Previous Finalists

Newsletter

EXCITING NEWS! As next year is the TENTH YEAR OF THE AWARDS, we will be having a BOOK OF THE DECADE for Category 1 through to 6. Basically, we will go back (2013 - 2023) and look at ALL the GOLD WINNERS over the past 10 years and pick ONE BOOK OF THE DECADE for every category. So, there will be SIX BOOK OF THE DECADE WINNERS! They´ll be no extra cost to the authors; every gold medallist will automatically be entered, and we will be organising a fantastic trophy, certificate and, hopefully, lots of promo for them.Sort of FUN!

Hi everybody,

So, as you might know if you visit our website, lots of authors, publishers and organisations who offer an author service or wish to market a book, advertise on the right hand side of the site (or, if you look on a phone, at the bottom of the site). It's a very simple advert, just a TITLE, a 50 CHARACTER description of the book or service and a LINK. 

We charge £30 ($40) to advertise there for THREE YEARS! Yes, THREE YEARS!!!! It must be the best advertising deal ever!

Anyway, six of the spots will be freeing up within the next week or so, so they will be up for grabs. If you are interested, send me (thewishingshelfawards@gmail.com) a TITLE, 50 CHARACTER (not words) description and a LINK, and I will add it to the website.

The website stats are as follows:

We get approx. 1,500 visitors every month. For example, in September alone, we got 1633 visitors to our website. Not bad for our little Award!!! :) Most of our visitors seem to be authors, publishers and readers looking for a good book!

If you didn't know, every book entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Award is judged by a minimum of 15 readers. But who are they? Well, there are two adult reading groups. One is based in Stockholm, Sweden (where I lived for ten years) and one is in London, England (where I did spend lots of time until Covid 19 hit). There are well over 100 readers in the two groups. They range from 18 year olds to 85 year olds, 40% men, 60% women, black and white. Diversity is important in this award. In terms of jobs, we have doctors, vets, teachers, library assistants, 1 publisher, 2 telephone engineers, 7 translators, 13 editors, and so on and so on - the list is very, very long.
Why do they judge the awards? Simply put, they love reading. They do it for free (which is why we can post the feedback everywhere and not upset anybody). They are not 'experts' in publishing - apart from the 1 publisher - but they know a good book when they see it. And they seem to enjoy picking the finalists and winners every year.
The children's books are judged by children in UK primary/secondary schools. I I have visited a lot of schools over the years giving literacy workshops. When I'm there, I often ask teachers if the children in their class might be interested in judging a few books. And, often, thankfully, they say 'yes!' At present, we have just over 150 children judging the 2022 children's books.
So, in answer to 'Who's doing the judging?' the answer is a man called Svante in Stockholm who runs a cable company, a woman in Nottingham who's a veterinary surgeon, a grandmother in York who worked for 45 years in a fish and chip shop. And, finally, lots of children all over England. That's who!

If you still wish to enter the 2020 Wishing Shelf Book Awards and have your books judged by REAL readers, contact us at thewishingshelfawards@gmail.com

Chat soon,

Edward