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It’s that time of year again Factioneers! In the north spring is coming to an end. In the south winter is on its way. And that means it is time for the 9th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off to begin!
We at Fantasy-Faction have been judging the contest since its inception way back in 2015. Along the way we have discovered some amazing self-published books and authors and had the privilege to share them with you!
How It Works
For those who are new to our site or new to the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (or SPFBO), let me explain how it works.
Before the contest begins, self-published authors submit their stories, until 300 entries are received. (This year the entries filled up in less than an hour!) Then those 300 books are divided between ten different SFF review blogs. This year, those blogs are:
- Fantasy-Faction (us)
- Fantasy Book Critic
- Lynn’s Books + The Critiquing Chemist (joint team)
- The Weatherwax Report
- Becky M (of InkyLeaves)
- Before We Go Blog
- Queen’s Book Asylum
- Bookborn
- Philip Chase
- CoverswithCassidy
Each blog reads through their slush pile of thirty books and picks their favorite to go onto the finals. This works differently for each blog, but here we review five books at a time, saving our favorites for last. Then each of our semi-finalists gets its own review, and then we announce our finalist.
After all finalist have been picked, each blog reads the other nine finalists, and rates them on a scale of 10. Whichever book scores the highest is the winner!
What Books Are We Reading?
Here is our list of 30 books for round one of this year’s contest. They are listed in alphabetical order by title. You can click on each book to see its Goodreads page. If you like you can check out all the covers on our Pinterest board here.
You can see the entire list of 300 books on Mark Lawrence’s website. And if you hurry, you can even vote on your favorite cover in this year’s cover contest!
- An Ocean of Others by Joshua Scott Edwards
- Becoming a Druid by Mike Mollman
- Between Land and Sea by Paul Mouchet
- Dyer Street Punk Witches by Phil Williams
- Fortress of the Lost Amulet by Michael Webb
- Heart of Fire by Raina Nightingale
- Herald of the Storm by Richard Ford
- HERETIC by Chris Mayne
- Hills of Heather and Bone by K. E. Andrews
- imPerfect Magic by C. N. Rowan
- Mageling by J. L. Mullins
- Phased by Tori Tecken
- Roots and Steel by Casey White
- Salt in the Wound by Benjamin Aeveryn
- Shadow Debt by William Ray
- Soul Relic by Samuel Hinton
- The Altar of My Fate by Michael R. Schultheiss
- The Camelot Shadow by Sean Gibson
- The Castle of 1,000 Doors by Kenny Gould
- The Crew by Sadir S. Samir
- The Crossing by Laurie Janey
- The Doctrines of Fire by CL Jarvis
- The Hand of God by Yuval Kordov
- The Hummingbird’s Tear by C. M. Kerley
- The Legend of Tawhiri by J. E. Purrazzi
- The Moss Dragon of Brittlekeep by Ashley Capes
- The Sunset Sovereign by E. M. McConnell
- The Tenets in the Tattoos by Becky James
- The Traitors We Are by Michael Roberti
- Tracking Trouble by Aldrea Alien
Who Will Be Judging?
We’ve got a big team this year with a bunch of new people from all over the globe! And all of us are super excited to get into our set of books. But let us introduce ourselves first.
Adawia Asad
I am an Australian-born Palestinian, mother of seven, wedding dress embellisher, foodbank volunteer, (almost) crafter, and first-time judge of SPFBO(9).
I am also a former avid reader of literary fiction, occasional reader of science fiction, currently reading mostly indie fantasy—possible over-user of the em dash.
Agatha Lopez
I am a Mexican American interpreter and translator, currently at the end of a yearlong travel adventure, with my semi-permanent residence in Kentucky, USA. When not geeking out about languages and cultures, my head is mostly stuck in a book. Fantasy has been a lifelong passion of mine since, through books and fantasy, I was able to learn languages, as well as travel worlds before I could travel on my very own. I will devour anything and everything fantasy without really a preference for one genre over another. I have followed SPFBO closely for the past three years and I am honored that I get to participate as a baby judge this year.
- Goodreads: Agatha Lopez
Becca Lee Gardner
I’m a fantasy and science fiction author. I’ve written novels, comic books, screenplays, and short stories and I’m an 8-time Honorable Mention Winner from the Writers of the Future contest. I’m all about action-packed, character-driven fantasy, whether serious or silly, and I can’t wait to read more of it this year in the contest. This is my first year being a judge.
When I’m not reading or writing, I walk for hours and hours, taking pictures of the sunrise. I also play intense rounds of board games with my three kids. My favorite evenings are spent watching Korean zombie shows with my husband who jump-scares quite easily.
