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Grand Prize

One Sweet Holiday by Lucy Day

Contemporary Fiction

First Place

Toxic Sphere: Volume 3: Enemy Apparent by C.N. Sky

Honorable Mentions

• Losing My Breath by J. Rose Black
• Releasing the Reins by Catherine Matthews
• She Taught Me Everything by Amy Smith Linton
• The Writer, The Hairdresser, and The Nurse by Zara Ellen

Fantasy

First Place

Children of Madness by Jarrett Brandon Early

Honorable Mentions

• Feathers Sharp as Knives by Kristina Atkins
• The Dark Maiden by Adrianna J. Tetnowski
• The Forgotten Oath by Samantha Hickey

Mystery/Thriller

First Place

Phantom Cove: A Port Stirling Mystery by Kay Jennings

Honorable Mentions

• Pierce the Darkness by Nannette Potter
• The Blackstone by James T. Malone 
• The Last Luau by Guy McCullough
• Trash: The Rubbishman’s Ball by Clements
• Unethical by Marla L. Anderson

Narrative Nonfiction

First Place

EXODAI: A Shockingly Honest Memoir of Love, Obsession and Torture by Elizabeth Hendrick

Honorable Mentions

• Here, Where Death Delights by Mary Jumbelic 
• Lost Roots: Family, Identity, and Abandoned Ancestry by Karl von Loewe
• Monster Child by Kristal M. Johnson
• The Descendants of John Grant and Mary Sabean: Associated Families of Southwestern Nova Scotia and New England by Allen Grant 

Prescriptive/Informative Nonfiction

First Place

Finding Your Path to Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide by Judy Penz Sheluk

Honorable Mentions

• Queen of the Side Hustle: Unleashing Your Potential for Extra Income by Christine Schaub
• The One Week Writing Workshop: 7 Days to Spark, Boost or Revive Your Novel by Karin Adams
• The Truth About Melasma by Janett Juwien

Romance

First Place

Love Notes by Blue Saffire 

Honorable Mention

• Stand in for Love by Michele Ashman Bell

Science Fiction

First Place

Miss Universe by David M. Jones

Honorable Mentions

• After the Fall: The Engineer and the Apocalypse by Gerry Gainford
• Saving Harry Truman by Steven R. Burt

Young Adult

First Place

Splinter: A Novel in Verse by Betsy O’Neill-Sheehan

Honorable Mentions

• Corporeal by Mike Gwyther
• Over the Top Secret: A Funny Spy Adventure by Alexa Tuttle
• What I Would Wish to Be (Wonders of Childhood & Beyond) by Michele L Sayre 

Check out the upcoming Writer’s Digest Competitions!

The post Announcing the Winners of the 12th Annual Self-Published E-book Awards appeared first on Writer's Digest.

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Grand Prize

Walks With the Wind by Steve Physioc, StevePhysioc.com

Contemporary Fiction

First Place

Driftless by Ardys Brevig Richards, AardysBrevigRichards.blogspot.com

Honorable Mentions

Backstory: Behind the Scenes of a Famous Film-Thriller by Pat Dunlap Evans ($5.99 Kindle; $12.99 Paperback, A.M. Chai Literary), PatDunlapEvans.com

Safelight by Casey Lown ($2.99 Kindle; $11.99 Paperback, Casey Lown), CaseyLown.com

Going Home by Win and Meredith Blevins ($0.99 Kindle; $8.99 Paperback, WordWorx Publishing)

A Legacy of One by Kevin G. Chapman ($3.99 Kindle; $12.99 Paperback, CreateSpace Publishing), KevingChapman.com

Fantasy

First Place

Choose the Sun by Kent Safford, KentSafford.com

Honorable Mention

Guardian of Chaos by Michelle Manus ($4.99 Kindle; $14.99 Paperback, Seclusion Publishing), MichelleManus.com

Mystery/Thriller

First Place

Dark Cure by Cameron K. Moore 

Honorable Mentions

Dead Tree Tales by Rush Leaming ($4.99 Kindle; $16.88 Paperback, Bridgewood), LeamingRush.wixsite.com/nightfall

Where Loyalty Lies by Edward Belton ($2.99 Kindle; $21.66 Paperback, Booklocker.com, Inc.)

