Jul 26, 2021
Personally, I found the book title and first chapter riveting, although I am much older than the typical YA audience this book may be aiming for.
You done a great job in this chapter alone expressing just how far one fan can go to talk. I imagined if I were Joy, I too would have been terrified and if this is based on a real life story, this could be a good movie.
The back story on the evolution of the anime culture in America while interesting to me (as I actually lived through fan conventions and attending large scale conferences) may not be as appealing to readers who typically expect drama right away (which I think is a bad standard since good novels need a good set-up to be done well). Its not so heavy or off-putting, but it might be easier to discuss this as the heart of the issue in the next chapter when Liam and Joy actually talk.
Answering your question, as far as numbers go, what's more important is being consistent in format over being proper so use numerals or write it out, but mixing and matching confuses the reader. Since you have large numbers, it may be better to stick to numeral form.
You may also want to join the discord channel where you can probably ask and get an answer to your question from those more familiar. If you are competing in the contest, I do hope you end up submitting the work, I think the premise is intriguing and would be original since you have a very unique pov and the ability to go deep
