tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917837.post72758235347018579..comments2023-10-06T18:30:44.757+08:00Comments on The Battersblog: Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14168569626904048820noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917837.post-43472766998744730142007-08-07T16:05:00.000+08:002007-08-07T16:05:00.000+08:00Blue, mate, Egan witdrew his work from Aussie Awar...Blue, mate, Egan witdrew his work from Aussie Awards years ago. Williams gets consider for everything he writes and often wins:} Can't see any problem there. <BR/><BR/>And what Kate said, I agree. And anybody who knows me and Kate knows that were not the best of friends. But I agree with her on this one. <BR/><BR/>Cat, yes, they cost you some money and me too as editors. But unless somebody with a big budget comes along and sponsors them I can't see there's a reasonable answer there. I still think that criticising something without a reasonable answer to solve the perceived problems is worth zero. Not that you're doing it but others are. I'd like to see the same people get stuck into the Ditmars. They're on much more fragile ground than the AAs are. <BR/><BR/>cheers<BR/><BR/>GeoffRandom Audio Dudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09427089546971163872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917837.post-24135717446907244572007-08-06T08:22:00.000+08:002007-08-06T08:22:00.000+08:00Not sure if this sheds any light on any of this de...Not sure if this sheds any light on any of this debate, but the Aurealis Awards team do make special consideration for the costs small publishers face and try to accommodate wherever possible, including (but not limited to) offering to pay postage, offering to receive one printed copy and then Ron making copies himself for the judges, and sharing one copy between the panel (this last option is especially useful for anthologies where multiple stories may be nominated in one category) You just need to speak to Ron and work out the best solution. Ron also personally contacts any publisher of eligible material he identifies and encourages them to nominate. The main goal of the Awards committee is to raise the profile of the awards and generate enough publisher and bookseller interest to actually have a beneficial impact on book sales and promotion/distribution of award winners and nominees.Kate Elthamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05388918972716086264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917837.post-7994527426850052842007-07-30T19:29:00.000+08:002007-07-30T19:29:00.000+08:00As a reader, you can choose to give a damn or othe...As a reader, you can choose to give a damn or otherwise about the awards at your leisure. As long as you read stuff you enjoy, then so what? If you base your leisure preferences on awards, then you probably think Marisa Tomei is a good actress.<BR/><BR/>And let's be honest, if you want to draw Egan into the argument, then every Australian SF award that's been given since he decided not to play has been worthless, so where's the harm in any of it?<BR/><BR/>Now, I said I wasn't going to get drawn into it, so I'm really not.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14168569626904048820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917837.post-54502929897976900422007-07-30T18:49:00.000+08:002007-07-30T18:49:00.000+08:00Or from a reader's point of view if you ignore, sa...Or from a reader's point of view if you ignore, say, Egan or Williams or whoever has another story that is really good because they don't send in 7 forms in triplicate on Tuesday, then it becomes an award of some other bunch of stuff, not an award for the best?Blue Tysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01090584083476832111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917837.post-48591242882698120082007-07-30T13:36:00.000+08:002007-07-30T13:36:00.000+08:00Hi Cat,Yeah, there are pros and cons every year. I...Hi Cat,<BR/><BR/>Yeah, there are pros and cons every year. I'm just sick of listening to the likes of Ben Peek piss and whine year after year without having the balls to do anything about or be a part of anything. Rather than spit in the eye of the hurricane, I'm just going to go about my business and do what I have to do to get things done for me.<BR/><BR/>I can see where, as a publisher, it's a large-scale problem for you to deal with the rules this year, and I sympathise. But you, ate least, are willing to put your name where your mouth is, and be a part of proceedings. <BR/><BR/>I just liked Trent's decision to be publicly positive, and decided to buy into <I>that</I> juju this year.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14168569626904048820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917837.post-85950966736801791492007-07-30T13:29:00.000+08:002007-07-30T13:29:00.000+08:00Hi Lee,I'm a big fan of awards myself, have a hand...Hi Lee,<BR/><BR/>I'm a big fan of awards myself, have a handful on my shelf and never quite believe folks who claim they don't care about them. But awards have to be run properly for them to matter. Winning a ballot award when it turns out only a handful of people voted is pretty disappointing. Likewise, winning a juried award when most of the eligible material wasn't considered… Yeah, you get a statue, but IMHO the meaning behind it is significantly diluted. An award is only as good as the respectability and accountability behind it. Ironing out flaws in the system might be boring, but if no one bothers with it, the credibility of the award itself is what suffers in the end.<BR/><BR/>Full marks to this year's director Ron and staff for the spiffy new online nomination form. It's snappy and pretty much idiot proof. The site design is a big improvement too. What does concern me is the regulations stipulating that most material must be submitted to the judges in print form. I feel that this is an unnecessary -- and perhaps prohibitive -- expense for some small publishers, and that judges should be willing to read material onscreen as last years' judges were willing to do. So far this year submitting material to the AAs has cost me a fair bit in photocopying and postage. Agog! Press elected to pay the $$ and abide by the rules, but I'm wondering if these rules will mean that some work doesn't get considered? To my mind, every eligible story that is not considered detracts from the strength of the result. I have voiced my concerns to the director and he has taken them onboard. Organising the AAs is a large and thankless task. I have every faith that Ron Serdiuk & his judges will do a terrific job.<BR/><BR/>I love the Aurealis Awards. Rob and I fly up to Brissy for them every year to do the glass clinking thing and hang with our ever-expanding pool of SF writing industry buddies. It's an honour to be nominated, but to me, awards are as much a celebration of community spirit as they are about personal validation.Cat Sparkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02755512695247350304noreply@blogger.com