Nominate for the Eric Hoffer Award
Anyone (including the author) can nominate one or more books for the Eric Hoffer Award. Nomination is accomplished by registering a book within a category by our annual deadline and according to guidelines. Nominations are made in no other fashion. Anyone calling, mailing, or e-mailing with aggressive marketing or claims of your book appearing on our nomination list are likely running a marketing scam. A single category registration qualifies a book for the grand prize, press distinction, category prizes, the Montaigne Medal, the da Vinci Eye, the First Horizon Award, and the Medal Provocateur. A book must be from an academic press, small press, micro press, or self-published author. Printed, e-books, and chapbooks are accepted. For each category registration, submit one book, the registration form, and the registration fee. You may pay the registration fee in U.S. dollars by either check, money order, or credit card. Our on-line registration payment allows for credit card payments, as well as easy currency conversion and other options. We also provide practical advice for submission, and be aware of registration scams. Registration is open all year long, and the annual postmark deadline is January 21, . All materials must arrive by January 31, . Discount registration fee available for submissions postmarked December 14, or sooner.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I submit a book to the Hoffer Award? For each nomination, submit the book, registration form, and registration fee (check, money order, or Internet payment receipt) to Hopewell Publications, PO Box 11, Titusville, NJ 08560. Be certain to specify award category and press designation. (Books sent in digital form must enter an E-Book category.) Registration will be confirmed via e-mail. Final submissions must be postmarked by January 21, . (See more details about our annual deadline.) All registrations must be completed by January 31, . If your book must arrive from a separate location, please pre-register your entry. NOTE: If submitting at deadline, please use expedited methods of delivery. Do not use USPS Media/Library/Book Rate or slower delivery methods to ship your book. Your book may not arrive on time.
What is the annual registration deadline? We are now accepting registrations for the award year. (see category submission rules) The Eric Hoffer Award uses a two-year sliding window for regular category entry. Since our registration desk remains open all year long, January 21, is the postmark cutoff date for the current award year. Books published prior to January may enter one of the Legacy categories. Digital submissions must enter either one of the E-Book categories. Each category exposes books to the higher level awards including the grand prize. All materials must arrive by January 31, , whether it is postmarked by January 21 or not. NOTE: We encourage early submissions by offering a discount registration fee for submissions postmarked December 14, or sooner.
What are the category submission rules? For the current award year, books may enter by the annual deadline into our award categories as follows:
Why should a book be nominated for the Hoffer Award? The Eric Hoffer Award exists as a platform to honor independent books of exceptional merit. (Please read our mission statement.) Since its inception, the Eric Hoffer Award has grown in prominence each year. Multiple books in many categories and various press types are given prizes, "Hoffer" honors, and worldwide media exposure. The book awards are covered in the US Review of Books. Finally, award recognition is an excellent point-of-sale marketing tool. See Eric Hoffer Award success stories.
What can be nominated for a Hoffer Book Award? The Eric Hoffer Award is open to academic, small, and independent presses, as well self-published books, that were published or copyrighted within the last 2 years, including unique small print run books (see category submission rules). Printed books published or copyrighted prior to January may enter the Legacy Fiction or Legacy Nonfiction category, which are judged just like the regular categories and expose books to all of the higher level awards including the grand prize. Yes, you can nominate your own work. NOTE: Award is closed to the staff of Hopewell Publications and previous Eric Hoffer Award winning book entries. No current judge may enter a book in any category.
What are the Hoffer Book Award prizes? One grand prize will be awarded annually. Each category will be awarded a winner, runner-up, and multiple honorable mentions. Individual press type honors will also be awarded. The Montaigne Medal, da Vinci Eye, and the First Horizon Award will be awarded from the entire judging pool. The Medal Provocateur will be awarded from the entire Poetry Category. Each book is registered by category and then automatically considered for the grand prize, category honors, press type honors, the Montaigne Medal, the da Vinci Eye, and the First Horizon Award. See Eric Hoffer Award success stories.
