Submit Now So 2026 Can Be Your Book’s North Street Book Prize Winner...

...and Great Reading from 2025’s list of category winners! (see below!). But before July 1, do one last, quick edit and submit your partner- or self-published book for this prestigious prize from Winning Writers.  I support them based on their ethics and the value-added benefits they offer all their contestants as well as their winners!

Carolyn’s Mom’s Motto: “You can’t win if you don’t try!” 

Sponsored by Winning Writers 

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Deadline: July 1 We're one week from the close of our twelfth annual North Street Book Prize. We'll award $23,500 in cash prizes for self-published and hybrid-published books, including a grand prize of $10,000. The ten top winners will enjoy bonus awards from our co-sponsors, and everyone who enters online can choose to receive feedback from our judges at no extra charge. Entry fee: $95. LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT Gallery of Our 2025 Winners Grand Prize Teresa Tennyson's speculative novel Five Years imagines humanity facing imminent extinction due to climate change and collapse of the ecosystem, symbolized by the extinction of bees. For the residents of one New England town, the existential question is whether they can face the end with dignity and mutual aid, or be swayed by a strongman who advocates survival of the fittest.   First Prize: Art Book The Endless Sphere of Time, edited by Kate Jordahl, has remarkable production values and international scope. This luxuriously bound book pairs Geir Jordahl's circular black-and-white images of liminal spaces in nature and architecture with short works by Norwegian modernist poet Rolf Jacobsen, in their original language alongside English translations by Roger Greenwald. First Prize: Children's Picture Book Katherine Lockwood's cheery and educational picture book My Body Beeps! Growing Up with Diabetes, illustrated by Olga Sall, features an active little girl named Katie who just wants to play hide-and-seek like her other friends, but she is worried about the sound of her glucose monitor giving her away. A pal with asthma helps her find humor and companionship in their differences. Playful in spirit, with vibrant illustrations, this book has appeal beyond those directly affected by its topic, as kids in this age group can easily relate to the push-pull of independence versus safety. First Prize: Creative Nonfiction & Memoir Ben Stubenberg's The Jamaican Bobsled Captain: Dudley "Tal" Stokes and the untold story of struggle, suffering, and redemption behind Cool Runnings is a book that makes us glad we expanded our Creative Nonfiction category to include narrative journalism and biography. A former US government worker, private pilot, and current magazine writer in his adopted home of Turks and Caicos Islands, Stubenberg is dedicated to chronicling the cultures and history of the Caribbean. First Prize: Genre Fiction Jessica Mann's ecological fantasy novel Uplift tells a story of interspecies cooperation through the coming-of-age journey of a Clark's Nutcracker, a bird of the high mountains of the American West and a member of the crow family. Breaking with her family's insular ways, Columbina learns about loss and legacy from creatures whose lifespans range from a season to centuries, and returns with fresh ideas to save their habitat. First Prize: Graphic Novel & Memoir Pumpkin Guts: The Hellbound Halloween, written and illustrated by Jacoby A. Matott, is a colorfully grotesque graphic novel that pays homage to teen slasher movies, with sassy characters who crack jokes about the tropes that they're reenacting. (The one Black teen, for instance, decides to nope out of the adventure early on, knowing that such movies treat the token minority sidekick as disposable!) First Prize: Mainstream/Literary Fiction Rashid Darden's literary novel A Peculiar Legacy lovingly portrays a tight-knit Black neighborhood in Washington, DC where a newly arrived gay couple and a Quaker matriarch do their best to mentor the local teenagers after one of the youths is murdered.       First Prize: Middle Grade Michael Wardner's middle-grade novel Kris Kringle and the Great Magic Swindle is a witty romp that will entertain both children and adults. Santa's elves have quit, and the Supreme Council of Sorcery, Witchcraft, and Tricks is about to revoke his magic license. But there's a bigger conspiracy afoot to steal all the magic in the world. With help from trolls, elves, the Easter Bunny, and Ms. Kringle in her airplane, our jolly friend discovers that dividing people into "naughty" and "nice" may be the root of the problem. First Prize: Poetry Kathleen Spivack's poetry chapbook Homage is comprised of tributes to guiding figures in her life as an artist, from cellist Pablo Casals and painter Gustav Klimt to poets Robert Frost and Elizabeth Bishop, as well as personal mentors and ancestors. This tightly conceived collection shows a mature poet's mastery of craft and insight. LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT Prefer to enter by mail? You may mail your entry and $95 fee to Winning Writers, Attn: North Street Book Prize, 351 Pleasant Street Suite B PMB 222, Northampton, MA 01060-3998, USA. Send a check or money order drawn on a US bank, or enclose $95 in US currency. You may also send the fee via PayPal to adam@winningwriters.com. Please postmark your entry by July 1. Please note that feedback will only be provided for entries submitted online, and not those entries submitted by mail. If you would like us to return your book at the conclusion of the contest, please request this at the time of your entry and enclose an extra $10 for postage and handling.

