You are invited to enter the Third Annual North Texas Book Festival Book Awards competition, recognizing excellence in books published by their authors and/or by small, independent publishers. Books will be judged on content, design, quality of manufacturing, and marketing efforts by their authors and publishers. Three finalists will be chosen in each of the categories. The finalists will be recognized and the awards presented at the Book Trails Dinner on Friday evening prior to the Festival and displayed during the Festival itself the following day.

The 2009 Awards will be presented in the following categories:
* Children's Book of the Year - Books entered can be either fully illustrated picture books or a chapter books, with or without illustrations, and can be fiction or non-fiction. Categories may be combined, or subcategories may be added, depending on the number of qualifying entries.
* General Trade Books of the Year (2) - Awards will be presented for Fiction and Non-fiction books, illustrated or not, of any genre, intended for young adult through adult readers. Categories may be combined, or subcategories may be added, depending on the number of qualifying entries.

Who May Enter
Authors who have subsidized the cost of publishing their own books, whether produced by traditional printing methods or digitally by print-on-demand, may submit their books for the competition. Independent publishers (publishers who produce 5 or fewer titles per year, with an initial press run of 5000 copies or less) may submit books on behalf of their authors. Books submitted must have been published, or carry a copyright date, no earlier than three years prior to the year of the award; i.e., for the 2009 Awards, books must have been produced no earlier than 2006.

Participation in the North Texas Book Festival and/or Book Trails Dinner is not required to enter the competition; however, if chosen as a finalist, authors will be asked to provide books to display and sell at the Festival if they cannot attend in person.

Members of the board of directors of the North Texas Book Festival, Inc. and their family members are ineligible to enter until the year after the member's term on the board ends.

How to Enter
Authors or publishers may submit for consideration a total of two (2) titles in one or more categories. Submit two (2) copies of each title entered. Affix a copy of the completed entry label to the inside cover of each book. Enclose with the books the completed top of the entry form and a check for the total entry fee(s) made payable to North Texas Book Festival (or credit card billing information) to:
North Texas Book Festival Book Awards
P.O. Box 455
Argyle, TX 76226
All copies of books submitted for consideration become the property of the North Texas Book Festival, Inc., and will not be returned.

Deadline for Entry
Because of the time required for thorough reading and thoughtful judging, submissions may be made beginning September 1, 2008; all entries must be received by December 31, 2008. Please mail your books in time to arrive by this date (and the sooner, the better). Submissions received after the deadline will be returned unopened. Finalists will be notified by March 15, 2009.