How to Win Book Awards

“You just won a top business award for your book. What’s your advice on how to win book awards?”

The question came from a past National Speakers Association, New England chapter president. I’ll share my answer and advice, but first, the big news…

Two Exciting Book Awards!

Yes, Breathe. Write. Breathe. was just announced as the winner of two more awards—this time, the American Business Awards:

• Gold Stevie Award for “Best Ebook”
• Bronze Stevie Award for “Best Business Book.”

On June 10, I’ll be at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square to give a very short speech, accept my two awards and sign several hundred books for attendees of the awards banquet.

As you can imagine, I am stoked! Signing hundreds of books at The Stevie Awards for Women in Business when Breathe. Write. Breathe. won “Book of the Year” in 2024 (bronze), was a career-defining moment. One of the most exciting parts was asking women if they wanted me to address the note to them or someone else:

• “Yes, please write it to me. I’ve always wanted to write a book. This feels like the sign [or nudge] I’ve been looking for.”
• “To my daughter. She loves to write and is actually writing a book. She’s twelve.”
• “My best friend. She has to write a book. She has an incredible story.”
• “Please address it to my brother. He needs to finally write his book.”

Their enthusiasm was contagious, whether for themselves or someone they love. When they gave me personal details about the person, I worked it into my dedication—imagining the person being inspired by Breathe. Write. Breathe. and having such fun and fulfillment writing their book filled me with joy.

This is why we write our books—for their inspiration and impact on readers and beyond!

I’m thrilled to repeat the experience in June, with an even larger group of leaders and inspiring business people.

My Advice on How to Win Book Awards

This leads to the question that began this post, posed last Saturday, when I led a “Jump Start Your Writing Project” workshop for the National Speakers Association, New England Chapter, in Newport, Rhode Island.

We had a blast. The group easily took to the energizing and creativity-inducing qigong and yoga exercises from Breathe. Write. Breathe. which started us off with abundant positive energy.

Their questions were insightful, and I loved hearing about their book and keynote topics.

The question about book awards seemed to capture everyone’s interest.

My answer has two parts:

#1 Write an Exceptional, Award-Worthy Book.

#2 Have an Awards Expert on Your Team

How to Write an Exceptional, Award-Worthy Book

Here are some tips I shared on Saturday, some of which I also shared on Day 1 of the Nonfiction Writers Conference (Wednesday, May 6) in my panel with Marcia Layton Turner and Stephanie Chandler on “Become a Better Writer.”

1. 

   Start with your vision: How do you want the book to affect you, your readers, your community, or the broader world?

2. Get clear on your readership: Who are you writing for and why will they buy your book? What problems are they looking to solve, or what goals do they want to reach? What challenges are they running into? What results are they hoping for? And what’s the language they use to describe that?
3. Imagine your reader and write to them: This is how you make your book conversational and intimate: Picture your reader when you write, as if you are writing for that one person, real or imaginary. Readers will tend to feel like you’re speaking right to them. It works like magic!
4. Get feedback from beta readers: These should be people in your target market. Ask them a few key questions so they’re not overwhelmed:  What did they love? What do they want more of? Where did they get bored or confused? What other feedback do they have?
5. Make your book an experience: Stories, journaling prompts, exercises, and QR codes that lead to additional content all help engage your readers in their transformation. These features make the book an active experience, rather than passive. I believe that the deep engagement offered by both Breathe. Write. Breathe. and The Joy of Writing Journal contributed to their many book awards.
6. Read aloud: You’ll hear what works and what doesn’t, and notice things that escape your attention when reading silently. Then have someone read it aloud, and you’ll observe even more subtleties about what needs tweaking!

Hiring a Book Awards Expert

When people ask me about winning book awards, I point them to Melissa Sones, whom I’ve worked with for over a dozen years. She’s helped my clients and me win both book awards and business awards, many of them Gold (in fact, all her clients that she entered in the American Business Awards won Gold this year! It was a clean sweep and previously unheard of!). People often think they can save money by applying for awards themselves. For example, if I’d done that with the Nautilus Book Awards, I would have only entered the two categories that seemed obvious to me. Melissa suggested a third category, and that was the one I won! Without her support, I would have missed an incredible opportunity.

Just like you’ll write a better book when you hire a qualified expert book coach and/or book editor to guide and support you with your book and/or book proposal, you’ll find that hiring an experienced awards consultant, especially one with Melissa’s exceptional skill, can make all the difference.

Share your questions, insights and stories in the comments!