Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Self-publishing has its advantages. You retain far more control over your book and a larger percentage of royalties. It also comes with disadvantages. You don’t have the marketing clout of a traditional publisher, the kudos or access to most bookshops. There is also an industry that has grown to ‘cater’ for this flourishing sector, tapping into the dreams and hopes of writers producing a range of books and delivering a range in quality. As with any industry, there are those exploiting the situation, squeezing out money from the vulnerable, and those with a sincere desire to nurture the talent or deliver the dream. Book awards are one such facet of this industry. What better tool for an independent author to promote their work than with a prize declaring it to be of the highest quality and enjoyed by a readership. Alas, for many they can be a money pit. High entry fees, limited chance of winning and no feedback. Of course, you can argue that is the nature of competition. However, let’s not forget those disadvantages and the raison d’etre of these competitions to champion indie authors.
So, as an indie author I am very selective in where I enter my books. The Wishing Shelf Book Awards were set up by an author who understands the uphill task facing the average indie author. It is a non-profit organisation that utilises a strong network of readers across the age groups, including schools, and, for a little bit extra, provides feedback. Finalists are judged by a scoring threshold, meaning if your book is deemed high quality by a diverse judging group it receives recognition and kudos. And, of course, you then have your winners: gold, silver and bronze. But more than one author may win each award if their scores are identical. If you don’t make it through to the finals, there is a ‘red ribbon’ category to recognise those that were enjoyed but just fell short in one of the scoring categories. And then there is the feedback. Every writer should welcome feedback. If praise gets us up in the morning, then constructive criticism is what drives us during the day. If you’re entering book awards, then you have a desire to be read by a large audience. Understanding how to hit the mark with an audience is essential and, while most feedback is often subjective, if a group of judges agree, then it is worth absorbing the lesson and utilising in your next piece of work.
Now, I am most fortunate that my book, Mooge: The Prehistoric Genius, has been selected as a finalist in the 9-12 year category. A number of primary school classes will have been given the opportunity to read it and, with the help of their teacher, decided it was worthy of going forward to the finals. A select group of children will now be considering all the finalists and determining who is worthy of one of those winner medals. The interesting thing about having children as judges is they know what they like and they have no trouble telling you what they don’t like. In beta testing Mooge (a narrative in rhyme) in a primary school, I discovered, among other things, kids demand a perfect rhyme and your half-rhyme just will not do - that told me! I, therefore, expect that unless Mooge is deemed worthy of a medal, there will be an honest view shared of where it fell down. And while the reasoning may be outside your average book award judges’ rationale, there is no one better to judge my children’s book than its intended audience.
So, I display my Wishing Shelf Book Award finalist badge with pride knowing I’ve already made an impact in the classroom and await the 1 April with nervous excitement to learn if Mooge has triumphed or another deserving book has found favour with our experts. Whatever the outcome, I will have got something out of entering the Wishing Shelf Book Awards.
Postscript: Mooge did not make it on to the winner’s podium but the feedback was excellent.