What are readers looking for in a book? I was reading a BookBaby post, that detailed what award judges are looking for in a book, when it struck me: isn’t this exactly what readers are looking for in a book, too?

The five most important characteristics mentioned were :

• a creative and original plot,
  

  Pearseus, Rise of the Prince (book 2 in the series) book cover

• a coherent and distinctive writing style,
• believable and dynamic characters,
• realistic dialogue, and
• flawless copy editing.

A second group of attributes, described as  slightly less critical were:

• a proper balance between description/narration/exposition,
• compelling episodes/scenes,
• a professional-looking cover and interior layout,
• a catchy title, and
• a length appropriate to the story.

So here you have it, authors: do your best in all these regards, and you may end up not just with a great fan base, but with an award as well!