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EPIC is for Authors

With the popularity of Kindle and the iPad, more readers seem to be hopping on the e-book bandwagon. I now have my newest book, Follow the Dream, on Kindle, so I’ve officially entered the “big time” of e-publishing. I was also recently was given the honor of winning an EPIC award for my first novel, Cowgirl Dreams. The first question I usually get is, “What is EPIC?”

EPIC, the Electronic Publishing Internet Coalition, is a professional organization for published and contracted e-book and print authors. It was established in 1997 to provide a strong voice for electronic publishing.

Even though E-Publishing is a relatively new venue in the big picture of publishing, many readers, writers, and traditionally published authors believe this is one of the major marketplaces of the future. EPIC was designed to help professional writers learn more about the best publishing opportunities on the Internet and to provide networking opportunities for information about promotion and market growth.

The award contest (formerly known as the EPPIE) was established in 2000, the year of the first national conference, and now includes 30 categories, from poetry, non-fiction and anthologies to fiction, which includes children’s and YA, fantasy & sci-fi, and erotica. It also promotes a book-cover design contest, the Ariana Awards, which my publisher, Lee Emory of Treble Heart Books, won in 2009.

The organization of more than 700 members distributes 5,000 brochures at 21 separate book fairs, conferences, and writers' workshops, and promotes the Award finalists through an ad in PW Daily and press releases for the winners in their hometowns.

EPIC’s website includes blogs, columns and articles such as the Author’s Role, Effective Websites, Publicity Ideas, Resources and Links, and How-to Guides.


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A native Montanan, Heidi M. Thomas now lives in Northwest Washington. Her novels, Cowgirl Dreams, and the just-released sequel, Follow the Dream, are based on her grandmother. Heidi has a degree in journalism, a certificate in fiction writing, and is a member of Northwest Independent Editors Guild. She teaches writing and edits, blogs, and is working on the next books in her “Dare to Dream” series.

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Comments

  1. Thanks for posting this. It's nice to be reminded that electronic publishing has been around for a while.

    Terry
    Terry's Place
    Romance with a Twist--of Mystery

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  2. Congratulations on your EPIC and for letting us know that this kind of recognition exists!

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  3. I've been a member of EPIC since Two Wrongs, my first novel, was published in print and ebook forms.

    Congratulations on your award.

    Morgan Mandel
    http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

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  4. Thanks for the reminder about EPIC. I was a member back in 2000 and helped organize that first conference. What fun we had, and I am glad the organization is still going strong. Congrats on your award.

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  5. Very interesting. I'd heard of the EPPIE awards, but didn't realized they'd changed the name. Congrats on your award.

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  6. Congrats on your award! And thanks for posting this info. Cheers~

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  7. Thanks to all for commenting. EPIC is a great group and any book that's available in e-form is eligible for the awards contest.

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  8. Thanks for the post. I have my first ePub coming out in April, a YA Fantasy, and will be sure to enter it for an EPIC award.

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  9. Congratulations Heidi. I haven't heard of EPIC before. Something to check out.
    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, fantasy author

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  10. Yay, Heidi! *cheers*
    Will have to check them as I'm considering publishing through Smashwords next year (but I don't have an e-reader, so I'll order your second book in print in January)! :-)

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