Hugo: More About Stomping Out Misconceptions

[kevin_standlee]

Cheryl kindly pointed people at my post about common Hugo Award misconceptions* yesterday, so it's only fair that I point people back at what she wrote about Meme Stomping. She's right: Hugo eligibility isn't limited to only US-published works or even English-language works (although apparently many people seem to think so), and "I haven't read the entire field" is not a valid reason for not nominating. Nominate the works you liked, and assume that everyone else will do so as well. Don't disqualify yourself from voting through misplaced modesty. And if you do think about doing so, remember that there are plenty of other people who won't be so squeamish about their opinions, and by failing to cast your nominating ballot when you're eligible to do so, you cede the decision about what works are nominated to them.

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*I've added material and somewhat edited the original post, so if you read it during the first few hours after I posted it, you might want to review it for the new material on which I elaborate about what the WSFS Constitution says about Hugo Award eligibility.

Comments

[dlacey.livejournal.com]

"I haven't read the entire field" is not a valid reason for not nominating.

Hear hear!

I've so often had people say to me they don't think they've read enough to nominate. No. If you've only read one book all year and you loved that book enough that you thought it deserved a Hugo, then nominate it. If others don't agree it won't make the ballot.