Re: Hugo Shortlist 2008

David T. Bilek <davidbilek@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> Gene Ward Smith <gene@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >David T. Bilek <davidbilek@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in 
> >news:ues7u311ld6tuasp6mhrtsand13j334fst@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> >> John W. Campbell Award for Best New Science Fiction Writer
> >> 
> >> An award for the best new writer whose first work of science fiction
> >> or fantasy appeared during 2006 or 2007 in a professional
publication.
> >> Sponsored by Dell Magazines.
> >> 
> >> Joe Abercrombie (2nd year of eligibility)
> >> Jon Armstrong (1st year of eligibility)
> >> David Anthony Durham (1st year of eligibility)
> >> David Louis Edelman (2nd year of eligibility)
> >> Mary Robinette Kowal (2nd year of eligibility)
> >> Scott Lynch (2nd year of eligibility)
> >
> >Any opinions on these?
> 
> I put my comments in a reply as the post was so long already.  But to
> repeat, I think Lynch should win in a walk.  I don't think it should
> be a difficult choice for voters and shouldn't be close.  
> 
> Lynch is clearly ready for the big show while the others are still in
> AAA ball honing their skills.  To pick one example, Kowal's website
> says she is a "puppeteer who moonlights as a writer", while Lynch's
> website is all about him actually being a writer.
> 
> I think that's pretty telling. 

But the Campbell isn't for "making a living writing," it's for the best
*writer*. The vast majority of professional SFF writers, ovger the
history of the field, haven't done it for a living.

I also remember a *lot* about being a firefighter on Lynch's LJ; he
might have purged that recently, but it wasn't all that different from
the way you describe Kowal's site.

Also, if you think anybody is making a living as a SFF short story
writer, I've got this bridge that would be perfect for you. 

And I think a lot of people are going to underestimate Abercrombie's
popularity. He might not beat Lynch -- who I agree is the frontrunner --
but it'll be close.

-- 
Andrew Wheeler