Welcome back to our Tuesday segment, where we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular posts from the last few years.  What’s stayed the same?  And what’s changed?  We’ll be updating you on the facts, and taking a new (and hopefully refreshing) angle on a few timeless classics of Self Publishing Advisor.

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[ Originally posted: May 15th, 2013 ]

Later this week, on May 18th, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) EVVY Awards will be hosting the 2013 award banquet. The event will take place at Marriott Denver South at Park Meadows and all proceeds will benefit the literacy projects of the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation (CIPA ELF).

CIPA is a nonprofit association of independent book publishers, authors, future authors and related publishing service providers that has been providing leadership since 1992. Members come from many states as well as from Colorado and three foreign countries to take advantage of the resources made available through CIPA membership. Organization membership, along with active participation in CIPA programs, can open doors to many opportunities and can save thousands of dollars in costly mistakes.

Best of luck to all the finalists! To learn more about the event, visit http://www.cipacatalog.com/pages/CIPA-EVVY-Awards.

– by Kelly Schuknecht

It’s been a long time since we’ve mentioned the Cipa Evvy Awards, an unforgivable lapse given that the EVVYs are one of independent publishing’s few (and most prestigious) award competitions.  Talk about a shortfall!  The world of traditional publishing is rife with similar awards (or as my dad would say, “It’s right lousy with ’em.”) and while yes, they’re sometimes the hallmark of snootiness and a competitive dynamic that self-publishing authors have for the most part eschewed, but they can also be a fantastic marketing tool.

Not only does winning an award create another cross-searchable entry in your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy; not only does winning an award gain you recognition from those present at the awards ceremony and throughout the judging process; not only does winning an award give you a great new addition to your book’s listing on Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere that will boost your profile among new potential readers; not only does winning an award give you a great excuse to re-release your book in a new e-book or physical edition (after all, an award notice makes for a great new feature of your cover design); not only does winning an award do all of these things, but it also provides affirmation of your hard work and conversation fodder for the rest of your life.

The 2016 CIPA EVVY Awards differed, of course, a little from their 2013 ancestors. (And I’m not just speaking about the contest entries themselves.)  The EVVYs closed to entries this year in May and the Awards Banquet was held in August.  (August 20th, to be precise.)  In a gesture to its own growing profiles, the banquet wasn’t held in a hotel this year, but in a museum–the Forney Museum of Transportation.  (A beautiful place if you haven’t been.)

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By all accounts, the awards themselves were a blast.  I take great pride in knowing that the self-publishing company I and several other of the bloggers here at SPA  work for (Outskirts Press) made the list of winners–regularly–and that we are in very good company.  Take a look at the list of all the 2016 CIPA EVVY winners!  Scan through the list of author names, and through their publishers.  I’ve never seen such a diverse list of hybrid and self-publishing companies, D.I.Y.-ers, and interesting book titles.

Clearly, I have some new reading material to get through!

Thanks for reading.  If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.  Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can.  ♠

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog, kellyschuknecht.com.