It was sometime last year that I have applied for Self Published Book Awards competition by Writers Digest. It’s a pricey competition, with $99 fee if you apply by 3rd of April or $110 if you wait until 1 May. If you are interested in applying, note that this competition is for published paperbacks – the ebook timelines should be announced later in the year.
Please also note that it takes them forever to assess the books, so it’s no use to continuously check your inbox. Once you forgot all about it and least expect it, you will, eventually, finally, get an email response. Mine was a rejection, which included an assessment from an anonymous judge:
- Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5
- Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 5
- Production Quality and Cover Design: 4
- Plot and Story Appeal: 5
- Character Appeal and Development: 5
- Voice and Writing Style: 4
Judge’s Commentary:
I loved this book. It has everything that we want to see in a great story. The situation is unique. The character is relatable and likable. The opening was fantastic. It drew the reader in and made them want to read more. The production values would stand up to any book being published by New York today. I don’t have much negative to say at all. My only comment was that because of the fact that your last name is also a verb, I thought at first that “Ana Spoke” was the title. Easily fixed by putting “by Ana Spoke” in future editions! With all that praise, I hope you’re not surprised that I passed this on to the next round of judging in the contest. It’s well-deserved.
At this point, I would really focus on the marketing aspects of the publishing process. You have the great book; now you need to talk it up. I would hope that you’re beginning to accumulate cover quotes from authors and contests. I think that was the one thing missing from the back cover that might persuade more people to buy the book. It’s a great story, and I think it just needs more push to become a very popular title.
I was in a dark and dingy, “I’m giving up on writing” place when I received this review/rejection, but reading it now, after the BookBub news, it’s a completely different story. The judge “loved” my book! In fact, he or she sounds in love with it, comparing Shizzle, Inc to “any book being published by New York today.” Seriously, could it get any better? It suddenly occurred to me that I can USE IT AS A QUOTE in my blurb. Why didn’t I think of that right away? Well, that’s simple – when my mindset was negative, I could not see the silver lining in this particular cloud, but as soon as I found my regular upbeat mojo, the possibilities are shouting at me from every turn.
So here’s to mojo! It should be nurtured and fed on a regular basis, and lovingly maintained as a valuable asset. I’m about to take it over to Amazon and once again spruce up my blurb, just in time for that BookBub.
Ana Spoke, author 
It’s awesome that you got so much praise and that it helped to keep you motivated in your writing endeavours. I agree completely with you that a silver lining is sometimes hard to spot, but I’m happy that you found it. It sounds like all of this praise totally justified the pricey competition fee. Great post! 😀😀
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Thank you 🙂 I was bummed when I read it at first, which was a month ago. Now I read it and can’t stop smiling. It’s all in the mindset.
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Absolutely! 😀
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Well done you should be proud of that so-called rejection. Writers all have self doubt, so it was nice that these nice words were timed so well for you. Now you’re up when you could have been down. I love that you got your mojo back.
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Thank you! Believe it or not, I got this review last month, if not longer ago. I was just giving up at that time, so I ignored it. Just remembered it now, because I’m once again feeling hopeful.
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Congratulations on the awesome feedback! So happy for you!
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Thank you!
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YAY!!! Kicking butt and taking names!
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That’s right 🙂 Wait till you see the hurricane of action I plan to do right before that literary speed dating 🙂
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Can’t wait!!
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That’s wonderful Ana! Congrats on the wonderful review he gave your book!
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Thank you so much Shana 🙂 Can’t believe that when I got it last month, I just discarded it.
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That’s awesome you could find the good in the review you got. Every writer goes through the “dark phase,” but it’s important to pull ourselves out of them =)
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Yes, and as early as possible. It’s so much harder to do once you’ve spiraled down for a while. Nip doubt in a bud and create some excitement, be that entering a competition or doing a promo.
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Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
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Thank you for sharing!
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That is absolutely wonderful news. OK, so you didn’t get the award, so what. The important factor being that you inspired the judge to make those comments.
