Previous Finalists

Comments from Authors/Publishers

'I found the Wishing Shelf Awards an extremely helpful and rewarding thing to engage with. I am not into book competitions usually but the feedback was extremely useful and has helped me believe in myself as a writer and given me much more confidence. It also confirmed to me the main area I need to improve is the cover. I will definitely enter my next book when it is ready. Thanks, it was well worth it, much more informative than the usual competition ethos.'

Julie Carter, Running the Red Line

'I love these awards because they put my books in the hands of real readers. The feedback has helped me develop as a writer so that each of my books is better than the last.'

Alex Hallatt, author of FAB (Friends Against Cyberbullying)

'Hi, I have just finished reading through to feedback for Olivia Stone and the Dread of the Dreamers. Thank you so much for continuing to run the award. It is a great opportunity for authors to get accolades for their hard work. I was excited and pleased to read the comments from the kids. I am extremely happy with the feedback and would love for you to post the feedback online.'


Jeff Doherty, author of Olivia Stone and the Dread of the Dreamers

I definitely recommend that authors submit their books to The Wishing Shelf Book Awards Competition. Mr. Buttons kept us updated during the process and patiently answered my questions.
What I liked most was not only the honest feedback regarding my book, but also information about the readers who read my book and gave their feedback. Knowing their age and gender told me who liked my book and why. I can use that information to target those demographics when writing my future novels. At the end, they help to promote the book by giving it the necessary publicity, thereby going above and beyond than what other competitions do. So, you get more bang for your buck!
Even though their feedback more or less mirrored those of other people, it further strengthens the fact that I need to focus on certain areas as I write my future novels. I can simultaneously work on both my strengths and weaknesses highlighted by their feedback to write better.
When the feedback was emailed to me, I liked the general feedback at the beginning, which I recommend everyone should read so we don’t make similar blunders. Learning from the errors of our peers, will help us become better writers.
As a finalist, I am sure that the ‘Finalist’ sticker on my book will go a long way in helping to market and sell more books. The medals, which are mailed to the winners, are of good quality (I could even see my reflection at the back). In my opinion, Mr. Buttons and his team of readers give it all they have, to ensure that the work they do is of a very high standard. Their impartial reviews will benefit the readers in their future novel writing endeavors.


Trevor D’Silva, author of Fateful Decisions

'Of all the book awards I’ve looked at or entered, The Wishing Shelf is my favorite. My audience is early elementary students and my entry was read by them, graded, AND I received feedback from them as well. This is so valuable! I was excited to be a Finalist and then a Bronze Medal winner. The medal I received was of high quality and will be displayed on conference tables and at speaking engagements. The digital version is great for my website store and if I decide to pay to revise my book cover. The communication with Billy Bob was regular, thorough, and sincere. And, I love that he will also post on my behalf on Amazon UK, and Goodreads. As I live in the US, I will post the feedback on Amazon here. I will be entering another title this year!'

Kathy J Perry, author of Nibbler & Captain Make Peace