- Instagram: beccaleeg
Blake Skelton
I currently live in Texas but hopefully will be relocating to Washington by the end of next year. I’ve been reading fantasy since I learned how to read. Worldbuilding and falling into a story has always been the highlight of my week. This is my first time judging and I look forward to the stories we are going to explore. When I’m not reading, I am roaming around Hyrule or Skyrim on my Switch or finding new indie games to delve into.
G. R. Matthews
I began reading in the cot. My mother, at her wits end with the constant noise and unceasing activity, would plop me down on the soft mattress with an encyclopedia full of pictures then quietly slip from the room. Growing up, I spent Sunday afternoons on the sofa watching westerns and Bond movies after suffering the dual horror of the sounds of ABBA and the hoover (vacuum cleaner) drifting up the stairs to wake me in the morning.
When not watching the six-gun heroes or spies being outacted by their own eyebrows, I devoured books like a hungry wolf in the dead of winter. Beginning with Patrick Moore and Arthur C. Clarke, I soon moved on to Isaac Asimov. However, one wet afternoon in a bookshop in my hometown, not far from the standing stones of Avebury, I picked up the Pawn of Prophecy and started to read—and now I write fantasy!
- Twitter: @G_R_Matthews
- Facebook: GR Matthews
- Instagram: g_r_matthews
- Goodreads: G.R. Matthews
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
A German bookseller of 20 years, and an absolute fantasy addict, I started to run out of new books that looked interesting to me. Oh, but was I happy when I discovered the indie book scene to give me even more variety, diversity, and books that just are a little bit different from so much of the mainstream.
I started judging SPFBO in round three I think, so this will be my 6th time round.
My hobbies, aside from devouring stories, are collecting books, running, crafting and archery—I’m not especially good at any of them, but quite enthusiastic.
- Linktree: https://linktr.ee/kitvaria
Kerry Smith
I’m from Aotearoa, New Zealand and have been a lover of fantasy ever since I climbed a magic tree and wandered through the back of a wardrobe 50 years ago.
SPFBO9 will be my 4th year judging with Fantasy-Faction and I’m as excited for all the books as I was when I first came on board.
I’m a mum of 3 children and I currently volunteer with the LGBTQI+ community and in the past worked with other groups who are socially stigmatized; such as sex workers and drug users, especially around the prevention of HIV/Aids and HepC. When I’m not volunteering, I’ll be found drinking way too much coffee and reading (except kissy books, not a huge fan of romance).
- Twitter: @devildauta
- Goodreads: Kerry Smith
- The StoryGraph: demoniker
Robert Max Freeman
I’m a longtime geek of many interests and fandoms, now settling into middle age. I always love reading something new and interesting, especially if it’s a little upbeat and off-beat. Discworld and old mystery novels are my jam.
I work as a caregiver for the disabled and make silly puppet videos. I’m a very enthusiastic supporter of all oppressed people and groups, especially trans people, the most at-risk humans on the planet. I may be a weirdo in all other aspects, but I’m dead serious about that.
- Twitter: @stillmellow
- TikTok: @someorangeguy
Yaniv Rosenfeld Cohen
I hail from Israel and have been reading mostly fantasy from a young age. Chocolate is my lifeline while being balanced out by great cooking and adrenaline-infused sports watching. I’m also a social entrepreneur in the field of mental health and believe in the combination of technology, people, and good intentions. Any genre book with well-crafted MH representation definitely gets points in my book.
I discovered SPFBO and indie fantasy in general a couple of years ago and love the community it creates, plus the fun banter. I’ve participated in a few Israeli Comic-Cons, love to connect with fellow geeks and am especially looking for some epic historical fantasy standalones. This will be my first year as a SPFBO judge and I’m very excited for it!
- Facebook: Yaniv Rosenfeld Cohen
Jennie Ivins (Me)
I am the editor of Fantasy-Faction and have been with the site since its beginning in the fall of 2010. I’m also a stay-at-home mom from New Jersey with three autistic boys, a fantasy writer, computer addict, and lover of geeky things! I will be the one posting the reviews, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.
- Twitter: @Autumn2May
- Facebook: Jennifer Ivins (Jennie)
- Instagram: jennie.ivins
- Tumblr: Autumn2May
- Pinterest: Jennie Ivins
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So that’s us and the contest. We will be posting an article about once a month as we let go five books at a time. The first will be in June. Stay tuned to see what gems we find this year in the 9th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off!
Good luck to everyone competing and may the best book win! Happy Reading!
If you’d like to follow along more closely, you can join the SPFBO Facebook group and follow the #SPFBO tag on Twitter! You can also keep up to date with all the books’ scores on Mark Lawrence’s website!
Title image background by Martin Hetto.
Geoff Matthews
Julia Kitvaria Sarene