March 27th, 2008
by
the angry black woman
First, want to call your attention to the SFBookswap blog, where there is some news.
When I first started the bookswap, my idea was a lofty one. To create a community of people who were interested in women’s F&SF and wanted to participate in the genre’s awards process. I figured that everyone would be excited about getting new books, reading them, passing them along, and reviewing them. I was partially right. There were many people who were interested. However, the thing I failed to understand at first (which I completely do now) is that most readers, even voracious readers, are not interested in reading every available book in order to decide which books are worthy of nomination and awards.
As I said, this is not a notion I am laboring under, anymore.
So, instead of worrying over how many are actually participating in the swap, we’re going to concentrate on getting books and magazines for review, reviewing them, then passing them on. We’re also trying to set up swapping in person at conventions. And other neat stuff. So go check it out (and meet some of the reviewers).
Speaking of bookswapping, the whole reason I started that project was to get more people fiction so that they would then nominate and vote in awards. Well, the Hugo nomination list is out, and the Locus poll is up, and the nomination ballot for World Fantasy arrived in my mailbox not too long ago. I’m hosting a discussion and rec-fest over on Fantasy magazine this week, if anyone wants to join in.
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the angry black woman at
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Filed under Awards & Recognition, Books & Literature, FSF Activism | Comments (2)
However, the thing I failed to understand at first (which I completely do now) is that most readers, even voracious readers, are not interested in reading every available book in order to decide which books are worthy of nomination and awards.
I think you also failed to understand how unaffordable the bookswap plan was. I recall this being just dismissed as not worth considering in the first discussion about it here, but the fact remains; no way I could have taken part, due to intrinsic costs.
Fortunately that has not been one of our problems thus far. But all of our participants have been USian so far and you’re in the UK (if I remember right), making your situation different. There are still ways you coould have/can take part if you wanted to. I got the impression that you didn’t want to, anyway. But we have international participants at the moment, and I’ve worked out ways for them that don’t involve massive costs (or any, really).