Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Thank you so much for participating in the awards. The entries all had something truly unique or special about them. However, there can only be one winner and just like a good steak, our judges must trim the fat.
Below, are the first round results for Sci-Fi.
Good luck to those continuing and thank you for your efforts to those who didn't make it through.
Ricochet by DeejayDJ010 Title: 3/5 Cover: 4 /5 Blurb: 5/10 Hook: 3/10 Total:15/30 Notes: The title is a bit generic and didn't tell me what to expect (a quick search brought up several hundred similar titles). Also, the title is a bit hard to read on the cover because of the red brain. I loved the spiral though. I think a little bit of reworking the composition to make things readable could make this cover really pop out from the crowd. The blurb is concise but too vague. Other than a witnessed kidnapping, I had no idea what to expect or reason to be interested in the plot, Jamie's plight, or his nameless allies. The hook starts out in passive voice, ("Jaime was greeted") and has a lot of exposition. I think you could cut some of it with choice bits of dialogue to move the story and establish Jaime's voice for the reader. The action was vague as well. Leaving the reader in the dark alongside characters can be a great technique, but we need enough information to be interested in what is happening. Finally, the scene change to a "Clara" at the end would probably be better as a second chapter. It seems like you have a very interesting idea for this story, and I think some reworking of the blurb and hook would help draw in readers and communicate your ideas more effectively along the way.
To Abide with Strays by KittyDevan Title: 5/5 Cover: 3.5/5 Blurb: 3/10 Hook: 1/10 Total: 12.5/30 Notes: The title is very original and interesting, so great job! I also loved the cover concept, but it was hard to read. My eyes didn't know where to go, or what the title was. That little 'with' on the left side is easily missed. The blurb has some strange wording and phrasing choices, and is long and confusing. I read it four times, but other than there being three important women with powers (?), that's all I got from it. Of course, a blurb is like a sales pitch: the reader needs to know who to be invested in (characters) and teased by an exciting setting or plot element to come. I didn't know what I was supposed to be reading about or interested in, or why it should be exciting. Like the cover, the inside graphics are very cool. A glossary is helpful, but I would recommend putting that and the character pics at the end. The first few paragraphs (the hook) switched tenses, and had some characters' dialogues jumbled together with thoughts and narration. It made it chaotic to read and hard to follow the action. I think you have an interesting idea, but it needs a lot of refinement and a clear hook to grab more readers and let your story shine.
