Red Ribbon Winner for Memoir

I've had a very busy and stressful week, which included a car crash and doing a painting. Painting was actually some time out but I don't have an art studio, so paints everywhere in my bedroom become more stress, so they have to go away until I'm ready to do another painting. 

In the middle of this, I was notified that I was awarded a Red Ribbon for my memoir, Bipolar Courage: Are You Sure You're Not Autistic?

I was kind of dreading getting the feedback, as I guess most artists and authors will at times believe their art/writing isn't 'good enough.' I didn't have as much interest in this book as my other book, Pet Purpose: Your Unspoken Voice, mainly because I didn't really promote it much. Both books got buried under loads of others.

I published yet another memoir before Bipolar Courage, which I subsequently unpublished. That book got a lot of negative attention and I was cyberbullied. Some readers gave feedback that it was raw and gutsy but I felt I didn't owe anyone my vulnerability anymore to that extent. It takes a LOT of courage to publish a book inspired by ones experiences, especially about mental health challenges.

I published Bipolar Courage just days before my Dad died. Then, I hadn't felt very motivated to market it, after working so hard on it.

I did however, enter it for two awards for independently published authors. It's a matter of doing one's research as there are a lot of rip-off awards out there. One, I heard nothing from. 

The other was The Wishing Shelf Book Awards who also offered feedback as part of the judging. They are based in the UK and accepted submissions internationally. I am sensitive to criticism but I decided to be brave and enter anyway, in the adult books category.

I had a choice of whether they post the full feedback as a review on Goodreads (I chose to after reading it). Now, this doesn't actually help people find the book but it might help people make a decision to read it.

So a Red Ribbon is a book that the readers enjoyed but it did not get enough points to be a finalist. My book was 1 point off being a finalist. What apparently let me down, is they didn't particularly like the cover (which I designed). I've since designed a simpler cover, featuring the Red Ribbon award.

I chose black and white to represent the themes of bipolar ('two opposing poles') and autism (typically with 'black and white thinking'). Apparently many people make a decision on a cover, so I am trying a completely different design.

The main thing is, the readers enjoyed the story; found it entertaining and insightful. It's easy enough to change a cover. Not so easy to change a book that isn't liked.

Feedback from the judges

The full feedback is on Goodreads by awards organiser Billy Bob Buttons aka Edward Trayer. I will give a summary below.

The book was judged by 15 readers and rated 4 stars out of 5.

Bipolar Courage was rated 8/10 for both writing style and editing.
11 out of 15 readers said they would read another book by the author.
11 or of 15 readers recommended this book to others.
15 out of 15 felt it was easy to follow (which is a compliment, as I have communication impairments with my disabilities).
Of all the readers, 8 felt my strongest skill was 'writing style' and 6 felt my strongest skill was 'subject knowledge.'
12 felt the pacing was 'good or excellent'.
​11 thought the author understood the readership.

There were comments from three readers. Some quoted extracts:

"A compelling, even insightful book, showcasing the ups and considerable downs of a mostly online relationship between a woman with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a man with Asperger's syndrome. I very much enjoyed the story..."

"Well-written, almost a novel in many ways, written from the POV of the author...I felt after finishing it, I understood the disorders better."

"The author did a good job of keeping the story light while tackling a difficult subject. I enjoyed getting to know Xanthe, her thoughts and feelings...I'd recommend this book to anyone diagnosed bipolar or with Asperger's syndrome. It might also be an eye-opener to people working in health and social work."

Summary:
"An accessibly written and compelling insight into online relationships. A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended!" The Wishing Shelf Book Awards.

HOw I felt about this

I was pleased to get some fair feedback to help me know whether my goals of an entertaining and insightful story were delivered.

Also, there was feedback that my cover wasn't well received (scored 2/5). 

My response was to change the cover which incorporated the award. I didn't add other images, as I didn't want the image of the the award competing with a cover design.

I also put the prices of my books up. They're still inexpensive compared to a lot of books but heck, I spent a lot of time on my books and I've had some positive feedback from strangers who are keen book-readers. Too low a price may suggest that one doesn't value their efforts.

It was nice to be acknowledged with an award under my current legal name. I changed my name legally (because of trauma). I have won a major prize and award in an Australasian writing competition previously, so it was nice validation to win a minor award in an international writing contest. For a more challenging project (an entire book, rather than an essay with a mental health theme).

Being awarded bronze (with a small cash prize plus a trip to Sydney) was the start of Xanthe Wyse as a pen name, now my legal name. The trophy and framed certificate did not survive (I destroyed them because they had my former name on them, along with my framed science degree and teaching diploma. Copped it with a sledgehammer (artists can be pretty passionate).

I've had several blogs over the years, gradually processing things. Creative expression is a form of therapy. A blog is a great way to get started with writing. I write a blog post if I want to process something smaller, which can link to other blog posts.

I have one more book left in me, inspired by my experiences, I think. Soar Purpose is the proposed sequel novel to Pet Purpose. Writing books is on the backburner currently, as I am launching my hobby art business.

Bipolar Courage: Are You Sure You're Not Autistic? by Xanthe Wyse is available from Amazon (paperback and ebook) and all major ebook distributors.

More information about Xanthe's books.
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Book reviews. Reviews are very much appreciated by independently published authors.