The Quisling Factor by J. L. Oakley ($4.99 Kindle; $18.95 Paperback, Fairchance Press), JLOakleyAuthor.com

AESOP by Michele Packard ($2.99 Kindle; $9.99 Paperback, Michele Packard), MichelePackard.com

Narrative Nonfiction

First Place

Memoirs of a Counselor: My Life in South Africa by Chloe Timothy, ChloeTimothy.com

Honorable Mentions

Still Laughin’ by Dara Kalima ($8.99 Kindle; $20.99 Paperback, Dara Kalima), DaraKalima.com

My View from the Back of the Bus by Merritt Long ($9.99 Kindle; $23 Paperback, My View LLC)

OiseauxWords: Grew-Some Man-i-festations by Bernadette “Bird” Bowen ($9.99 Kindle, Bernadette “Bird” Bowen)

Prescriptive/Informative Nonfiction

First Place

The Ever-Fixed Mark: Shakespeare on Love, Women, and Human Nature by Thomas Brackshaw

Honorable Mentions

Food, Body and Love: But the Greatest of These is Love by Kari Anderson ($4.99 Kindle; $19.95 Paperback, Kari Anderson), MyEatingDoctor.com

Braving the World: Adventures in Travel and Retirement by Pam Saylor ($4.99 Kindle; $15.99 Paperback, KDP), PamSaylor.com

Holy Smoke: How Christianity Smothered the True American Dream by Rick Snedeker ($6.99 Kindle; $11 Paperback, Station Square Media), RickSnedekerAuthor.com

Romance

First Place

Charming and the Cherry Blossom by LJ Evans, LJEvansbooks.com

Honorable Mention

Siren’s Song by Michelle Manus ($2.99 Kindle; $14.99 Paperback, Seclusion Publishing), MichelleManus.com

Science Fiction

First Place

In the Garden of Mistress Bloom by Clé Curbo

Honorable Mention

I, Cassandra by E. A. Carter ($6.99 Kindle; $12.99 Paperback, Arundel House Press), AuthorEACarter.net

Young Adult

First Place

Facing Off by Tanya Ross, TanyaRossAuthor.com

Honorable Mention

Max and the Spice Thieves by John Peragine ($2.99 Kindle; $14.74 Paperbook, Crumblebee Books), JohnPeragineBooks.com

The post Announcing the 9th Annual Self-Published E-book Awards Winners appeared first on Writer's Digest.

[WD uses affiliate links.]

Grand Prize

Elemental by Whitney Hill (whitneyhillwrites.com)

Contemporary Fiction

First Place

Child of Gilead by Douglas S. Reed (hurricanegroupauthorwixsite-douglassreed.com)

Honorable Mentions

The Speed of Life by Anne Pete ($3.99, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing), linktr.ee/AnnePeteAuthor

Twin Forks by Laurie Vincenti ($2.99, Kindle; $12.00, paperback, Kindle Direct Publishing)

Fantasy

First Place

Witch’n by Joshua Braun 

Honorable Mentions

A Wicked Chance by Anna Flakk ($4.99, Kindle; $14.99, paperback, Kindle Direct Publishing), annaflakk.com

The Turning Point by Julia Ash ($3.99, Kindle; $10.99, paperback, Kindle Direct Publishing), juliaashbooks.wordpress.com

Memoir

First Place

Brown Skin Girl: An Indian-American Woman’s Magical Journey from Broken to Beautiful by Mytrae Meliana (mytraemeliana.com)

Honorable Mentions

Altared: A Tale of Renovating a Medieval Church in Tuscany by Kyle Tackwell Ball ($3.99, Kindle, SheBooks), kyletackwellball.com

Scenes of a Reclusive Writer & Reader of Mumbai: Essays by Fiza Pathan ($2.99, Kindle; $14.99, paperback, Fiza Pathan Publishing (OPC) Private Limited under Imprint Freedom With Pluralism®), fizapathan.com

Mystery/Thriller

First Place

The Melody by Sara Jay Casares

Honorable Mentions

Hawthorn Woods by Patrick Canning ($0.99, Kindle; $15.95, paperback, Independently published), patrickcanningbooks.com

Novak’s Mission by James H. Lewis ($3.99, Kindle; $12.63, paperback, Kindle Direct Publishing), lewisthescrivener.com

Nonfiction

First Place

Chasing Social Justice: How Do We Advance the Work that Matters Most? by Laurie Sherman (lauriesherman.com)

Honorable Mentions

Make Almost Anything Happen by Tim Kilpatrick ($9.99, Kindle; $28.00, hardcover, Wise Ink Creative Publishing), timkilpatrick.com

The Creativity Connection/Conundrum by Rene Urbanovich ($9.99, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing), reneurbanovich.com

Romance

First Place

Talk Dirty to Me by Imogen Keeper (imogenkeeper.com)

Editor’s Note: Since the competition, Talk Dirty to Me has gotten a new cover design! Head over to imogenkeeper.com to see it.

