Don’t judge a book by its cover—good advice maybe, but, as authors, we experience this unfair and superficial adjudication of our grandes oeuvres every minute of every day. Whether potential readers are flicking through books in the local bookstore, or library, or scrolling down hundreds of thumbnail-sized cover images on Amazon, the book cover has a far greater influence on buying decisions than we would wish.
So the cover has to be compelling, even when viewed as a myopia-challenging image on an i-phone screen. A good cover design can catch the eye, at least long enough for the viewer to flick to the blurb, but a competition award sticker can bestow instant credibility. When anyone with a computer can publish—independent endorsement is invaluable. See the unadorned jacket below, and how much more eye-catching the post-award version is.
As a doctor and ex-breast cancer patient, my book guides fellow-sufferers through diagnosis, treatment, and life beyond cancer. However sometimes I struggle to convey to people how much the book can help them. Due to its genre, it is hardly an impulse buy, and a promotion doesn’t usually trigger a scrum in Waterstones, in the same way that a holiday read may.
So when I heard about the Words for the Wounded Book Competition I decided to enter.
I was aware that Words for the Wounded is a very special charity, started and administered by three ‘writing grannies’, including the Margaret Graham – best-selling author with Random House. Raising money by literary-based activities, their charity finds practical ways to help service personnel who have been damaged by war—either physically or through post-traumatic stress syndrome. I was pleased to support such a good cause, whilst taking the opportunity to have my book assessed by experienced literary professionals, in this case, Felicity Trew, of the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency.
I was astounded and thrilled when my book won first place. Besides my pride that it had been judged best out of hundreds of entries, the new award sticker on my book cover and updated book description, together with social media announcements, resulted in a pleasant upturn in sales statistics.
Fired by my success I entered the same book for the ‘Janey Loves …’ (Radio 2’s Jayney Lee Grace) Platinum awards, and once again won. My book now has two award stickers of which I am very proud.
So, yes, if you believe in your book, enter book competitions – they really help.
Talking of which … The Words for the Wounded Competition is currently taking entries for The Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award for independent authors in 4 categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Fiction for young adults, & Picture Books for Children. See http://www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk for details.
The charity is also hosting a Lit Fest (details available on the same link) on 21st April, which is an excellent day of talks for writers and literary enthusiasts alike, held in High Wycombe, just thirty minutes from London. Consider treating yourself – you will not regret it.
And if you are interested in my book …
From Both Ends of the Stethoscope – Getting Through Breast Cancer by a Doctor Who Knows – please feel free to buy a copy http://amzn.to/20Y09pK
www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk