Ann Margaret Lewis – Catholic Writers Guild

The 2013 Catholic Writers Conference Live is over and those of us who attended have been re-energized with new ideas from the varied and inspiring presenters and panel members. This year’s conference was a great success with over 100 attendees and many volunteers. Special thanks to Ann Lewis, Conference Coordinator, who did an outstanding job! Also thank you to Rebecca Willen, Ann’s assistant, who in Ann’s words, “was absolutely terrific…and the best minion ever!” And to my assistant, AnnMarie Creedon, for making my job a little easier!

Four of the five board members were present at the conference L to R: Ellen Gable Hrkach, Ann Margaret Lewis, Jennifer Fitz, Karina Fabian

I enjoyed being physically present and socializing with the other board members. While we speak frequently over the phone, we only have an opportunity to see each other once or twice a year.

Interestingly, I experienced at least one awkward moment during this year’s event. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m short (several inches under five feet). Just before I was called to come forward to present the CALA awards at the CMN breakfast, I realized the podium was kind of high and without much time to consider the possibilities, Alan Napleton introduced me. I walked onto the stage and over to the podium and was relieved that it wasn’t as high as I thought, until I realized that I could not reach the high microphone. There was chuckling from the audience, but quick thinking from the CMN audio professionals soon produced a cordless microphone and the program continued without incident (congratulations to Carol Grund and Ruth Apollonia, this year’s winners).

The delightful Mother Dolores Hart

My favorite moments from the conference/trade show included listening to the delightful Mother Dolores Hart, hearing Fr. Don Calloway’s inspiring talk on Mary and Fr. Mike Gaitley’s enthusiastic presentation on the newly restored image of the Divine Mercy. I also enjoyed eating scrumptious tomato pie (courtesy of author Erin McCole Cupp), watching and taking part in the CWG Booth EWTN interviews, being interviewed on EWTN Live radio, posing with the “Pope,” meeting a few longtime online friends in person (like Catholic Fire’s Jean Heimann), the Author Reception… and working with the most caring and energetic group of Guild volunteers…ever! Thank you, volunteers, and volunteer coordinator, Margaret Realy! (By the way, so many members asked me how to pronounce my last name that I have included an easy phonetic guide below.)

Erin McCole Cupp giving out delicious tomato pie

EWTN Bookmark interviews at the CWG Booth

The 2014 Trade Show and conference will be held July 29-August 1 in the Chicago area. If you need any more incentives to come, please read Karina’s article here!

One last important thank you goes to my husband, James, photographer extraordinaire, whose photos can be seen on the Guild Facebook page.

And…don’t forget about our Catholic Writers Retreat which will take place in Michigan this October. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me: president(at)catholicwritersguild.com

God bless,

Ellen Gable Hrkach (pronounced her-cash, as in my money)
President, CWG

In my post last month, I gave a link which lists some popular awards contests for self-published authors: http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/blog/2009/01/self-published-book-contests/

This list doesn’t claim to be all inclusive, but it is helpful. And be aware that most of these contests require an entry fee.

One award that doesn’t require an entry fee (if you’re a member) is the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval. Sarah Reinhard gives extensive information on the SOA contest in this blog post: http://blog.catholicwritersguild.com/2012/03/seal-of-approval-now-accepting-submissions.html

Another awards contest that CWG members have been quite successful with is the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs). In 2010, my Catholic historical romance, In Name Only, won the Gold Medal in the Religious Fiction category and CWG President, Ann Lewis’, book Murder in The Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, won the Gold Medal in 2011. Other CWG members have won Bronze medals for their novels in past contests.

As well, CWG member, Karen Kelly Boyce, recently won the Eric Hoffer award (in commercial fiction) for her novel, Down Right Good.

The question is: are awards worth it? Awards are certainly affirmation that we are producing quality books. But do they sell books?

Case in point: A few years ago, at a local Catholic conference, the organizers allowed me to speak briefly in front of the 400 or so attendees. I then proceeded to tell them that my novel, In Name Only, had won a Gold Medal for Religious Fiction. Later that day, the local Archbishop came to my table. He said he was an avid reader and was interested in the book that “had won the Gold Medal.” “It’s a romance,” I replied, thinking that an archbishop would not be interested in a romance. I continued, “But it has inherent Theology of the Body themes.” “Great,” he said, “I love romance novels, especially one with Catholic themes.”

The archbishop wasn’t the only one who stopped by my table after I mentioned that my book had won a gold medal. During the next three hours, more than 40 people lined up at my table to buy my book.

While medals may help to sell books at conferences, I have to admit that the award didn’t make much difference in my online sales (in fact, I didn’t see any spike in sales following the medal announcement).

Even so, winning an award is an incredible honor, an invaluable addition to a resume and it increases personal one-on-one sales. So…what do you have to lose? The cost of the registration fee. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Contests are definitely worth it.

Tag Archive for: Ann Margaret Lewis

From the President’s Desk – Memorable Moments from the CWCL

Awards Contests for Self-Published Authors: Are They Really Worth It?

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