Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off – Part 1

I’ll start this blog entry with an apology, since I’ve been absent for a little while.  I needed time to focus on editing Sundered Souls, the second novel in The Brotherhood of the Eagle series.  That task proved much harder and more time-consuming than I expected, so blogging had to take a back seat until I was done.  I’m pleased to say that Sundered Souls is now slated for release later this summer.  Another thing that’s kept me busy over the last couple of months has been entering Hall of Bones in the seventh annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off (or the unpronounceable acronym SPFBO for short).

SPFBO is a writing competition created by the author Mark Lawrence, who’s written some of my favourite recent fantasy series, including The Broken Empire and Red Queen’s War.  The aim of the contest is to help shine a light on the work of self-published authors who write in the fantasy genre.

Each year, up to 300 writers can submit either a standalone work or the first novel in a series for consideration.  The entries are divided up among 10 online book bloggers, with each blog reviewing 30 books.  Hall of Bones has been allocated to www.lynns-books.com book blog, working with www.critiquingchemist.com.  Some bloggers operate on their own, although most work as a team or partner up with another blog to help share the load.  At the end of the first stage the bloggers each chose one finalist from their batch of 30 books.  Those 10 finalists advance to the next stage, where all 10 blogs review each of those books in full.  Each book is allocated a score and the one with the highest total ultimately wins the contest.

Full details can be found in Mark’s blog for the extra-curious.  The sci-fi author Hugh Howey also launched the inaugural Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) earlier this month, as detailed on his website.  All this is done on a voluntary basis and it’s a real labour of love, both for the authors hosting the contest and the bloggers who read a phenomenal number of books to determine their favourites.

I’d made the decision to submit Hall of Bones to SPFBO7 way back in the summer of 2020, a few months before my novel was actually published.  It felt like a no brainer – a contest that’s free to enter, hosted by one of the most well-known and successful fantasy authors.  However, as the application date drew near, I have to admit nerves began to take hold.  I had to screw up all my courage to submit my entry.  The nature of SPFBO is lots of books get cut and the chances of advancing from your group are small.  In this subjective business, there’s obviously a risk the blogger allocated my book won’t enjoy it, resulting in the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish).  All the entrants deserve respect for taking part, because SPFBO involves a lot of detailed public scrutiny.

Although SPFBO isn’t good for the nerves, there are lots of benefits to taking part.  Whilst my main objective was to get a solid review, I’ve really enjoyed the camaraderie I’ve formed with some of the other entrants and the wider writing community.  Everyone is eagerly following the contest and there’s a real buzz about the event.  It’s great to see fellow authors supporting each other when the anxieties take hold.

The other key advantage to a contest like this is raising awareness that your book even exists.  This, rather than perceived quality issues, is the most significant barrier any independent author has to overcome.  A lot of people think that self-published fiction is an amateur business, filled with poorly edited and badly written books.  The thinking goes that traditional publishing acts as a filter, weeding out lower quality books, thus offering a superior product to readers.

There are terrible self-published books out there.  With no entry criteria, anyone can put a book out.  But just stop and think about that for a moment.  Anyone can publish whatever they want and there are now various services (Amazon, Nook, Kobo etc.) that enable authors to do so at minimum cost.  That’s an astonishing shift in the publishing world.

Not all that long ago, self-publishing meant going to a vanity press and paying to have your book released, at significant financial risk to the author.  Now, small independent publishers have moved into the territory previously occupied by vanity presses, offering competitive packages to authors wanting to put their books out there.  Authors have never had more choice about how to release their work.

Crucially, whilst there’s greater range with self-published books, I’d say the last few years have proved beyond doubt that when you look at the top end of both markets the quality between the two is indistinguishable.  Past winners and highly commended SPFBO entrants have secured traditional publishing deals off the back of the competition.  However, for a significant number of authors independent publishing is now their first choice due to the benefits that come with this (i.e. having full creative control, increased speed of release and a larger royalty share).

Personally, I don’t think one business model is better than the other when it comes to releasing works of fiction.  Both have their pros and cons and I might expand on this in a future post.  However, the important thing is there’s an incredibly varied writing community coming to the fore through independent publishing, and competitions such as SPFBO and SPSFC are giving these authors a valuable platform.

Discovering the world of independently published books was a huge eye-opener for me.  It was like stumbling across a secret bookstore, filled with unique wonders, hiding in plain sight (rather like Diagon Alley in Harry Potter).  Independent books are ushering in a variety of new voices from authors who, whilst not lacking talent, haven’t found a place in the traditionally published books you’ll see in high street bookstores.

SPFBO7 began in June 2021 and at the time of writing 264 of the original 300 entries are still in the running.  I’ll use my blog to keep you posted on my progress through the competition.  Whatever the outcome for Hall of Bones, I’ll be tracking the progress of the semi-finalists and finalists.  You never know – you might discover your favourite author from the world of independent publishing.