Find  Carolyn's Individual Books and Audios Here:

Please click on my Google Calendar button to learn more about my upcoming UCLA Extension Writers' Program classes, my writers' conference and book fair appearances and more.

Download Carolyn's speaking-focused or general media kit.

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 Media release disseminators, content providers, and sites that accept book and author information at no cost: Click Here

 How-to books for writers, reference books and books of inspiration for writers only! Any one will make a great companion to The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor!  It includes a list of helpful free e-books and some CDs you can learn tons from, too! Click Here

Contests you can count on, and articles on how to promote with contest. Click Here.

 List of book fairs, tradeshows, conferences and conventions. Your aid to planning ahead. Click Here

 Writers' Conferences: The Big and the Cozy. A list of book fairs, tradeshows, conferences and conventions. Your aid to planning ahead. Click Here

Writers' programs at US universities. (New Master of Science in Publishing listed!) Click Here

FREE Muse Online Writers Conference.Click Here

Digital (print-on-demand) printers .Click Here

Major review journals--some that review POD-published books. Click Here

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You will find at least one promotion, writing or tech tip on every page on this site. Sometimes you'll find, two or three! Happy browsing and collecting!

Awards for Carolyn's Books, Blogs and More

For The New Book Review and Sharing with Writers blog. Nominated by Nikki Leigh. and Jewel Sample respectively.

For The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In-Editor blog.

Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Sharing with Writers blog.

Best Book Award for The Frugal Book Promoter (2004) and The Frugal Editor (2008).

Reader Views Literary Award for The Frugal Editor

New Generation Award for Marketing and Finalist for The Frugal Editor

Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award

Military Writers Award of Excellence for Tracings, A Chapbook of Poetry.

And more than a dozen other awards for Carolyn's novel, short story collection and poetry. See the awards page on this site.

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Proud Member of and Highly Recommended:

www.wrwa.net

ABWA is a group of highly skilled networkering women in business.

Military Writers' Society of America

Honorary member of Publishers and Writers of San Diego.

Book Publicists of Southern California (BPSC)                    Pix: Proud Irwin Award Winners

Carolyn and Janet Goliger, l. to r.

I highly recommend this social network for those involved with book marketing services of any kind.

Contests for Authors

This is  by no means a comprehensive list of contests. Rather this page spotlights contests I have entered, won and then promoted that win or simply contests run by people I know so I'm confident that they aren't scams. It also includes some lesser-known contests which may give new authors a better chance at winning. Now, that is a pretty good thing to know and makes for a pretty valuable list!  So scroll down for articles and contestst.

Click Here for Recent Media Releases , some of them to announce contest wins. Use them as tempates. And scroll down for contest information and articles on contests.

Other Writers' Resource Pages

 For media release disseminators content providers, and sites that accept book and author information at no cost.

 For how-to books for writers, reference books and books of inspiration for writers only! Any one will make a great companion to The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor!  It includes a list of helpful free e-books and some CDs you can learn tons from, too!

For contests you can count on, and articles on how to promote using contests.  

For a list of book fairs, tradeshows, conferences and conventions. Your aid to planning ahead.

 For a list of writers' conferences. The Big and the Cozy. A list of book fairs, tradeshows, conferences and conventions. Your aid to planning ahead.

For a list of writers' programs at US universities. (There is a new Master of Science in Publishing listed!)

For the FREE Muse Online Writers Conference.

For a list of digital (print-on-demand) printers.

For a list of major review journals --including some that review POD-published books--and an article with suggestions for getting reviews.

For a list of small publishers.

For a list of book publicists.

For Writing Oriented Organizations, Promotion Services, Agents, Legal Help, Illustrators, Indexers, Writing Help, Editing, Event Planning, Author Friendly Radio, TV, Publishers, Author-Oriented Newsletters, Author-Related Charities, Author-Friendly Reviewers and Websites and More!

Everybody Loves a Winner:

Contests as Valuable Promotion Aids

(This is an excerpt from The Frugal Book Promote: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't by Carolyn Howard-Johnson)

She whom I love is hard to catch and conquer,

Hard, but O the glory of the winning were she won.

George Meredith

Winning a contest may include one or more of several perks including a cash prize, an offer to publish your work, and prestige.  Such an event is also an opportunity for publicity--exposure for you and your book.

Many pages have been written about contests in writers’ periodicals. The article Poetry and Writers’ Nov/Dec 2003 issue addresses some problems inherent in contests: For example, writers consider them rigged and resent the fees (usually from $10 to $25). Publishers and organizations become dependent on the fees they charge. Rarely does an unknown author win which is the whole point of many contests—to find delicious new voices that will keep the not-so-voracious appetite of publishers for new material well fed.

