Previous Finalists

Comments from Authors/Publishers

‘Being a Bronze Award winner in the 6-8-year-old category of the Wishing Shelf Awards has proved invaluable. We have been able to incorporate the winning of the award in our publicity and promotional materials such as posters, correspondence with schools, libraries, dyslexia organisations, bookshops and newspapers. We have included information about the award in the blurb of the second book in the series and have used extracts from the feedback and reviews on our Horace Burp website. This has undoubtedly raised the profile of the books. The fact that the feedback and reviews come directly from children, teachers and teaching assistants is what makes the Wishing Shelf Awards so valuable. The awards also provide an inspirational way of involving children in the world of books. Congratulations to Edward and the team for providing such a great opportunity for authors and young readers.’

Christine Tennent, author of Horace Burp, Lizard Boy

’It was wonderful to have the opportunity to showcase my books in the Wishing Shelf Awards. It is a breath of fresh air to have an award judged by readers, a true mark of independence and integrity. The thoughtful and constructive feedback was very helpful indeed. It is a fantastic endeavour and I will be back with the third in the series. Hats off to Edward, the amount of effort he puts in is amazing.’

Brendan Murphy, author of The Traitor’s Trap

’As a children’s author, and for obvious reasons, it’s extremely difficult to gain access to beta readers in the 9- to12- year-old age group. I found your award program offers helpful feedback directly from my intended readers—priceless!
Well done to you for stimulating reading in young people. I’m sure the children get a kick out of knowing their words will help make the authors next story even more entertaining.
Thanks for creating such a valuable program for authors as well as children in which every one wins.
Presently I’m deep into the editing stages of my next Middle Grade novel, and I’m looking forward to entering The Wishing Shelf Awards again this year.’

Carey Fessler , author of Foiled

’The Wishing Shelf Book Awards is a fun and helpful writing contest that actually gives writers feedback. Not just feedback from editors and critics, but also comments from young readers, my favorite audience! There are numerous contests you could enter your books into and many charge fairly high rates too. This is an affordable contest for writers with the intent of giving honest, helpful reviews. I would recommend the Wishing Shelf for any writers wishing to show off their skills and learn how to improve their craft. Definitely worth your time and the reasonable entry fee.’

Steven J Thompson, author of The Daughers Daring

’In a world where more people than ever are becoming writers, there is a concomitant uptick in contests and awards for said writers. I have participated in many book awards programs over the years and have won a few of them, but by far the Wishing Shelf Book Award is my favorite. What distinguishes the Wishing Shelf Awards from all the rest is that my books are read and judged by the actual readers in my demographic. That target-audience feedback is not part of any other award program that I know of, and is, in a word, invaluable. My hats off and sincere thanks to Edward Trayer (a.k.a. Billy Bob Buttons) for developing a concept of meaningful interaction for today’s authors, and for the hard work he puts into the Wishing Shelf Awards. His vision and dedication make a difference to fellow authors, and benefit young readers by giving them a voice.’

Don M. Winn, Award-Winning Author, Speaker, and Dyslexia Advocate