Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: EUOL on March 30, 2007, 09:00:10 PM
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Well, I'm nominated again this year. Huzzah! Thanks to everyone who nominated me.
The sad news is that, for the second year in a row, I'm up against a powerhouse nominee. Naomi Novik has a book nominated for the Hugo, as well as being nominated herself for the Campbell. It's exactly the same situation I was in last year with Scalzi, except--if possible--Naomi has a LARGER fanbase with an even more widely distributed book (three of them, actually.) My chances on the award are very, very slim--but I do get another Hugo pin, and feel quite honored to have been nominated.
Full list here:
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/008804.html#008804
Wiki on the Campbell:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Campbell_Award_for_Best_New_Writer
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You know Ninja Monkeys could make this problem disappear.
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Ha! But then Sigyn would kill ME for making Naomi disappear, thereby stopping her from publishing more books.
I've been poking through archives and looking at old Campbell winners, and I've found that my situation (a Campbell nominee who is also a Hugo nominee) isn't as rare as I might have expected. Apparently, there's often a breakout debut novel that generates a lot of buzz and manages to get onto the 'Best novel' list.
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It's interesting that the Japanese fans apparently didn't exercise their franchise. Not a single Japanese name on the list, nor any Greg Egan book.
Congrats on the 2nd nomination. Now, if only you had MB2 and Alcatraz out before the voting deadline. ;)
Though...assuming some more Japanese fans sign up for the con ahead of time instead of waiting to register at the door, the question is...have the Novik books come out in Japan?
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Congratulations! Thanks for not taking up the offer to make Novik disappear. I need more dragons during the Napoleonic Wars!
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The ninja monkeys don't mind being paid for a double hit. They could take out Sigyn too.
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I saw the list posted and was going to post congrats, but never got around to it. So, congrats!
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Cool. That's great, EUOL. Too bad about the competition, though. But you never know, you could give her a run for her money. You do blog quite a bit and Mistborn's done well and with the new one coming out, you never know...
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So, did anyone go to Worldcon to see how badly Brandon gets beaten by Naomi Novik?
It just started yesterday.
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If it's any consolation, I heard that Temeraire (sp?) got optioned by Peter Jackson. Oh... well... maybe that's not so much of a consolation. But if the ninja monkeys are sent to do some dirty work, they might have to be sent Mr. Jackson's way too.
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You know, while I really liked the first Temeraire book, and the second one was 'fun,' I really wasn't impressed with the third book at all. I won't pick up the fourth book when it comes out unless it gets reviews saying 'wow, this was so much better than the last one.' I think Brandon's a much more consistently good and entertaining writer.
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Awards aren't until Saturday or Sunday. Which reminds me. Dang! I need an acceptor. Uh...time to email my agent. I'm not going to win, but hey, might as well have something written just in case.
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Oh, so you didn't go!
Well, the results are out (international date line and all), and Brandon got SPANKED. 4th place. :(
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Naomi Novik? Aren't those the books that treat dragons like bloody airplanes or some such? And worse yet she sticks them in 19th century Europe.
Why isn't there a smiley to express my level of disgust? While I'm not surprised that she's nominated ((because people will read anything the the NYT claims should be a bestseller)) I'm still disappointed that she's there.
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Um... Did you read her books? If not, don't be so quick to diss her. Her books were very popular among the core fantasy-reading and con-going crowd, as well as among SF/F industry professionals. Not everyone can vote for the Hugo, you know, only people willing to lay out a not insignificant chunk of change.
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Oh, so you didn't go!
No, EUOL didn't go to Worldcon this year. He's nice enough not to go to Japan without me, and my being seven months pregnant made the trip inadvisable.
I find it interesting that Naomi Novik's publisher did a rather unheard of thing and released all three books in paperback during the same year. Judging by the number of Cambell votes she got, it apparently it worked! However, maybe it was the fact that she had cover quotes from Stephen King, Ann McCaffrey, and Terry Brooks ... Okay, it probably helped that her books are quite good. I thought the second one was the weakest of the three, but I enjoyed them and intend to read #4. (Now, lest some of you accuse me of disloyalty, know that EUOL actually bought the books for me and told me to read them! Whew! Wouldn't want to get included in this planned ninja monkeys attack!)
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Spanked...again. Ah, well. I join Bujold, George R.R. Martin, and the other ranks of Campbell losers. I got more votes this year, which is nice. (Last year I think I got 17; this year I got 25.) However, I think the margin was even larger this year than it was last year.
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The number of voters and con attendees was significantly lower though, so there is that! :)
You got nominated both years you were eligible, and that's great. I think that once a couple Alcatrazes and Scribbler come out, your versatility and range will get you a lot of attention.
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Some things to consider on Novik:
The release of her first 3 books at once is a strategy employed to prey upon the minds of readers. Readers are more likely to buy books from a new author if they see serveral books out. If the books are good, and accepted in the genre, this strategy works very well.
The cover quotes ARE what sold the first book. It's Stephen Frickin King. Novik's husband ressurrected an old genre of crime/noir short fiction. He then sent the stuff to King (who is a fan of that genre) to ask for cover quotes. King rejected the request...because he wanted to write a novel for Novik's husband instead. You all know it as The Colorado Kid. After Novik had finished her first novel, she sent it to King asking if he would cover quote for her Dragon series, and he said of course. She also knows Todd McCaffery, therefore knowing Anne McCaffery.
Since she informed me when i met her last summer that her main influences were Patrick O'Brien and McCaffery, her story makes complete sense. In my opinion, it is a brilliant idea the she executed well.
To top this off, she was one of the most humble authors I met last summer. She was just thrilled that so many people liked her novels.
All in all, the quality of the stories, the cover quotes, and the marketing campaign won her this award. I believe I will email her my congrats.
Brandon doesnt need to win an award to be successful - of course, he already is a success. The more novels he churns out at a James Patterson pace, the increased market penetration he will get. It's only a matter of time. Simply being nomintaed twice is an award in itself.
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I totally agree, Steve-not-bookstore-guy-any-longer. Well said.
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Yes, a fine reply.
I might feel bitter if everything he'd said had happened, and then the books WEREN'T good. However, they really are quite fun books that are excellently executed and add something very nice to the genre as a whole. She's worthy of the award in all respects, and I have no room to gripe.
The honest truth is that I'm not well known enough among the con crowd to win this award. Even without Novik, I would have lost to someone else. I out-sell the other people on the awards list by a nice margin, but my readership is a different segment than the con crowd right now. That understood--it's a cliché, but I feel it's true--I feel good to even be nominated.