Declining a Hugo Nom
The deadline for Hugo Award nominations is March 10. (Which reminds me, I’ve got to finish getting my list of stuff-I-think-deserves-shiny-rocketships together.)
Last week, a friend mentioned that they were seeing posts on Twitter encouraging folks to nominate me for Best Fan Artist, based on the cover poses I’ve done.
I wasn’t expecting that. Thank you so much. It means a great deal to see how much people appreciate the whole cover pose project.
But I’m conflicted. The cover pics certainly seem to qualify as fan art, and they were done in 2012, so to my mind this would be a perfectly valid nomination. And I’ve got to say, winning a Hugo last year was amazing. It was one of the best moments of my life, and something I’d love to do again someday.
At the same time, even though the Hugo I received in Chicago was technically for my blog work in 2011, I’d be deluding myself to think the popularity of the cover poses wasn’t a factor. Accepting a nomination for Fan Artist would feel like I was trying to cash in twice for the same project.
Basically, the idea makes me uncomfortable. I won’t tell you who to nominate, but I will say that in the unlikely chance that I made the ballot for Best Fan Artist, I would decline the nomination.
Of course, if you wanted to nominate Libriomancer for Best Novel, that would be awesome and I’d love you forever. But when it comes to Best Fan Artist, it just doesn’t feel right. You honored me last year for my fan writing, and I can’t thank you enough for that. But there are are too many skilled, hard-working artists who deserve to be on that ballot this year.
In fact, if you have any thoughts on who should get a nod for Best Fan Artist or Writer this year, please share names and links in the comments.
Thank you.
Andrew Fedge
February 25, 2013 @ 10:21 am
I believe Best Fan Writer is the spot where I’m plugging in Mark Does Stuff (www.markreads.net and markwatches.net) …. 😀
blackcoat
February 25, 2013 @ 10:36 am
Except for the fact that you’ve done MORE poses this year.
It would be (to my mind) kind of like declining the nomination for Libromancer’s sequel if Libromancer won. (Discloser: I’m not eligible to vote for Hugo nominations this year)
Aidan from A Dribble of Ink
February 25, 2013 @ 10:38 am
Regarding Fan Writer, I expect I’ll be nominating the following writers:
Liz Bourke
Jared Shurin
N.K. Jemisin
Justin Landon
Niall Alexander
I’ve written about my reason (as well as my other Hugo nominations/recommendations) on blog, for those interested.
Sunil
February 25, 2013 @ 1:34 pm
Seconding Andrew’s recommendation of Mark Oshiro for Fan Writer! I’ve written up a recommendation post to explain why. I think he’s bringing something special and fun to SFF fandom, especially to the authors of the works he covers, who get an inside look at a reader’s perspective.
Steve Buchheit
February 25, 2013 @ 10:01 pm
Didn’t Langford get the Hugo many years in a row for writing Ansible? So I’m not sure why getting more than one for more of the same thing is a problem? (Not knocking Langford or Ansible, it’s great fun every month) And it’s not like you didn’t deserve the Fan Hugo for other postings than just the poses.
Laura Resnick
February 26, 2013 @ 2:32 am
I’m nominating you for best cover MODEL.
Jim C. Hines
February 26, 2013 @ 8:34 am
He did, and technically speaking, I don’t think there’s anything in the rules against me getting nominated or even winning for Best Fan Artist. (Though I think a win would be unlikely.)
It’s mostly just me feeling uncomfortable with it.
Jim C. Hines
February 26, 2013 @ 8:34 am
Okay, that one I’m willing to accept 🙂
Joe Selby
February 26, 2013 @ 12:48 pm
I struggle wrapping my head around it. You may be one of the most popular choices for a category of a popularity contest. Declining a nomination seems to undermine the point of having a popularity contest. If the most popular people refuse to participate, what does the popularity contest accomplish?
Jim C. Hines
February 26, 2013 @ 12:50 pm
To my mind, while the awards are decided by popular vote of the Worldcon membership, it shouldn’t be a popularity contest. Does that make sense?
Joe Selby
February 26, 2013 @ 12:56 pm
What it shouldn’t be and what it is are two different things. 😉
It may be conceivable that some people vote for books on merit, but given past results, typically a popular author with a mediocre book will win over an unknown author with a good book. It is a popularity contest for all you might want it to be otherwise. Some people prefer that over the Nebulas. Some people prefer the Nebulas over the Hugos. You seem to be applying the standards of the Nebulas to the Hugos, which is confusing.
Jim C. Hines
February 26, 2013 @ 12:57 pm
Should and is are very different, yes.
Ultimately, I’m applying my standards. Others might disagree, and that’s fine. But this is what I’ve got to go with.
Josh Jasper
February 26, 2013 @ 2:19 pm
Used to be called “The Langford Award” in fact.
Morvidra
February 26, 2013 @ 9:13 pm
I agree with Andrew and Sunil above – Mark Oshiro of Mark Does Stuff is where my hopes are pinned for Best Fan Writer.
And Jim, I admire your principles. *bows respectfully*