Sandy Nathan's book, Numenon, wins the 2009 Nautilus Silver Award!

Numenon, by Sandy Nathan, is a Nautilus Book Awards Silver Winner!

When I was notified that Numenon had won the 2009 Nautilus Silver Award, I had one of those ‘boo-hoo’ moments, overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. In my article How to Win a Book Contest, I lay out all the steps winning requires. What I don’t say is the moment you submit your entry, the matter is out of your hands. Nothing guarantees that your book will win.

The best-prepared book has to fend for itself against authors and publishers who also want to win and who have done all that they can do to create strong entries. The judging I have done this year shows a very tough field––the recession hasn’t lowered the quality of Indie and other books one iota.

So the butterflies begin their dance as the countdown begins. Most book contests announce their finalists right about now; their winners usually awarded at the end of May, often at Book Expo America.

Being notified that I have won a 2009 Nautilus Silver Award with my book, Numenon, means that I join the ranks of Deepak Chopra, M.D., Barbara Kingsolver, Thich Nnat Hanh, Jean Houston, PhD., Eckhart Tolle, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. All are Nautilus Award winners. Joining the company of these amazing people moves me to tears.

What  thrills me is what the Nautilus Awards are about.  My writing and my life are directed toward making this planet a better place. I was a social activist back in the 1960s; my ardor has not dampened one bit over the years. I still feel we aren’t here to take up space and shop at the Mall. When I discovred the Nautilus Awards, I felt like I’ve found a spiritual home.

The Nautilus Award was established to find and reward distinguished literary contributions to spiritual growth, conscious living, high-level wellness, green values, responsible leadership and positive social change as well as to the worlds of art, creativity and inspirational reading for children, teens and young adults.

The Nautilus Awards are dedicated to “changing the world one book at a time.” Books are judged in a three-tier system using a carefully prepared list of notable characteristics. The judging process is laborious and long, carried out by three teams of highly qualified reviewers. They have successful careers in the book industry as well as the vision to pick out books that offer new options for a better world. Each book is evaluated by at least two judges. Silver winners are selected from each category by the readers in Team #2, and these winning titles are then passed along to the third team where the Gold winners are chosen. Two judges must agree on each Silver winner – and consensus is required for the Gold Winners.

Sandy Nathan, “one happy author!”