Announcing The 2018 BIBA? Winners!
And The Winners Are....
We are excited to announce the winners of the 6th annual Best Indie Book Award?. In this year’s contest, we saw so many excellent story ideas and some very strong writing skills. We are happy to see that Indie authors are upping the game and continuing to rise to the challenges of the craft. So many good entries made for some long days and nights for judges. With such strict and unwavering criteria, the judging process is arduous. Running a contest is an eye-ball straining, heavy load of work, and we make every effort to be fair yet uncompromising in order to uphold our values and push Indie authors higher. Having said all of that, we have another great year of amazing authors to congratulate. We highly recommend that you read these skilled writers, not only to learn more about the craft but to celebrate with them and to hear their stories. You will laugh, you will cry, you will gasp in amazement, be drawn into lyrical worlds and be left agape at the truths, the fiction, the story-telling, and the world-building. Congratulations to our winners. But let’s not leave out a pat on the back to all of our entrants. It was a tough competition and very difficult to award one author while leaving a fellow writer to wonder why not them. We hope you all take heart in knowing that we all continue to grow and learn, and every experience pushes us to new standards and goals.
One of the questions we are often asked regards the timing of an entry. Some believe that if they enter late in the year, they will have a greater chance of winning, while some may be concerned that entering late will give them less opportunity. Conversely, some fear that if they enter too early, they will be forgotten. No matter what time of year you enter, your book goes through the exact same evaluation process and has the exact same chance as any other entrant entering at a different time of year. There are thirteen winners in total, and here are the months those winners entered the contest. January, May, June, August, September, October. So, you see, it really doesn’t matter what time of year you choose to enter. Everyone has the same chance.
We had so many amazing entries that we split the the non-fiction and mainstream categories, adding two new categories for the 2018 year. That means that we have additional winners to announce in the new categories of Memoir and Gay/Lesbian. We are carrying those new categories into the 2019 BIBA? contest. We will maintain this decision to split into new categories each year, depending on the quality and number of entrants.
Without further ado, the winners are available to be seen here on our website. Best Indie Book Award? Winners For 2018 But before you click that link, keep reading for important information and tips for all writers.
We look forward to seeing familiar and new faces and names for our 2019 contest. See 2019 Entry Form Here Over the holidays, we are offering a discounted price to early entrants. We only do this occasionally, so if you are considering entering a new book, or an older book, the time to get that discount is now. Remember, every single year the competition changes, so if you didn’t win an award this year, that doesn’t mean you can’t beat the odds later on.
Writing is a business, so make sure you use your entry fee receipt as a tax write-off.
We want independent authors to shine, to excel, and to enjoy their craft. Toward that end, it’s always a good idea to stay open to any opportunity to learn more about the business of writing. This year we want to issue some tips and a warning for all of our Indie family out there struggling to be seen and read. First, the warning. Many authors are turning to editors to help them craft a better book. This is a fantastic choice, but, unfortunately, the internet has opened us all up to the darker side. Don’t fall victim to fraud. Some of these self-proclaimed editors do not demonstrate a level of skill appropriate to their asking price, or any price in some cases. We have seen teenage girls with no grammar skill at all proclaiming to be viable editors. Several entrants gave kudos to editors in the opening pages of their books, and we were astonished to still find multiple grammar and punctuation issues within the story. Be careful, authors. Exercise caution when choosing an editor, and vet them well. In order to do yourself the most good, these people calling themselves editors, and/or book doctors, and/or content editors must demonstrate that they have an understanding of how fiction is crafted, as well as a strong grasp of proper grammar and punctuation.
Now for the writing tip. Get those red pens out and start marking up your manuscript. We are seeing too many authors making punctuation errors. BIBA? has always judged EVERY level of writing skill. We don’t just judge a book based on the story itself. So, learn where and when to place those commas. No commas sitting in the middle of a sentence for no reason. When in doubt, leave it out does not always apply here. We would recommend that you make the effort to learn how to properly punctuate, hire a tutor if necessary, rather than relying on these sharks on the internet that take your money but don’t know how to punctuate. And NEVER rely on WORD programs to help you make your decision about where to put that comma. WORD will steer you wrong at times. Don’t let that happen. Be confident. Go forth and conquer the art of the pause, the finesse of the complex sentence, and even dare to venture into the mystery of the semi-colon. You can do it! One of the best things you can do when self-editing is to read your work aloud. When you pause, you need to evaluate whether or not you will use a comma, an ellipses, or a dash in that pause. But when you pause in your cadence, you have to let your reader “hear” that pause along with you. You have to build that cadence into your dialogue and your narrative. Maintain your character’s personality in the process.
Writing is a skill that evolves over time. The more you do it, the more you do it well. If you love to write, continue to write. No matter what anyone says, if you have stories inside you longing to break free, let them breathe, put them to words and enjoy the process. Take the time to learn as much as you can about the art-form and eventually the words will flow naturally. Keep up the good work, and we hope to see you soon.
Once again, congratulations to all of our 2018 Best Indie Book Award? winners, and a heartfelt thank you to all of our entrants. We appreciate each and every one of you.
View The Winners!
BIBA? News
Twelve Categories For 2019
Romance
Science-Fiction/Dystopian
Fantasy/Paranormal
Action/Adventure
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Young Adult
Mainstream
Non-Fiction
Novella/Short Story Collection
Childrens
Gay/Lesbian
Memoir
Early Entry Pricing!
Early Entry Fee: $45 Per Category. (Ends January 1st.)
New Deadline
2019 Submissions close Noon EST, Oct 1st.
Winners will be announced by December 15th, 2019.