Many of the most reputable contests have fallen into one of these pitfalls or another and I believe you should not let that keep you from using this road to stardom. If you prefer, you can find no-fee contests. Some contests only accept nominations from publishers so yours may enter your book and pay the fee. You may need to prod your publisher a bit if you know of a contest for which you think your book would be suitable.

In terms of promotion, however, there is little that editors find more enticing than a winner—any winner. Here are some guidelines for using contests to gain exposure and expand your credentials:

• Set a goal based on the kind of writing you do and the size of your pocketbook. No-fee contests work well until you refine your contest IQ. Some journals award prizes to the best work submitted for their pages in a given year. Pick contests that impose fees at least as carefully as you might select a tomato from the produce department at your market.

• Find contests from a source that lists less popular contests as well as those that carry names like Hemingway and Faulkner.

• Choose contests that match your needs. Most first-time authors should submit their work for some small awards as well as large ones.

• Pay attention to the contest’s guidelines. Don’t enter a competition that seeks experimental fiction if your book is a mystery. It wastes your time and theirs even if no fee is involved.

• To increase your chances and to keep you from worrying about each entry, submit work to several contests at a time. Other tips for contest entries include:

·        Track entries so that you don’t submit the same material to the same contest twice.

·        Ignore the insistence of some editors that you shouldn’t submit simultaneously. This is patently unfair to the author.

·        Notify those you may have submitted to if your piece wins elsewhere.

·        Don’t recycle copies from one contest to another. Editors complain about entries that look as if they have spent a night in the rain.

Find suitable contests on the Web, in books and through organizations. Here are a few:

• EPIC is an organization for authors of e-books but print authors may join. Their Eppies Award is gaining more prestige each year. Learn more at http://www.epicauthors.org/joinepic.html

• Use the “Deadlines” section of Poetry and Writers to find reputable contests, though that isn't aslways a guarnatee. They can't check out every display ad and classified that comes their way.. Most  contests are very competitive and charge fees. Check them out at: www.pw.org

• CRWROPPS is an announcement list for contests and calls for submissions. To subscribe send an e-mail to crwropps-subscribe@topica.com.

• A fat volume called Writers's Markets publishes an updated edition each year. It is a valuable resource for more than contests. Because it costs about $40, you may want to borrow it from your library.

• www.Writer2writer.com includes a list of no-fee contests in most issues. To subscribe to their newsletter, send a blank e-mail to writertowriter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.au.

• Check out both local and national contests. Possible resources for these are your local Press Women, the National Federation of Press Women (http://www.nfpw.org/) and other organizations.

• Do a Google search on “writing contests” + your genre.

Once you’ve won a contest—finalist or first place—you are newsworthy:

• Add this honor to the “Awards” page of your media kit. If it’s your first award, center it on a page of its own. Oh! And celebrate!

• Write your media release announcing this coup (see chapters 16 of The Frugal Book Promote: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't ; it gives you all the information you need for composing a targeted media list and chapter three will help you write your release).

• Post the release on press sites that allow you to post them yourself. Examples are www.zinos.com and www.prnews.com.

• Notify your professional (writing and other) organizations.

• Notify bookstores where you hope to have a signing and, later, those where you have had a signing.

• Most colleges have press offices. If they do, put the administrator on your media list and make an effort to meet her. Ditto for the editors of your school/college periodicals.

• Add this information to the signature feature (see chapter six) of your e-mail program.

• Add this honor to the template you will use in future media releases—the part that gives an editor background on you.

• Use this information when you pitch TV or radio producers. It sets you apart from other others and defines you as an expert.

Hint: If your book wins a contest that doesn’t provide labels, have some made to apply to the cover of your book a la the famous Caldecott award. Don’t forget to notify your publisher.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s first two books, This is the Place, and Harkening, have won 11 awards between them. The Frugal Book Promote: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't , her practical and detailed how-to book on promotion from which this article was excerpted, is USA Book News’ Best Professional Book for 2004 and the Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award winner. It may be ordered as a paperback and is also available as an e-book at Amazon.com. Learn more on this Web site

Scroll down for poetry contests.

The contests below are contests that accept entries for books in many categories, from traditional, small press, subsidy press and self-published books. The ones I've entered and won I can personally recommend but It is your responsibility to research contests that you pay to enter. Some are more prestigious than others. There is always a chance that a contest could be a scam. But winning any contest can be an opportunity for recognition and promotion (scroll up and down to see articles on this subject). 

Reader Views Annual Literary Award

The Reader Views Annual Literary Awards are granted in 20 fiction and 30 nonfiction categories, as well as 15 specialized, sponsored categories. The entries are judged by Reader Views reviewers, all avid readers with a wide range of experiences, considered experts in their respective fields.

