Hugos 2012: The John W. Campbell Award (Not A Hugo)

[nwhyte]

The nominees for John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer submitted a diverse portfolio of work for voters to consider last year - five novels and five short stories between the five candidates. This year it is even more diverse and overall a little sparser: one long novel, one short novel, three short stories (twice) and one short story. It is

Comments

[pnh]

Mur Lafferty is actually quite a good writer. Based on my own personal experience with the Hugo-packet-assembling process, I can't help but wonder if she wasn't a victim of unclear instructions based on poorly-considered assumptions.

This whole Hugo-packet thing has gone from being a cool little idea to being a gigantic big deal in what seems to me like no time at all, and judging from Chicon, Worldcon committees are hugely behind in thinking through the language of the boilerplate requests they send to nominees. Speaking for myself, Chicon's request basically felt like "Congratulations on your Hugo nomination! Now please send us proof that you deserve it. PS: You'd better comply if you know what's good for you."

[nwhyte]

I'm glad that the Hugo Packet has expanded as it has done. It has certainly changed the way I vote, which used to be simply for the written fiction and dramatic presentation categories, with the odd vote elsewhere for candidate who I knew. It does mean that nominees will suddenly have to be more strategic about presenting their work to the voter, where previously it was allowed to speak for itself. I am sure that some will be uncomfortable with that.

[pnh]

Well, it's certainly a way to push the "body of work" Hugos toward becoming awards for aptitude in "being more strategic." Whether that's a good thing overall is another question. It's definitely not something that's been discussed by the Worldcon's democratic governing body, and I think it probably should be.

[johncoxon]

If you want to get a better idea about Lafferty's work as a writer, she has released all her works that don't count towards the Campbell as free downloads. You can find out more here.

[nwhyte]

I think that's all the stuff that does count towards the Campbell?

[johncoxon]

Not sure what you mean, but she addresses why none of it is in the packet in that link.

[nwhyte]

OK, now I get it - the 7-pager is in fact her only professional sale, so the only thing that could go in the Hugo packet.

If I had time to chase through her other writing, that would of course raise the question of whether one's assessment of a writer's suitability for the Campbell award should include their non-pro writing as well as their pro writing, given the explicit emphasis on pro sales in the award rubric.

I don't have time, however, so it remains an academic question for me.

[anonymous]

(Sorry for anonymous post; I'm no longer a LJ user)

Thanks for those who have made clarifications. Yes, I was told to submit my pro sales which currently includes only that one story (and a forthcoming novel from Orbit, which, alas, does not yet count -- and my publisher probably wouldn't want me to, come to think of it!)

Campbell eligibility is odd in that your "Campbell clock" starts "ticking" the moment you make that first sale, whether it's a book or a 1500 word short story. That's why I put my existing body of work on my site for free download.

I just wanted to clarify that I certainly would have submitted more samples of published work, had I been allowed to do so.

Mur Lafferty

[nwhyte]

Thanks. I certainly didn't intend any criticism of you personally, and hope you did not take it that way. (If you did, your reply is a masterpiece of tact!)

I look again at the letter of the rules, and I think you have a legitimate grievance. The phrasing is that the award is for "the best new science fiction or fantasy writer whose first work of science fiction or fantasy was published in a professional publication in the previous two years", but there is no instruction to the voters to consider only professionally published work. The first professional publication triggers eligibility for the award, but the wording is clear that nominees are to be judged purely as a "science fiction or fantasy writer", not as a "professionally published science fiction or fantasy writer". I would say that your other work, in so far as it contributes to your reputation as a science fiction or fantasy writer, is relevant material for voters to consider.

I still don't promise to read it before the voting deadline, I'm afraid!

[redfiona99]

>> And maybe not the same kind of "spunk" that leapt to my mind, though that may be a dialectal variation - an unexpected ejaculation, perhaps<< I've noticed that there is a distinct difference both across the Atlantic and up and down the UK in what is meant by 'spunk'.

[rosefox]

Lafferty is offering all her published fiction as a free download because the packet only included her one "pro" publication.