I’m thrilled to share that I’ve won 2nd place in the Historical Romance category at the The BookFest Fall 2025 Awards for my novel The Girl in the Jitterbug Dress Dances in the Dark. This is a wonderful achievement and a moment to celebrate not just winning awards, but what it signifies for indie authors everywhere.

And as any published author will tell you, this is not a solo journey. I could not have achieved this goal without my amazing critique group and beta readers. When I moved to Texas, I started a weekly critique group that has been meeting since 2013. In addition to the weekly editing suggestions (alpha readers), I have several beta readers who read the entire manuscript from start to finish and offer critiques.

Why Award Winning Matters

• Recognition of craft. The BookFest Awards describe themselves as honoring authors who “create outstanding works of fiction and nonfiction” and use a three-step judging process including genre-experts and design/art judges. The 2nd place award winning signals that my story, voice and production met a high bar.
• Validation for indie authors. No matter how much you love your story, an external award gives a confidence boost: it says someone else sees the value you poured into this.
• Marketing momentum. Award winning offers concrete phrases you can use in bookshelves, author bios, social media (“Award-winning novel”, “2nd place BookFest Fall 2025, Historical Romance”), which helps catch reader attention and gives trust to new readers.
• Networking and opportunities. Participating in the BookFest events or other contest winning events often offers livestream panels, booths, author chats, and a broader community. Being an award winner gives more visibility among that audience.
• Motivation to keep pushing. Award Winning or placing in a contest makes it real: you’re part of the writing industry conversation and you can build on it, refine, expand, enter more contests. The upward spiral begins. I know whenever I am feeling low and defeatist about my writing, I reread those glowing reviews and revisit a contest win, and it keeps me writing.

What Indie Authors Should Know About Entering Contests

Key take-aways (inspired by how The BookFest Award Winning contests and the broader contest world) that indie authors can lean into:

• Read the guidelines carefully. For example: The BookFest requires books submitted to be published between Jan 1 2020 and Sept 16 2025 for the Fall 2025 Awards. Knowing cutoff dates, formats (PDF/ePub, image resolution for cover), and category definitions saves wasted entries.
• Choose the right category. The BookFest and usually other contests have very specific genre subdivisions (e.g., Romance: Romance Historical – 20th Century; Romance Historical – Ancient World; Romance Historical – Regency; etc.). Matching your book’s era and sub-genre matters for fair judging.
• Prepare your files professionally. Example: clean cover image (they ask for at least 1080 px tall, PNG/JPEG) and interior file (PDF or ePub) are required. This is part of showing you take your book seriously.
• Budget for cost and effort. The BookFest lists entry pricing as do most short story and novel contests. So factor cost plus time into your indie author business plan.
• Use the award win actively. Once you win or place, get the certificate, award graphic, mention it in your marketing. Most contests give downloadable certificates and award graphics.
• Don’t see contests as just ‘win or nothing’. Even being a finalist or placing is beneficial. Exposure, feedback (usually for a fee), networking matter. And each entry is a step in building your author platform.
• Select contests strategically. Look for contests that: (a) accept indie/self-published works, (b) have credible judging and good visibility, (c) align with your genre, (d) offer real promotional value (not just a badge).
• Leverage the award beyond “hey, I got a trophy”. Use the win in your press kit, in your author bio, in social media posts, email newsletters, website banners. It becomes part of your brand.

What This Means for Me & You

The 2nd place win signals that among historical-romance entries this season, the novel stood out. It gives me a platform: readers who might not have discovered it now will see the accolade, and it adds credibility to future books I write.

For other indie authors: if you have a story you believe in, whether historical romance, sci-fi, mystery, etc., it’s worth investing in contest entries as one part of your overall strategy (alongside the writing, critique groups/partners, editing, cover design, and promotion).

However, contests are not a magic bullet, but they can be good tools, especially combined with strong storytelling, good editing, compelling covers, and persistent marketing. Every win or placement is a stepping stone to build on.

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What do you think when you see an award label on a book? Do you have favorite indie author award winning books you’ve read? As an author, do your award wins help keep you motivated?

Tam Francis is a writer, blogger, swing dance teacher, avid vintage collector, and seamstress. She shares her love of this genre through her novels, blog, and short stories. She enjoys hearing from you, sharing ideas, forging friendships, and exchanging guest blogs. For all the Girl in the Jitterbug Dress news, give-aways, events, and excitement, make sure to join her list and like her FB page! Join my list ~ Facebook page

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