Last year I entered my YA paranormal romance novel Connected into two book award contests: The National Indie Excellence Awards and The Wishing Shelf Book Awards.
The Results are In
I got the email a few days ago from the National Indie Excellence Awards that Connected was chosen as a finalist. I did some research and this is one of the larger book award contests out there, so to say I smiled would be an understatement. I got a pretty jpg to put on images of my book, too. 🙂 Here’s the URL that proves I’m not making it up (scroll down to the bottom, under the Young Adult Category):
http://indieexcellence.com/indie-results-10th-finalists.htm#121
I already mentioned The Wishing Shelf Book Awards in a previous blog post, but yesterday I got the feedback from them as well. One of the things I liked about this particular contest is that it provides feedback to each participant, as well as a catchy quote you can use for marketing. I loved that my book was actually read by its target audience – teenagers! Oh, and I got a cute image from them too. Here’s the link that proves I’m not lying (scroll down to Category 4):
http://www.thewsa.co.uk/finalists2015/
Feedback
Title: Connected
Author: Kat Stiles
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 28
Stats Of the 28 readers:
- Editing 9/10
- Style 9/10
- Cover 10/10
- Plot 8/10
- Total 36/40
- 23 would read another book by this author
- 12 thought the plot was the best part of the book
- 10 thought the characters were the best
- 6 thought the setting was the best part
- 28 thought the cover was good or excellent
- 23 though the author was a good writer.
Readers’ Comments:
“I loved the cover so much – and the blurb too. They made me want to read it. I’m glad I did.” Girl, aged 14
“This book reminded me of X-men in a good way. There was an interesting romantic side to it too. Lots happening all the way to the end and I liked the mystery.” Boy, aged 15
“This book is perfect for teenagers. Super powers and cool boys and a strong plot. The writing style is not difficult to follow. It will probably never be on the English lit reading list but that’s probably why I liked it so much.” Girl, aged 14
“Generally pretty good. A few of the plot twists were predictable and I hardly got to know many of the characters, but I think teenagers will like it. Girls more than boys. This could be the start of a popular set of books.” Boy, aged 15
Catchy Quote: “A fun, teen novel packed full of paranormal powers and a sprinkling of romance. A finalist and highly recommended.” The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Yes, I did giggle like a little girl when I read the X-men comment. I mean how cool is that, to get direct feedback from my target audience? Even the somewhat lackluster comment from the second boy is fine with me, because as he noted, this book is really geared more for teenage girls than boys. This invaluable feedback confirms what I’ve suspected: my target audience really does enjoy reading Connected.
Why I’m Happy to Place as a Finalist
Don’t get me wrong, winning would be awesome, but that isn’t what I expected, quite frankly. Even in my About Me page I talk about not winning any awards. That’s not the point of my novel. Connected was brought to life to embody the fun of reading.
I don’t apologize for its lack of seriousness, teenage pregnancies, drug abuse, anorexia, or any of the other totally dreadful things in real life. I don’t apologize for the lack of $20 vocabulary words. I don’t apologize for it being essentially anti-literary. Because, whether or not anyone wants to admit it, kids are reading less.
There are too many other mediums out there now to compete with books: the internet, video games, smartphones, tablets. And I’d be willing to bet some kids base their whole perception of reading on the required stuff in school. So I get it. If I thought reading = The Old Man and the Sea, I probably wouldn’t be into books, either.
Reading is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to transport you to another place, let you experience life through a new perspective – in a different time, a different place, or even with cool super powers. 🙂 Books like mine let readers do that without getting a headache or needing a dictionary for every other word.
Placing as a finalist works great for me. It lends credibility to my novel, giving a little assurance to the prospective buyer that my book is readable and won’t make them cringe from all the formatting and grammar issues. In this new phase of the publishing industry where anyone can publish a novel, that kind of validation is crucial to set my book apart, give it a fighting chance to get read.
What do you think – does an award influence your decision to purchase a book from an unknown author? Please comment, I’d love to hear from you!