conversation in time. It also spares you from paying a service that promises to enter your book in a program it cannot enter.
Your part
- What you do
- Ask. Someone else normally owns it. Get an answer, then record it.
- Who normally owns it
- Publisher and Author. Publisher submits; author identifies and verifies
- When
- Before each program's submission window, which for some major awards falls in the spring of the publication year (Build the award plan: twelve to six months before publication, because eligibility windows close early)
How to do it
The full walkthrough
Some of the best-known awards in book publishing do not take entries from authors at all. The National Book Awards, for instance, accept submissions from publishers during a spring window. Others, such as the National Book Critics Circle Awards, have no open entry process; the judges choose from what they read. PEN America's prizes vary by award, and several accept entries only from publishers.
For a traditionally published author, this means the decision sits with the publisher. Publishers submit selectively, because entries cost money and copies, and they cannot enter every book in every program. Your job is to know which programs your book is eligible for, ask early whether the publisher intends to submit, and understand the answer without taking it personally.
Hybrid publishers may or may not participate in these programs; ask, and check the award's own rules on which publishers are eligible. Self-published authors are generally not eligible for publisher-only programs, and that is worth knowing so the calendar does not waste space on them.
When the publisher will not enter a program you care about, ask whether it would be willing to if you covered the fee or supplied copies. Some houses say yes. Some programs forbid it. Either way, ask before the window, not after.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the publisher submits to every major award automatically.
- Asking after the window has closed.
- Treating a decision not to submit as a judgment on the book. It is usually a budget and copy-count decision.
- Paying a third party that claims to "nominate" your book for a program with no open entries.
What done looks like
- A short list of the publisher-only programs your book is eligible for, with their windows.
- A conversation with your editor or publicist, in writing, about which ones the publisher will submit to.
- The answer recorded in the awards calendar, including a plain no.
- A note of any program where the publisher would submit if you cover the cost.
Ask your publisher
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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