Who We Are
BRAGMedallion.com is owned and operated by indieBRAG, LLC, a privately held organization that has brought together a large group of readers, both individuals and members of book clubs, located throughout the United States and in ten other countries around the globe. The word “indie” refers to self-published books, while B.R.A.G. is an acronym for Book Readers Appreciation Group. The name “indieBRAG” and the B.R.A.G. logos are trademarks of indieBRAG, LLC. The B.R.A.G. Medallion is a certification trademark owned and controlled by indieBRAG, LLC.
What We Do
Our mission is to discover talented self-published authors and help them give their work the attention and recognition it deserves. Our primary focus is fiction across a wide range of genres; however, we selectively consider non-fiction books as well.
How We Do It
All self-published authors are invited to nominate their digital books (ebooks) through our website. This requires the payment of a processing fee of $100.00 payable through PayPal Payments Pro. The fee covers ebook acquisition and administrative costs, and the expense of maintaining our website. We do not accept submissions of books that are available only in print or nominations by anyone other than a book’s author, or their designated representative.
All ebooks brought to the attention of indieBRAG, LLC are subjected to a rigorous selection process. This entails an initial screening to ensure that the author’s work meets certain minimum standards of quality and content. This initial screening may involve a review of sample chapters available on Amazon.com (or other on-line booksellers), or portions of the nominated ebook. IndieBRAG, LLC reserves the right to reject an ebook during this initial screening assessment for any reason in indieBRAG, LLC’s sole discretion. If the book does not meet our standards the author will be notified by email and the processing fee will be refunded in full.
If it passes this preliminary assessment, the book is then made available to members of our global reader team who prefer that genre and the book is provided to them only if they request it. In the rare instance that a book is not selected by any of that genre’s readers the author will be notified by email and the processing fee will be refunded in full. If, however, it passes the screening and is read by our team members but is not chosen to receive a B.R.A.G.Medallion the fee will not be refunded. In both the initial screening phase and, if appropriate, the subsequent group evaluation phase, each book is judged against a comprehensive list of relevant literary criteria.
Due to the large number of nominations we receive each week, and our commitment to give each book the consideration it deserves, our review process may take up to six months; however, our target to complete it within four months. As soon as a decision is reached on whether or not a book will be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion, the author will be notified by email accordingly. This notification will include a summary report showing the ratings that were used to make the final decision (see sample report). This decision is final and no feedback will be provided beyond the decision and the summary report.
The summary report will include at 3 selected comments by the readers. Our readers come from a wide reader base. Some are aluthors and others very knowledgeable about writing such as editors, librarians and teachers. Many of our readers are people who love books and read a lot. These readers represent the reading public that will purchase your book so they may not base their decision on the technical qualities of your book but on the readability and whether it is a book they would gladly recommend to their friends with the same interests. Thes comments are not shared outside of indieBRAG. For this reason, our readers can be honest with their thoughts. It is our goal to help books our readers believe deserve attention and to never harm the reputation of an author or their book.
If you feel your book can meet our high standards, we encourage you to nominate it, but we cannot make any guarantees that it will pass either the initial screening or the subsequent review by our readers. On average, only 20-25% of the books we consider are awarded our B.R.A.G. Medallion and are presented on our website. Conversely, we do not make public the titles of any books or the names of their authors that have been reviewed but were not selected to receive a B.R.A.G. Medallion.
Frequently Asked Questions
For Authors
What is indieBRAG and what is the B.R.A.G. Medallion?
The term “indie” refers to self-published books and B.R.A.G. is an acronym for Book Readers Appreciation Group. The name “indieBRAG” and the B.R.A.G. logos are trademarks of indieBRAG, LLC. The B.R.A.G. Medallion is a certification trademark owned and controlled by indieBRAG, LLC.
How do I submit my book?
The book nomination form can be found under the SUBMIT YOUR BOOK tab on our website.
Will my personal information be shared with anyone?
We take great care to protect the privacy of authors who nominate their books for our consideration. For further details please refer to our website PRIVACY POLICY for how we handle all personal and non-personal information.
What does the $100.00 fee cover?
The fee covers ebook acquisition and administrative costs, and the expense of maintaining our website.
In Addition, if your book is selected as a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree:
- We will travel to select book conferences and events to publicize the website which features your book
- You will have admission to the private B.R.A.G.Medallion Authors Group on Facebook.
- You will be able to put information about your book sales and promotions on our Sales & Promotions We will advertise and promote this page throughout all social media.
