When is the next competition opening?
The next book award will launch in August.
When will the winners be announced?
We aim to announce winners by the end July.
How do I find out who has won?
Winners will be announced on our website. We also send an email out to everyone who has either entered or subscribed. Winners will also be contacted directly to receive their prize.
How do the Judges work?
We have a pool of judges that we regularly call upon. We also like to add new ones. We aim to have about three for the Book Award - this is so that we can offer a range of expertise and interests. 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 assured 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 has helped with the reading and selecting process. In fact, poetry was our first prize winner for 2014.
Is my unpublished manuscript eligible?
We do not accept unpublished books for the Book Award.
How do I nominate my book?
You need to read all the information on our website which clearly explains how to enter the award.
How much does it cost to enter?
As we are international we accept several different currencies. You will need to see this page for details of your currency. As we are based in the United Kingdom we do accept cheques but they must be in pound sterling. All other payments should be made through PayPal. You do not need a PayPal account – you just need to have your credit or debit card to hand to complete the transaction.
Will my entry arrive in time?
If your book is postmarked by the closing date then your entry will be accepted.
Should I send a physical book or an ebook?
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.
For ebook submission we accept mobi too.
Is there a publication date restriction?
No. Books can have been published in any year.
What is meant by Independent Publisher?
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. So we would not accept entries from publishers such as:
Oxford University Press; Random House; Hachette Livre; Penguin; HarperCollins; Pan Macmillan; Bloomsbury; John Wiley and Sons; Faber & Faber.
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list but should be used as a guide only.
Oxford University Press; Random House; Hachette Livre; Penguin; HarperCollins; Pan Macmillan; Bloomsbury; John Wiley and Sons; Faber & Faber.
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list but should be used as a guide only.
I have a newer version since entering can I enter the new one?
Yes but this would be counted as an additional entry, with another entry fee. Both versions will be seen by our readers and/or judges.
What if my category is not represented?
We decide which categories will be represented once we have received all the 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.
Will the named judges read all the entries?
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.
Will you comment on my entry?
Feedback is not a service that we offer.
Do you let the winners know they have won?
We will send an email out to everyone on our mailing list to let them know that the shortlist has been announced. If you do not receive this email the chances are your server is either blocking our email or it was sent to a jun folder. Sometimes this happens on one occasion but not on another. It is completely out of our control.
We also announce winners on Facebook and Twitter.
We only contact the winners who receive a prize.
We also announce winners on Facebook and Twitter.
We only contact the winners who receive a prize.
What wording do we use if we are listed or win?
We do not use the term "Finalist" as we feel this is misleading and non informative. If you are listed in your category post 2015 then you can promote yourself as being shortlisted for your category. If you win then obviously tell the world that you WON the Rubery Book Award!
Pre 2015 the lists are self explanatory on the site - if you were shortlisted then promote your work as shortlisted and if you were longlisted then use the term "longlisted".
We do not advocate the following terms: "Rubery Book Award Entrant" or a "Finalist" and we may ask you to remove this wording.
Pre 2015 the lists are self explanatory on the site - if you were shortlisted then promote your work as shortlisted and if you were longlisted then use the term "longlisted".
We do not advocate the following terms: "Rubery Book Award Entrant" or a "Finalist" and we may ask you to remove this wording.
Why do you charge an entry fee? I consider it to be expensive.
Most competitions will charge an entry fee unless they have financial backing from a major company or it is a business model, like Amazon, that makes money elsewhere to make their competition work.
In the UK it is common to charge £10 for a short story sometimes with a maximum of 2500 words. We consider our entry fees offer better value when comparing on a cost per word basis for both the Book Award and the short story competition.
However, to break things down a little more:
We have to take into consideration the number of costs we have. These include but are not limited to: administrative staff, prize money, plaques, payment to our readers and securing well-respected judges, posting the books and plaques out, website costs as well as paying for the anthology for the short story competition and artist.
There is a lot happening behind the scenes here. We feel that the entry fee is fair given the time involved in reading and considering entires (some will be read more than once). The fees are not as large as those requested by the BookTrust or by other competitions when an author is shortlisted. For example, WH Smiths requests £25,000 for a book that is selected by the new Richard and Judy book club (correct figures in 2010). These extra costs that publishers are expected to pay are not generally publicised but they exclude authors and independent publishers who cannot afford these prices. We feel that our entry fees are more reasonable and obtainable for authors and publishers with a modest budget.
In the UK it is common to charge £10 for a short story sometimes with a maximum of 2500 words. We consider our entry fees offer better value when comparing on a cost per word basis for both the Book Award and the short story competition.
However, to break things down a little more:
We have to take into consideration the number of costs we have. These include but are not limited to: administrative staff, prize money, plaques, payment to our readers and securing well-respected judges, posting the books and plaques out, website costs as well as paying for the anthology for the short story competition and artist.
There is a lot happening behind the scenes here. We feel that the entry fee is fair given the time involved in reading and considering entires (some will be read more than once). The fees are not as large as those requested by the BookTrust or by other competitions when an author is shortlisted. For example, WH Smiths requests £25,000 for a book that is selected by the new Richard and Judy book club (correct figures in 2010). These extra costs that publishers are expected to pay are not generally publicised but they exclude authors and independent publishers who cannot afford these prices. We feel that our entry fees are more reasonable and obtainable for authors and publishers with a modest budget.