EPPIE Rules & Registration    

EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection
proudly announces

The 9^th Annual EPPIE Awards
2008

The EPPIE Awards are now closed.

All entries are being reconciled before being sent to judges. If there is something still missing from your entry you will be individually contacted. The ENTRY SHEET will be updated several times within the next couple of days. Please be patient!

Recognizing Excellence in eBooks of all Genres

EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, proudly announce their annual EPPIE contest. This contest is the premier contest in the e-book and e-publishing world. The categories are judged by members of EPIC, all published authors and industry professionals. After the first round of judging, the works of the finalists are sent to a panel of finalist judges, and winners in all twenty-three categories are selected. The winners are announced at the EPIC conference's gala award ceremony at the annual EPICon Convention. This year's convention will be held March 6-9, 2008 in Portland, Oregon.

Entries Received

Check here for a list of entry forms received, eBooks received, and payments received. This list will be updated by the EPIC Treasurer every few days. If you have a question or problem, please contact treasurer@epicauthors.com.

Rules

Please read these rules in their entirety before entering. Questions may be directed to 2008 Contest Chairman Carol MacLeod eppiesubmission@epicauthors.com.

Eligibility: Any eBook published in English and released for sale between October 1, 2006 and September 30, 2007, including self- and subsidy-published books are welcomed for entry in the 2008 EPPIES.

Books previously published in paper may be entered, if the eBook version meets requirements of publication date and entry format. Re-released books, which qualify with the new publisher per the time-frame given above, are eligible, provided they have not been entered in the EPPIE in a previous year. This includes books which are updated, such as yearbooks, guides, etc. There will be no exceptions.

There is no limit on how many different titles in the same or different categories may be entered by a single entrant. However, a separate entry form and entry fee is required for each title.

Only electronic copies—in PDF format only—will be accepted. Do not password protect the PDF file. Contact the contest chairman about other versions for guidance. EPIC reserves the right to refuse other formats, but the contest committee will make every effort to work with the entrant to facilitate entry.

Formatting errors, especially if they occur with high frequency, may result in a lower score. Take the time to check your entries before e-mailing, especially if you have converted the file from another format to PDF.

Entering Your Book

Entries may be made by either author or publisher. Please check with your publisher before you enter to prevent duplication of entries.

There are 3 steps to the entry. All three steps must be completed before your e-book is actually entered into the contest.

1. Complete the Entry Registration Form (below)
2. Make Payment of Entry Fees
3. Submit Your eBook

For payment, you may use either PayPal or send a Check/MO in US Dollars (USD).

PayPal: Simply click on the logo below or go to www.paypal.com. If you are prompted for an email address to send the fees to, enter treasurer@epicauthors.com (EPIC's treasurer). You must include the following information in the PayPal payment comments section:

1. Your Name, Address, and eMail address
2. EPIC member—indicate Yes or No (indicate Yes if you are also joining now)
3. Title of Book
4. Category
5. That you are paying for EPPIE-2007 entry fees

Mail Check/MO (in USD) to EPIC Treasurer Barbara Woodward:

     Barbara Woodward
     EPPIE Entry Fee
     P.O. Box 2278
     Glen Rose, TX 76043

You must include a copy of the online entry form with your check/MO payment.

You may also join EPIC at the same time. (See www.epicauthors.com for membership information.) Note this when paying.

Until your entry fee has been paid; your ebook has been received; and your registration form has been entered, your entry is not considered complete. Failure to pay the entry fee, or not sending your book, or not submitting the registration form by entry deadline will disqualify your entry. If you have problems with payment, please contact treasurer@epicauthors.com for assistance in making your payment.

All entries this year will be sent as an email attachment (PDF format only) to eppiesubmission@epicauthors.com and must be received no later than October 7, 2007 at Midnight EST. Entries received after that date and time will be refused and returned to the sender. Judging will begin on or about October 20, 2007. The final responsibility for making sure the entry is complete rests with the entrant and not with EPIC.

A spreadsheet is provided by category on the EPIC site with status of entries. Entrants should check it daily to ensure that everything has been received regarding their entry. Please allow 7-10 days for updates on registration forms and books received and 14 days for updates on payments received, 21 days for overseas payments. Payments will not be listed as received on the spreadsheet until they clear PayPal or the bank. Payments on hold will not disqualify your entry, as long as they eventually clear. When all portions show as received, your entry is in the clear.

