NextTrap It didn't affect in my opinion.
The only problem is the popular author tell their current readers to vote a new novels (If I am their readers, I wouldn't vote. This meant my current novel might get dropped if the new become even more popular. :D) This is what Bai do. However, how could you prevent people to promote? The internet was huge. If one pay a professional trolling/spamming/cloning team. It isn't hard to become a winner.
However, a good author even without vote playing could win. The example the first contest. Both 1st and 2nd winner is the same person Bai. He didn't need to cheat. He only needed to write and he had experiences (the contest entry was his remake of his previous popular dropped novels). That is what important.
Good Idea + Good Writing Skill. (This is hard.)
If you want to win easier, use "System" or Naruto. That is the start of best selling idea.
If you want to go to female romantic like this contest. Use Top(est) Superstar (Popular) or Number XX richest CEO in the world (Money). Something like that. Add abusive ex-boyfriend, broken family, and evil-love/career competitors (I don't think there is evil people. Everyone is a good people for themselves.). Make sure the main leader always helped the girl during her most dangerous torment but allow her to mature while watching her on sidelines. This was 100% proven formula.
(This Rabbink is secretly a fan of this genre, but I couldn't take a novel which the main character take a foster child or something like that. Anybody could suggest? I have checked the top ranks here.)