[H. S. St. Ours]

I usually make it through the first round, so this time was no surprise. I guess I can write a catchy description. I've never made it to the second round, but I'm OK with that. It's hard to please everybody, especially semi-pro readers who do their best to plow through thousands of entries in a short time searching for that one story with je ne sais quoi.

But the exercise is interesting, isn't it? Take for example, this year.

ABNA Expert Reviewer #1:
"I didn't care for the vocabulary of the characters, all of the slang and half-words."
ABNA Expert Reviewer #2:
"The dialect the narrator employs is interesting and it does much to contribute to the atmosphere."

ABNA Expert Reviewer #1:
The future feel and doom, gloom, despair, and need to survive made this excerpt interesting.
ABNA Expert Reviewer #2:
This seems to be just another dystopian world view for young Adults.

So take heart, fellow ABNA submitters! What one reader likes, another may hate. Find your long tail of a thousand or so fans, and you too can make a decent living and even pay a few bills. But always stay true to your vision. And keep writing!

Word!

 

[Mathew Reuther]

This is amusing.

 

[timskorn]

Yea, it's fun.  Certainly amusing!  The ABNA forum is ablaze with disgruntlement.  HOW DARE THEY!  WHERE DO MY REVIEWERS LIVE, I NEED TO TALK TO THEM!  ATTICA!! lol  My failure to reach the next round has been offset by some wonderful reviews on Goodreads.  While we're here, here's a bit from my reviewers:


#1
Much of the tale is overwritten and overly dramatic. It did not help that there was such a strong religious underpinning, which distracted from the forward propulsion of the story. I felt that the characters simply weren’t two-dimensional enough.

#2
A very fine beginning that with an eye to staying on the mystery and human character track could make for a very successful thriller.

 

[Tony Bertauski]

Wtf? I got the same result. One reviewer a hearty thumbs up. The other just as hearty in the other direction.

 

[MarcyB]

I completely forgot we even had the reviews. Thanks for causing me to stick a fork in my eye! 

Seriously, you may find this interesting. Two years ago I entered with the SAME manuscript only better, more tightly written this time. Otherwise...the same! So, two years ago I made it past this round where I had the first 5000 words posted on Amazon and got a full manuscript critique from Publisher's Weekly. It wasn't bad at all and actually had some nice things to say. I have since had a couple of full manuscript requests with no offers. This was the first novel I wrote and it needs work. I know that. Still, I felt encouraged.

Enter this year: made it through round one....I read a nice review complimenting my research, etc. Then the floodgates opened and spilled the most venemous, long, detailed negative review I have ever read in MY LIFE! I'm a very sensitive soul, but I am thrilled to report that I feel empowered. I don't have to follow the path of every author because everyone's is different. I need to follow mine. This is the manuscript that should stay in the drawer but it's not crap. And it's creation has helped inform my other writing. I have been trad. published and proudly epubbed alone. Reading is subjective. My experience proves that. So write on, I will. And be dam*ed those that try to rain on my parade. Review you may, but constructive vs. nasty makes a difference.  Okay, I'm done now. Must remove fork...

 

[timskorn]

Marcy:  Subjective, exactly.  People put too much stock into the ABNA contest.  It's a fantastic opportunity, nothing more.  If you happen to get constructive feedback (if you can find any, in that review), then take what you can from that for the future.  You have to wonder what compels a person to be that negative.  There's a way to say you didn't like something without attacking.

 

[H. S. St. Ours]

So write on, I will. And be dam*ed those that try to rain on my parade. Review you may, but constructive vs. nasty makes a difference. Okay, I'm done now. Must remove fork...

Beautifully expressed! And sorry about the fork.
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