It’s awards nomination season for science fiction and fantasy writers, and since I regularly tell other people to make sure that they post something that tells what they have eligible (since I nominate for both the Nebulas and the Hugos), I suppose I have to write my own.

Quick aside: doesn’t it feel like we JUST did this?

I do have eligible works. My novel, COLONYSIDE, came out on December 29th, 2020, but for award purposes, it was published in January, 2021, making it eligible for both the Hugo and the Nebula. I don’t recommend that you nominate it. Which…this probably sounds like reverse psychology, but it isn’t. I’m serious. Hear me out.

Both of those awards consider the top six books in some portion of science fiction and fantasy (though if you ask 100 people, you’ll get at least a dozen different takes regarding the fantasy part of it.) COLONYSIDE is not one of the top six books that was written in 2021. It just isn’t. And that’s okay! There are a lot of good books that aren’t in the top six. In fact, let’s start a movement where we all collectively just decide that we all tied for seventh. We’re number seven! We’re number seven!

This is going off the rails faster than I expected. And yes, I know that there’s a long list out there that lets us know who was actually number 7. Stop ruining the fun. I have no intention of looking at it.

Can you disagree with me and nominate it anyway? Sure! It’s your vote. You paid for it.* But you’d be wrong. Can I also add that I find it impossible that COLONYSIDE was published in 2021, since it came out eleven hundred years ago?

*Note: people actually pay to vote. For the Nebula vote, you pay your SFWA dues. For the Hugo vote, you pay for your Worldcon membership.

Why do I say that? Because I don’t write award books. At least I haven’t to this point. What do I mean by that? There are some brilliant writers out there in the science fiction genre that are doing important, innovative, or imaginative things. Sometimes all three!

I’m not doing any of those things. Which…that’s okay, because I wasn’t trying to do any of those things. What I tried to do with COLONYSIDE is to write a fast-paced, believable military sci-fi thriller. If you read it, what I hope you say about it is that it was some combination of fun, exciting, realistic, thrilling, kick-ass, entertaining or other synonyms along the same lines.

If you didn’t think that about my book, please don’t tell me. Let me have my illusions.

Note that I didn’t use the word important. And I think when you talk about the two biggest awards in our genre, I think important is…well…important. You can debate what exactly the word means, and it will mean different things to different people. Some answers I would accept without argument would be does it shine a light on our world or some aspect of our world in a meaningful way? Does it advance the genre? Does it transform the way we think about something, whether in life or in our art? Does it represent something underrepresented that deserves representation in the genre? I’m sure there are a bunch of other good definitions as well.

I write to entertain, and I’m okay with that. My next book is about a con man who joined the military. It’s ridiculous. There’s a page and a half sequence about the existence of space whales, and how they’re just waiting out there for you when you least expect it. I hope you like it.

Now, a cynic might think: look at this asshole. He was never getting nominated anyway, so he’s saying not to vote for him. He’s doing the ‘you can’t fire me, I quit’ thing. Think that if you want. It’s not true. Well, part of it is. I wasn’t getting nominated anyway. But this post isn’t actually about me. Woo. Deep.

So, if you’re a Hugo and/or Nebula nominator, and you find yourself thinking, you know, I really think I’ll nominate COLONYSIDE (I don’t think you will, but you never know) then hit me up and I will give you some books you should consider instead.

You may wonder why I don’t just list those books here. Good question! See, our genre has had some fuckery in the past, so now it’s important not to be lumped in with said fuckerers. To avoid that, we need to avoid any perception that we’re trying to influence or, as some call it, slate, a set of nominees. But if you know me and you want my opinion, I’m happy to provide it in other forums. And also, definitely nominate A DESOLATION CALLED PEACE for best novel. And if you’ve read that and don’t agree, come find me at a bar sometime and I’ll debate with you because you’re wrong. You know…as much as anybody can be wrong on a completely subjective matter. Which is not at all. Still. Bar. Debate. Because the introduction of 8 Antidote as a POV character is so brilliant and I want to talk about it. But I digress.

I have to add: I take awards seriously. They’re important, and they’re especially important to certain types of works and certain authors. I’m not one of them. Being nominated for an award would not change my life in any way. I already get to write the books I want to write and someone pays me to do it. On the other hand, there are people for whom award nominations would be very significant. I’m not saying you nominate someone for an award just because it will help them…but I’m not saying you don’t, you know? Like if it’s something that makes the SF world better by being in it and a nomination helps it be in it, well…to me that’s probably worth a nomination.

While I don’t care who wins, I do care that the best books get their due consideration. I vote, and in order to vote, I tend to read the things in the categories in which I vote (oddly enough, that’s not actually a requirement.) Sometimes I have very strong opinions. Sometimes I can’t make up my mind. I was absolutely torn this year between RING SHOUT and RIOT BABY in the novella category, to the point where I voted for one for the Hugo and the other for the Nebula like the indecisive bastard that I am.

Do the best things get nominated every year? Of course not. Both voting bodies are flawed, and those flaws manifest themselves in a bunch of different ways. Consider, as an easy example, the fact that not all of the science fiction in the world is equally accessible to the voting body, and it’s doomed to some level of discrepancy before it even starts. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. There are a lot of people out there who are trying.

I should probably add that I have read the winners of the Novel and Novella categories for quite a few years running, and I have no problem with any of them winning the awards they did. This isn’t a shot at anything that has been nominated or won. Over the last 7 years, I voted for the winner in the Hugo best novel category more times than I didn’t (Granted, my record greatly benefited by voting for NK Jemisin 3 years in a row. But who’s counting?)

Okay, I’ve blown way off course here. Let me perfunctorily also tell you that the PLANETSIDE series is eligible for the best series Hugo Award. Most of the same reasoning applies. Is it good? I hope so. I’d love for you to read it if you haven’t. But award-worthy? There are better choices.

I have no idea how people are going to take this. I’m sure some will think (or even say) that I’m being disingenuous, or needlessly self-deprecating. I prefer to think of it as self-aware. I could be wrong. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.

My personal philosophy on awards is probably debatable. You could argue that you’re going to vote for the books that you liked best, regardless of how “good” they are, and nobody could fault you. My thoughts on awards are probably pretty deep seated, given the way that awards work in my previous profession.

I guess if I could have my wish for the major SFF awards, it would be that more people voted and more people read widely in the genre, experiencing everything that it had to offer. But then, I guess that’s my wish for most days.