The Judging Process

Best Book Contest

Round One (Slush Pile) Basics

  • Timeline: 5-6 months
  • Each team receives 20-30 books
  • Each team selects two semifinalists to advance to the next round

Reading Requirements There are lots of ways to do team slush reading, and different teams may handle this round differently, although we have some suggestions that have worked in the past (see below). But you should expect to read about five full books and to sample many others. Review Expectations

  • (Required) Each team should post a review and score of each semifinalist.
  • (Preferred) Teams may also post reviews of the final books under consideration at the end of the round (colloquially known as “quarterfinalists,” though this is not an official title)
  • (Preferred) Teams may also post brief feedback about the books eliminated early in the slush phase
  • (Preferred) Individual judges may post their own reviews, separate from the full team review.

Round Two (Semifinals) The Basics

  • Timeline: Two months
  • Judging teams will be grouped in threes, and each group will read each other’s semifinalist selections.
  • Each team will score each book.
  • The top books in each group will make finals.

Reading Requirements

  • Review and score four books.

Review expectations

  • (Required) Each team should post a review and score of each semifinalist.
  • (Preferred) Individual judges may post their own reviews, separate from the full team review.

Round Three (Finals) The Basics

  • Timeline: 1-2 months
  • Each team will read the top selections from the other semifinal groups
  • The top score will be the winner

Reading Requirements

  • Review and score two-to-four books.

Review expectations

  • (Required) Each team should post a review and score of each finalist.
  • (Preferred) Individual judges may post their own reviews, separate from the full team review.

Scoring Guidelines / classifications:

Possible classifications + impact on score:

  • DNA – Did Not Attempt (#NA)
  • DNF – Did Not Finish (-ve)
  • NMS – Not My Style (#NA)

Score (0 – 10) guidelines:

  • 10 = all-time great
  • 7 = solidly enjoyable
  • 5 = mediocre
  • 3 = fails in most of its aims
  • 1 = unreadable

Note: A book with more DNFs than scores > 0 is given a ‘0’ by default.
ie. If four of the six reviewers on a team score a book as ‘DNF’, then the default score is ‘0’.

Phase One review requirements

Teams post *starred reviews of their ‘Top Three’ on their websites/blogs + the books’ Goodreads and Amazon pages.