Honorable Mentions

Break and Enter by Lori Matthews ($4.99, Kindle; $12.99, paperback, Wild Coyote Press), lorimatthewsbooks.com

The Debt by Ann Howes ($3.99, Kindle; $15.99, paperback, Ann Howes Publishing), authorannhowes.com

Science Fiction

First Place

Time Tourist Outfitters, Ltd. by Christy Nicholas (greendragonartist.com)

Honorable Mentions

Homecoming (Projects: Book 2) by Jude Austin ($3.99, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing), www.judeaustin.net

The Unexpected Inlander by Kellyn Thompson ($0.99, Kindle; $14.99, paperback, Kindle Direct Publishing), kellynthompson.com

Young Adult

First Place

Five More Pixs by Muriel Tronc (fivemorepixs.com)

Honorable Mentions

Chalk Houses by Tracy Clark ($3.99, Kindle; $13.99, paperback, Kindle Direct Publishing), tracyclarktlc.com

Digitus Rising (Digitus Series Book Two) by K.D. Emerson ($4.99, Kindle, Master Koda Select Publishing, LLC)

Click to continue.

The post Announcing the 8th Annual Self-Published E-book Awards Winners appeared first on Writer's Digest.

As a child, Hill was an avid reader, encouraged by her grandmother—who was always reading—and mother. She found herself entranced by the worlds of science fiction and fantasy, but there was a glaring issue: There was never a Black girl on the covers of the books she loved. She was never able to see herself as the main character. 

Hill explained, “Especially being biracial, there’s even kind of a smaller niche where you don’t really see what it’s like for the character to have to straddle kind of two worlds in that way.”

Like most, she wrote short stories from a young age. Then she found herself writing fan fiction, which introduced her to story mechanics—like developing plot—while borrowing someone else’s characters. It also gave her the opportunity to get direct feedback from readers and learn how to incorporate that feedback into her craft. 

But “after a while, I got tired of borrowing [characters] from other people and wanted to do my own thing,” she said.

This led her to write the Shadows of Otherside, an adult urban fantasy series that features Arden Finch, a private investigator and sylph, who is determined to practice her forbidden magic and take control over her life. The first book in the series, Elemental, focuses on Arden’s struggle with her evolving identity, where she fits in with her community, and what it will mean for her to gain her freedom.

Elemental won the Grand Prize in the 8^th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published E-Book Awards. Hill’s winnings include $5,000 and a trip to the 2021 Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City.

Hill began working on Elemental in 2018 as a part of the yearly NaNoWriMo challenge to write 50,000 words in November. She said the deadline helped take an idea that she’d been incubating for several years and get it down on paper. A self-proclaimed pantser, she admitted to half-hearted attempts at outlining and losing the thread of the plot somewhere around chapter 5. But that didn’t mean she gave up. “That was part of the NaNoWriMo charm, I think, just like, ‘I have a word count, I have to put something down.’”

It helped that Arden’s story took place in the region of North Carolina known as the Triangle, including the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill areas. 

Hill said, “This is an area that did kind of capture me. Basically, every time I go out driving around town, I’m inspired … [it] just really helps with capturing detail going out with the notes open on my phone and just looking at who’s passing through a space. What does the space look like? What does it smell like? What are all the sensory details? How do I make that real?” 

This also made it easier for her to tackle other world-building challenges, like creating a unique magic system that both connected with the reader and also laid the foundation for the next several books in the series.

Hill was initially set on the path of traditional publishing. She attended the Writer’s Digest 2019 Annual Conference and participated in the Pitch Slam event, where she got several requests from agents to see the manuscript. She also spent time researching and cold-querying agents. But after six months of great feedback but no offer, Hill said she did a lot of soul-searching and reevaluated what her goals were for publication. She knew that she would want to be involved in every aspect of the publishing process. There was an appeal in knowing that she did everything for her manuscript and that its failure or success rested solely on her shoulders. 

The path to self-publication, she said, “was basically deciding to choose myself rather than waiting for somebody to pick me.”

From the start, she viewed her self-publishing career as a business. Knowing that it would take a lot of time and effort, she quickly figured out how to devote time to her day job, her personal life, and her self-publishing career. 

“I don’t do very much else in my day-to-day,” she said. “It’s a conscious choice. I decided that right now, my focus is going to be on two things: my day job and my writing. The job funds the writing. The balance comes in just carving out that time from everything else.”

She knew that some poorly produced self-published books contribute to a stigma around books that aren’t traditionally published. 

“There are just so many parts in the book publishing process that require some investment. That’s part of why it is such a privilege to publish, because not everybody can afford to throw a few thousand dollars for editing and cover design and everything else.”

