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20th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Finalists Announced

Awards Gala April 12, 2008
Readers' Choice Award
Chat It Up! Free Events at Metro Area Libraries

Read Local! Support the Minnesota Book Awards and Independent Booksellers

Categories  •  Eligibility  •  Entry Guidelines  •  Nomination Form
All Nominees

NEW!  Minnesota Book Artist Award
Details, Nomination & Application Forms

Resources for Minnesota Writers
Judging Process
Past Finalists and Winners
Reading Guides
Partner Organizations and Supporters 
Marketing Tools for Authors, Illustrators, Publishers and Booksellers

See it on DVD: 19th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala and
Interviews with the Award-winning Authors

Internship Opportunity

Kay Sexton Award and Other Special Awards

Minnesota Libraries: Host an Author Program - we'll show you how!

20th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Categories

Children’s Literature - a book of fiction, nonfiction, poetry or a picture book (a book in which text and illustration combine to tell the story; Minnesota authors and illustrators are both eligible in this category) for children.

General Nonfiction - a book of nonfiction, including, but not limited to, history, biography, science, nature, and cookbooks. 

Genre Fiction - a book of fiction written in a popular genre or style, including mystery, detective, fantasy, romance, graphic novel and science fiction.

Memoir & Creative Nonfiction - a book of nonfiction which is primarily autobiographical in theme, or which includes a significant amount of personal material and/or imaginative reworking.

Minnesota – a book of nonfiction with a topic on Minnesota history, nature, social customs or nostalgia.

Novel & Short Story - a novel, novella, or short story collection.

Poetry - a book-length single poem or collection of poetry.

Young Adult Literature - a book of fiction, nonfiction, graphic novel or poetry for teens or young adults.

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Eligibility

1. To be eligible for a Minnesota Book Award, a book must be the work of a Minnesota writer, or “primary artistic creator” such as an illustrator or photographer whose work is integral and essential to the work.  Current Minnesota residents, and Minnesota residents during 2007 are eligible.   Additionally, non-residents are considered eligible if they meet all of the following requirements:  living within the metropolitan area of a Minnesota city during 2007 (for example, Douglas County, WI is within the metropolitan area of Duluth), primarily working in Minnesota in 2007, and participating in a literary community that is primarily Minnesotan.  Nominations for non-residents meeting all of these guidelines must include a written summary (no more than 1 page in length) detailing how the nominee meets these non-resident eligibility requirements.  Birthplace, long-standing Minnesota connections, and Minnesota content in the book, are not relevant criteria for eligibility.  Final determination of eligibility will be made by a designated panel of the Minnesota Book Awards.
2. Previously published complete works are not eligible, nor are anthologies by multiple authors.   Books which contain sections previously published, such as a collection of poetry or short stories with works previously published in a journal, are eligible.  Editors and translators are not eligible.
3. Entries in the 20th annual Minnesota Book Awards must have a 2007 publication date.  Books must be assigned an ISBN (manuscripts and internet-only publications are not accepted, but self-published books meeting all other criteria are eligible).  Books with a 2006 copyright that were not published and available until 2007 may be submitted in the 20th annual Book Awards.  A written summary explaining why a book with a 2006 copyright is eligible must be submitted along with the nomination form.  Books published and available in late 2007 that have a delayed (2008) copyright may be submitted in the 20th or 21st annual Book Awards, but not both.

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Entry Guidelines

1. An entry form must be completed for each title submitted.

2. Books may be submitted by anyone willing to pay the entry fee and provide the reading copies requested.  This includes but is not limited to a book’s author, publisher, or agent.

3. An entry fee of $35 per title is required. Publishers submitting more than four titles need only pay an entry fee of $130; any entries beyond the first four submitted will be made free of charge.  The entry fee may be paid online with a credit card or by check and sent via regular mail.  A notation should appear on each check or credit card payment indicating the title of the corresponding entry (or indicating the number of submissions, in the case of multiple entries).  Entry fees paid by check should be sent to:
      The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
      325 Cedar Street, Suite 555
      Saint Paul, MN 55101-1055
      Phone:  651-366-6497 Fax: 651-222-1988
      Email:  mnbookawards@thefriends.org

4. Each book must be submitted in only one of the categories listed above.  Final determination of the appropriate category for each entry will be made by the Minnesota Book Awards judging panels.

