DEINCEPTION AWARDS UPDATE

Book Awards Roundup Part VI

As promised, here is an update on my awards submissions and progress for DEINCEPTION, book 2 of the REINCEPTION TRILOGY!

If you are unfamiliar with my book award journey, you can find comprehensive reviews of book awards that I submitted for and recommend in my previous substack posts.

However, to recap briefly, REINCEPTION won more than 10 awards. Not having understood the awards landscape when I started submitting REINCEPTION, I cast a wide net and learned a ton about the book award process. I shared those learnings in a series of five comprehensive Substack posts where I reviewed only those awards that I recommend based on their competitiveness, publicized judging criteria and how well they promote award-winners. I did not review any award programs that I do not recommend. Anything I’ve written about, I recommend.

For DEINCEPTION, I applied for far fewer awards than for REINCEPTION. First, I only submitted to those programs that I had an excellent experience with the first time around. Second, winning awards for the middle book in a series is much more difficult. The book has to stand alone well enough to be judged worthy of a prize without the context of the first book. With that in mind, I’m extremely please with how well DEINCEPTION is doing and very proud to get the recognition I have, which tells me that I published a middle book in a series that stands well enough on its own to merit praise!

I also submitted my short story THE PATCHWORK MAN for two awards, which I will touch on here as well.

Here are the awards that I have submitted DEINCEPTION for along with how it’s doing. I linked to some of my previous reviews if you want a more comprehensive review of these particular awards.

ERIC HOFFER AWARDS

(SEE BOOK AWARDS ROUNDUP PART III)

I submitted DEINCEPTION for an Eric Hoffer Award based on the prestige and neutrality of this award. These are the premier global awards for books from academic, small and micro presses and self-published authors. Their mission is to amplify books that “honor freethinking writers and independent books of exceptional merit.”

Given the competitiveness of these awards, I thought that winning would be a long shot for a middle of the series book. I got an amazing surprise when DEINCEPTION was a finalist in two judge nominated categories—these are categories for which you cannot submit your own novel, but rather they are nominated by judges for special consideration.

DeInception was a finalist for a MONTAIGNE MEDAL for most thought-provoking books. The medal is awarded to those books that “illuminate, progress, or redirect thought.” More than anything, I want this trilogy to make people question their beliefs and consider unintended outcomes. This recognition has special significance for me as it gives me some objective support that I have succeeded.

It was also a finalist for a DA VINCI EYE AWARD for superior cover artwork. Working with a small press means that I had a lot of say in and influence over the cover designs for these books. I was so proud to have the cover recognized for a distinction!

CIBA AWARDS (CYGNUS AND SEA)

(SEE BOOK AWARDS ROUNDUP PART II)

REINCEPTION was a first place winner for the CIBA Cygnus Awards for excellence in Science Fiction. I submitted DEINCEPTION based on my excellent experience with the CIBAs around communication and promotion. They provide regular updates and announcements of books they are considering. Their process of winnowing down the books in contention for awards lends itself to regular promotion. (When I first wrote about this award, I was a finalist, but went on to win a First Place category award). They also have clear criteria for submissions and I liked that they offer some categories that are unique to their awards. So if you are writing in some kind of niche genre, the CIBAs might be for you.

DEINCEPTION is currently shortlisted for a CIBA Cygnus and still in the running for a bigger prize!

Based on my great experience, I also submitted my sci-horror short story, “The Patchwork Man” from the ALL ROADS LEAD TO HELL anthology for consideration for the CIBA SEA awards for Short Stories, Essays and Novellas. I’m proud to announce that “Patchwork Man” is currently also shortlisted for an award and still in the running!

IAN AWARDS (INDEPENDENT AUTHOR NETWORK)

(SEE BOOK AWARDS ROUNDUP PART IV)

Another award I re-entered based on reputability in the space is the IAN awards. The IANs are Recommended by the AIA Book Awards and Contest Ratings for their clear criteria and guidelines and for the lack of upselling. While they had less follow-on promotion than some other awards, they promote winners to their extensive network of subscribers. I just found out this week that DEINCEPTION was a finalist in the category for Fiction: Science Fiction/Dystopia/Post-Apocalyptic.

STILL WAITING AND NO DICE

Other awards that I submitted for and did not win this time around were the IPPY Awards and the IBPA awards. These are both very prestigious and selective awards that I highly recommend.

I also submitted for my first Stoker Award in the category Short Fiction for “The Patchwork Man.” These are the premier awards for horror and I’ve never been through this process before. I will let you know how it goes!

If there are awards that you are invested in knowing about or you have a reward experience that you’d like to share, especially in a genre other that science fiction that I might not be aware of, please let me know! I’d love to share your experience with my readers!