Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I'M STEPPIN' IN HIGH COTTON!

I entered a contest offered by Writer's Digest for Self Published Authors. Although I did not win below is a review of my first book, COAST TO COAST WITH A CAT AND A GHOST from one of the judges. It made me feel as if I were stepping in high cotton, as they say down here in the South.

Entry Title:Coast To Coast With A Cat And A Ghost

Author: Judy Howard

Judge Number: 30

Books were evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5. This scale is strictly to provide a point of reference, it is not a cumulative score and does not reflect ranking.

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Structure and Organization:4

Grammar: 4

Production Quality and Cover Design:4

Plot (if applicable): 5

Character Development (if applicable): N/A

What did you like best about this book?

The novel is top notch from start to finish. A nice cover design and professional presentation including excellent, attention-grabbing back cover copy. As a judge of memoirs, I must note that it reads more like fiction—very smooth and entertaining. I’m particularly fond of the humor within. The author has done a great job of adding emotional depth to the storytelling. This is a well crafted, professional read that is both humorous and full of heartache with new beginnings looming on the horizon. It comes with a dose of therapeutic tenderness that will twist your insides and inspire you to keep on going when the road gets tough.

How can the author improve this book?

As a judge, I’m supposed to come up with one hundred words as to how the author could improve this book but I’m finding this task a difficult one. So, my advice here will be mostly from a marketing standpoint. The author should work to make sure you get this book out where readers can find it. I don’t believe I would have ever stumbled across this book if I weren’t a judge in this contest. Getting this type of well-crafted novel into the hands of your target audience (really any woman I’ve ever known would fall into this category) should be your top priority.

 

2 comments:

  1. Even if you didn't win, you have a good review and good suggestions. Good Job!

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  2. Great review. I am enjoying the book a lot.

    In case you are interested in how people find your book on Kindle, I'll tell you how I did. My passion is road tripping and camping. I have had some health issues and haven't been able to do that in a while now and I miss it dearly.

    So, I have been doing searches on Kindle for books on road trips. I've found some really good ones. And then I found yours. And it is a wonderful book. I am so glad I found it.

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