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Publishers Advocate Award

Lauri B

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I had an interesting experience yesterday: one of our authors had been reading a book about generating publicity for her upcoming book (for which I was very grateful-not every author is as on the ball as she is) and emailed to tell me that the book she was reading strongly advocated that she apply for a Publishers Advocate Award before her book was published so that she could put something on the book cover about it, similar, the book suggested, to the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. All she had to do was submit her manuscript, ISBN, and $50 ($10 extra if she wanted her award within 10 days), and if her book met some minimum standards ( I believe having a spine was one of the major criteria, imagine that), she'd get her award.

I have never heard of this "award," so I did a reverse lookup on the address. Surprise: the Publishers Advocate Award HQ was located at the home address of the author of the book about generating publicity.

Now why didn't I think of that? Forget publishing: here's where to make some money.
 

CaoPaux

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:faint:

Alas, Google only finds the naive souls who paid for this "award". Could you drop a name, please, so we might deride the instigator of this foul scheme?
 

Lauri B

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victoriastrauss said:
You have to admire people who do this sort of thing, in a perverse kind of way. It takes some chutzpah.

Please post a link!

- Victoria

Interestingly, the information comes from a book about which many people have good things to say--The Publishing Game, by Fern Reiss. I don't know the author personally, but have seen some of her articles here and there, and from what I've read she seems to know her stuff. I just went to her web site and she seems very savvy and pretty successful. Unclear why she chose to add a crummy thing like to her book. I certainly hope she deletes it in subsequent editions. There's no mention of the award on her site--maybe she's realized how lame it is.
 

HapiSofi

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Nomad said:
Interestingly, the information comes from a book about which many people have good things to say--The Publishing Game, by Fern Reiss. I don't know the author personally, but have seen some of her articles here and there, and from what I've read she seems to know her stuff. I just went to her web site and she seems very savvy and pretty successful. Unclear why she chose to add a crummy thing like to her book. I certainly hope she deletes it in subsequent editions. There's no mention of the award on her site--maybe she's realized how lame it is.
But she doesn't know her stuff. Her advice stinks to high heaven.

Her website offers to sell you her brilliant plan to make your book a bestseller. Right off, I can see it has three, maybe four problems.

First: She's a self-publishing advocate. No way is a self-published book going to become a bestseller. The infrastructure just isn't there. And a self-published book for sure is not going to become a bestseller in thirty days.

Second, here's her list of ways to catapult your book to bestsellerdom:


  • Be featured in national magazines
  • Sell to corporations, book clubs, and catalogs
  • Be distributed through library approval plans
  • Win a BookSense award
  • Create a knock ‘em dead print and broadcast publicity campaign
  • Organize a profitable speaking tour
  • Syndicate yourself
  • Sell via an email newsletter
What's missing? Any evidence of distributors being involved. No distributors, no large-scale sales. No large-scale sales, by definition no bestsellers.

Third, most of that stuff is stone soup. If your book is sufficiently interesting to attract that kind of attention, you don't need to be self-publishing it.

Fourth, she can tell you how to get a BookSense award? That has a dubious ring to it. Procuring is not winning.

Onward. Her page on getting an agent links to her article, Five Things Your Publisher Won't Tell You. I am not impressed when an article starts with an assertion which I know from direct personal experience is false:

We do no publicity. Ten years ago, publishers did some marketing for books. Today, even the biggest and best do almost none. (They send out advance galleys, and wait to see if anyone is interested. Then they focus all their publicity on the books that look like they’re going to hit the big-time.) So if you want your book to fly off bookstore shelves, guess who’s going to have to do all the publicity? You got it.
Furthermore, that's a characteristic assertion made by scammers and bottomfeeders who're pushing self-publishing schemes. Who is this mendacious broad, and why does anyone believe her?

(Incidentally, her page on promoting your book says that unpublicized books stay in bookstores for six weeks, not four. Not only is she not truthful; she's not consistent in her lies.)

