Jump to content

Vanity award

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 24.231.239.6 (talk) at 16:08, 5 September 2013 (→‎Vanity book awards: The referenced page specifies ForeWord doesn't guarantee winners: "I've blown $99 on a Foreword award where I didn't even get an honorable mention"). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

A vanity award is an award in which the recipient purchases the award to give the false appearance of a legitimate honor.[1] For example, anyone can register for $69 to receive a 'USA Book News' recognition and then declare that they are an "award winning" author.[2] Pitches for Who's Who- type publications (see vanity press), biographies or nominations for awards or special memberships can have a catch to them in which the honoree is required to pay to win.[1]

Vanity book awards

The vanity award phenomenon among book awards was noted in a Salon article by Laura Miller in 2009.[2] Vanity book awards are characterized by dozens or hundreds of categories to ensure every applicant is a winner or finalist; high entry fees with additional fees for each specific category or other premium service such as trophies or prominent display on the award website; and promises of marketing.[2] Self-published authors seeking promotion and recognition are commonly customers of vanity award services.[2]

List of vanity book awards

The following have been called vanity awards.

  • USA Book News in Los Angeles is run by the marketing company JPX Media[2] and gives annual awards including the National Best Books Award and the Best Book 2008 award.[3] Every winner or finalist (i.e. everyone who enters and pays the $69 fee) receives stickers to put on their book covers and "aggressive marketing" from JPX Media.[2]
  • The 2010 Creative Spirit Awards were made available to film makers, musicians, and writers for an entry fee of $50 in hundreds of categories.[4]

Other awards targeting self-published authors with high entry fees, with for-profit business models and numerous categories and promises of marketing include the National Indie Excellence Award, Readers Favorite Awards, IndieReader Discovery Awards.[5]

Anthology schemes

The anthology scheme is when a writing contest is announced with the winners to be published in an anthology and a cash prize is awarded.[6] There is usually no entry fee but in fact there is little selectivity and every entry is declared a finalist and offered publication, with a request for money.[6] Furthermore, the anthology is often not sold to the public but only in limited runs to the contributors themselves.[6] The International Library of Poetry, known online as Poetry.com, was the main perpetrator of this scheme in the US poetry scene.[6] Another version of the scheme is called "pay to play" in which the writer must pay to be included in the anthology.[6]

Vanity business awards

The number of vanity awards for businesses is considerable, since 2008 the Better Business Bureau has been issuing warnings about schemes found across the country.[7] "Phony vanity awards prey on small businesses who are trying to make their companies stand out in their industry."[7]

List of vanity business awards
  • The Best of Business Award by the Small Business Commerce Association is available for $57 to $157 depending if the applicant would like a plaque or a trophy. The Better Business Bureau called it a "scam".[8] Related awards from the same outfit include the Lafayette Award Program, though it might replace Lafayette with whatever city.

Fee for review

A "fee for review" is when something is exchanged in return for a review. Since an exchange is involved, the neutrality and accuracy of the review could be in question.[9] Reviews could be written by marketers/retailers about their own work; by customers with some incentive such as friend/family or receiving free merchandise or a fee;[10][11] or by a hired third-party service specializing in fee's for reviews.[9] An example of a hired service is ForeWord Reviews, which was launched in 2001 and claims to be "the industry's first fee-for-review service for small, independent publishers."[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "Vanity Awards Value Money over Honor". Better Business Bureau. 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Laura Miller (November 17, 2009). "Vanity book awards". Salon. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  3. ^ The USA "Best Books 2008" Awards, USA Book News, 2008.
  4. ^ Victoria Strauss (February 23, 2010). "Another Vanity Award: The 2010 Creative Spirit Awards". Writer Beware. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  5. ^ Victoria Strauss (August 12, 2011). "Award Alert: The IndieReader Discovery Awards". Writer Beware. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Vanity Anthologies". SFWA. January 22, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Melissa Canone (June 3, 2013). "BBB of Acadiana alerts local businesses to Lafayette Awards Program scheme". KATC. Retrieved August 27, 2013. BBBs across the nation have issued warnings about these kinds of vanity award schemes since 2008.
  8. ^ Michael N Marcus (February 5, 2010). "It doesn't get much better than this: Vanity publisher Outskirts Press brags about its vanity award from a scam organization". Book Making. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  9. ^ a b David Streitfeld (August 25, 2012). "The Best Book Reviews Money Can Buy". New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  10. ^ David Streitfeld (August 19, 2011). "In a Race to Out-Rave, 5-Star Web Reviews Go for $5". New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  11. ^ David Streitfeld (January 26, 2012). "For $2 a Star, an Online Retailer Gets 5-Star Product Reviews". New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  12. ^ "Clarion Review". ForeWord Reviews. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vanity_award&oldid=571660207"