All entries must conform to the following naming convention and be in PDF format:

     CategoryLetterInCAPS [dash] TitleEntrant [dash] AuthorInitials.PDF

     Like: CategoryLetterInCAPS-TitleEntrant-AuthorInitials.PDF

For example, if you wanted to make an entry in the Fantasy/Paranormal Romance category called Forever Yours and your name is Jane Doe, the file name would look like this:

     J-ForeverYours-JD.PDF

Names must not contain spaces. Names may not contain characters other than A-Z, 0-9 or - (dash).

Files not conforming to the naming convention will not be processed and will be returned to the entrant for renaming. Only two dashes are permitted as the sample above. This name conformity helps us automate the handling of your entry.

Entry Fees

$20.00 USD for EPIC members in good standing (your dues are paid current).
$30.00 USD for non-EPIC members.

As stated above, a separate entry fee is required for each title entered. In the case of a canceled category due to too few entries, the category coordinator will contact the entrant for placement in another category. If no other category is acceptable to the entrant, fees will be returned and the entry will be deleted.

Pay for EPPIE Entry—Member $20.00 USD

Pay for EPPIE Entry—NonMember $30.00 USD

Pay for EPPIE Entry and Join EPIC $50.00 USD

Submitting Your E-Book

Send PDF copy of each entered work to Carol MacLeod at eppiesubmission@epicauthors.com. It must be received by Carol no later than Midnight EST, Sunday, October 7, 2007.

Categories

See the FAQs for category explanations.

1. Action/Adventure
2. Children/YA
3. Contemporary Romance
4. Erotica
5. Erotic Romance Contemporary/Suspense/Mystery
6. Erotic Romance Historical Fiction
7. Erotic Romance Fantasy/Paranormal
8. Erotic Romance Science Fiction/Futuristic
9. Fantasy
10. Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
11. GLBT
12. Historical and Western
13. Historical Romance
14. Horror
15. Inspirational Fiction
16. Mystery
17. Nonfiction: General
18. Nonfiction: Self-help
19. Poetry
20. Romantic Suspense
21. Science Fiction
22. Science Fiction/Futuristic Romance
23. Single Title/Mainstream

Novellas and anthologies may be entered; however, there is no specific novella or anthology category. The novella or anthology should be entered into the category where it would fit were it a novel. It will be judged according to the same criteria as novels in that category. The fee and entry requirements for a novella are the same as those for a novel. If the novella appears as part of an anthology, the entire anthology will need to be entered. We no longer accept individual novellas from an anthology. The anthology must be entered as a whole in the appropriate category. Copyright date MUST appear at the beginning of the file in either case.

Note: Since e-books often cross genre, push the envelope, and often do not fit neatly into a single genre, it is the author's responsibility to select the proper category for his or her work. For example, if you think your book, which the publisher listed under romance, would best fit in the fantasy category, feel free to enter it there. However, points WILL be deducted if the judge feels the book is entered into the wrong category. A book may not be entered in more than one category, but an entrant may enter more than one title in a single category, as well as entering several titles in different categories.

Be aware when selecting a category for your book, judging is subjective. A romantic fantasy may be too much romance for fantasy judges. Your fantasy romance may not have enough romance for romance judges. So, select wisely. EPIC is not responsible for placing your book in a category, nor for informing you that your book would be better placed elsewhere.

Announcing Finalists and Winners

Finalists will be informed by e-mail before the public announcement during the first week of December 2007.

Winners will be announced at EPICon-2008 in Portland, Oregon, March 8, 2008. See www.epic-conference.com for EPICon 2008 information.

EPPIE trophies will be awarded to those winners in attendance. Winners who are not present will receive their trophies by a shipment method at a later date after the conference ends.

Finalists, winners, and winners' publishers in 2008 EPPIEs will receive official certificates.

Questions?

Any questions should be directed to Carol MacLeod at eppiesubmission@epicauthors.com.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions, and category explanations, can be found on the EPPIES FAQs page.