If Fern Reiss is using her book to tell people to get themselves a Publishers Advocate Award (for which they'll pay a $50 entry fee), but she isn't acknowledging her connection with the award, she's dirty. And since you can pay an additional $10 to get an expedited award, I assume the award is thoroughly dirty too.

I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.
 

Lauri B

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HapiSofi said:
But she doesn't know her stuff. Her advice stinks to high heaven.

Hi Hapi,
I'm glad you posted because just after I sent in my original post I realized I should probably have looked through the site more before jumping into it here on the boards. But now that I've spent some time this afternoon reading through the site and other articles she's posted, I've come to the conclusion that I really, really am in the wrong business. I'm going to become a consultant and start my own awards program. That's how to make money in publishing.
 

James D. Macdonald

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For just forty bucks (I take Paypal!) you can apply for the prestigious MY BOOK HAS PAGES Award. This coveted award, which you can get imprinted on your book's cover in gold foil, is certain to mark your book as a Book. Very few books that you see in stores have the MBHP award!

Even more exclusive, the MY BOOK HAS PAGES AND COVERS Award, is only won by those few authors who send me fifty bucks. Just imagine the MBHPAC Award seal on your book!

If you want to apply for the tippy-top award, MY BOOK HAS PAGES AND COVERS AND THERE'RE WORDS ON THE PAGES SO THERE! Award (MBHPACATWOTP Award) can be yours (for a sixty dollar entry fee). This exclusive award is really exclusive. Anyone who doesn't send sixty dollars is excluded.

Caldecott? Hah! Newbery? Fah! The MBHPACATWOTP Award is what readers are really looking for!
 

HapiSofi

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Nomad, I frequently wonder whether I'm in the wrong end of the business.

Fern Reiss is a slick piece of business, isn't she?
 

HapiSofi

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Jim, if you'll proclaim me the Greatest Writer of All Time, I'll give you a bright shiny quarter.
 

James D. Macdonald

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HapiSofi is the honored recipient of the Greatest Writer of All Time Bow Down Bow Down Avert Your Eyes In Amazement Award.

This coveted award is bestowed exclusively on people who give me a shiny new quarter.
 

HapiSofi

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Your quarter's on its way.
 

CaoPaux

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Ooo, I got a buffalo nickel and a Susan B. Anthony!
 

Lauri B

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HapiSofi said:
Jim, if you'll proclaim me the Greatest Writer of All Time, I'll give you a bright shiny quarter.

I peeled off the sticker from the National Book Award luncheon invitation--I could sell you that to put on your book. I put it on one of ours but could probably get it off if I soaked it.
 

Cathy C

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:roll:


Thanks for the chuckle. I'm happy to say that none of our book awards include the Publisher's Advocate Award. Sorry to see that so many people apparently think it's a real thing. There are quite a few when I looked on Google. Sigh... :(
 
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Maryn

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I dunno, Jim. I'm stalled at Barnes & Noble, looking for the stickers that tell me which books have covers and pages and words...

Maryn, who never knew book shopping could be so very difficult
 

Maryn

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Hahahahahaha--and so fast, too!

Maryn, who enjoys a belly laugh (who doesn't?)
 

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I will give a shiny new rep point to anyone who gives me an award of their choosing.

Good awards that look nice in a sig will get positive rep points.
 

Lauri B

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Aconite said:
I will give a shiny new rep point to anyone who gives me an award of their choosing.

Good awards that look nice in a sig will get positive rep points.

How about "most use of vowels in a screen name?"
 

Aconite

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Nomad said:
How about "most use of vowels in a screen name?"
I think "Unique" and I tie on that one, but I got the award, so neener!

Nomad and Uncle Jim have a shiny new rep point each. I have lots more! They're renewable! Come one, come all!
 
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Maryn

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The only person at AW whose name anagrams to "I, Octane" (among other interesting combinations)?

Maryn, who also liked "Act I (One)" and "Nice tao"
 

Aconite

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I am an award-winnin' fool.

I would have given you three points, Maryn, but it won't let me give them in lumps. When I rule the universe, I'll change that.