This investment came in the form of hiring professional editors, designers, and using her own marketing knowledge to have Elemental meet her personal standards and get it into the hands of readers.

In doing so, she’s found a lot of satisfaction in her ability to engage directly with her readers. Putting a lot of time and effort into social media has allowed her to meet her readers where they are, and she’s seen a lot of growth due to word-of-mouth advertising, to which she attributes the majority of her sales.

It’s a lot of work, but she is motivated more than most. 

“What I focus on is becoming a bestselling author. That is what drives me. That’s what I do. That’s what I go for. And that’s what I focus all of my energy on, all my attention [on]. How is what I’m doing now going to be another step toward becoming a bestselling author? Baby steps. It’s going to take years.”

Find Whitney Hill’s books at her website, WhitneyHillWrites.com. 

The post Whitney Hill: Self-Published E-Book Awards Winner appeared first on Writer's Digest.

The dystopian book tells the story of two lovers in post-apocalyptic world, where resources are running out and suicide is encouraged by society. The lovers meet as guests at a suicide hotel, where the only way to check out is to die.

As a film school graduate, Besson has also worked on short films as well as written scripts for video games. He currently lives in Los Angeles and works as a film trailer editor for Universal Pictures. To learn more about Peter, visit his website peterbesson.com.

Can you tell me how you balance your writing life with your job?

I write whenever I can snatch a few minutes here or there, like at work when I have lunch. Everyone else usually does something else, but I write. Early in the morning and when I have time at night, I write.

It’s a struggle. I would like to write longer and more, but I need to pay the bills too. I try to write as much as I can, whether it’s 10 minutes, sometimes 15 minutes. I take my laptop everywhere, usually to sit down and write.

What is your writing process is like?

It starts with an idea. For me, I have to have some sort of understanding of what the premise is. Maybe this is coming from the elevator pitch in the film industry—I have to understand what the hook is that makes the story interesting. I do admire people that can just write about characters that are really interesting, but for me I have to understand why the world is the way it is or what the setup is.

For The Last Checkout, the impossible two lovers came together because you know they’re going to die. That was the idea, and I developed the rest of the story from that.

Where did you get the idea for The Last Checkout?

It had been molding inside of me for the longest time. For some reason, everything I write has some sort of a love story or relationship in there. I thought it would be interesting [to have a world where] suicide was actually encouraged and there was hopelessness, and to try to find the hope in that. Maybe you find the bright spark or hope or love even in the shittiest circumstances.

Why did you decide on self-publishing the book rather than traditional publishing?

I did reach out to agents and there was some interest here and there, but it kind of petered out. Then I realized that in today’s world, why not [self-publish]? I did some reading about self-publishing. I figured why not, because I do believe in the story. It’s the same as with why I made a short film—if you do believe in what you’re doing, you just have to put it out there and see what happens.

Why did you decide on the e-book format?

What were the chances of this ever going to the bookstore without a traditional publisher behind it? Without a traditional publisher behind it, getting it in the bookstore is a tough sell. Also with an e-book, a greater percentage of it goes back to the author. With the ease of getting the e-book into people’s hands, the hope is that it can reach people across the globe.

How did you create the e-book?

I went to a freelance hiring site and found a book cover designer from Spain there, who had also done some cover design work for publishing houses. I did some research on formatting and found someone who had wrote a book on e-book formatting. I also found several potential book editors through freelancing sites and chose the one whose edits were the most helpful.

Creating the book took about a year and a half from start to finish, including the writing and publishing process.

What would you say that you enjoy most about self-publishing?

The control. When you’re self-publishing, you’re not at the mercy of anybody else. You can decide what you want. If you like this cover, you can do that cover. If you like this typeset, you can do this typeset. You can set your own price and see if it works or if it doesn’t work, and you can do your own promotion.

Essentially, if you work hard at it, something will result from it. It’s entirely up to you. It’s the freedom of taking fate into your own hands and saying “I believe in this, I can push it and I can make it work.” You’re not just handing off the reigns and saying ‘You guys go.’

What advice do you have for other authors who would also like to self-publish?

Make sure that your work is the best—don’t just write the first draft, put it up and see what happens. Seek professional help, because it’s out there. There’s people who are really good at what they do. There are specialists for a reason, and I believe in finding the best fit for yourself and giving people the chance to actually add to the product, finding new things that you never thought about and getting new ideas, angles and inputs. It’s up to you to take it or leave it, but it’s up to you to get the thought process going. It’s a collaborative effort.

Is there anything that you would do differently if you were to go through the process of the creating the e-book again?

I would probably write faster. I would’ve also started writing earlier.

