Dec 01, 2008
Books for a Better Life Awards To Honor Audiobooks
New Category Created to Honor Best
Self-Improvement Books Available in Audio Format
Contact:
Jenny Powers
212-453-3208
Jpowers@msnyc.org
Meghan Finn
212-453-3209
Mfinn@msnyc.org
New York, NY The New York City Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will begin accepting submissions for the 13th annual Books for a Better Life Awards on June 2, honoring the best self-improvement books of 2008. This year, for the first time, audiobooks will be considered in a new “Self-Improvement Audiobook” category, in addition to a “Self-Improvement Green” category. The winners will be announced on Monday, February 23, 2009 during an awards ceremony in Manhattan.
Five finalists will be chosen from more than 400 entries for each of ten categories, including childcare/parenting, first book, inspirational memoir, motivational, psychology, relationships, spiritual, wellness, and the newly created Self-Improvement Audiobook and Self Improvement Green categories. A qualified panel of book sellers and magazine, book club and television book editors selects the finalists. The winners are chosen by secret ballot of three expert judges for each category.
Since their inception in 1996, the Books for a Better Life Awards have recognized more than 350 self-improvement authors and have raised over $1.5 million for the New York City Chapter’s comprehensive support services and educational programs. The awards recognize self-improvement authors whose messages are aligned with the Chapter’s mission of inspiring people particularly those living with MS to live their best life.
“Through the Books for Better Life Awards and our support of self-improvement authors, we hope to raise awareness about MS an unpredictable neurological disease that impacts an estimated 7,000 people in New York City alone,” said Ruth Brenner, president of the chapter. “With the addition of this important new category, we hope to reach an even broader audience.”
Submissions will be accepted starting June 2 for print and audio books published between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008. Audio versions of books submitted in the print categories will be accepted. The deadline for all entries is September 8, 2008. Galleys, manuscripts and advance editions of audiobooks to be published later in the year will be accepted.
Visit http://www.msnyc.org/ or call Jenny Powers at 212-453-3208 for submission forms, sponsorship opportunities and additional information. The 13th Annual Books for a Better Life Awards will be held on Monday, February 23, 2009 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS through our 50 state network of chapters. We fund more MS research, provide more services to people with MS, offer more professional education and further more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. We are people who want to do something about MS now. Join the movement at nationalmssociety.org.
About the New York City Chapter
The New York City Chapter of the National MS Society helps the thousands of New Yorkers impacted by MS continue to move their lives forward. We provide hundreds of comprehensive support services and educational programs to people with MS, their family and friends, and raise funds locally to support the National MS Society’s research initiatives. For more information, visit http://www.msnyc.org/ or call 212-463-7787.
###