This year, the Awards process is being handled a little differently. Last year, there was some, for lack of a better word, drama regarding the nominations and voting process. Basically, anyone could vote for a site and a select few voted for the short list. In theory, it doesn’t sound like it was that bad of a system, but I think where it really got tricky was with the niche categories. Simply put, how do you grade a certain genre when you don’t read it? Plus, some blogs were getting categorized into various niches since the category was determined by the person nominating it and not the blog owner themselves.
So this year, in order to even be considered for the Awards, the blog owner must first register their site in the niche category that they believe they fall into and they must do so by doing a post on their site. So here is Literary Escapism’s registration entry/thingie/whatchamacallit. I had to pick a niche category that I believe LE falls into and I chose:
Best Speculative Fiction Book Blog—This blog offers the best consistently excellent reviews, recommendations, analyses, and other content in fantasy, science fiction, horror, and/or paranormal books. The blog may cover several of these subgenres or just one.
I hope that makes sense. One of the changes the Awards undertook this year was that in order to take part in the initial voting (aka the initial nomination last year), only those individuals who registered are going to be doing the voting and only in the category they registered for. Which means, when it comes time for voting, I’ll only be able to do vote for other Speculative Fiction sites. This is the part I like the most as it’ll seem more like a peer review than a popularity vote. Now, everyone will get to vote for the short lists in all categories, as they did last year, so never fear, your voice will get heard as well.
As part of the registration, I have to select five different posts that I believe show off the content on the site. Three of them have to be reviews with the other two being anything I want. So here’s what I’m putting out there:
Reviews:
- The first one I’m choosing is Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning. I don’t know if it’s my best writing, but with 34 comments, it’s definitely one that has a lot of people talking. Granted, that’s probably due to the book (no kidding), but I love it when there’s discussion on any novel and this one has so many readers coming up with their own theories that’s its awesome.
- The next one I’m going with is Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. There was just something about this book that really worked for me. Maybe it was the fact that the story focused more on defining the characters we knew than throwing them into another war, but it was a really great read.
- The last review I’m using is Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf. Now this one was a DNF for me, but I honestly believe that a reviewer/blogger should also be posting negative reviews because no one is going to like everything. It’s just not feasible. Kiss Me Deadly had a lot of potential, and I do state that, but it also had problems and I think I state them pretty clearly.
Misc:
- I’m totally including my What I Would Recommend v2.0 post because it gives an idea as to what really works for me. I also believe that it gives anyone who first stops at my site an idea of what they might find. After all, if I go to another site and notice they like a lot of what I do, I’m going to spend a little more time there. I think I’ll be more likely to find something new. While I know I won’t always agree with someone, knowing we have similar tastes should mean that I won’t be constantly disagreeing with their reviews.
- I’m totally adding one of my newsletters. Not only do I love compiling them and it takes a while to compile, but I have to say that I think they really showcase what I try to do here. Nothing on this site is about me, well except for my opinions, but it’s about the authors who write the stories we all love. Since I do a newsletter each month, I’m simply going to use the latest Escapist Newsletter (Vol 4 Issue 6).
So those are the five posts I’m submitting for consideration for the BBAW Awards. What do you guys think? Do you think I picked the right ones or would you recommend something else?
I totally forgot, I also registered LE for two more categories – I mean, why not – so I need to include posts for them as well.
Best Author Interviews: This blogger does his or her research and asks the questions no one else does. These interviews are top-notch. Note that this award reflects the quality of the interviews, not the popularity of the person being interviewed.
- Jackie Kessler, author of Shades of Gray, The Hell on Earth series & Hunger – June 17, 2010
- Jenna Black, author of The Devil’s Playground and Glimmerglass – June 1, 2010
- Nicole Peeler, author of Tracking the Tempest – June 30, 2010
- Vicki Pettersson, author of Cheat the Grave – May 25, 2010
- Ziggy Swift, hero from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Swift – April 1, 2010
Best Written Book Blog: This blog is consistently well-written, clear, and engaging, no matter what the subject.
I think you’ve selected excellent posts for the nomination process and the correct category. I haven’t registered my site, but I’m waffling between the poetry niche and the eclectic niche.
All your reviews are great so hard to pick. The ones you chose are good. I did the register but not register thing in order to vote. It is a little confusing.
@Robin – I didn’t realize you could register just to vote. Did you have still have to pick a niche category?
@Jackie You still have to pick a niche. I just chose Eclectic and the next question asks if you want to be considered for an award in that niche. I filled in no.
@Robin – Ahhh….You do realize that’s the only category you’ll be able to vote in initially, right? At least that’s my understanding.
@Jackie I guess. Not really sure how it’s going to work. I’m fine with however it works out. :)
Good luck! I nominated my blog in this category as well and am going through everyone’s posts for the first round part. I really like your newsletters so I’m glad you chose one of those, and I like that you also put a DNF review on the list.