Book Prizes Don't Work How You Think: A Judge's Perspective

Book prizes don't work how you think

As a judge for major awards like the Pulitzer and National Book Award, I've learned that the process is far more personal than people assume. Small groups of judges with idiosyncratic tastes decide winners, often reading hundreds of books in months. If a single judge doesn't connect with your work early on, it rarely advances, regardless of its quality or your reputation. The outcome depends entirely on the specific alchemy of the panel, not organizational bias.

"Someone's life would have been changed, but just barely wasn't. Someone out there is wondering if it's all worth it, never knowing that judges fell madly in love with their work and were gutted not to be able to highlight it."