Back for the third year, the hugely popular UK Selfies book awards – powered by trade journal BookBrunch – will add a third category of adult memoirs/autobiography to the existing categories of adult fiction and children’s books for 2021. Sponsored by IngramSpark® and supported by The London Book Fair and Nielsen Book, these awards recognise the authors who self-publish their own work, one of the fastest growing parts of the book market. Submissions are now open and the closing date will be Friday 1st January 2021. Shortlists will be announced at the end of February, and the Selfies Awards for 2021 in all three categories will be announced in Spring 2021.
Originally launched in the UK in 2018, this exciting initiative uncovers new talent and rewards the very best self-published authors each year. The inaugural Selfies Award in 2019 was presented to Jane Davis for her adult novel Smash all the Windows. In 2020, the winner of the adult category was Clare Flynn with her historical love story The Pearl of Penang, and Jemma Hatt took home the children’s prize for her middle-grade escapade The Adventurers and the Cursed Castle.
‘These awards have uncovered some tremendous self-published titles’, said Jo Henry of BookBrunch, ‘and we’re delighted to be back for a third year to reward great fiction and children’s books, and with a new category for people to enter.’
‘Winning the 2020 Children’s Selfies Awards for The Adventurers and the Cursed Castle was a huge honour and receiving recognition from industry leaders really helped to boost my confidence’, said Jemma Hatt, adding: ‘Since the Awards I have expanded my readership exponentially and have secured representation from a foreign rights agency to reach even more readers internationally. I would encourage all indie writers to consider entering The Selfies. Lots of luck to all of this year’s entrants!’
‘I was absolutely thrilled to have won the Selfies Adult Fiction award”, said Clare Flynn. ‘Getting recognition for both my writing and my marketing is a great tribute and I was honoured to have been the recipient of the prize, particularly knowing the very high standard of the other shortlisted books and writers. I’m delighted to say that The Pearl of Penang has since become my top-selling book and has garnered multiple best seller rankings across different countries. Thanks to the judges for selecting The Pearl of Penang and to the award sponsors for making such an important contribution to advancing the reputation of indie publishing.’
‘We are honoured to once again be a part of the Selfie Awards UK’, said Paige Allen, Director of IngramSpark, ‘and we are impassioned by the channels that highlight the unheard voices and unread stories in self-publishing.’
The cash prize for each category is £750 plus a profile in BookBrunch and the option of a special publishing deal provided by sponsors IngramSpark®. In addition, all shortlisted authors will receive free membership of the Author HQ club at the London Book Fair 2021. Comprising a theatre and networking area, Author HQ provides a forum for discussions on approaches to publishing and includes networking events and ‘how-to’ style panels.
What the judges are looking for:
• A fantastic story that entertains and delights the reader
• A well-produced book
• An enticing cover and blurb that successfully addresses the target audience
• An effective and creative marketing and publicity strategy that has the potential for great sales
All titles submitted need to have been published in English between January and December 2020 and entries will only be accepted from authors based in the UK who are predominantly or only self-published, i.e. where the author themselves acts as the publisher/creative director.
In order to register, authors should go to www.bookbrunch.co.uk, click on the subscribe button and select the 6 month subscription box, using the code SELFIES2021-ADULTFICTION if submitting a title in the adult category, SELFIES2021-CHILDRENS if submitting a title in the children’s category and SELFIES2021-ADULTMEMOIR if submitting a title for the memoir/autobiography category. The fee of £25 per title will include a six-month subscription to BookBrunch (normal price £60).
The sister Selfies book awards in the U.S. will be opening for submissions on 1st January 2021. For more information please see www.theselfies.co.uk for the UK awards, or www.selfiesbookawards.com for the US awards.