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Hugo Voting for Beginners
Today I'm talking mainly to the people in comics and media fandom, because to SF fans this may well be old news. Comics and media folk (hello), do you ever feel, having enjoyed Doctor Who or Primeval or Captain Britain, that you'd like to start catching up with what's cutting edge in the field of print science fiction? To sample what's best in novels and shorter fiction? (I'm sure many of you already read SF all the time, but please, play along.) Yes, I thought so! But what's that you say? You don't know where to start? Well, have I got an offer for you! (Yes, I have, actually.)
John has got together with the various publishers involved to make available a downloadable package of the majority of the nominated works (in terms of books, but you can see why the guys making visual material are in a different boat), available, only for voters. (A voter being someone who's bought a membership, or a supporting membership, for the convention.)
In the package, you get the full texts of (deep breath): the novels The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman; Little Brother by Cory Doctorow; Saturn's Children by Charles Stross and Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi. Plus four novellas, four novelettes, five short stories. Plus three books about the genre: Farah Mendlesohn's Rhetorics of Fantasy; Paul Kincaid's What We Do When We Read Science Fiction and Scalzi's Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded. Plus the online comic Schlock Mercenary. Plus the long form dramatic presentation Metatropolis. Plus issues of the magazines Clarkesworld and Weird Tales. Plus four fanzines, a package of art from nominee John Picacio, fan writing from four of those nominees, and pieces from all five of the nominees for the Campbell Award for Best New Writer.
Yes, it's a huge great dollop of quality reading matter! Adding up just the cost of the books and the magazines (and some of the novels aren't available in the UK yet, even), that's a grand total of at least £89.73 in value, never mind the hassle saved in finding the short stories in their various magazines and anthologies.
And here's the deal, you see: a Supporting Membership to Anticipation, which gets you all the above, is just £30 or $40! And then you also get to vote. (Yes, there's a category for TV episodes (two Doctor Who episodes, a Galactica, a Lost andDoctor Horrible are the nominees), one for movies, and for the first time this year one for comics.)
It's a great way to support the fandom, catch up on what's new, and get involved in the central institution of SF, around which all else pivots. And maybe, having committed yourself that far, you might feel you'd like to upgrade your membership, hop on a plane and attend the heart and soul of science fiction. (Guest of honour: Neil Gaiman!)
If I've interested you (and just for expressing interest you'll be sent this quality ballpoint pen, no, not really), then go to the Anticipation website and buy a Supporting Membership (or Full Membership if you want to go along):
Then you'll be given information on how to download your 2009 Hugo Voter Packet and how to vote.
I think this is a tremendous encouragement to get involved in the Hugos, an awards system I hold dear to my heart, my two nominee pins being my proudest possessions. I like it when I can do something to bring all my different fandoms together, and every fandom involved has something at stake.
Thanks for listening. And watch out for your free pen in the post. (No, not really.) Cheerio.
Labels:
Comics,
Doctor Who,
Hugos,
Worldcon
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That's a pretty awesome offer. Thanks for the info, Paul.
That's a great package, and I'll definitely consider it. I'm currently saving up for a flight back to England though, so it might be tough. Thanks for the info though, that was a very long post!
It isn't the organisers Paul. This has been done by John Scalzi, a hugely generous thing to do since he is publicising his competitors. I think this is the third or fourth time he's dome it and the first time he has gone beyond best novel.
cheers
Farah
Great stuff all. And as far as I understand it, Farah, it was John's idea, and then he put loads of work into it, and then got the organisers involved. I do credit him, as you'll see.
I've now done a quick edit to emphasise John's contribution, which thanks to my brusque style, was indeed being a bit undervalued before.
Another quick correction, Paul Kincaid's What We Do When We Read Science Fiction only provides excerpts, not the entire book.
How are we supposed to receive the package? Does it take a while to hear from them? Am I the most impatient person ever since I just paid yesterday?
They sent out an email to those of us already registered, with details on how to download it. John Scalzi suggests dropping them a line on:
hugopacket@anticipationsf.ca
Saying you're eager.