Okay, I'm going to start out with a blatant plug. The King's Bastard is on the ballot for the David Gemmell Award. If you enjoyed reading my book, please vote for it. Here's the link.
So what is the David Gemmell award? According to the people who run it:
The DGLA aims to:
• Raise public awareness of the Fantasy genre
• Celebrate the history and cultural importance of Fantasy literature
• Appreciate & reward excellence in the field
• Commemorate the legacy of David Andrew Gemmell and his contribution to the Fantasy genre
This award sets out to celebrate fantasy. All the awards I'm going to mention set out to celebrate their genre.
I like awards. I like to find the books that have been short listed and read them to see what's going on in my genre and associated genres. You discover fresh new voices and people who are pushing the envelope of their genre.
So I'll start with the Aurealis Awards. This is Australia's version of the Nebulas, in that the selection is made a peer review. Then there are the Hugos, which are voted on at the World Con. Then there are the RITA Awards from RWAmerica. I go to my favourite sections, the Paranormal and the Regency. That is how I discovered Melissa Marr's books. Then there's the RWAustralia R*BY.
I've done my fair share of setting up awards and working on the committees that run them. The people involved in these awards all deserve a pat on the back. For instance, it takes dedication to judge fantasy section of the Aurealis Awards with over 40 fantasy books to read and you know how big those fantasy books are!
Do you read the books that are shortlisted for awards? How do you keep track of what is happening in your genre?
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