As the frontlist (or current) publicity manager for Ooligan Press, one of my primary responsibilities is submitting our books for awards. The awards process is outlined in the production timeline along with all other stages of the publication. Notably, the awards process is one of the rarer tasks that takes place after publication.
First things first, the book’s team compiles a spreadsheet of potential awards for the book to be submitted to. This in-depth spreadsheet is much appreciated by the publicity manager, as the team has provided links, deadlines, contact details, and any other extraneous information to facilitate the submission process. Even though all of our books cannot be submitted to all of the awards found, it’s an important process to ensure we are prioritizing!
When this spreadsheet is ready for review, the publicity manager (that’s me) then takes a look at the list. I review each award and look into the information provided by the team. I then leave comments and other indications of my thoughts (such as highlighting in different shades to signify varying potential) on which awards should be final contenders.
We determine which awards our books are submitted to based on a few factors. Each book has a budget, for starters, which definitely prompts us to prioritize. As a small indie press, we also need to focus our efforts on applying for awards that are within the realm of possibility. We account for feasibility and practicality (and a sprinkle of pixie dust for luck) as we assess the potential awards. A few awards we typically apply to include the Pacific Northwest Book Awards (PNBA), Foreword Indies, and Oregon Book Awards (OBA).
Next, the publicity manager meets with the publisher to narrow down which awards the book will be submitted to. This is the final round, and at this point, the awards will be decided.
Finally, I can begin the submission process! I first look through each of the awards we’ve settled on, this time with attention to the timeline. Many awards have certain time frames for when submissions are open or due by. If I am unable to submit an award right then, I create a calendar reminder for myself for when the submissions open, which includes the link to the submission form as well as any relevant details such as the deadline.
Every submission can be different in format, but a majority of the information necessary is the same every time: basic info about the book and author that can be found in our press kit, CoreSource tipsheet, or any other marketing or publicity document. I make sure I have this information pulled up when I go to submit a book for an award so that I can easily copy and paste details such as the ISBN, back cover copy, or author bio.
After filling out the submissions, I follow up with the publisher to process payment for those that require it.
A crucial step not to forget at this stage is to fill out the book checkout form. This is where I hand the info off to the publisher’s assistant (also known as operations or ops), who kindly handles the shipping process for any awards that require hard copies to ensure the books get to where they need to be for reviewing.
The publicity manager then updates the book’s project manager to let them know which previously discussed awards have been applied for and sent off, and which others are noted for future submission, depending on when submissions open.
Then we wait. And cross our fingers!
Written by Aurora (Rory) Miner.