Finding Her Voice: Awards and Editorial Book Reviews
- Elaine R Kelly
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
I am grateful for the reception of Finding Her Voice: Acts of Early Female Apostles: A Novel. This article discusses three signs of success:
Editorial Book Reviews are professional, objective evaluations of a book. These can be placed on the book's cover and the description on online bookstores. Both editorial reviews and reader reviews can boost the success of a book's launch.
The initial book launch and Amazon ranking have a large influence on the success of a book
Book awards are professional, objective forms of recognition that give credibility to the quality of a book.
Editorial Book Reviews
The Prairies Book Review
“An immersive and deeply affecting novel that bridges antiquity and the modern age...
Kelly captures a world on the edge of change. Her vivid, lyrical prose immerses readers in the ancient Mediterranean while examining themes that still resonate—identity, faith, and the cost of being unheard. Junia and Susannah’s intertwined journeys reveal both the hope and heartbreak at the roots of inclusion.... a stirring blend of theology and drama; feminist, LGBTQ+-affirming, and profoundly spiritual." The Prairies Book Review
The Book Commentary
“This remarkable book is cleverly plotted, tangled with complex relationships, and emotionally rich; the prose sparkles, and the setting — physical, historical, and social — transports you to a period in history that is a delight to navigate. This is one of the finest religious-themed historical novels I have read in a long while."
The Book Commentary 5* Review
ReaderViews
ReaderViews awarded Finding Her Voice with a five-star review. They also hosted me for a podcast interview.
“In a world where women are encouraged to be seen and not heard, Junia and Susannah both know that if they do not answer the Call to speak, they may be silenced forever... I highly recommend it to any historical fiction fans who want to learn as much as they want to go on an adventure while they read.” ReaderViews 5* Review
Book Launch
I was thrilled at the success of this book's launch in October, 2025. It hit #1 on Amazon lists in Canada and the US for its categories. Ranking well on Amazon means the algorithm presents this novel to more potential readers.
This was the result of a lot of work and pulling in whatever favours I might. Below are a few of the steps I took in advance of the release date:
accessed services to create a book trailer video.
submitted my book for Editorial Reviews that could be used in initial promotions.
offered my Advance Reader Copy to egalitarian Christian academics and influencers
Organized a team of supporters and provided free eBook Advance Reader Copies. I encouraged readers to prepare a review to post on the book's release date.
Made my novel available for Pre-order. Some of my supporters who did not want to read an eBook format purchased pre-orders on Amazon, and I found that really helped boost my Amazon ranking, so that my novel was presented to more potential readers.
Coordinated with marketing people to promote Goodreads reviews.
Registered to do a Goodreads Giveaway of 100 free Kindle eBooks to US account-holders. When these were distributed, they counted as sales for the day's ranking.
Listed my book on StoryGraph, a competitor of Goodreads.
Using PublisherRocket, I examined Amazon categories. The chosen categories had to be relevant and suitable for my book, with titles that were comparable to my own. In addition, I looked for categories where I might more easily rank. For example, it takes more sales to rank in Historical Fiction than in Ancient Historical Fiction. Authors are permitted to use 3 categories for paperback, and 3 for ebook, and these do not need to be identical. PublisherRocket is also the software I use to determine keywords for the metadata in the book's listing.
Submitted my book to contests for later promotion.
created social media and e-news posts and reels with excerpts and themes.
completed a press release.
completed a media kit, including a retail one-sheet and author Q&A
Participated in an Author Ad Challenge and paid for Amazon Author Ads.
This is not a complete list. I continue to write articles for my website, which I could distribute more widely on sites like Substack. I continue to update my website, using software to format my books, adding an online store to my website, and constantly checking the ranking of my SEO and domain name. I could do more marketing, such as more free incentives on my website, more on-line events, book tours, collaborations with other authors, cross-publishing articles on other websites, and guesting on podcasts.
Most of all, I continue to write and edit!
Book Awards
Feathered Quill Book Award
In February 2026, I learned that Finding Her Voice is the 2026 Second Place winner in the Women's Fiction category at the Feathered Quill Book Awards. Finding Her Voice received praise from judges at Feathered Quill Book Awards:
Book Excellence Award
It was with great pleasure that I learned in April 2026 that Book Excellence selected Finding Her Voice as a 2025 Award Finalist in the category of Female Empowerment.
I wrote this story to empower women who have been put down by patriarchy in the church. It's really gratifying to see that my story about women in the first century can empower women today.
There were thousands of entries from around the world, and the judges noted this book was selected for its high-quality writing, design, and market appeal.
Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:
Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1, A Novel (2022)
The Sword: A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role (2023)
Because She Was Called from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church (2024)
Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience (2024)
Finding Her Voice from Broken to Bold, Book 3, Acts of Early Female Apostles: A Novel (2025)
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