My novel To Love Mercy has now won five awards – most recently the Eric Hoffer Award (“Notable Book”), and not one but two Indie Excellence Awards (“Finalist” in two categories, Historical Fiction and Multicultural Fiction). I’m proud, pleased and a bit perplexed.

These contests give small-press (like me) and self-published authors a shot at becoming less obscure, and for that God bless ‘em. For the price of the entry fee, usually around $40 though sometimes approaching $100, we get the chance to outshine other entrants and raise our profiles.

But none of these contests is the Pulitzer or the National Book Award. I mean, who ever heard of the “DIY Convention”? And so far I’ve been a bridesmaid but never a bride – To Love Mercy has been a runner-up, a finalist, an honorable mention, but has yet to win a first place.

I was overjoyed at the first victory, but by the third or fourth I was getting a bit bummed. Then I realized there’s strength in numbers. Five wins of any kind is probably as prestigious as one first prize.

How reputable are these contests? It’s hard to tell (though it may not matter). They don’t identify the judges, and at least two contest sponsors – a firm called JM Northern Media LLC and a firm called JPX Media – seem to be in it primarily for the money.

JM Northern Media, run by a former music journalist named Bruce Haring (I Googled him), sponsors the DIY Convention, the Hollywood Book Festival and the New York Book Festival. It gets a “Not Recommended - Charges Fee” rating from Preditors & Editors, a fabulous writer-scam website (www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/). Nevertheless, I’ve entered all three of their contests. I’m a winner in DIY, struck out in Hollywood, and am pending in New York.

JPX Media is run by an Arizona PR firm and also sponsors the USABookNews awards, of which I just learned. I missed the deadline for this one or I’d probably have applied too. Preditors lists nothing on JPX.

The Eric Hoffer Award, formerly called Writers Notes (glad they changed name to EH!), is sponsored by a firm called Hopewell Publications LLC. Hopewell, Titusville NJ, is run by an author named Christopher Klim, author (I Googled him too) of several books including a “mainstream adventure-comedy” with the great title Jesus Lives in Trenton. Although apparently run for profit, this contest seems to be the most reputable, altruistic and prestigious of those entered so far. It gives its winners a lot more support (stickers, website graphics, library mailings) than JM and JPX do. Preditors lists nothing on Hopewell, Eric Hoffer or Writers Notes.

ReaderViews is a thriving website run by a nice lady in Texas named Irene Watson. I’ve been aware of them for several years. I sent Irene To Love Mercy for review and she sent it to a reviewer who hated it. She contacted me out of concern and asked whether I really wanted to go through with the review. I told her there must be some mistake, just look at all those five-star Amazon reviews. Irene said she’d find a different reviewer. The second reviewer, Cyndy Zoch, wrote a rave you can read at www.readerviews.com/ReviewJosephToLoveMercy.html

ReaderViews also posted Cyndy Zoch’s review on Amazon (www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0974478539/sr=8-1/qid=1177944780/ref=cm_cr_dp_2_1/104-8044709-7112717?ie=UTF8&customer-reviews.sort%5Fby=-SubmissionDate&n=283155&qid=1177944780&sr=8-1)
– a very nice service indeed — and entered To Love Mercy in their contest on the basis of that great review. They’re a for-profit company but I’ve enjoyed great treatment from them.

Names mean a lot. “Eric Hoffer” sounds a lot better than “DIY Convention.” “Winner, New York Book Festival” has a great ring too. If I win the New York Book Festival, you can bet I’m going to trumpet it to the skies, even though it’s from the slightly suspect JM Northern Media.

Several other pending contests could be big too. My publisher Patrick Grace entered To Love Mercy in two contests. One is the Publishers Marketing Assn.’s “Ben Franklin Awards,” which carry a great deal of prestige among independent publishers (the award has a great name too). Patrick’s company, Publishers Place Inc., is a PMA member. Patrick also entered To Love Mercy in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards. ForeWord (”Reviews of Good Books Independently Published”) is a respected magazine aimed principally (I think) at librarians. These contests probably are more prestigious than those previously entered. Both are pending.

No award to date is as meaningful as the fact that my novel has gone into a second printing. Believe it or not, most novels — even those from Simon & Schuster — don’t do as well or sell as many copies, as To Love Mercy has since it was published one year ago.

The 22 reviews averaging five stars that are posted to date on Amazon (www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0974478539/sr=8-1/qid=1177944780/ref=cm_cr_dp_2_1/104-8044709-7112717?ie=UTF8&customer-reviews.sort%5Fby=-SubmissionDate&n=283155&qid=1177944780&sr=8-1) may be the most meaningful of all. Even though (or maybe because) they’re written by amateurs, Amazon reviews really cut ice with readers.

Even so … just once, I’d like to win a first prize.

Frank Joseph
www.tolovemercy.com

P.S. To buy Mother’s Day gifts of To Love Mercy signed by Ye Author, please visit http://tolovemercy.com/to_love_mercy_online_sales.html. You can also view all five contest winners and the Hoffer Award while you’re there (click on “About the Book”).

P.P.S. Not to beat Don Imus to death (he’s dead already), but I misspoke on two subjects in prior postings:

– Federal regulation of satellite radio: Unless XM and Sirius have a very long cable from that satellite overhead, they’re using licensed, regulated spectrum just like ABC, CBS and NBC. Thanks to intrepid correspondents Dave Beal, Tom Woodall Paul Baker for correcting me.

– Terminology: No. 1 Son Sam Joseph points out my misuse of the term “censorship”: “It’s only censorship if the government stops Imus from talking,” notes Sam. Thanks a lot, kid. And here I’ve been telling you all these years that I’m the Word Man.