For the past 15 years, the Annual Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards has celebrated and rewarded self-published authors for their finest work. And this year is no exception! This year’s competition is now accepting entries, and authors are invited to enter for the chance to win $3,000 cash and national exposure for their books. There will be more than $15,000 in cash and prizes awarded in all.

Entrants can compete and win in nine categories: Mainstream/Literary Fiction; Inspirational (Spiritual, New Age); Reference (Directories, Encyclopedias, Guide Books, How-to, Travel, etc.); Genre Fiction; Nonfiction; Life Stories (Autobiographies, Biographies, Family Histories, Memoirs); Children’s Picture Books; Middle-Grade/Young Adult Books; and Poetry.

One grand-prize winner receives $3,000 cash, promotion in Writer’s Digest and Publishers Weekly, and marketing advice from self-publishing guru Dan Poynter. Plus, the editors of Writer’s Digest will endorse and submit 10 copies of the Grand Prize-Winning book to major reviewers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, and an excerpt will be printed in Writer’s Digest. In addition, Book Marketing Works, LLC provides a one-year membership in Publishers Marketing Association, a customized Book Market Map™ Directory, guaranteed distribution to bookstores and libraries through Baker & Taylor, six hours of book shepherding from Poynter Book Shepherd Ellen Reid, an all-day PublishingGame.com workshop with Fern Reiss, and a guaranteed review in Midwest Book Review.

Nine First-Place Winners receive $1,000 cash and promotion in Writer’s Digest. In addition, Book Marketing Works, LLC provides a guaranteed review in Midwest Book Review and a copy of Fern Reiss’s book The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days.

All Grand-Prize and First-Place winners also receive book-jacket seals promoting the award-winning status of their book, promotion on the Writer’s Digest Web site, a copy of The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, 4^th Edition by Tom and Marilyn Ross, $100 worth of Writer’s Digest Books, and a Notable Award Certificate.

Plus, the competition offers all entrants an exclusive opportunity to promote their self-published books. All authors who submit entries are guaranteed a brief judge’s commentary and a listing with a link to their book on the Writer’s Digest Web site (provided an accurate URL is written on the Entry Form).

The competition is open to all English-language books (published or revised and reprinted in 2005, 2006 or 2007) 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.

Please click here for more information about the Self-Published Book Awards, including contest guidelines and an official entry form.

The deadline to enter is May 1, 2007.