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MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

A Gift from WinningWriters--One for Me, LOTS FOR YOU

      I can’t resist. I just received the most lovely gift from WinningWriters.com, a clip on some blurbs for my series of books for writing and I just have to share one with you!  Regular visitors and subscribers to my blog have probably noticed that I encourage #AuthorsHelpingAuthors by reviewing our fellow authors’ book. It’s really about giving a gift--for a thank you or for no good reason at all--that is sure to be appreciated big time.  Well, the owner of WinningWriters has a talent for online graphics that we authors can learn from by just hanging out in his vicinity! So, the example’s below, but might I suggest that you go to Winning Writers  and sign up for the newsletters he and @JendiReiter produce for a dose of them every now and then. While you’re there, poke around a bit for other free opportunities they offer including frequent lists from Jendi of vetted contests (meaning you can trust them for a broad assortment of what they look for in a contest before sharing them with you!) including the #NorthStreetBookPrize that I recommend for its value-added benefits and credibility. 

      Oh! And notice the use of blurbs! Not enough artists use their reviews (and e-mail from readers) to extract praise for their books or their writing in general! And then put them to good use!  He used them to let North Street Book Prize winners know more about my the marketing consultations he offers as part of winners’ packages. 

  

     And that reminds me. Set a goal to have your next book ready to submit for this contest in 2025  Pick up the link and put it on you calendar for submission dates (Feb 15-July 1, 2025!)  so you don’t forget--in fact, make it a yearly reminder because the contest’s list of categories seems to grow every year!

  https://winningwriters.com/our-contests/north-street-book-prize

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the multi award-winning series of HowToDoItFrugally books for writers including the flagship book of that series, USA Book News’ winner, The Frugal Book Promoter  now in its third edition. It was originally written for UCLA Extension's renowned Writers Program where she used it as a text for nearly a decade . She believes using the time before a book’s release is the most productive time for assuring its future so her WIP is a second edition of her How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically to be issued in early 2025. 

Two of her favorite awards are Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment given by members of the California Legislature and “Women Who Make Life Happen,” given by the Pasadena Weekly newspaper. She is also an award-winning poet and novelist and she loves passing along the tricks of the trade she learned from marketing those so-called hard-to-promote genres. Learn more on her website at https://HowToDoItFrugally.com. Let Amazon notify you when she publishes new books (or new editions!) by following her Amazon profile page: https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. Her The Frugal Editor is now in its third edition from Modern History Press. Let it help you edit your work-in-process. The third book in the series, How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically will be released this fall.

Best Writing Contests Winner North Street Book Prize Nearing Deadline!

As many of you know, I am a proud associate of WinningWriters’ #NorthStreetBookPrize because of all its value-added benefits but also because of it credibility, the quality of the winners I have seen honored over the years, and that it’s a “Best Writing Contests Winner” in its own right. He as added even more to his lineup of benefits and it’s time to enter again!  How lovely it would be to see one of online friends and subscribers on the winning list this year. 

Hugs,

Carolyn

North Street Book Prize More Than Just Cash While our North Street Book Prize will award $20,400 in cash prizes, we're also pleased to provide other valuable benefits from our co-sponsors Carolyn Howard-Johnson, BookBaby, Book Award Pro, Laura Duffy Design, and Self-Publishing Made Simple. They have a wealth of marketing, design, and publishing knowledge to share.   OUR GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL RECEIVE $10,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $500 credit at BookBaby, three months of Plus service (a $207 value) and a $250 account credit from Book Award Pro, a book cover consultation from Laura Duffy Design (a $1,100 value, can be assigned to a future book), and 3 free ads in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $525 value)   EACH CATEGORY WINNER WILL RECEIVE $1,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $500 credit at BookBaby, three months of Plus service from Book Award Pro (a $207 value), design for a custom merchandise item based on the winner's book cover from Laura Duffy Design, and one free ad in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $175 value); the winning children's picture book author will also receive a phone consultation from April Cox at Self-Publishing Made Simple (a $289 value) and access to Authorpreneur Summitsessions (an $89 value)   ONE HONORABLE MENTION IN EACH CATEGORY WILL RECEIVE $300 and three months of Plus service from Book Award Pro (a $207 value); the honorable mention children's picture book author will also receive a phone consultation from April Cox at Self-Publishing Made Simple (a $289 value) and access to Authorpreneur Summit sessions (an $89 value)   New! One finalist in each category will receive a free, full-length private critique from Winning Writers (value: $90-$240)   We will publish online excerpts from all entries that win a prize, along with critiques from the judges The deadline is July 1. Submit your self-published or hybrid-published book for $79. Books published on all self-publishing and hybrid-publishing platforms are eligible. Any year of publication is eligible. Free gifts for everyone who enters. New this year: All entrants who submit online will receive a brief commentary from one of the judges (5-10 sentences). Winning Writers is one of the "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2024), and this contest is recommended by Reedsy. Click to learn more about our contest.   Submit online     Prefer to enter by mail?   You may mail one copy of your book and the $79 entry fee to Winning Writers, Attn: North Street Book Prize, 351 Pleasant Street Suite B PMB 222, Northampton, MA 01060-3998, USA. Please note that feedback will only be provided for entries submitted online, and not those entries submitted by mail. If you would like us to return your book at the conclusion of the contest, please request this at the time of your entry and enclose an extra $5 for postage and handling.