I loved Shizzle Inc and should be catching up with your other books but I am up to my neck in projects; that and being a hopelessly lazy reader these
days.
I am so pleased for you, keep up the good work!
Best wishes,
Roger
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Thank you so much Roger 🙂 means a lot
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Keep up the good work! 😃
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Well, you’re more positive than I would be under the circumstances… I need to work on handling rejection more. Or sending my stuff in anywhere; something like that.
At any rate, may it translate into many new fans!
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I’ve had a long practice getting rejected, haha! Spent four years trying to be an actress, managed to get 40 roles and I estimate around 200 rejections. Eventually you just dismiss them as a part of the experience.
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What a fantastic rejection, Ana. But why did the judge reject it? It can’t, surely, be because of your name!
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The judge approved it for the next round and I think I lost it after that. Mine is a comedy, it could have been a matter of someone not liking my sense of humour.
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I knew your writing was great! You need to take that quote to Bookbub and use it in the pitch. It might have been a rejection but it was the best one I’ve ever read. Talk about encouragement. Take it and keep up your mojo and if it wavers just read that and know it’s as good as any New York published book. Glad to hear your hitting 1000 words a day on the new book. Go mojo!
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Thank you Olivia 🙂 the quote is in the blurb now, for everyone to see.
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Ana, that is great! I sent my book to the awards and hope my rejection is as great as yours when it comes in. Congrats on the Bookbub 🙂
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Thank you! Hope its either great feedback, or better yet, a win!
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That’s great feedback and most useful, by the sound of it. Well done 🙂
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That’s awesome news! I love how you turned the rejection into a silver lining, your optimism is infectious.
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Thank you 🙂 I’m so glad I keep blogging, every now and then I go back to beginning to remember how far I’d managed to get in just a couple of years and part time. Then I feel like I can keep going again.
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I’ve only been blogging a couple months, and I still cringe looking back at my earlier posts 😛 Three cheers for determination and perseverance!
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Thank you 🙂 Keep those posts, they will show you how far you’ve come. I have read the first draft of my first book, now that was cringeworthy…
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I don’t think I even kept the first draft of my first attempt at writing a book…I kind of wish I did, just so I can look back and punch my 16-year-old self in the face.
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Noooo! Don’t bully yourself, there are enough of them out there already.
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thanks for the advice 🙂
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That’s a fantastic review! Even if you didn’t win, you can’t ask for better endorsement than that.
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Thank you Amelia 🙂 I have high hopes for winning a publisher over in a face-to-face in June. I have good reviews, I have persistence, I have a social media platform…what else could they want??? I guess I’ll find out 🙂
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That’s a really good ‘rejection’, Ana. Good thinking to use it in your blurb.
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Thank you Pam 🙂 Silver lining, always think silver lining…
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Congratulations Ana. Great work.
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Congratulations! If you’re ever struggling to get your book out there and want to make more sales, you can always visit http://www.storytelleralley.com/users/emilyw, a new start-up website that seeks to promote new books like yours! It’s free, quick and easy, and will hopefully earn you a lot more sales! Congrats again on the book, it sounds great!
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I’m so happy you got such great comments from the judge. It’s obvious he or she actually read it. I entered two books this year, the first and second parts of a trilogy, both reviewed by the same judge and just got my review comments. I didn’t have a very good experience at all. When I read the two sets of comments it became clear that the judge, who scored my books mostly 4s and some 3s, only read the first two chapters (out of 8; few but very long chapters; part of epic fantasy trilogy), and the epilog and a couple of charts at the back. The comments were so generic, like saying that “the setting is medieval and the people travel by horses and can only communicate by a messenger carrying handwritten letters on parchment.” The judge actually said things that weren’t even true, which I pointed out to them. I took the trouble to send them feedback, so maybe next year they could make it more useful for other people. Interestingly, one of the books had just won a silver medal in fantasy fiction, and the other was just reviewed in booklist mag as recommended for purchase for public libraries.
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