Competitions and Awards

After being prodded to enter the 2008 Premier Book Awards contest by a friend, Xulon Press author Ronald Koustas figured a nice "honorable mention" letter would be swiftly coming his way. Imagine his surprise when he received the notice saying he had won "Best Book of the Year" in the Religion/Spirituality category. Out of an abundance of outstanding books that had been submitted in this categories, the judges had been unanimous in their selection of (reflections of) An American Idiot. The win was made all the more impressive due to the fact that this totally secular organization-made up of non-Christians-was giving recognition to a Christian book.

Says Koustas, "Receiving the award does provide a sense of value that, as a writer, gives me an assurance that indeed the book was worth writing and there is an audience for it. Once I was awarded this honor and Premier Books posted it on their website, I immediately updated my Facebook and also my blog, www.newjerseyjesus.blogspot.com, which has definitely generated a renewed interest in the book. I have seen an increase in book sales. People are constantly asking if I'm publishing again. I do not have any immediate plans, but it's reassuring to know that people are interested."

For authors who are contemplating submitting their book in an upcoming contest, Koustas has words of advice: "Go for it. You really don't know the value of your writing unless someone else critiques it, and it just may be well received."

For now, with no immediate plans to release another book, Koustas continues to busy himself with maintaining his blog and attending speaking engagements. This allows him the chance to talk to students about the topic of Christian mercy-an integral part of the book itself. "It gives me great pleasure to watch the students break away from their Christian bubble and explore areas of serving Christ in our urban environment," he explains.