ALLi News Editor, Dan Holloway
It is fantastic to end the week with what is, essentially, two great stories in one. First of all, I am delighted to welcome Bookbrunch as a partner member to ALLi. Bookbrunch offers frequent snack-sized news items relating to the book world. Perfect for reading alongside (not, of course, instead of) this column!
But the real news story for indies relates to another of the hats Bookbrunch wears. They are, as many of you will have noted already, I dare say, the people who run the Selfies Awards, the high profile awards sponsored by Ingram Spark for the best self-published titles each year. The awards take place at London Book Fair.
ALLi members have, as I would hope and as I have had great pleasure in reporting on, had a great history in these awards. The very first Selfies Award, when there was only one prize category, went to Jane Davis’ Smash All the Windows. And last year’s memoir winner was ALLi’s Sarah Ziegel for Marching to a Different Beat: A Family’s Journey With Autism.
Changes to the Selfies
The categories are slightly tweaked this coming year. The memoir category has been replaced with Adult General Non-Fiction, something that sparked my interest as I have just received the cover art for my new book in that category. The 2024 award ceremony will take place at London Book Fair’s Author HQ on March 12th. Entries have just opened, and will remain open until January 2nd.
Judges say they are looking for the following:
A fantastic story that entertains and delights the reader; A well-produced book; An enticing cover and blurb that successfully addresses the target audience; and finally, an effective and creative marketing and publicity strategy that has the potential for great sales.
Good luck to everyone, and I look forward to reporting on the shortlist and winners next year!