 Reader Views is an Austin, Texas, based company that publishes reviews and offers  publicity services to authors. Now they are a one-stop center for budding authors. For more information, visit www.readerviews.com.

Entry information, registration forms and further information can be found online at http://www.readerviews.com/Awards.html.

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New Book Contest Searches for Green . . . .

LOS ANGELES (January 6. 2009) _ The 2009 Green Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its annual competition honoring books that contribute to greater understanding, respect and positive action on the changing worldwide environment.

The 2009 Green Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher works in the following categories: non-fiction, fiction, children's books, teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/graphic novels, poetry, science fiction/horror, biography/autobiography, gardening, cookbooks, animals, photography/art, e-books, wild card (anything goes!), scientific, white paper, legal and spiritual.

Entries can be in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Italian. Our grand prize for the 2009 Green Book Festival Author of the Year is $1500 and transportation to our April, 2009 Earth Day celebration in Los Angeles OR an equivalent amount donated in your name to the environmental charity of your choice.

A panel of judges will determine the winners based on the following criteria:

1) The overall writing style and presentation of the work;

2) The potential of the work to enhance understanding of the environment and its issues;

TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online at http://www.greenbookfestival.com or may be faxed/e-mailed to you by calling our office at 323-665-8080.

The Green Book Festival is produced by JM Northern Media LLC, producers of the Hollywood Book Festival, New York Book Festival and DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books and is sponsored by eDivvy, Larimar St. Croix Writers Colony, Westside Websites and Shopanista.
 

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Attention Adventure Writers: The Clive Cussler Award is something you will want to look into. Here is the link. http://www.cusslersociety.com/writers_competition.html.

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Attention Poets and Literary Writers: The Noble (Not Nobel!) Prize is Carolyn Howard-Johnson's answer to the Nobel. Learn more at www.MyShelf.com. Check out the archives on the Back to Literature Column page for past winners and guidelines.

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C

Carolyn's Calendar of Coming Events and Appearances Come Learn! Come Share!

Please check April, May, June, September and October for active months.

Tip: Making Contests Work for You   Contests can be great ways to promote. They don't have to be famous contests like the Pulitzer. They don't have to be wins. If you are a runner-up or a finalist, you can still use that because it is news. Why enter if you're not going to utilize it when you get that recognition! This Web site is full of leads to resources like The Frugal Book Promoter that will help you put your award to good use. Note the left column of this page. Note that some awards are well known and others not so. But all are there--proudly. That's because when I promote a conest I benefi--but so does the contest. The better known it gets, the better for me. That's a nice little cycle of doing for others.    Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or tech on every page of this Web site.

Mini Biography for Carolyn Howard-Johnson

(Searching for something more complete? Check out the links on this page for an assortment of focused media kits.)

Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s first novel, This Is the Place, won eight awards. Her second book, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, creative nonfiction, won three. An instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program, her book The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won’t is recommended reading for her classes, was named USA Book News’ “Best Professional Book 2004," and was given the Irwin Award. Her second book in the How To Do It Frugally series is The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. It won USA Book News and Reader Views Literary Awards and the campaign for it won New Generations Marketing Award. Her chapbook of poetry Tracings, was named to the Compulsive Reader's Ten Best Reads list and was given the Military Writers' Society of America's Silver Award of Excellence. She is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community's Character and Ethics Committee awarded her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly's list of 14 "San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen." Her Web site is www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.

 

Media Kit for Program Directors for Radio, TV, Conferences, Radio Shows

Media Kit for Book, Entertainment and Feature Editors

Kit for Reviewers

Media Kit for Retail Professionals

Recent Media Releases

Purchase THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER as a thick, full-size e-book priced to accommodate the budgets of starving students and authors at Star Publish.

Purchase THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER and THE FRUGAL EDITOR in trade paperback at Amazon. The Amazon Short, THE GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION BOOK PROPOSAL, too!

Purchase THIS IS THE PLACE, HARKENING and TRACINGS at Amazon.

Purchase CHERISHED PULSE at the Compulsive Reader.

 

 

           "Careers that are not fed die as readily as any living organism given no sustenance." ~ Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Studio photography by Uriah Carr

Logo by Lloyd King

 

   Future Plans for How To Do It Frugally Series:    The Frugal Amazon  Promoter,  The Frugal Retailer Promotes,   The Frugal Author Builds an Agent-Friendly Package   

Books and Audios on Writing Carolyn has Written,   Edited or Contributed to:

Buy Carolyn's Books on Amazon:

   

 

 

Copyright ©2006 Carolyn Howard-Johnson