As a general rule, I mistrust any #bookaward with one category for all LGBTQ fiction submissions and one category for LGBTQ nonfiction, because you have got to be kidding me. Secondary warning sign: the same publishers and/or authors show up year in and year out. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤔" title="Thinking face" aria-label="Emoji: Thinking face">

#Bookawards are tricky things to navigate anyway. You can win or final and it can open doors and make promo easier. Or the book sinks without a trace despite everything you do to promote it. Some things to look for, from a small press perspective...

#Bookawards include: Have you ever heard of it or previous winners? Different criteria if it’s new, of course. Is there just one category for all of, say, genre fiction? For juried awards, it’s next to impossible to find a jury that enjoys everything from sf to romance equally

#Bookawards If there are previous winners, do the same names crop up year in and year out? Check who the award funders are and see if the juror election criteria is public. Sometimes it’s an issue of who’s buying advertising, other times it has a lot to do with a narrow pool.

#Bookawards Apart from something big, like a Hugo, most niche or category book awards are only as useful as you make them. Book stickers, including it on promo, press releases if you have somewhere to run them, etc. all come in handy. But...

#Bookawards be selective about it. If you final or win, can you make that part of a marketing strategy? Will it be something anyone will care about in a year or so? Does there appear to be a relatively level playing field for how the award is judged?

#Bookawards It gets spendy, what between fees for entry and sending copies of books, so make sure that you’re going to get something out of it if you can.