Last year, I submitted Don’t Mess with Earth to the “Writer’s Digest 17th Annual Self-Published Book Awards” and a couple of weeks ago, I received in the mail, the results of entering into the competition. I know it was almost a month ago, but, I’m busy with finishing up my last semester of college. I have to type in the Commentary Sheet because there is no digital copy, which I wish they had, so here goes:
Author: Cliff Ball
Title: Don’t Mess With Earth
Category: Genre
Judge: 57
On a scale of 1 to 5 , with 1 meaning “poor” and 5 meaning “excellent,” please evaluate the following:
Plot: 3
Grammar: 4
Character Development: 2
Cover Design: 3
Judge’s commentary:
What did you like best about this book?
Ball covers a long period of time in the book, from biblical times to present day. He does a nice job weaving all of this human history into a sci-fi story.
The opening scene is compelling and draws readers right into the story. The author does a great job creating interest from the start.
The author’s passion for the story creates a story that entices the reader to keep reading to find out what events he will next tie into the story.
It can be difficult to remain consistent with the point of view. Third-person was the only plausible point of view for this story. This made for a richer story.
The author’s grammar and spelling make for an easy read.
How can the author improve this book?
It’s obvious the author spent time working on the plot. However, covering such a large expanse of time made it difficult to create a protagonist with whom the reader identifies. Readers need a character or group of characters to root for — someone to tie the story together.
The Terrans and Ragnor seem extremely forthright when talking with the humans. They seem extremely trusting of a planet they want to conquer.
The cover image portrays the essence of the story. With a few tweaks or the help of a professional designer, it could easily sit on the fiction shelves with other covers.
http://www.writersdigest.com/article/self_pub_genre17/
Check out the link, and you can find me near the bottom if you do a search/find on your web explorer.