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Pete
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 Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:49 pm |
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm
Posts: 3341
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I'm going to make July BFS Awards' month on the Case Notes Blog, and turn a little attention on some of the nominees.
I think I got the idea from Charles Tan (but it could have been somebody else), who is interviewing nominees for the Shirley Jackson Award on his blog. I can't see me interviewing all the nominees, particularly as I haven't read many of the books/stories, but it should be possible to do something.
As a first step, Joel Lane and Paul Meloy have agreed to be interviewed about their Black Static stories (and in Paul's case, about "Islington Crocodiles" of course).
Beyond that, I'd like to do some coverage of other people, and to keep it lively I thought it would be fun to try out some other interview techniques. Some possibilities:-
A favourites iv, similar to the Steve Mosby piece
A iv with questions set by the members of this forum
Round robin style interviews, where several nominees take it in turns to interview each other.
A conversation piece, where two nominees talk to each other
So, if anybody reading this has been shortlisted for a BFS Award this year, and would like to take part in this, then please get in touch with me via whitenoise@ttapress.com or PM me. But be prepared to ask questions as well as answer them.
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Pete
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:31 am |
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm
Posts: 3341
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So nobody is interested? 
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Pete
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:14 am |
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm
Posts: 3341
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Jim Steel
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:10 pm |
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Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:22 am
Posts: 621
Location: Glasgow
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I have a tendency to view them merely as marketing opportunities unless, of course, I win and then they're quite obviously objective measurements of artistic quality.
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Rolnikov
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:13 pm |
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Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:05 pm
Posts: 443
Location: Birmingham
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Quote: The most ‘interesting’ result was in the Best Poetry Magazine category, where the seventeen voters picked sixteen different magazines, and the one with two votes won.
This kind of thing was definitely a consideration when we decided to revamp the BFAs. The hope is that with members voting on the shortlist this year, people will be encouraged to watch the shortlisted films, read the shortlisted stories, etc, as far as possible...
I'm working my way through the five nominated novels this month, and really enjoying myself.
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Pete
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:44 am |
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm
Posts: 3341
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Yep, marketing opportunities is a big part of where it's at. I suspect at the initial stage of any selection process there are people and publications making sure that they get a name check, simply so others looking at the list of those eligible will take note. The Preditors and Editors online poll seems to be full of that sort of thing, for one.
Usually though, by the time the long list becomes a short list, those entries have been weeded out, which is why I think the change in the BFAs, with people getting to vote on the short list, is a good thing, never mind that it also makes it more likely voters will have read/viewed the nominees.
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Rolnikov
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 12:56 pm |
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Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:05 pm
Posts: 443
Location: Birmingham
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Yes, there was some dire stuff on the BFS longlist...
The other thing about the change is that before, if your preference was for, say, science fantasy, year-in-year-out your votes probably wouldn't have much of an effect on the final outcome, because the bulk of BFS members tend to be big fans of weird fantasy.
So this time, I went for Ian McLeod's Song of Time in the first round and it didn't get through, but now we're voting again from scratch on the shortlist my vote could make all the difference.
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Pete
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:29 am |
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm
Posts: 3341
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GaryC
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:05 am |
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Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:39 pm
Posts: 80
Location: Aldershot, Hampshire
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I did forward the details to another nominee, but I'm not sure if he's around at the moment.
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Pete
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Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 9:41 am |
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm
Posts: 3341
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Pete
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:48 am |
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm
Posts: 3341
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Okay, I now have another volunteer to be featured in Case Notes - Andrew Hook, whose Elastic Press is up for the Best Small Press Award, and the EP title "Subtle Edens" is shortlisted for Best Anthology.
As promised (threatened) I'd like to try something different, so thought I'd throw this open for everyone to ask Andrew some questions.
If you have a question(s) for Andrew Hook then you can a) email me either at one of my regular addresses or whitenoise@ttapress.com b) PM me or c) post it here, I guess.
Please state if you would like a name check for your question or prefer to remain anonymous.
And all questions from rival nominees or their agents, phrased in such a way as to nobble Andrew's chances of winning, will be thrown out 
Questions by end of play on Tuesday the 14th please.
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Pete
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:33 pm |
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm
Posts: 3341
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One question so far. Two would be nice. Three would be even better. And I can't begin to describe how happy four would make me feel 
Anyone?
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Tony
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:47 pm |
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Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 2:13 pm
Posts: 868
Location: The Village
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re: "glittering prizes" ...
What I find most interesting about genre fandom’s awards is the wide variety of nominations, showing us that ‘quality’ in literature or ‘favourite’ media is entirely subjective, perhaps arbitrary? Is the problem simply that we get too much stuff to consider before making a judgement about how something fits into a ‘big picture’ or a sliding scale of values… or has fandom become so diverse in its tastes now that some kind of multi-generation-gap rules apply?
As for interviews... there's always the handy backup of - "what question would you like to answer but no-one has ever asked?"
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Pete
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 9:40 am |
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm
Posts: 3341
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Yeah, Andrew if you're reading this, you could put some questions to yourself... 
About awards, I think there are many problems, both practical and aesthetic. I read over a hundred books a year, but all the same when I looked at the BFS long lists I'd only seen a fraction of the titles, and so couldn't make an informed choice (which is why the short list voting phase, where people can if so inclined acquaint themselves with the nominees, is a good idea). Similarly, while you can be objective about such things as grammar and proofreading and sentence construction, what actually strikes a chord emotionally/aesthetically is peculiar to each reader, so an element of subjectivity inevitably creeps in, and also personal bias and sentiment play a part.
What pleases me about the BFAs, is that although many items on the long list look a bit out of place, invariably they get weeded out by the short list stage. I haven't read/seen everything on the various short lists, but of those that I have I can appreciate why they would be in contention, even if I personally prefer other stuff. There's nothing there that would reduce the standing of the BFAs if it won, and that's a good thing.
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Pete
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 4:56 pm |
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:15 pm
Posts: 3341
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You now have less than six hours to get your questions in for Andrew Hook of Elastic Press 
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