SPFBO8 Begins!

I learned about the self-published fantasy blog-off (SPFBO) last year, on the day they were accepting entries. I briefly considered entering Hunted, my only published work at the time, but in the end, decided not to for a few reasons.

Anyway, I followed SPFBO7 through 2021 to its conclusion in April 2022. There were some great books selected for the final round, and it seems like an overall friendly and positive competition.

What is the SPFBO competition, you ask? Basically, it breaks down like this:

• The competition opens for entries (this year it was on May 14). The first 300 books entered are accepted into the competition. In 2021 it took about 24 hours to fill up. This year it was done in less than 9 hours.
• Those 300 books are split up between 10 bloggers (each blog gets 30 books). How the blog proceeds to choose its semi-finalists and finalists might differ. This phase takes about 5 months.
• The top pick from each blog then goes to phase 2, where each blog evaluates the other 9 top picks. The books are scored by each, and in the end, the book with the highest average rating is named the winner. This takes about 6 months.

A full description of the contest requirements, rules, and process can be found on Mark Lawrence’s blog, here: The Official SPFBO Home Page

This year, I’ve decided to work on overcoming some of my fears, one of which is putting my book out there, in the hands of notable reviewers. Entering SPFBO8 is a part of this process.

The book I chose to enter was The Moon’s Eye. In part, I chose it because epic fantasy is more my thing than urban fantasy (Hunted’s genre), and because I’ve had better initial feedback on that book overall. Hunted may still get its chance, but I’m not there yet. I’ve struggled with the marketing and the niche genre far more with Hunted, and until I’m confident I can get things right, I probably won’t enter it into any contests. Of all my books, it’s a bit of an anomaly.

Anyway, back to SPFBO8 and The Moon’s Eye.

For this first round, my book is with Booknest. According to their SPFBO8 post, they have a team of 5 (maybe 6) reviewers who will split the 30 books up between themselves. Not all of those books will be reviewed fully; it will be up to the individual reviewer on whether or not they do a full review, or a “micro” review/compilation post of those they don’t choose as their semi-finalist.

Each of Booknest’s reviewers will name a semi-finalist. A separate member of their review team (not involved in the initial round) will read the semi-finalist books and determine their choice of finalist, who will move on to phase two.

If you’re on Goodreads and would like to view Booknest’s entire list of 30 books for this year’s competition, you can find it here: SPFBO8 – Booknest

A full list of all 300 books is also available on Mark Lawrence’s blog: SPFBO8 – Phase 1

In addition to the book competition, every entry was also part of a cover artwork competition. Each blog chose their favorite 3 covers, but there was a public vote too. The cover competition is already finished, but you can check out the winner and finalists here: SPFBO8 – The Cover Contest (No, mine didn’t make the list, but that’s fine. There’s always next time with the next book!)

I’m not going in with the expectation that I’ll win, or even that I’ll get into the finals. It would be amazing if either occurred, but I am one out of three hundred. There are many other incredibly talented authors in the mix this year, some of whom I know (and a few of which I’ve read their books.) I know how tight this competition is going to be.

What I’m hoping to achieve with my entry is simple. I’d like a few more people to take notice of my books. Getting a review or two out of it would be wonderful. I’m hoping to connect with some other authors in my genre, and mostly, I want to have fun doing this.

The contest officially started yesterday (June 1). I wish everyone who entered this year the best of luck. I’ll be following the competition through it’s conclusion, no matter what happens for my own book.