Before the FDA, the Good Housekeeping Institute existed. Since 1990, this team of engineers, scientists, analysts, and products experts have rigorously tested products so that Americans can rest assured they are not wasting their money.
Appearing on everything from cookware to computers to clearing supplies, the Good Housekeeping Seal of approval says that consumers can trust the product to deliver what it promises. The Good Housekeeping Seal has been around for over 100 years because it works. People trust it.
Studies show that seals of approval, awards emblems, and best-seller stickers all make a difference for consumers. Maybe you are wondering just how much of a difference they make when it comes to selling books.
Interestingly, a study done by BookNet Canada in 2018 looked at what influences book buyers’ decisions to make a purchase. This study found that award emblems were just about as influential in influencing a purchasing decision as a book’s cover design.
Numerous studies have indicated that cover design is important when choosing a book to buy. But, just how important?
The BookNet study found that 6.9% of book buyers ranked a book’s cover design as the number one influencer in their book purchasing decision. Awards and bestseller stickers or badges were reported as the number one influencer in book purchasing decisions by 6.5% of book buyers in the study.
This means that six or seven out of every hundred people will buy a book because it sports an award or bestseller sticker.
If you have been skeptical about whether a book award really makes a difference in selling a book, you can now put that question to rest. The study by BookNet Canada showed that book awards do make an impact on readers book choices.
If you have a quality book, money spent on book award entry fees is not wasted. I believe it is smart use of your money to designate a portion of your marketing dollars to entering book award contests.
There are numerous contests to enter. You can find a list of Christian book award contests at www.christianbookaward.com. A longer list of book award contests with religious categories can be found in my book Your Guide to Marketing Christian Books.
In addition, nominations are still open for the 2020 Christian Indie Awards. You can nominate your Christian book published in 2018 or 2019 at www.christianaward.com.
Related Posts:
What Influences Book Purchasing Decisions?
Are Awards Worth It?
Book Awards Help Promote Books
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Photo courtesy of Sophieja.
