eBook Awards Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to rename my book's file?
We receive so many entries, it would be a horrifying thing to try to sort them by category so we can get them to the judges. Our naming convention allows us to quickly arrange the books by category and get them assigned as quickly as possible. If we can move through the judging process quickly, we can get the finalists named more quickly and that means more promotion time for you! And less stress on our volunteer staff. Please look at the Guide, on the main rules page, for categories. We thank you for working with us on this.
I've tried 10 times to rename my file and you people won't help me. How can I get assistance?
Here's how: Open your file; Select "save as"; a dialog box opens with a suggested filename. Your operating system won't let you just save it with the same name, because it wants a different one. In the suggested filename, type in the category code (letter-number for most categories, available in the category descriptions in the rules), add a hyphen, then type in the full title of your work. Make sure the file type is PDF. Select "Save". It should save a copy of your book under that name.
Pay attention to the category code. We have made some changes to the codes as well as to the categories. For instane, make sure PO, NO are all letters. Make sure F01, R07 are "F-zero-one" or "R-zero-seven." Your book won't be put in the correct category if this isn't correct, so if you have any questions, please contact the Compeitions Chair,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
What the heck is "non-DRM?"
DRM is Digital Rights Management. It is a method to prevent theft or other unauthorized distribution of copyrighted intellectual property, like an eBook, movie, or audio recording. DRM protection prevents an unauthorized person from opening or playing the digital material. For eBooks, that means an unauthorized person can't open the book and read it. It would be really hard to provide our judges with the keys or other method to open DRM protected book. Again, our promise to you is that your work will not be distributed other than to be judged for this competition. After the judging rounds are done, all copies will be destroyed.
My book is not sold in non-DRM PDF. I guess I can't enter, huh?
Sure you can. All you need to do is get your publisher to send you a non-DRM copy. You can assure the publisher that this copy will not be used for anything other than judging in this competition. Our judges will destroy all the copies they receive and they will not be further distributed. That's a promise!
Why do you only accept PDF? How about a nice txt or Word doc?
Well, txt and Word doc files can be altered. Though we trust our judges completely, we don't want there to be the slightest appearance of impropriety. The biggest reason, though, is that our judges are international. PDF is a universally accessible format which can be read on a PC or MAC, and on most eBook reading devices.
Why can't I enter my wonderful police procedural which is in Portuguese? What do you have against the Brazilians?
The Brazilians are wonderful people. Unfortunately, we don't have judges to read your Portuguese-language police procedural. When it's translated into English and is available for sale as an eBook, please do enter it!
You people are so hateful! Dead people need love, too!
Maybe so, but there are things that cross the lines of most people's comfort zone, and using children and animals is one of them. And there are some practices which, though there are clearly consenting adults who enjoy them, are so far out of the mainstream, that we cannot ask our judges to read about them. EPIC, as an organization, is dedicated to inclusion and acceptance, but our rules indicate where we've drawn the line.
My totally awesome romance has been totally rewritten since it did not final in the 2003 EPPIEs. Why won't you let me enter it again?
It's still the same basic book. Even rewritten, it's already been judged, so it cannot enter again. This rule also applies to yearbooks, which, though updated, are the same basic work.
How will I know my graphic novel (or short story or novella or anthology) is being judged fairly?
The Competition Committee assigns entries to judges comfortable and familiar with the form and content of specific works.
• The artwork in Graphics Novels will simply be another portion of the work being judged.
• Double-check the word count requirements in the posted rules before entering your work and know you'll be given the benefit of the doubt in entering a short story or novella or anthology - as long as the count is close.
I just can't decide which category to enter. Can you help?
The "bunny" definitions of competition categories might help guide your category choice:
a. Mainstream fiction: A bunny takes a cross-country trip and meets interesting characters along the way. He is not magical nor newly un-zombied, has not escaped from an institution for the criminally inclined, is not from the past nor plans to travel to the future, and does not boff excessively with either women or men...or beasts of any ilk.
b. Action/Adventure: Secret Agent James Bunny, code name '7.23Cottontail', strives to overcome the machinations of the evil doctor who wants to take over the world. His cousin, Indyana Bunnie, swings over a waterfall, clutching the Stone of Persistence in his grimy little paw while crazed bunny-eating foxes try to hit him with rocks.
