top of page
Frequently asked questions
General
We aim to announce winners by the end July.
We announce winners on our website and send an email to all subscribers. Winners are also contacted directly to receive their prize.
We have a pool of judges that we regularly call upon. We also like to add new ones. We usually have two for the Book Award. However, previous judges that are not necessarily listed as a judge for one specific year are often still called upon as readers. So you can be sure that if your category is not represented by the named judges your work will be read by someone with an interest in your area. An example of this is poet Jeff Phelps, who in 2014 was not a judge but helped with the reading and selecting process. In fact, poetry was our first prize winner for 2014.
We do not accept unpublished books for the Book Award.
You need to read all the information on our website which clearly explains how to enter the award.
As we are international we accept several different currencies. You will need to see the entry page for details of currencies. Select a currency to pay in and the entry form will load for you to fill in and make the payment.
If your book is postmarked by the closing date then your entry will be accepted.
Currently we prefer to receive both if possible. If you don't have an ebook version we would greatly appreciate it if you could upload your Final copy, for example in a Word document... or if you prefer a PDF.
For ebook submission we accept mobi too.
No, there are no restrictions. Your book can have been published in any year.
The premise of what we do is to give well-deserved recognition to authors of independent publishers and self publishers. Big publishing houses do not need us to give them recognition - they can afford to pay the large entry fees to enter prestigious awards or be placed on tables of book shops.
We would not accept entries from publishers such as:
Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Hachette Book Group, and Simon & Schuster.
Yes but this would be counted as an additional entry, with another entry fee. Both versions will be registered and seen by our readers and/or judges.
We decide which categories will be represented once we have received all entries. Please don't worry though, your book will be judged on its own merit and the correct category. We may not be able to represent ALL categories to give prizes to as it depends greatly on the quality and quantity of entries received. If your book is in a category that is not represented in the final line-up please be assured that it was not at a disadvantage at all and was judged in the category it was entered under.
While every entry is given careful consideration our judges cannot read all the books entered. Our experienced readers assist our judges so you can be sure that each book has been carefully considered.
Feedback is not a service that we offer.
We send an email to everyone on our mailing list to announce the shortlist. If you don't receive it, your server might be blocking our email or it went to your junk folder. We also announce winners on Facebook and Twitter. Only prize winners are contacted directly.
Most competitions charge an entry fee unless they have financial backing from a major company or a business model like Amazon. In the UK, it's common to charge £10 for a short story with a maximum of 2500 words. We believe our entry fees offer better value on a cost-per-word basis for the Book Award. Our costs include administrative staff, prize money, plaques, payment to readers and judges, postage, and website maintenance. We feel the entry fee is fair given the time involved in reading and considering entries. Our fees are more reasonable compared to other competitions, making them accessible for authors and publishers with a modest budget.
The next book award will launch in September.
Here is the page to our terms and conditions. (https://www.ruberybookaward.com/blank-3)
bottom of page
