Just a quick update. Something wonderful has happened!
Secret Sky: The Young Universe is now a finalist in the IBPA Book Awards (formerly known as the Benjamin Franklin Awards)!
The IBPA Book Awards are run by the Independent Book Publishers’ Association. They get hundreds of entries every year, and this year Secret Sky: The Young Universe was selected as a finalist in two categories:
- Fiction: Science Fiction and Fantasy
- Audiobook: Children’s/Young Adult
These awards are particularly important to independent publishers and self-published authors. And a book has to be extremely exceptional to be considered. Frankly, I was floored at the news.
That said, it’s still an uphill battle for Secret Sky. The exceptional nature of these awards means that the other finalists are also exceptional. And for someone who has only had books on the market since 2022, that’s a daunting prospect.
The Competitors: Science Fiction and Fantasy
I hope everyone reading this is already familiar with my latest novel, Secret Sky: The Young Universe.
It is a Middle Grade Science Fantasy about the origin story of humanity, as seen through the eyes of a young boy living on a medieval Earth in the early universe, but who dreams of soaring through the stars in the hopes of reuniting with his murdered family. It has been a labor of love, and I am overjoyed to announce that more people are discovering it every week.
But it is not the only novel under consideration for Science Fiction and Fantasy. One other author has distinguished herself.
I don’t know a great deal about Songs of Snow by LJ Thomas, except that it features a double-edged story of two heroines on opposing sides of a magical conflict.
Sounds captivating! I might have to read it before the awards, just so I know what I’m up against. It has to be good if it can stand toe-to-toe with Secret Sky. I believe in my book so much that any other book which receives the same recognition automatically gets my respect. I look forward to seeing how they stack up against each other.
But I’m afraid neither of these books has a chance at winning gold. And I’ll tell you why.
The third finalist is not a novel, it is an anthology.
And not just any anthology. It’s Writers of the Future.
And not just any Writers of the Future. It’s the 40th anniversary issue.
For those who don’t know, Writers of the Future is an American writing contest (though I believe it accepts international entries), and perhaps the most prestigious writing contest in the world. Or at least the English world.
Every year, they put out an anthology of all the winners—a collection of the best stories submitted to the contest, filtered by expert judges until only the cream of the crop remains.
In other words: the three finalists are
- An author with a novel.
- An author with a novel.
- The combined award winners of a different contest.
It boggles the mind. The Writers of the Future anthology will be considered as a single entry. The stories therein have all been selected for their ability to win awards.
And this is not the first time the anthology has been a finalist in the IBPA awards. Looking over the recent history, it appears that the anthology has won the Science Fiction and Fantasy category every time it has been a finalist. Which is understandable. The Writers of the Future contest is a magnet for the most promising up-and-coming authors. It has produced excellent stories and launched more than a few careers.
It is, however, curious to me that anyone would host a footrace where two single racers are pitted against the combined record data of all the gold medalists in the latest Olympics. Even setting aside the apples-to-oranges nature of judging novels against an anthology, you’ve got to admit this is a real head-scratcher.
Likewise, as the 40th anniversary of the contest, there is a level of prestige to this title that no individual author could hope to match.
That said, the rules are not mine. They’re set by the IBPA, and we have to live with them.
Then again, this is not the only category where Secret Sky: The Young Universe is a finalist.
The Competitors: Children’s/YA Audiobook
I must admit, I am not as invested in the audiobook race as I am in the contest for best Science Fiction and Fantasy.
And the reason is simple: the brilliance of the Secret Sky audiobook is not entirely my doing. Much credit goes to Andrew Eiden, the voice artist who brings the text to life. He has a long track record. And if this is his first time as a finalist (which might not be the case; I don’t know how to look these things up) then it has been a long time coming. If the audiobook wins gold, I will consider that to be Andrew’s achievement more than my own.
Maybe it’s wrong for me to feel that way. But I do.
Still, the competition itself is interesting and worth watching.
Secret Sky: The Young Universe is a worthy audiobook. I haven’t worked with a ton of audiobook narrators, but Andrew Eiden has a long pedigree and an irreplicable talent. I’m not sure what chances the book has in this category, but I am eager to see the final result.
Near as I can tell, Inevitable Fate is a some kind of time loop story. Or possibly reincarnation? The female lead is destined to die, and has died before in the past. The male lead is trying to stop it. From a distance, it seems to be a supernatural mystery/romance.
Bright Eyes: A Kunoichi Tale is the second book in its series. It features ninjas and a murder mystery at a school for kunoichi (women ninja).
What more needs to be said? With a premise like that, it could easily be the frontrunner. I haven’t sampled the quality of the writing or the narration, but I have to admit it seems professionally put together. I imagine that this is the title Secret Sky would need to beat in order to take gold.
What the “Finalist” Designation Means
All finalists that do not win gold will be awarded silver. There is no bronze tier.
However, shortly after the awards ceremony, a scoring list will be released, where the criteria for each title will be ranked. I believe this scoring data is public (this is my first time in the contest, so I might get a few things wrong), meaning that we will all be able so see how Secret Sky: The Young Universe stacks up against these other titles.
Frankly, I don’t know that my book will be taking home gold in either category. And I have not yet decided whether I will even attend the ceremony (award shows have a bad habit of going on forever, and the IBPA Book Awards have a lot of categories). The IBPA Publishers University conference, which takes place over the same weekend, will be in St. Paul, Minnesota. And I already have a lot on my plate as far as writers conferences go this year.
That said, I kind of want to attend. This is my first time being a finalist for anything, not counting events from my school years. Mostly, I just want to know what I would be missing.
It’s so hard, being new to everything. But I have always known that Secret Sky: The Young Universe was a worthy book. It would be nice to see it get some recognition.
What do you think I should do?
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