5. Each entry must include five (5) non-returnable copies of the entered book.  Books should be mailed or can be delivered on business days between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library at the address above.  To be eligible, nomination forms, books and entry fees must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 14, 2007.

   For more information about nominating a book, please contact The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library at mnbookawards@thefriends.org or call us at 651-366-6497.

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Download, print and complete the 20th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Nomination Form. (click here for a PDF) Click here to download a Word document to your computer. A pop-up window will ask you whether you want to open the file or save it to your computer. Select the option that will save the document to your computer. Open your saved document and fill it out. Save the completed form to your computer. Send us the form by email, selecting and attaching your saved file. Return the completed form with entry fee and five copies of each book title submitted no later than December 14, 2007 to:     The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library     325 Cedar Street, Suite 555     Saint Paul, MN 55101-1055

Pay your entry fee online now using PayPal.

PLEASE NOTE: Submission will not be complete until The Friends has received all required items: completed nomination form, $35 entry fee, and five (5) copies of the book for each title submitted.

A confirmation email will be sent to the author's email address, as well as to the publisher contact email.

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The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is seeking a Minnesota Book Awards Programming and Public Relations Intern.

Download a position description for more information.

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Readers’ Choice Award
All Minnesotans are invited to take part in voting for the Readers’ Choice Award. During the month of March 2008, readers will be able to visit TwinCities.com to vote for one of the Minnesota Book Award finalists in 8 categories. The finalist with the most popular votes will be awarded the Readers’ Choice Award.  The award is sponsored by the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com.  Please, only one vote per person.

Chat It Up! with MELSA Libraries

	In addition to the Gala, celebrate Minnesota books by attending any of more than a dozen free events in metro area public libraries with Minnesota Book Award finalists, sponsored by the Metropolitan Library Services Agency (MELSA). Visit www.melsa.org for more information, or look for the complete list of events in the March edition of The Rake.

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The Minnesota Book Awards is a Capital City project, led by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the Office of the Mayor of Saint Paul. Outreach partners and supporting organizations include: MELSA; Minnesota Department of Education—State Library Services; Minnesota Library Association; and Library Networks for Literature—a project of the Public Programs Office of the American Library Association. Media sponsors include the Pioneer Press, The Rake, Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN), and TPT-Minnesota Channel. Generous support has been provided by the F.R. Bigelow Foundation, The Harlan Boss Foundation for the Arts, The Huss Foundation, The Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation, a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, and The Saint Paul Foundation.

Contact:
Ann Nelson, Minnesota Book Awards Coordinator
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
651-222-3242
mnbookawards@thefriends.org

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19th Minnesota Book Awards Gala now available on DVD

Unable to make it to the Gala? The program is now available on DVD, along with interviews with each of the Award-winning authors. Ask for it at your local library, or contact The Friends for ordering information. Special thanks to our outreach partner, Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN), for their assistance with the production and DVD authoring.

19th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Winning Authors Interviewed
Watch them here in a small window, or directly on Blip.TV!  

Click here to visit Blip.TV

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For Libraries: Hosting an Author Program or Reading

Literary programming is an exciting way to generate interest among adults in the activities of the public library.  It also supports the authors and publishers living and working in our state. This downloadable handbook is just a starting point, with guides and tips for the novice programmer.   It is based on practical experience conducting these types of events, augmented by samples from the programming activities of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library.

If you believe in creating an environment which recognizes and promotes the library as a cultural center in your community—a place meant to encourage the reading, enjoyment and understanding of literature—and if you want to bring readers together with the authors they like to read, this step-by-step handbook will help you create programs that accomplish your objectives.  Though the handbook is primarily designed for the novice literary program planner, even the experienced planner may find new ideas here.

Click here to download the Author Program Handbook as a PDF  (428 KB).

Click here to download the Author Program Handbook as a Word.doc  (2.3 MB)

The Minnesota Book Awards is a Capital City project, led by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library,
in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the Mayor’s office in the City of Saint Paul. 
Outreach partners for the Book Awards include the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), the
Minnesota Library Association (MLA), and the Minnesota Department of Education - State Library Services.