Self-Published Book Awards

ENTER NOW! Writer’s Digest’s Self-Published Book Awards is currently accepting submissions. This is the only Writer’s Digest competition exclusively for self-published books.

Author:
Tara Johnson
Publish date:
May 14, 2023

WD-Selfpub-2025-LaunchImages-1100x615-EB

EARLY-BIRD DEADLINE: APRIL 1, 2025

Whether you’re a professional writer, a part-time freelancer or a self-starting student, here’s your chance to enter the premier self-published competition exclusively for self-published books. Writer’s Digest hosts the 33rd annual self-published competition—the Annual Self-Published Book Awards. This self-published competition spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors.

Prizes

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

$10,000 in cash
An interview with them in Writer’s Digest (March/April 2026 issue) and on WritersDigest.com
A paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a special trophy presentation at the keynote
A coveted pitch opportunity where the winner will receive one on one attention from editors or agents
Publication of an excerpt from their winning book on WritersDigest.com

One First Prize winner in each category will receive:

$1,000 in cash
Their name and the winning book's title published in Writer’s Digest (March/April 2026 issue) and on WritersDigest.com

All Grand Prize and First Prize winners will also receive:

A one-year subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest magazine
A one-year subscription to Writer’s Digest Tutorials
20% discount off of purchases made at Writer’s Digest University
A special graphic recognizing their winning status

Honorable Mention Recipients will receive promotion on www.writersdigest.com and a special graphic for use in promoting your selection.

All entrants will receive a brief commentary from one of the judges.

How to Enter

ENTERING IS EASY!

Create your free Submittable account by clicking the SUBMIT button. If you already have a Submittable account, simply log in!

*NEW* You can now compete in multiple WD competitions with a single login! Check back often for an updated list of competitions.

When you are ready to submit your work to the WD Self-Published Book Awards, you’ll want to have the following information available:

Your contact information (be careful that the information provided is accurate). Time sensitive information such as credits and contact information (for prize distribution) is taken directly from the submission form. Due to the nature of deadlines, corrections to this information are not guaranteed.

Your SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDS COMPETITION submission information (see the PREPARING YOUR ENTRY tips for more information).

Your method of payment (see the ENTRY PRICING, SUBMISSION DEADLINES AND WINNER NOTIFICATION page for tips for all pricing and deadlines).

Preparing Your Entry

Important & Helpful Information Prior to Entering

Review the specific competition prospectus. Each competitions prospectus is provided as an easy to follow PDF; they can be found on a specific competitions main page. Click here to view all competitions which are currently accepting submissions: https://www.writersdigest.com/wd-competitions
Have your necessary information available when you are ready to submit your entry.
All entries must be submitted online through Submittable. If you already have a Submittable account, simply log in!
Please be sure that the email address that you provide will be valid throughout the competition span. Competition related updates and winner notifications are sent via: email. Please type carefully, and list only one valid email address. Check your spelling carefully including all login information, email addresses etc. Incorrect email addresses may result in the transmission of important information being delayed and/or unsuccessful. Be sure that our email addresses (both Writer’s Digest and Submittable) are not blocked, or you may not receive critical information, receipts, confirmations etc. Check your SPAM folder for any expected but unaccounted for email communications.
Once an entry has been submitted, no edits, replacements or exchanges will be accepted. If you wish to submit an edited or revised version of a previously submitted entry, you may enter it as a new submission (you may wish to edit the title slightly as well so that you can differentiate them).
The submitter is who we will refer to as the author, and who we will contact with any questions, updates etc. If the submitter and the author are not the same, please indicate accordingly in parenthesis, on the submitter name line. If you write under a pen name, please indicate.
Check your spelling carefully including all login information, email addresses etc. Incorrect email addresses may result in transmission of important information being delayed and/or unsuccessful.
Be sure that neither Writer’s Digest or Submittable email addresses are blocked. Blocking either address, including marking either as Spam or Junk, will prohibit you from receiving competition related updates, critical information, receipts, confirmations, etc.
If you write under a pen name, or if there are multiple authors, please indicate names on PEN NAME line of the submission form.
Writer’s Digest assumes all entries are original and are the works and property of the entrant, with all rights granted therein.
Writer’s Digest is not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the entrant and will not become involved in copyright disputes.
Writer's Digest reserves the right to reject work deemed unsuitable for publication or that does not meet all named criteria.
Winner Notification dates refer to the date that all winners will be notified by.
Non-Winner Notification: Entrants not selected as winners will not be notified individually; non-winners will be emailed a competition status update in the weeks following the winner notification date. If you enter multiple times, please excuse duplicate emails, as you may receive an email for each separate entry.
All entries must be submitted online. Only the Self-Published Book Awards accepts physical mail, as physical books are reviewed (see prospectus for details).
Entry fees may be paid online by credit/debit card (MC, V, AMEX & DISC) or PayPal.
All deadlines are at 11:59 PM EST, on the specified date. This is the date that all related materials (when applicable) must be shipped by as well. Mailed in entries/materials must deliver within 5 days of the current posted entry deadline, as listed on the website at the time of your submission

Category Selection

Select the category that best represents your entry. If the judges feel that another category is more appropriate, we will switch the category for you, on your behalf.

Mainstream Fiction and Literary Fiction: For the sake of separating them entirely from genre fiction, are combined into their own category. Literary fiction is generally more concerned with style and characterization, and may be paced more slowly than commercial fiction. It usually centers on a timeless, complex theme. Mainstream fiction is usually faster paced, with a stronger plot line (and more events and/or higher stakes). Characterization may not be as central to the story and the theme may be more obvious than literary fiction. The category of both of these two indicates that the book would generally appeal to a larger audience and isn't confined by the rules and structure you might see in a typical genre.
Genre Fiction: Includes all sub-genres such as Romance, Horror, Science Fiction, Humor, etc.
Nonfiction/Reference: General Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Guidebooks, Textbooks, How-To etc.
Inspirational/Self-Help: Spiritual, New Age etc.
Memoirs/Life Stories: Biographies, Autobiographies, Family Histories etc.
Early Readers/Children’s Picture Books: Stories told through a combination of text and pictures, generally written for children.
Middle Grade/Young Adult: Stories written for a young audience but not told through a combination of text and pictures.

