No matter how thrilled I might have been perceived, I thought my final paragraph on yesterdays post was obvious in summing up the way I really feel about literary awards in general, but apparently not. I’ve been receiving them for over a decade now, some legit, some not-so-much; and while it’s always cool to hear people praise your craft, it doesn’t always necessarily mean or amount to anything but a feel good moment; and that’s exactly what the letter of recognition was; a…feel…good…moment.
My site and personal email have been inundated with messages about the IBRC recognition being a sham; so much so that I’ve had to turn on the comment moderator, which I loathe. Truthfully, I couldn’t tell you if it is legit or not, or if such a council even exists, because once I read the email it became instant fodder for my prose; a post to bring attention to the fact that I’ve been blogging for five years; and hey, check out this major award I just received!
KA, my fist commenter, pushed me over the edge by pissing on my moment and adding to my already horrendous day; which simply drove me directly to that ugly place inside myself that I try to avoid at all cost. And then my peeps started praising me, I felt my smile begin to shine again, way down deep inside, and what was I gonna do, tell them thanks, but you missed the gist? No, I graciously accepted their praise and kind words, which I might add, are more rewarding than any award I’ve received to date. People I know and love, reiterating the fact that they get me and dig me. How fucking cool is that?!
So strangers, listen up and take note; this is a cutthroat industry and I, more than most, am a living testament to the sharks that swim the shallows in search of easy prey. Literary awards in the form of trophies are cool, except they collect dust on your book shelves; write-ups in the paper are way cool, because they can be clipped and put in your scrapbook; but literary accolades in the form of rave reviews are the absolute coolest! Why, because they carry real weight. Someone has taken the time to read you and found your work worthy of praise; praise that is published in various mediums, sent out into the world for others to read and take note of, which in turn will lead to book sales.
You won’t ever have to pay a fee to enter a real literary contest, or to receive a legitimate award. You won’t ever have to pay a reading fee to a real editor or publisher. You won’t ever be expected to pay the balance due to a literary agent until you have seen some actual results and are well into your book tour. You don’t have to pay a graphic artist thousands, [yes, I said thousands] of dollars to create a book cover that will stop people in their tracks and make them want to pick up your book and read it. Sorry, but it is absolute truth that people do, in fact, judge a book by its cover!
You will have to pour your blood, sweat and tears into your craft and hone your skill to perfection before your platform can be built [if you build it they will come]. No matter how many gimmicks you may fall prey to, no matter how many awards you may receive, how many book store shelves your books may be displayed on; if the writing is shit, you might as well call it a day and find yourself a hobby. Being a writer isn’t a hobby. It isn’t a lifestyle choice. It’s either who you are, or you’re not!
To sum; praise is good, but keep your award and…SHOW ME THE MONEY!
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