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Pay for Play Book Awards and the Award Winning Lie
May 28, 2026 ·
4m 51s
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Pay for Play Book Awards and the Award Winning Lie
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The pay for play book award system bothers Neal Winsomer, and he is not paying for an award to stick on this book. Episode 06 of Calling Out the Shadows:...
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The pay for play book award system bothers Neal Winsomer, and he is not paying for an award to stick on this book. Episode 06 of Calling Out the Shadows: A Clarity Over Comfort Podcast. Neal Winsomer looks at the pay-for-play book award model where authors pay $20 to $200 to be nominated, and where many of the systems state on their own websites that every entrant at least lands runner-up. The line between "award-winning" and "paid to be nominated" gets drawn. The episode covers:
Available on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, and other podcast platforms.
Calling Out the Shadows with Neal Winsomer.
A Clarity Over Comfort Podcast.
Consider following the show for new episodes.
NealWinsomer.com
NealWinsomerPublishing.com
info@nealwinsomer.com
This episode includes AI-generated content.
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- The pay-for-play book award model and the $20 to $200 nomination-fee range
- Award-system websites that print "you will at least be runner-up" on the page itself
- The credibility gap between paid awards and juried awards earned without payment
- The marketing trade-off Neal is making by refusing to buy a bestseller ranking, a paid award, or any pay-to-win label
- A case for marketing and messaging with honesty, transparency, and love instead of false presence
- A direct call to stand in authority, authenticity, and transparency, not pay-for-play
Available on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, and other podcast platforms.
Calling Out the Shadows with Neal Winsomer.
A Clarity Over Comfort Podcast.
Consider following the show for new episodes.
NealWinsomer.com
NealWinsomerPublishing.com
info@nealwinsomer.com
This episode includes AI-generated content.
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