Entry Method Options/Preparing Your Entry

Entrants must send a printed and bound book. PDF’s, galley proofs, ARCs, etc. are not accepted. E-book versions should be submitted into the WD E-book Awards; you may enter the same book in both competitions.
All books must be registered online and accompanied by payment. Be sure that the submitter name on the official entry form is the same as the author name (as published).
Please remember to mail a copy of your book to our office upon completion of the online form. Books should be postmarked within 5 business days of the posted entry deadline at the time of submission and should arrive within 5 days of the postmark date.
Delivery confirmations must be tracked by the author; we are not able to confirm deliveries (this includes entries being shipped on behalf of the author).
If you are having your book shipped on your behalf, submit your entry form & payment online. Be certain that the book is shipped to the complete & exact address as is listed on the entry form; we also recommend that you request tracking information as we are not able to confirm delivery of packages.
Mailed in entries can take up to 60 days (after the entry deadline) to process.

Rules

The competition is open to all English-language self-published books for which the authors have paid the full cost of publication, or the cost of printing has been paid for by a grant or as part of a prize.
Entrants must send a printed and bound book*. No handwritten books are accepted. It is preferred that you include a copy of your submission form with your book. If your book is shipping direct from the publisher however, we understand that it may not be possible. Please do not email forms separately as they cannot be matched with your package.
All books published or revised and reprinted between 2020 and 2025 are eligible. (Writer’s Digest may demand proof of eligibility of semifinalists.) If a book has been revised and republished, the copyright page MUST indicate that the revision occurred and the year it was republished. Any AI-generated or AI-assisted work will NOT be considered.
Entries will be evaluated on content, writing quality and overall quality of production and appearance. Judges commentaries are final. A judge's commentary is based on their opinion and experience in the entered category. Their thoughts are not to be a wholesale condemnation or appraisal of the book. Please remember that all commentary should be taken with this understanding.
All books must be registered online. You may enter more than one book and/or more than one category; however, you must include a separate book, entry form and the additional fee for each entry.
Judges reserve the right to re-categorize entries.
Payment of entry fees must be received before a title is forwarded to the judging panel.
Refunds are not provided for disqualified, withdrawn or non-winning entries.
The following are not permitted to enter the contest, neither under their legal names nor pen names: employees of Active Interest Media and their immediate family members; Writer's Digest contributing editors and columnists; and Writer’s Digest instructors for online courses and live webinars. Grand Prize-winning authors from this and other WD competitions, within the three years of being awarded, are not eligible. Previous top winning books from this and other WD competitions are ineligible except in the case of substantial rewrites. Books selected as Honorable Mention recipients may enter.
Ineligible entries will be disqualified.
If the Grand Prize Winner accepts the Writer's Digest Conference portion of their prize they must agree to travel (flying round-trip from the same city) during the conference dates in 2026. This prize includes airfare, hotel and conference registration.
Winners must provide an appropriate tax form (W9 or W8BEN) in order to receive their cash awards. If the forms are not received within 60 days of the request date, cash awards may be forfeited.
Writer’s Digest is not responsible for the loss, damage or return of any books submitted to the competition.
Due to U.S. Government restrictions, we are unable to accept entries from Syria, Iran, North Korea, or Crimea.

Pricing and Deadlines

All entry fees are due in U.S. Dollars. Entry fees can be paid by credit card/debit card (MC, V, AMEX & DISC) or PayPal.

Early-Bird Deadline: April 1, 2025

First entry—$100
Each additional entry—$85

Deadline: May 1, 2025

First entry—$125
Each additional entry—$110

Additional entry discounts only apply after submitting and checking out your first entry. All deadlines are at 11:59 PM EST, on the specified date. All payments must be submitted at the time of entry.

Discounts apply to a single author only; third party submissions do not qualify for this discount.

Judging and Notification

Every qualified entry will be read by the judges. Judges’ decisions are final. Judges reserve the right to re-categorize entries.
Entries must be submitted online (11:59 pm EST) or postmarked by May 1, 2025; all books must deliver within 5 days of the final deadline. Books cannot be returned. For proof of delivery, please track your package with your shipper – we are not able to confirm individual deliveries. Please note that it may take up to 60 days after the deadline for all entries to be opened and sent to the judges.
If the Grand Prize Winner accepts the Writer's Digest Conference portion of their prize, they must agree to travel (flying round-trip from the same city) during the conference dates in 2026. This prize includes airfare, hotel and conference registration.
Winners must provide an appropriate tax form (W9 or W8BEN) in order to receive their cash awards. If the forms are not received within 60 days of the request date, cash awards may be forfeited.
The following are not permitted to enter the contest, neither under their legal names nor pen names: employees of Active Interest Media and their immediate family members; Writer’s Digest Books authors; Writer's Digest contributing editors and columnists; and Writer’s Digest instructors for online courses and live webinars. Grand Prize Winners from the previous three years are not eligible. Ineligible entries will be disqualified. Books that have previously won awards from Writer’s Digest are not eligible.
Top Award Winners will be notified on or before October 17, 2025. The top winners will be listed in the March/April 2026 issue of Writer’s Digest. All winners’ names will be listed on www.writersdigest.com after the March/April issue is published. Commentaries will be sent to entrants by December 9, 2025.

Still have questions?

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