Anxious About Awards

Today, June 1, 2013, IndieReader will be announcing the winner of its 2013 Discovery Awards (IRDA) at Book Expo America. And, as ridiculous as it sounds, I'm anxious - even nervous - about it. Last March, my book, Back Kicks And Broken Promises, earned a four (out of five) star review from IndieReader. After corresponding with the reviewer, I was told that my novel stands a strong and legitimate chance at winning IRDA so, heck, I decided to enter. To quote her review, Back Kicks is "an insightful and pertinent novel" that is "full of multi-cultural details." You never know, right? Someone's book is going to win. Why not mine?

So, I don't know if what I'm feeling is appropriate or if I'm fooling myself into believing my book is worth more than it is. After all - and I think it'd be fair to say this is true of most writers - I don't write with the goal of winning a prize. I write to tell a story; to entertain, educate, support, inspire. (Whether I've done any of that is for readers and reviewers to decide.) But, it's funny how my competitive spirit, nurtured from years of being a high school athlete, Taekwondo competitor and coach, has come out. I won't be devastated if I don't win but I'll be bummed, if for nothing else, because of the lost potential of my book to gain further exposure and for my writing career to gain some (more) momentum. But, I suppose, that'll just mean plugging away through other avenues and knocking on other and different doors to promote my work. 

For whoever wins, assuming it's not me, I give you an early congratulations. As a fellow indie, I'll be supporting you work. For me, in the meantime, it's back to the keyboard as I write my WIPs.