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Winning a Prize and Saying Thank You

Winning a Prize and Saying Thank You post image

You may or may not have seen that Goodreads and the American Association of Publishers announced the four winners of the first annual Independent Book Blogger Awards this afternoon… and I’m one of the winners!

What? I know, it’s crazy.

Backing up… In April, book bloggers were invited to submit their blogs to the contest in one of four categories: Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Young Adult & Children’s, and Publishing Industry. There was a round of popular voting, after which 15 finalists were judged by “a committee of industry representatives” to determine the winner. I took a little while to pick some favorite posts to submit, but ended up going with these five:

After I picked those posts and submitted my name, I basically forgot about the contest because I never thought I had a chance of winning. On Monday afternoon I got a wake-up call in the form of an e-mail from AAP asking me to call them about news on my entry to the contest. After a short bit of phone tag, I found out that I was winner in the adult nonfiction category. Holy cow!

But… I had to keep it a secret! So all of this week I’ve had to silently “Squee!” to myself and a couple of confidants (you ladies know who you are!) as the details about the prize (a trip to Book Expo America!!) got worked out and we got the thumbs up to say something today when the press release was posted.

A totally awesome but also unintentionally hilarious part of today, with all the press releases and whatnot, is that AAP sent me a second version of the announcement tailored specifically to me that can be used to send to my local media about the award. Except since I’m the editor of my local newspaper, I am the local media (and, therefore, not really able to put a story in my newspaper about me that announces “Morris Journalist Chosen as One of Four National Winners of Publishing Industry’s Independent Book Blogger Awards”). That just made me laugh.

Anyway, I’m totally flabbergasted and honored and humbled to have won this award. To even have made it past the first round of voting is amazing to me, since even though I’ve been blogging for four years I still feel like small potatoes a lot of the time. So thank you, so very much to anyone who voted for me — I’m so grateful and surprised and happy to be recognized.

I’d also like to recognize the other awesome finalists in the nonfiction category, some that I know and some that are totally new to me: The Girl from the GhettoJeannie Walker – Award Winning True Crime AuthorThe Parchment GirlReading, Writing, Working, PlayingMisfit SalonAt Home With BooksA Novel AffairScandalous WomenThe Feminist Texican [Reads]The Dunce Academy;World War ll London Blitz Diaries 1939-1945The Well-read NaturalistJanet Boyer ReviewsNotes From The Parsonage.

And, of course, the other winners in their categories:

Nice job all, and I can’t wait to meet you at BEA!

So, finally, thank you, thank you, thank you. This is just so very cool, I don’t even really have words.

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Rebecca May 16, 2012, 7:32 pm

    I just saw this on Goodreads site! Congratulations!!!

  • Jeane May 16, 2012, 7:45 pm

    so awesome. congrats!

  • Tanya Patrice May 16, 2012, 7:46 pm

    Yay – a big fat juicy CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Wahoo 🙂

  • bermudaonion (Kathy) May 16, 2012, 7:50 pm

    Congratulations – you truly deserved it!

  • Jeanne May 16, 2012, 8:10 pm

    Good work, especially scooping your own story!

  • avisannschild May 16, 2012, 8:18 pm

    Congrats and have fun at BEA!

  • Amused May 16, 2012, 8:26 pm

    Huge congrats! How exciting!

  • Teresa May 16, 2012, 8:28 pm

    Congratulations, and very well-deserved!

  • Aarti May 16, 2012, 8:47 pm

    Yay!! Congratulations 🙂 I am so happy and proud for you. I was really hoping the contest wouldn’t become some popularity contest with someone who has the most followers forcing their followers to vote and that person winning. So I am THRILLED that the winner is someone I respect and whose posts I really enjoy!

  • Emma @ Words And Peace May 16, 2012, 9:31 pm

    Kim, I’m so happy for you! You truly deserve it, congratulations!

  • Jessica @ Quirky Bookworm May 16, 2012, 10:21 pm

    Congratulations!! (Also – cracking up about you “being” the local media).

  • Alessandra@Out of the Blue May 17, 2012, 1:20 am

    Wow, that’s awesome! Congratulations 😀

  • Leeswammes (Judith) May 17, 2012, 3:03 am

    Wonderful! Congratulations!

