She Writes Press Publisher, Brooke Warner, dishes on whether or not book awards really matter from a publisher’s perspective.

Authors ask me this question all the time. After all, time or money (or both) are at stake when it comes to submitting your book for consideration for various book awards. Also, it’s difficult for first-time authors to distinguish between which awards are legitimate, and which are exploitative. The fact that awards programs exist on both sides of this spectrum, from legit to shoddy, is exactly what causes authors to ask the question—how much do awards really matter?—in the first place.

From my vantage point as a publisher, awards matter more for the renewed publicity opportunities they give authors than they do for anything else. Even the most prestigious awards—the Pulitzer Prize, the Man Booker Prize, the National Book Awards, Indie Booksellers’ Choice Awards—don’t affect book sales the way that you might suspect they would. Last September, NPR ran a piece called “When It Comes To Book Sales, What Counts As Success Might Surprise You,” which led with the abysmally low sales figures for novels long-listed for the Man Booker. While awards such as the Man Booker were likely responsible for big sales surges in years past, today’s book publishing climate has gotten too competitive. There are infinitely more books in the marketplace demanding readers’ attention, and even those sporting numerous medals and trophies struggle to rise above the noise.

So perhaps the question we should ask instead of whether they matter is whether book awards are worth submitting for. And I think the answer is yes. You still get bragging rights. You still get a shiny sticker to place on your book. As I said already, you get a renewed opportunity to talk up your book. The life of a book is surprisingly short, after all. You get three to six solid months to push it out the gate. After three months, your book is backlisted, and ceases to be new news. So anything that breathes fresh air into your campaign should be seen as a positive—and winning gives reason for your existing fans to rally around your book, and creates buzz that will hopefully result in new readers finding you.

My advice is to be discerning. Research the awards well. Don’t only submit to the long-shots. Applying only to the awards I listed above would be like applying only to Ivy League schools. Have back-ups. Set a limit, based on your time and resources. If you have a publisher or a publicist, ask if this is the kind of thing they’ll do for you, and if it’s not, ask if they have a recommended list, or which of their previous authors have won which awards.

Just like everything else in the journey to authorship, you want to be well-informed and realistic. Be optimistic and go for it, but also be practical so that the awards serve you if you win. Good luck out there!

Take a look at these 15 Book Awards to Watch>>

Tell us what awards programs you’ve submitted to, and if you won. What was the experience like for you? Did you see an uptick in sales? Did you take the opportunity to promote your book? And what was the result?