{"id":542,"date":"2018-08-25T19:36:30","date_gmt":"2018-08-25T19:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jamieedmundson.com\/?p=542"},"modified":"2018-09-30T09:54:27","modified_gmt":"2018-09-30T09:54:27","slug":"the-self-published-fantasy-blog-off-spfbo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamieedmundson.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/25\/the-self-published-fantasy-blog-off-spfbo\/","title":{"rendered":"The Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO)"},"content":{"rendered":"

So. I\u2019ve written my own book. I\u2019ve published my own book. Now what do I do?<\/p>\n

This was the position I found myself in during the Spring of 2017, and no doubt the position many other self-published authors have found themselves in. Writing a book seemed like hard work. Getting it on Amazon seemed like hard work. But in fact, that\u2019s just the start. If you want people to read your books, you have to be proactive and go sell them. If you\u2019re self-published, no-one is going to do that for you. But someone might\u2026may\u2026help you out a little.<\/p>\n

If you write fantasy books, you have the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off. Created by fantasy author Mark Lawrence and supported by fantasy bloggers, the first competition ran in 2015. 300 books are entered into the competition. The only real rule, is that your book is self-published, and fantasy. It\u2019s a gloriously level playing field, when such things rarely exist. I hadn\u2019t sold a single copy when I stumbled my way into the competition in 2017 \u2013 Toric\u2019s Dagger was on pre-order and not yet out. There were other authors like me, but I was also up against writers who had over ten books out, writers who had been traditionally published, writers with multi-thousand-dollar audiobook contracts. It didn\u2019t matter. My book, along with 29 others, was sent off to one of the ten bloggers, and whichever one she liked the best, was going to reach the final. Name and reputation didn\u2019t come into it.<\/p>\n

Clearly, with a one in thirty chance of making the final, most writers don\u2019t get much attention. I was luckier than most. Toric\u2019s Dagger finished in the top ten or so in its group, and in doing so got a full review from the blogger. Who didn\u2019t hold their punches. But new writers need to see the bad as well as the good. And anyway, even in a big competition like this, all opinions are subjective. Take on board the criticisms you agree with and forget about the rest. Did all of this get me any sales? Maybe. Not much. But I learned a hell of a lot from the experience and it\u2019s also allowed me to get to know some of the other amazing authors out there, and learn from them.<\/p>\n

Those books that win their \u2018heat\u2019 find their way into the final. They get reviewed by all ten participating blogs. This is the point where books can get a load of attention. And for the\u00a0winner? The book that\u2019s beaten 299 other contenders? That\u2019s massive. Massive, free promotion for the book, and for the author. The winner\u00a0of the 2016 contest, The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French, was picked up by a big publisher.\u00a0Yes, agents and publishers are keeping an eye on this, and why not? They\u2019re getting a proven winner out of it all.<\/p>\n

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So, the SPFBO. Good for self-published writers. Bloggers get to make a real impact in the genre they love. Agents and publishers get to pick up on new writers and trends. Fantasy readers get to find out about books they might otherwise not hear about. I\u2019m declaring it a win-win and overall good thing.<\/p>\n

If you want to find out more, the 2018 contest, aka #SPFBO 4, can be accessed via Mark Lawrence\u2019s website<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, the casual reader of this article may just want to know, hey, what are the best books to come out of this thing? Well, that\u2019s always going to be subjective, depending on what type of fantasy you\u2019re into as much as anything else. Plus, with 900 books entered in the first 3 versions, there\u2019s no doubt some very good books have been overlooked. That said, here\u2019s a list of books from the competition, either that I\u2019ve read myself and enjoyed, or that enough people have raved about to make me believe there\u2019s a very good chance a fantasy fan will love it. The rest, as they say, is up to you.<\/p>\n

2015 SPFBO
\nWINNER: The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble\u2019s Braids<\/em> by Michael McClung
\nI would also recommend: What Remains of Heroes<\/em> by David Benem, Bloodrush<\/em> by Ben Galley<\/p>\n

2016 SPFBO
\nWINNER: The Grey Bastards<\/em> by Jonathan French
\nI would also recommend: Paternus<\/em> by Dyrk Ashton, Path of Flames<\/em> by Phil Tucker, Senlin Ascends<\/em> by Josiah Bancroft, Touch of Iron<\/em> by Timandra Whitecastle<\/p>\n

2017 SPFBO
\nWINNER: Where Loyalties Lie<\/em> by Rob J Hayes
\nI would also recommend: The Crimson Queen<\/em> by Alec Hutson, The War of Undoing<\/em> by Alex Perry, The Eagle\u2019s Flight<\/em> by Daniel Olesen, Faithless<\/em> by Graham Austin-King, Darkstorm<\/em> by ML Spencer, The Woven Ring<\/em> by MD Presley<\/p>\n

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So. I\u2019ve written my own book. I\u2019ve published my own book. Now what do I do? This was the position I found myself in during the Spring of 2017, and no doubt the position many other self-published authors have found themselves in. Writing a book seemed like hard work. Getting it on Amazon seemed like … <\/p>\n

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