Awards and Distinctions that Every Book Writer Should Aspire to

Getting published is one thing, having people love your books is another. Most writers write because it is what they do best but being recognized in your industry for the great job that you’ve been doing so far can be the icing on the cake for a few lucky writers. Even a nomination to these book awards means a great deal but wouldn’t it feel even better to have your name and your book lauded by literary critics as the best in its genre?

Man Booker Prize

The Man Booker Prize is awarded each year to the best full-length novel published in English. It was established in 1968 and since then, it has provided awardees and even its nominees international renown. Some of the more notable winners of the Booker Prize include Kazuo Ishiguro for ‘The Remains of the Day’ (1989) and Kiran Desai for ‘The Inheritance of Loss’ (2006). This prize is limited to authors from the Commonwealth of Nations and the Republic of Ireland. However, there is one other type of award based on this body, the Man Booker International Prize, that authors from other parts of the world may contend for. This was inaugurated in 2005.

Caldecott Medal

If you’re a children’s book author, you may aspire to the Caldecott Medal, an award for the best children’s picture book that is given yearly by the Association of Library Service in the US. Some of the most popular winners of the Caldecott include ‘The Polar Express’ by Chris Van Allsburg (1982) and ‘Jumanji’ (1982).

National Book Award

In the National Book Award, you can compete in four different categories if you have published a book in the previous year. These are: fiction, non-fiction, poetry and young people’s literature. Aside from bragging rights for having your book lauded by this award-giving body, you could also take home the $10,000 cash prize awarded to every winner in each category, as well as increases in sales of your book.

National Book Critics Circle Award

Founded in 1974 and with more than 700 active book reviewers, the National Book Critics Circle Award is another one of those prestigious awards that you should aim for no matter which literary genre your book belongs to. It is an annual award given to five different literary categories – fiction, general nonfiction, biography or autobiography, poetry and criticism. Kazuo Ishiguro bagged a diction in the fiction category for ‘Never Let Me Go’ from this award giving body in 2005.

Newberry Medal

The Newberry Medal is probably the most prestigious award that any children’s book could ever get. The award is given annually by the US Association for Library Service to Children. Some of the more notable winners for this award include Lois Lowry for ‘The Giver’ (1994) and ‘Bridge to Terabithia’ by Katherine Paterson (1978).

Nobel Prize for Literature

If you want to be included among the likes of Ernest Hemmingway, Octavio Paz and Herman Hesse, you will want to set your sights even higher and aim for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Established in 1895 through the Nobel Foundation, this award-giving body is highly acclaimed all over the world. It is simply the greatest award that any author can have.

PEN/Faulkner Award

Named after fiction writer William Faulkner, the PEN/Faulkner Award is given to great works of fiction. The winners are determined by a panel of judges that consist of fiction writers. Some notable winners of this award include Ha Jin for ‘War Trash’ (2005), and ‘Independence Day’ by Richard Ford (1996).

Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer is another prestigious award-giving body established in 1971 and recognizing great works in journalism, letters, drama and music. Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” is just one of the most notable winners of this award in the fiction category.

There are several other book awards that you could set your sights on. This article has only mentioned some of the best known ones in the US and around the world. Learn more about anything and everything to do with books here at Books Buyer. Be an informed buyer and browse further into this website or contribute your own thoughts on books that have influenced you.