My YA Novel Got an Awesome Review in the Writer’s Digest Contest!!
I Didn’t Win the Contest…But Damn That’s a Solid Review
*BUY THE CREW HERE. (And don’t forget to review on Amazon and spread the word; share with friends, family, Substack, etc.)
**Re-stack this post to support!
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In April of this year I submitted my YA coming-of-age novel THE CREW to the annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. It’s a big deal. Though I’ve gotten many solid reviews on Amazon for The Crew—think Catcher in the Rye meets Dead Poet’s Society meets the Sex Pistols in the year 2000—Kirkus Reviews gave me a terrible review and initiated a back and forth argument between me and the editor because it genuinely sounded to me like the reviewer there hadn’t actually read the book. (There were numerous errors in the review, which I pointed out; they did concede and change a couple of these. They were errors that seemed to strong suggest the book was at least not read in its entirety.)
Now, I don’t want to be conspiratorial or be a “sore loser,” but, given the current climate in publishing (even in self-publishing when it comes to big magazines like Writer’s Digest), after reading all the positive reviews I got from this judge, and given that there were only a tad over 1,500 entries, it’s a bit baffling to me that I wasn’t one of the winners. (There are several.) I’m not saying anything political/ideological occurred here, necessarily, but given the level of praise my book received…it’s a little hard to not at least consider this. We’ll know more in March/April 2025 when the winners (not me) will be announced. Let’s see what kind of books they are. But my novel being about a white, straight, upper-class kid in the year 2000 perhaps didn’t help me. And given that this book was actually rejected by several literary agents specifically based on race/gender/politics in the recent past only adds to the mystery.
That said. Fifteen hundred is still a lot of people. There are a lot of talented writers out there. Maybe mine just wasn’t The Best. Totally possible. I think I’m a good writer…but not that good. So, who knows. Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw. Sometimes more talented people defeat you. This is the nature of competition.
Anyway, even though I didn’t win, here are some choice cuts from the Judge, 32nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards, 2024:
“This book is exemplary in its structure, organization, and pacing. The structure of the chapters/parts aid in a compelling organization of the story or information. The pacing is even throughout and matches the tone/genre of the book.”
“This book is exemplary in its choice of topic or theme of the story. It is unique but still has strong appeal for most readers in its intended genre…The book is well plotted. …There is a cohesive theme or delivery of information.”
“…the story felt very real; I have known real-life people who are like the characters. The level of authenticity in this narrative is exceptional; this fact makes the world and characters created by the author believable and relatable in a very unique and special way, and I cannot stress the strength in this area enough.”
“This book is exemplary in character appeal (or interest) and development. All main characters (including antagonists) are unique and fully fleshed out with compelling, layered motivations and traits. Secondary characters are unique and have a meaningful purpose.”
“MC character is extremely complex, and this makes the reading highly interactive for the reader; the reader must constantly determine how much to invest in the MC, and this keeps pages turning. Just the right amount of sunlight now and then to keep readers rooting for the MC and his situation, only to be let down (in a real-life) way by MC's choices and situation. We want to ride these ups and downs because the MC and ALL of the other characters are developed so deeply and distinctly; it will not take long for readers to know who is talking/thinking because each voice is independent of the others. Some readers will wonder about the assault backstory with Sarah and why she'd continue hanging around with the supposed perpetrator, but, those lines are blurry and rightfully so, as real life and unreliable narrators are what make the story a gripper.”
“This book is exemplary in its voice and writing style. It has a unique voice, and the writing style is consistent throughout. The style and tone are also consistent with or will appeal to readers of the intended genre.”
“Voice, style, and most other aspects of this body of work are unique--not much else to say. Highest compliment here = truly unique. And, to be so incomparable when designing a story about growing up--something that's been done a million times.”
“Authenticity of the characters and their stories. The generally gripping main ideas, smaller events, and themes of the story.”
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*So: How in the hell did I NOT win this?????
Be proud, Michael. Readers are the only people whose opinions matter, not editors. Editors seem to chase the market and we end up reading the same crap in different book jackets.
Congratulations, Michael. So much of the commentary relates to why you’re a top-notch editor—structural development, nuanced characters, gripping plot twists—but the most important thing this reviewer recognized was your voice. The narrator’s voice is so important, and so very difficult to create. And without it, no much else feels right.
You’re justified in feeling proud of this.