A BRAG medallion?

Yes, that’s it under the title, and a BRAG award really is something to brag about. BRAG stands for Book Readers Appreciation Group (https://www.bragmedallion.com/award-winning-books/) and they critique books submitted to them for quality. Somewhere between only 10% and 20% of books put forward to them actually qualify for the award which means I am utterly delighted that Bye Baby Bunting made the grade.

Essentially, the BRAG people want to let other readers know if a book is professionally written and produced, a huge help when a book is indie published. They are not only concerned that the book is well-plotted, but whether, amongst other areas of concern, it has compelling characters, realistic dialogue, good writing style and a story arc with a satisfactory ending. The book also must be clean of typos and spelling mistakes, uses good grammar (copy editing) and boasts an appropriate title and cover. In other words, BRAG gives an independent quality control tick.

Like me, I bet you read reviews before ordering an ebook (or a print book online). The problem is that none of us can tell whether a review is independently produced or not. More than a few indie writers lean on friends, rellies and (sadly) paid professionals to give them that favoured 5 star rating. That means reviews are suspect at least.

What do we do, we readers who don’t want to waste our money or our time with a book that fails in some of these vital areas? One answer is to consult the BRAG website – a BRAG awarded book means a book meets professional standards.

In BRAG parlance, I am a “BRAG Medallion Honoree” (American spelling, of course).   I couldn’t be more pleased!