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

Great 3D Book Images by @GeneCartwright 

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers.  

Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. 

Carolyn also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

Carolyn Shares Winning Writers Resource and Amazon Audio Special Price

So proud to have the opportunity to work with https://WinningWriters.com.  This is a first for me, but it dawns on me that I have never shared with my visitors and subscribers the kind of information--all excellent and vetted resources--in their newsletter.  I highly recommend the letter and site for anyone who is interested in contests, all of them thoroughly vetted.  Ditto for the rare author-related ads they send out like this one they did for me. And look at that special price today on the audio version of “The Great First Impression Book Proposal!” 

Happy Writing to you all!

Carolyn 

From the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series   The Great First Impression Book Proposal     This booklet helps authors love the project they most love to hate—writing a book proposal. There is no need to take expensive, time-consuming classes or spend hours reading a tome to find the voice and format that will propel your idea from a dream to reality. This short book and less than an hour will do it. Contents Getting Past Our Own Arguments—and Past Gatekeepers' Resistance Getting Started: The Short Way to the Gate Your Overview: How To Make Jaded Gatekeepers Want More The Details: How To Make a Gatekeeper Open the Door for You Making It Easy: Quick Formatting and Editing Do's and Don'ts The Clincher: Keeping the Gate Wide Open Checklist: Is Your Great First Impression Proposal Ready for Its Closeup? Benefit from Carolyn Howard-Johnson's extensive work with clients who dread writing book proposals as much as you do. She coaches authors through the process, tapping the passion they feel for their work. Get your copy now direct from the publisher at Modern History Press (paperback $8.49) or Amazon Kindle ($2.99).

Audio Edition On Sale   57 minutes are all you need to look forward to your next book proposal with enthusiasm. This unabridged audiobook from Audible is narrated by Lisa Negrón.   Buy on Amazon   $2.76

Unsolicited Endorsements for The Great First Impression Book Proposal "'This is a really smart proposal,' was one comment from an agent who went on to sell my nonfiction book to a publisher. The 'smartest' thing about it? I used Carolyn's guide to write it!" —Treacy Colbert, medical writer and author of End Your Menopause Misery "I just finished reading The Great First Impression Book Proposal. I like your style and encouragement. I was a bit intimidated about finishing my book proposal. I was thinking it had to be stiff and boring. I even have dialogue in it. I thought I'd have to cut it out. Now, I'll probably leave it in." —Wanza Leftwich, author, blogger "I love [The Great First Impression Book Proposal]! My husband was amazed at all the info crammed into this short book. You could have charged a lot more. I just re-vamped my proposal to follow the guidelines in it for my latest book." —Myrna Lou, palmist, psychic, author "Marketing is never easy...Well, it might be if you follow the easy steps Carolyn Howard-Johnson offers up in The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need to Know About Selling Your Book in Thirty Minutes or Less. Howard-Johnson's bulleted lists are superior. They're easy to understand, easy to implement, and even easier to read. (She means it when she says thirty minutes or less). She gives us even more: A list of other resources on book proposals. I will recommend this book to all of our authors and potential authors at Ladybug Press." —Georgia Jones, Editor in Chief, Ladybug Press and NewVoices, Inc.

About the Author   Carolyn Howard-Johnson has been an instructor for UCLA’s world-renowned Writers’ Program for nearly a decade, a columnist and staff writer for the Salt Lake Tribune and the Pasadena Star News, and has appeared on hundreds of TV and radio stations nationally and locally. As a publicist for the Eleanor Lambert Agency in New York, she took part in the creation of the first "10 Best Dressed List" with Christian Dior. Carolyn was honored as the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment, received her community’s Character and Ethics award for promoting tolerance with her writing, and was named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of “San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen”. She presents at writers’ conferences nationwide. Her own writing as a novelist and poet has informed the advice she gives to authors regarding sales and genre. Carolyn has worked with Winning Writers for years as a co-sponsor of the North Street Book Prize, helping winners promote their books. View her many offerings for writers on her website.

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.