c. Erotica: A bunny boffs with him/herself or one or more others, with no expectation other than sexual exploration and pleasure.
d. Fantasy: A magical bunny, from the world of Garn, pits his skills against an evil wizard lizard.
e. Historical: A bunny is a soldier in the Civil War, lives in Regency England, or rides the buffalo range...or all three.
f. Horror: A bunny comes back from the dead to take revenge on the foxes who ate him, BBQing them over hot coals one at a time and leaving their bones for their friends to find.
g. Mystery: A hard-boiled detective bunny solves the crime of the boiled bears, locking away the mad squirrel scientist. A librarian-amateur sleuth librarian bunny solves a surprising number of murders in her small town. A private investigator bunny, disillusioned with the world, is asked to find a missing lady bunny. In the end they discover the truth behind nefarious plots, saving the day with (often) heroic fervor.
h. Paranormal: A wicked time-traveling ghost bunny from Devonshire haunts the vampire-rat residents who are stalking the beautiful werebears. A psychic bunny helps the police find the Mayor's missing baby frogs. Depending on how much the psychic powers play in the story, the above could be a mystery or a suspense/thriller, i.e. is it predominantly a detective story or is the bunny in extreme danger from her investigation or is it more focused on the paranormal aspect of the bunny's psychic ability?
i. Science Fiction: Space bunnies with really cool gadgets travel to a newly discovered planet, only to find danger from alien bunny-munching monsters.
j. Spiritual/Metaphysical: A bunny, discovering the meaning of life and spiritual renewal, is rejuvenated.
k. Suspense/Thriller: Your heroine uncovers the truth behind the little bunny-down-the-lane, who is really the axe-wielding bunny terrorizing the small Southern town.
l. Romance works may be any of the genres listed above, but must conform to the romance genre convention, that is, your bunnies find true love; they may be chaste (spiritual/inspirational), boff behind closed doors (sweet), boff energetically (more spicy), or boff themselves silly in interesting ways (erotic). Some erotic romances involve multiple lovers...but as long as they find true love, it's a romance.
Why do I need to rename my book's file?
| | |
We receive so many entries, it would be a horrifying thing to try to sort them by category so we can get them to the judges. Our naming convention allows us to quickly arrange the books by category and get them assigned as quickly as possible. If we can move through the judging process quickly, we can get the finalists named more quickly and that means more promotion time for you! And less stress on our volunteer staff. Please look at the Guide, on the main rules page, for categories. We thank you for working with us on this. |
I've tried 10 times to rename my file and you people won't help me. How can I get assistance?
| | |
Here's how: Open your file; Select "save as"; a dialog box opens with a suggested filename. Your operating system won't let you just save it with the same name, because it wants a different one. In the suggested filename, type in the category code (letter-number for most categories, available in the category descriptions in the rules), add a hyphen, then type in the full title of your work. Make sure the file type is PDF. Select "Save". It should save a copy of your book under that name. Pay attention to the category code. We have made some changes to the codes as well as to the categories. For instane, make sure PO, NO are all letters. Make sure F01, R07 are "F-zero-one" or "R-zero-seven." Your book won't be put in the correct category if this isn't correct, so if you have any questions, please contact the Compeitions Chair, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . |
What the heck is "non-DRM?"
| | |
DRM is Digital Rights Management. It is a method to prevent theft or other unauthorized distribution of copyrighted intellectual property, like an eBook, movie, or audio recording. DRM protection prevents an unauthorized person from opening or playing the digital material. For eBooks, that means an unauthorized person can't open the book and read it. It would be really hard to provide our judges with the keys or other method to open DRM protected book. Again, our promise to you is that your work will not be distributed other than to be judged for this competition. After the judging rounds are done, all copies will be destroyed. |
My book is not sold in non-DRM PDF. I guess I can't enter, huh?
| | |
Sure you can. All you need to do is get your publisher to send you a non-DRM copy. You can assure the publisher that this copy will not be used for anything other than judging in this competition. Our judges will destroy all the copies they receive and they will not be further distributed. That's a promise! |
Why do you only accept PDF? How about a nice txt or Word doc?
