Entertaining bits on the Hugos

Right, so I’ve been in a friendly vote war on a list with my writer buddy @Michelle4Laughs over a list on Listopia keeping track of books eligible to the Hugo awards in 2016. And I’ve received a number of questions about the Hugos and the list, and no, being on it in no way guarantees a nomination. In fact, the likelihood of my book getting nominated is exceptionally slim―but as with all fun things on the internet―there is a slim possibility.

So, the Hugos

Entertainingly, the Hugos are currently a popularity contest where one can BUY the right to vote for not only the nominations, but also the award. In fact, it’s such a scattergun system, that last year, a very small group of people all threw their votes one way and got a whole slate of stories nominated for Hugos, stories that might not have otherwise made it.

This is interesting for a couple of reasons, it literally means that a couple dozen people voting in concert could change the fate of the whole Hugos one of the biggest awards in science fiction and fantasy. In short, it’s slim that a nomination is coming my way, but a concerted effort could, in fact, make it a reality―unlikely as it may be, as happened last year.

I said currently because the Hugos, of all the awards, is a rapidly changing target. It takes two years to change how the voting will be done, and after last year’s debacle―and last year was a debacle―voting is likely to change next year. Another entertaining fact: you have until January 31st to become a voting member of the Hugos! 

So what does this list mean?

Nothing. It means nothing. It’s a voting member’s list modeled after another list, and it does more to collect books than it does to help people connect to them.

That being said, I’m still trying to beat out Michelle Hauck’s Grudging on this list, because, you know, competitive streak!

For the curious, you can find the list here. As of this writing, I’m number 68, so all first page.And again, if you want to buy a vote and nominate my book for the Hugos (voting member is the supporting membership), I wouldn't stop you there either.

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