Is there anything else that you would like WD Readers to know?

At the end of the day, you have to just do it. If you believe in it, you have it in you and that’s the beauty of it these days. You can actually do it and you don’t have to rely on anybody else. Don’t let your inner critic kill it off. Don’t think Who am I to write a book? Who am I to do this? Why me?

Why not? There is always somebody who could do things better, of course. You can always find someone who can run faster or jump higher or be smarter, but there’s only one of you so maybe your voice is needed or wanted and desired, so just go write the book.

Call for Entries: Enter the 2019 Self-Published Book Awards today!

The post Extended Interview With Peter Besson, WD’s 6th Annual Self-Published E-Book Awards Winner appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Grand Prize

The Last Checkout by Peter Besson ($7.99, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited; $17.95 Audible), peterbesson.com.

Mystery/Thriller

First Place

Gilchrist by Christian Galacar ($4.99, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited; $19.99 paperback; $7.49 Audible), christiangalacar.com.

Honorable Mentions

The Missing Link by Moriamo A. Onabanjo ($3.99 Kindle; $10 paperback), toksbola.wixsite.com/moriamoabolanleo.

Rob the Vatican by Robert Gallant ($2.99 Kindle; $10.79 paperback; $23.27 hardcover), Stratton Press, robertgallantbooks.net.

Fantasy

First Place

Coyote Ate the Stars by E.A. Van Stralen ($4.99 Kindle; $9.99 paperback).

Honorable Mentions

The Singing Bones by Eric S. Love

Dream Waters by Erin A. Jensen ($2.99 Kindle; $12.95 paperback; $25.89 hardcover), Dream Waters Publishing LLC, blog.erinajensen.com.

Memoir

First Place

Amsterdam Exposed by David Wienir ($2.99, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited; $12.95 paperback), De Wallen Press, amsterdamexposed.com.

Honorable Mentions

Going to Wings by Sandra Worsham ($4.99 Kindle, Kindle Unlimited; $16.99 paperback), Third Lung Press, sworsham.com.

Chiseled: A Memoir of Identity, Duplicity and Divine Wine by Danuta Pfeiffer ($4.99 Kindle; $15.95 paperback; $29.95 hardcover), danutapfeiffer.com.

Young Adult

First Place

The LoveLock by Eichin Chang-Lim ($2.99, Kindle; $15.99, paperback), eichinchanglim.com.

Honorable Mentions

Are We Nuts? by Gisela Hausmann ($2.99 Kindle; $11.99 paperback), Educ-Easy Books, giselahausmann.com.

Alone Together by Robert Hill ($2.99 Kindle; $12.95 paperback), New Diamond Publishing.

Romance

First Place

Scotland’s Knight: A Rose in the Glade by Anne K. Hawkinson and Paul V. Hunter ($3.99, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited; $5.99 paperback), annehawkinson.com.

Honorable Mentions

Running the Tides by Amanda Kayhart ($0.99 Kindle, Kindle Unlimited; $9.99 paperback).

Showtime Rendezvous by C.K. Wiles ($2.99 Kindle; $7.99 paperback), ckwiles.com.

Science Fiction

First Place

Angel City Blues by Jeff Edwards ($4.95, Kindle; $14.99 paperback), Braveship Books, jeffedwardswrites.com.

Honorable Mentions

Aurora Terminus by S.E. Fanetti ($3.99 Kindle; $19.99 paperback), susanfanetti.com.

Reluctant Android by William X. Adams ($3.99 Kindle; $12.99 paperback), Psi-Fi Books, psifibooks.com.

Nonfiction

The Work at Home Training Program by Bethany Mooradian ($7.99 Kindle, Kindle Unlimited; $14.98 paperback), CreateSpace, workathomefaq.com.

Honorable Mentions

The Way of the Warrior Mama by Sally Clark ($7.99 Kindle; $10.37 paperback), The Difference Press, sallylclark.com.

Telling: A Guide to Finding Help And Healing by Telling Your Abuse Story by Dawn Scott Damon ($7.99 Kindle), dawnscottdamon.com.

Contemporary Fiction

Becoming JiJi by David R. Yale ($0.99 Kindle; $10.95 paperback), A Healthy Relationship Press, davidryale.com.

Honorable Mentions

The Gospel of Catherine Deare by Michael Colahan ($2.99 Kindle, $15.95 paperback), Telemachus, mikecolahannovels.com.

Sticks & Stones by Malcolm Ivey ($0.99 Kindle, Kindle Unlimited; $11.95 paperback), malcolmivey.com.

The post Announcing the 6th Annual Self-Published E-Book Awards Winners appeared first on Writer's Digest.