Previous Finalists

Comments from Authors/Publishers

Word of the Week: Volume One was my first attempt at self-publishing – all my other books have been commissioned by established publishers – so I was very keen a) to get some objective feedback and b) to build some awareness of the book to help me sell it more widely. Being selected as a Finalist was a big boost, giving me the belief to continue writing in the same vein and to have faith in my ability to keep readers engrossed and entertained. This sort of encouragement is like gold dust and can really help to give you the conviction you need to keep going inspire of all your self-criticism and doubt. I’m yet to see how the endorsement of a five star rating will help my efforts to sell the book as it’s early days but it has given me the confidence to try.'

Tim Glynne-Jones, author of Word of the Week

I worked hard on my debut 'The Sheriff's Catch' and its sequels for over ten years, prior to securing publication with UK award-winning publisher Unbound. After reaching this exciting milestone I was resolved to identify reputable literary awards which I could enter. 'I carried out a lot of research on the internet and spoke to a few published authors before adding The Wishing Shelf Book Awards (WSA) to my shortlist. I must say that WSA founder Edward Trayer aka Billy Bob Buttons does a very effective job of coordinating the reviews of novels which are submitted to this award. WSA also provides very fair and helpful feedback to authors who are named finalists, thereby enabling them to confirm their strengths.'

James Vella-Bardon, author of The Sheriff's Catch

'I’m so glad I entered The Wishing Shelf Award. The process was different to other competitions and felt like it was geared towards the advancement of the author, rather than the organiser’s own agenda. The feedback I received was both positive and constructive and Billy Bob was extremely helpful in answering my queries. I would recommend this competition to any self-published author who is seeking genuine feedback for their work.'

Michael Lynch, author of Straybeck Rising

'This is how a book awards program should be done. Not only was it well run and well organized, it actually provided helpful, thoughtful and constructive feedback to me as an author. The group of judges (my intended readers) clearly read the book, and their intelligent insights reflected this fact. This particular awards program is truly for authors, and it helped me become a better storyteller.'


Robin Kobayashi, author of Twelfth-Night Cake & the Rosings Ghost

'As a YA author with no more teenagers in the house, it is extremely helpful to receive feedback (both praise and critique) from readers in my target demographic, and encouraging to see that I seem to be on the right track. It was a bonus to share finalist honors with two sister authors from our publisher's Year of Publishing Women. As long as my publisher remains small enough, I plan to enter the awards again.

Thank you for making an awesome weekend even better!'

Daughter of Magic, Karen Eisenbrey