  • Susan E May 17, 2012, 4:58 am

    Congratulations!

  • Susan E May 17, 2012, 4:58 am

    Congratulations! Well-deserved!

  • Susan Kushner Resnick May 17, 2012, 5:35 am

    That’s so great. My advice for BEA: start carrying around incredibly heavy bags while wearing uncomfortable shoes for hours. You’ll be in fine shape for the exhibition hall.

  • Jackie (Farm Lane Books) May 17, 2012, 6:05 am

    Congratulations! Very well deserved!

  • Tim May 17, 2012, 7:07 am

    Congratulations!

    And, don’t be so humble. Print that article in the newspaper!!!

  • Erin May 17, 2012, 7:36 am

    That’s so awesome!! My goodness, you deserve it. How cool 😀

  • Jenna May 17, 2012, 8:38 am

    How awesome to win such an award! Big congrats to you!

  • Joy Weese Moll May 17, 2012, 9:02 am

    Yay, Kim! Well-deserved.

  • Bettina @ Liburuak May 17, 2012, 9:31 am

    That’s awesome! Huge congratulations, you deserve it!! 🙂

  • Julie @ Read Handed May 17, 2012, 10:21 am

    Congratulations! What exciting news!

  • Belle Wong May 17, 2012, 11:11 am

    I am so excited for you, Kim! Congratulations again!

  • Caitie F May 17, 2012, 11:11 am

    Congrats! We will have to find time to get together again this year!

  • Andi May 17, 2012, 12:04 pm

    HUMONGO congratulations!!! You totally deserve it, my friend.

  • Meg May 17, 2012, 2:09 pm

    WOOHOO! So stoked for you — I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time, and congrats again.

  • Jenny May 17, 2012, 6:53 pm

    Oh Kim, that’s so wonderful! Congratulations times infinity! Very very very very well deserved.

  • Maphead May 17, 2012, 8:03 pm

    Congrats! Well-deserved indeed!
    Keep up the good work!!

  • Athira May 17, 2012, 8:49 pm

    Congratulations! Totally well-deserved! 🙂

  • Melissa May 17, 2012, 10:04 pm

    Congratulations again…I hope you have a blast at BEA! 🙂

  • Marlena May 18, 2012, 8:27 am

    Congratulations!

  • Steph May 18, 2012, 10:09 am

    Congrats, Kim! You totally deserve this award. You know I’m not really a NF kind of girl, but I always read your posts with interest.

  • Nick Caruso May 19, 2012, 4:04 pm

    First Annual Independent Book Blogger Award . . . Victoria Strauss??? Friends of The Write Agenda Speak Out!

    http://thewriteagenda.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/first-annual-independent-book-blogger-award-victoria-strauss-friends-of-the-write-agenda-speak-out/

  • Katie @ Doing Dewey May 20, 2012, 12:36 am

    Congrats Kim! That’s awesome 🙂

  • Colleen May 20, 2012, 5:58 pm

    Congratulations Kim! Very well deserved – I am glad to hear you will be in NY again this year!

  • Melanie May 21, 2012, 9:45 am

    Congratulations! I bet you’ll have a great time at BEA.

  • sassymonkey May 24, 2012, 8:51 am

    How on earth did I miss that you had won this? (Oh right, super busy at work.) That’s fabulous news Kim!

  • Clint(Geeky Daddy) May 26, 2012, 6:56 pm

    Congratulations Kim, It is a well deserved with all the work and love you put into this blog.

  • Amy May 28, 2012, 5:42 am

    Congratulations 🙂 I admit to paying zero attention to that prize once I noticed it was US only (yes yes I get annoyed at ‘best of’ type prizes that don’t mention that it is only a certain region! heh), but am super happy to hear you won! Totally deserved!

  • Pete Nikolai May 29, 2012, 12:12 pm

    Congratulations–and enjoy your time at BEA!

    Pete Nikolai
    Thomas Nelson Publishers
    UMM ’88

  • Jessica June 17, 2012, 1:50 pm

    I know I’m WAY behind the times here, but I just saw that you won. Congratulations! I have to say that it’s very deserved. I hope you had a fabulous time at BEA.