![]() By Stephanie Bearce What is one of the best ways to get your book into the hands of LOTS of young readers? Get your book nominated for one of the State reading awards. Children's choice award programs are held each year and in every state in the nation. Books that are selected for the nomination list are purchased by every school and public library and read by thousands of children who then vote for their favorite. It's an incredible honor to win, but just being a nominee is a boost every writer would love. So how do you get your book on one of these magical lists? Nominations are taken for several months before the list is decided. Some states allow authors or publishers to nominate books. Others only allow teachers and librarians. Authors, this is NOT the time to be shy. If you want your book on the list - ask teacher and librarian friends to nominate you. The first step is getting your book in front of the selection committee. The rest will be up to the readers. There is no guarantee that your book will be showered in awards, but you can't win if you don't try. And the rewards of having an award-winning book are rich indeed. Not only will your agent and family cheer, but your publisher will also love the increase in sales and publicity. Awards can help you get that next book deal. I've found a great list of State Awards hosted by Bound to Stay Bound. This resource lists all of the awards by state and age level. Simply go to the site and check to see what the nomination criteria are for your type of book. Make sure you check the date and subject requirements. Other sites where you can learn about state book awards are: Vanderbilt University Overdrive - National and State Awards Reading levels and reading lists - Minnesota State University And good luck! I hope to see your books on many state reading lists!
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My favorite book on writing nonfiction is Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction—and Get It Published by Susan Rabiner and Alfred Fortunato. One key concept they discuss in Chapter 2 is the importance of having a question that drives the book: "Every work of serious nonfiction begins with a question the author has about the topic and ends with an answer the author wants to provide." (p. 77) That question determines how interested editors and readers will be in the book.
I find that asking an overall question also focuses my writing. Knowing what question I'm trying to answer helps me decide how to structure the book and helps in making those many decisions about what to keep and what to leave out. For At Home in Her Tomb, my question was, What do the tombs and their artifacts tell us about life in ancient China? Sometimes authors reveal in interviews, Author's Notes, or blogposts what question(s) inspired them to create their books. Here are a few examples:
To identify the question driving your own project, Rabiner and Fortunato recommend recalling what originally captured your interest in the subject "and why you find it compelling enough to write a book to answer it . . ." (p. 78). What's the question driving your work-in-progress? Defining that question will help you research, write, and market your book. Happy questioning! |
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We are nonfiction authors who support readers and writers through our writing, author visits, and workshops.
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Disclaimer: The Nonfiction Ninjas are a group of writers with diverse ideas . The views expressed in each post are those of the author and may differ from others in the group.
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