How are books nominated for a Hoffer Award? Anyone (including the author) can submit one or more books for an Eric Hoffer Award. For each category nomination, submit the book, registration form, and registration fee (check, money order, or Internet payment receipt: early registration for books postmarked by December 14, , after, and $45 for chapbooks) to Hopewell Publications, PO Box 11, Titusville, NJ 08560. Be certain to specify the award category and press designation on the form. Final submissions must be postmarked by January 21, . Registration is open all year round. All registration materials must arrive by January 31, . NOTE: If submitting at deadline, please use expedited methods of delivery. Do not use USPS Media Rate or slower delivery methods to ship your book. At the low entrance fee, it is not feasible to provide judge’s critiques for each entry. After the contest, books are donated to libraries, schools, and hospitals where appropriate, which are fine places to promote the book!
Can I ship my book separately? Entries may be pre-registered for the award by sending the form and fee in advance of the book's arrival. (Please do not send the book in advance of the form and fee.) Pre-registration may be accomplished either through the mail or e-mail by sending the form and fee receipt by January 21, . When the form and fee arrive, your book will be entered in our database and a pre-registration notice will be sent to the e-mail address of record. After the book arrives, a registration notice will be sent to the address of record. NOTE: The book must arrive by January 31, when all registrations are finalized and completed. If you are taking advantage of the early registration fee, please deliver your book in December or you will be asked to pay the full registration fee.
Does the Hoffer Award offer "preferred" registrations? Every registration for the Eric Hoffer Book Award is treated exactly the same. No registration ever gets preferential treatment over another or automatic finalist consideration, and the list of nominees is never posted. We are aware that certain book marketers offer preferred registrations under a host of names and at inflated rates as high as %1000 or more above our standard registration fee. This type of profiteering is not sanctioned by the Eric Hoffer Book Award. These marketers will simply register your book like every other book at our low-cost registration fee, and your book will be considered in the exact same fashion as every other. Our triannual registration reminder is an opt-in e-mail notification arriving in the fall each year. The Eric Hoffer Book Award never phones, mails, or e-mails with aggressive marketing campaigns and promises. These are typically outfits illegally using our trademark without permission and seeking large profits like those mentioned above.
Does the Hoffer Award post a nomination list? The list of nominations/registratrants is always kept private. As the award year winds down, various "short lists," such as the grand prize short list, are made public. Anyone claiming to see your book on our nomination list or having any sort of advanced access to one of our short lists is likely running a scam carrying exorbitant fees. Our announcement schedule is made public each spring. (If the list is not present, it means that we haven't determined our announcement dates yet.)
Does the Hoffer Award assume publishing rights? The Eric Book Hoffer Book Award does not assume (and never has) publishing rights of any book. The Hoffer Award is an international literary award for independent, small, and academic books. Registered books must be published prior to or during the award year. We are not interested in assuming any rights associated with the registered books.
Why is there an entrance fee for the book awards? The nominal fee helps the Eric Hoffer Award retain its independence and honesty. Judging the Eric Hoffer Award is a large challenge, undertaken by a volunteer staff and involving significant funds to promote and execute with integrity. See Eric Hoffer Award success stories.
Can the same book enter multiple categories? The same book may be entered into more than one category. Each category nomination requires its own book, registration form, and registration fee.
Does a book series count as a single entry? When registering a book series, the number of volumes and the overall page count is taken into consideration. In general, full-length books must be registered as separate entries. However, any subset of the series may alternatively be entered. If multiple books from a series are entered, the books will also be considered as a series by the category judges. To obtain the proper registration fee for your book series, please contact us prior to submission.
Can e-books be nominated for the Hoffer Award? The Eric Hoffer Award accepts e-books in two distinct categories: fiction and nonfiction. Please see our e-book registration instructions.
Can chapbooks be nominated for the Hoffer Award? The Eric Hoffer Award accepts chapbooks at a reduced entrance fee. Please see our category description below for details.
Can international (non-U.S.) books enter the contest? International books may enter the Eric Hoffer Award judging as long as the book is primarily written in English. Each year, international books win prizes and distinctions. Some have won the grand prize. For registration payment, non-US dollar currency will be automatically converted from your native currency by using our on-line payment system.
What are the Hoffer Book Award categories? The Eric Hoffer Award book categories were designed to cover every type of book. If you don’t see your category below, please contact us with a description, and we’ll let you know where it fits. A great book will supersede any category designation. Category designations may be reassigned to better suit the nomination.
