Val Neil's Blog - Posts Tagged "spfbo"
SPFBO 7!
Super excited to be entering the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off this year. I've watched the contest for a few years now, but this is the first time I've had a book of my own to enter. Feels like a major milestone as a new author.
For the uninitiated, SPFBO was started by Mark Lawrence to shine a light on indie publishers. Applicants are divvied among ten different fantasy bloggers, who each pick their favorite book to go on to the finals.
There are 300 contestants so I don't anticipate making it to the finals, especially considering the polarizing nature of my protagonist, but it's cool just being able to submit. I wish the other contestants the best of luck.
You can follow the contest here:
SPFBO Page
SPFBO Fb Group
For the uninitiated, SPFBO was started by Mark Lawrence to shine a light on indie publishers. Applicants are divvied among ten different fantasy bloggers, who each pick their favorite book to go on to the finals.
There are 300 contestants so I don't anticipate making it to the finals, especially considering the polarizing nature of my protagonist, but it's cool just being able to submit. I wish the other contestants the best of luck.
You can follow the contest here:
SPFBO Page
SPFBO Fb Group
Dark Apprentice Made it into the Cover Contest!
Holy crap! My book made it into the SPFBO7 cover contest! 😱
I might be slightly excited over this. I made the cover myself and have had no small amount of imposter syndrome over it. Authors are cautioned against making their own covers, not due to a lack of photoshop skills, though there is that, but because most don't do enough research and the end product looks very sloppy and DIY. I have limited PS skills, so I did my best to mimic an established and proven style that was clean and simplistic (though I later found this is more for print books). This first book is made with stock art, but I commissioned the illustrator to make custom work for the following two books.
I don't anticipate winning the contest, but just the fact that it got picked is extremely gratifying, especially as a debut author.
You can see the other contestants here.
You can order Dark Apprentice here.
I might be slightly excited over this. I made the cover myself and have had no small amount of imposter syndrome over it. Authors are cautioned against making their own covers, not due to a lack of photoshop skills, though there is that, but because most don't do enough research and the end product looks very sloppy and DIY. I have limited PS skills, so I did my best to mimic an established and proven style that was clean and simplistic (though I later found this is more for print books). This first book is made with stock art, but I commissioned the illustrator to make custom work for the following two books.
I don't anticipate winning the contest, but just the fact that it got picked is extremely gratifying, especially as a debut author.
You can see the other contestants here.
You can order Dark Apprentice here.
Dark Apprentice Now Available in Hardback!
Do you prefer a cumbersome book that doubles as a weapon? If so, you can now get Dark Apprentice in hardback!
Grab your copy today. Want to support a local bookstore or library? Make their life easier by giving them the ISBN (9781955075022) when ordering.
Grab your copy today. Want to support a local bookstore or library? Make their life easier by giving them the ISBN (9781955075022) when ordering.