| | |
Well, txt and Word doc files can be altered. Though we trust our judges completely, we don't want there to be the slightest appearance of impropriety. The biggest reason, though, is that our judges are international. PDF is a universally accessible format which can be read on a PC or MAC, and on most eBook reading devices. |
Why can't I enter my wonderful police procedural which is in Portuguese? What do you have against the Brazilians?
| | |
The Brazilians are wonderful people. Unfortunately, we don't have judges to read your Portuguese-language police procedural. When it's translated into English and is available for sale as an eBook, please do enter it! |
You people are so hateful! Dead people need love, too!
| | |
Maybe so, but there are things that cross the lines of most people's comfort zone, and using children and animals is one of them. And there are some practices which, though there are clearly consenting adults who enjoy them, are so far out of the mainstream, that we cannot ask our judges to read about them. EPIC, as an organization, is dedicated to inclusion and acceptance, but our rules indicate where we've drawn the line. |
My totally awesome romance has been totally rewritten since it did not final in the 2003 EPPIEs. Why won't you let me enter it again?
| | |
It's still the same basic book. Even rewritten, it's already been judged, so it cannot enter again. This rule also applies to yearbooks, which, though updated, are the same basic work. |
How will I know my graphic novel (or short story or novella or anthology) is being judged fairly?
| | |
The Competition Committee assigns entries to judges comfortable and familiar with the form and content of specific works. • The artwork in Graphics Novels will simply be another portion of the work being judged. • Double-check the word count requirements in the posted rules before entering your work and know you'll be given the benefit of the doubt in entering a short story or novella or anthology - as long as the count is close. |
I just can't decide which category to enter. Can you help?
| | |
The "bunny" definitions of competition categories might help guide your category choice: a. Mainstream fiction: A bunny takes a cross-country trip and meets interesting characters along the way. He is not magical nor newly un-zombied, has not escaped from an institution for the criminally inclined, is not from the past nor plans to travel to the future, and does not boff excessively with either women or men...or beasts of any ilk. b. Action/Adventure: Secret Agent James Bunny, code name '7.23Cottontail', strives to overcome the machinations of the evil doctor who wants to take over the world. His cousin, Indyana Bunnie, swings over a waterfall, clutching the Stone of Persistence in his grimy little paw while crazed bunny-eating foxes try to hit him with rocks. c. Erotica: A bunny boffs with him/herself or one or more others, with no expectation other than sexual exploration and pleasure. d. Fantasy: A magical bunny, from the world of Garn, pits his skills against an evil wizard lizard. e. Historical: A bunny is a soldier in the Civil War, lives in Regency England, or rides the buffalo range...or all three. f. Horror: A bunny comes back from the dead to take revenge on the foxes who ate him, BBQing them over hot coals one at a time and leaving their bones for their friends to find. g. Mystery: A hard-boiled detective bunny solves the crime of the boiled bears, locking away the mad squirrel scientist. A librarian-amateur sleuth librarian bunny solves a surprising number of murders in her small town. A private investigator bunny, disillusioned with the world, is asked to find a missing lady bunny. In the end they discover the truth behind nefarious plots, saving the day with (often) heroic fervor. h. Paranormal: A wicked time-traveling ghost bunny from Devonshire haunts the vampire-rat residents who are stalking the beautiful werebears. A psychic bunny helps the police find the Mayor's missing baby frogs. Depending on how much the psychic powers play in the story, the above could be a mystery or a suspense/thriller, i.e. is it predominantly a detective story or is the bunny in extreme danger from her investigation or is it more focused on the paranormal aspect of the bunny's psychic ability? i. Science Fiction: Space bunnies with really cool gadgets travel to a newly discovered planet, only to find danger from alien bunny-munching monsters. j. Spiritual/Metaphysical: A bunny, discovering the meaning of life and spiritual renewal, is rejuvenated. k. Suspense/Thriller: Your heroine uncovers the truth behind the little bunny-down-the-lane, who is really the axe-wielding bunny terrorizing the small Southern town. l. Romance works may be any of the genres listed above, but must conform to the romance genre convention, that is, your bunnies find true love; they may be chaste (spiritual/inspirational), boff behind closed doors (sweet), boff energetically (more spicy), or boff themselves silly in interesting ways (erotic). Some erotic romances involve multiple lovers...but as long as they find true love, it's a romance. |
Have fun and Good Luck!
If you still need assistance, contact the competition chair, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