- We will feature your book on the website homepage when appropriate. We do features for holidays, special occasions and appropriate events (e.g. Black History Month, Earth Day, World Book Night).
- We feature books in a specific genre on the home page monthly– January is Literary Fiction Month; February is Romance Month.
Can I submit a manuscript or a print version of my book?
We only consider work that is commercially available in a digital (ebook) format.
How will my book be judged?
Please read the ABOUT US/HOW WE DO IT section of our website.
How many people will read my book?
Other than the process described in the ABOUT US/HOW WE DO IT section of our website, all other aspects of our process are confidential.
Who are your readers and what are their qualifications?
We currently have over two hundred readers, both individuals and members of book clubs, located throughout the United States and in ten other countries around the globe. They are people who are passionate about reading, and who love to help us discover new and talented self-published authors. The vast majority are ordinary members of the general reading public. We do not require that they be literary experts, professional editors, or book reviewers and bloggers, although some may happen to be that.
How will I be notified after you have made a decision on my book?
As soon as a decision is reached on whether or not a book will be awarded a B.R.A.G.Medallion, the author will be notified by email accordingly. This notification will include a summary report showing the ratings that were used to make the final decision (see sample report). This decision is final and no feedback will be provided beyond the decision and the summary report.
How long will it take to get a decision?
Due to the large number of nominations we receive each week, and our commitment to give each book the consideration it deserves, our review process may take up to six months: however, our target is to complete it within four months.
What percentage of the books you read are awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion?
On average, only 20-25% of the books we consider are awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion.
If my book is awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion what will you do for me?
If a book is awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion, the author will be able to use it on their website and/or book cover to inform their readers that the book has been so honored. In addition, we will work with the author to help him or her gain the attention and recognition they deserve across all major forms of social media; however, the primary responsibility for this must rest with the author.
If my book is awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion will I see an increase in sales?
We cannot guarantee that there will be any significant increase in the sales of a book after it is awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion, or as a result of the help we provide the author in promoting their book through social media. However, we have received anecdotal feedback from many of our authors who are pleased with the results.
If my book is awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion, does it apply to other books I have written?
The B.R.A.G. Medallion only applies to the specific book that received the award.
If my book is not awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion will I get my fee back?
If your book does not pass the initial screening process, the processing fee will be refunded in full. If, however, it passes the initial screening but is not chosen to receive a B.R.A.G. Medallion the fee will not be refunded.
If my book is not awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion will that fact be made public?
We do not make public the titles of any books or the names of their authors that have been reviewed but were not selected to receive a Medallion.
Can I nominate a book written by someone else?
We only consider books that are nominated by the author or their designated representative (e.g., family member, agent or publicist).
For Readers
How do I become a reader?
You may apply under the BECOME A READER tab on our website.
What qualifications must I have?
You must be 18 years of age or older and have at least graduated from high school. You must also have an ebook reader or be able to download ebooks onto your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Will my personal information be shared with anyone?
We take great care to protect the privacy of our readers. For further details please refer to our website PRIVACY POLICY for how we handle all personal and non-personal information.
Is there a minimum number of books that I must read or a time limit?
You may read as many or as few books as you like. All that is required is that you finish any given book within four weeks.
How do I get a book from you?
When you are ready to read a book, we will suggest several titles within your preferred genre(s). You will then be able to sample these books for free at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com. Once you have chosen a book that you would like to read we will gift it to you.
What does the process of evaluating a book entail?
After you finish reading a book, a link that we will provide to you will take you to the relevant section of our website where you will recommend whether or not the book deserves to be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion. To do this you will need to complete a summary report in which you will rate each book across a list of relevant literary criteria (see sample report).
Will my identity be revealed to the author of a book I read for indieBRAG?
Absolutely not. One critical element of our process is that authors do not know the names of people who read and evaluate their book. This permits our readers to make unbiased decisions.
Can I contact the author of a book that I am reading for indieBRAG?
In order to maintain the integrity of our program, you may not have any contact with the author of a book while you are reading it for us, or have a vested interest in the book, or receive the book directly from the author.
Can I tell anyone that I am an indieBRAG reader?
You can say that you are an indieBRAG reader; however, you may not tell anyone what books you have read for indieBRAG including the authors.
Can I write a review of a book that I have read for indieBRAG on my blog or elsewhere?
Yes, you are certainly free to write a review and you can even mention the fact that the book was awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion as long as you do not say that you read the book for indieBRAG.