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What are the Hoffer Book Award press designations?
In addition to the category and grand prize distinctions, the Eric Hoffer Award seeks additional honors by press type. Press types are based on size, output, and affiliation.
Press Type |
Description |
Self-Published |
Books
financed by author or not by the publisher (regardless of press size). |
Micro |
Books from a press producing 24 titles or less per year. |
Small |
Books
from a press producing 25 titles or more per year. |
Academic |
Books
from a press with an educational institution affiliation, such as a college, library, or museum. |
Where are the winners listed?
The Eric Hoffer Book Award, Montaigne Medal, da Vinci Eye, First Horizon Award, and Medal Provocateur winners are listed on separate pages.
Where are the finalists listed?
The Eric Hoffer Book Award, Montaigne Medal, da Vinci Eye, First Horizon Award, and Medal Provocateur finalists are listed on separate pages.
What is the Hoffer Award Short List?
As the annual judging draws to a close, a small set of grand prize award finalists is announced. This small list or "short list" of finalists is an honored distinction of its own and is announced publicly during the spring of each award year.
When are the Hoffer Awards announced?
Announcement of the Eric Hoffer Award short list and prizewinners are public events. All nominees will be notified of award winners in Apri/May of the award year. (Entrants are sent an award schedule as the time approaches.) Registrants will be notified by the e-mail specified on their registration form. After the contest, printed books will be donated to libraries, schools, and hospitals where appropriate, which are fine places to promote the books!
Why didn't I receive a registration acknowledgement?
Overly aggressive SPAM filters sometimes capture or block our messages. If you have not received a registration acknowledgement or award updates, this is very likely the cause. To solve this problem, please safe-list, white-page both of our contact addresses. Within the settings or in-box of your e-mail viewer, there should be a method of adding/verifying trusted e-mail address. Please do this for both e-mail addresses listed below.
Is there practical advice for registration?
Category submissions fluctuate in talent and number from year to year. Don't be intimidated by previous honorees.
The same book may be submitted to as many categories as it will fit. Since books are judged by mutually exclusive category panels, multiple submissions will place your book in front of different judges.
Each category submission requires its own book, form, and fee, although the sum total of registration fees may be sent via one check or electronic payment.
Registration is open year round for your convenience. All books receive the same double-blind analysis, prior to overall category panel analysis. The notion of increasing your odds by submitting at deadline is a myth. We offer a discount early registration fee for submissions postmarked December 14, or sooner.
Please ensure that we can communicate effectively with you, or you may not receive a registration acknowledgement or award updates. Learn more about this.
Signature or certified deliveries are unnecessary. They tend to slow the registration process. Once the book, form, and fee arrive, a registration acknowledgement is sent to the e-mail address on the form.
The book, form, and fee may arrive separately. However, it's best to pre-register by sending the form and fee prior to the book's arrival.
Try to submit early. We have many registrations to process annually before they reach the judges. We offer a discount early registration fee () for submissions postmarked December 14, or sooner. After this date, the full registration fee () is required.
If you submit at deadline, do not use slower shipping rates. Media/Library/Book rates may cause books to arrive after our Janaury 31, grace period. Late arrivals are handled on a case by case basis.
Save your marketing materials. They are expensive to produce, and in the end, it is only your book that matters.
Avoid marketers and other scams that use our prestigious award to make money through inflated registration and precessing fees. Read more about this.
How is the Hoffer Award judged?
The Eric Hoffer Award for independent books is judged by book category. After the category judging is tabulated, books are brought forward for the grand prize and various press distinctions. During the judging process, books are nominated for the Montaigne Medal, da Vinci Eye, First Horizon Award, and Medal Provocateur. Category judges may include authors, editors, agents, publishers, librarians, artists, experienced category readers, and health and business professionals. The Eric Hoffer Award takes on new judges as needed.
Can I donate to the Eric Hoffer Book Award?
The Eric Hoffer Book Award is a large annual financial undertaking that coordinates over one hundred volunteers and ships over one thousand books. Donations help keep the entrance fee low for all small, academic, and independent press authors. You might also consider a Hoffer Sponsorship, which simultaneoulsy exposes your book or business to our large following and subscriber list.
