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Once upon a time, all novels were essentially self-published. It could be argued (we won’t — it’s a gorgeous Friday afternoon) that Sir Walter Scott was, in a way, self-published. These works were considered highly respectable. Then came the huge corporate publishers and self-published works became the hallmark of, well, less-than-quality. But we’ve noticed an interesting trend in the past several years: lots of self-published works are being snapped up by the big houses. Something about a proven track record, that sort of thing. And self-published works are winning awards. We’re not recommending this route for everyone, but have revised our opinion on the venture over time.

• AuthorHouse Writers Win National Book Contest