I shared in a earlier post my surprise email from Writer’s Digest and that I won first place in the Inspirational category for self-published book.
I thought you would enjoy reading some of my follow-up email, and how books are evaluated.
A few quick notes to help you understand.how it all works,
– Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs
improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding”.
– The 1-5 scale is strictly to provide a point of reference; *the scores
are meant only to be a gauge, and are not a cumulative score, nor are they
tallied or used in ranking. *
– *A “0” is not a negative score.* Our online review system only
recognizes numerals during this portion of logging evaluations.As a result,
we’ve substituted a “0” in place of “N/A” when the particular portion of
the evaluation simply does not apply to the particular entry, based on the
entry genre. For example, a book of poetry, a cookbook, or a travel
guide would not necessarily have a “Plot and Story Appeal, and may
therefore receive a “0” – indicating that the rating was not applicable.
Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5
Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 5
Production Quality and Cover Design: 5
Plot and Story Appeal: 0
Character Appeal and Development: 0
Voice and Writing Style: 5
Judge’s Commentary*:
CRAWLING OUT: ONE WOMAN’S JOURNEY TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF ABUSE by Casey
Morley is a heart wrenching account of one woman’s experiences. The book is
honest and doesn’t hold back when sharing just what happened, including raw
language and situations. This is effective and necessary for her story
truly to be shared. The reader is sympathetic with the author and the fact
that the reader is rewarded when seeing her be successful makes this book a
must-read. The front cover is perfect. The expression is captured well. The
teddy bear makes the reader want to hug the girl. The title tells the
reader what to expect. The endorsement from President Barack Obama is
effective and will surely cause more people to read this important story.
The back cover is also effective in convincing the reader to engage with
this author. The second endorsement is a good addition, and the true story
inside is described well. The author photo shows a lovely woman. The reader
is so happy that the author is now thriving. We’re not reading this story
to see what happens. We are reading this story to see how we can help
others and ourselves. Not only does this book offer a gripping story, but
the resources and information in the back are amazing. This book is an
excellent resource for anyone who cares about abuse. I would like to thank
Casey Morley for sharing her story.
I think the judges comments are wonderful, what do you think? Would you like to share some of your thoughts.
Hugs Casey
