The 2007 WISB Awards!

Well, seeing how the year is ending I thought I would hand out some relatively useless awards to the writers and people this year who I think deserve some recognition. Granted, this little award means about as much as finding a penny on a typical New York street, but perhaps the people I’m giving this to will be glad to know someone cares. There may or may not be cute images to give people for this. Probably not, but there’s a possibility nonetheless.

The 2007 Kudos Award
Robert J. Sawyer
This has absolutely nothing to do with his writing, because I have yet to read his work (yes, I know I should, and trust me he is on my reading list). The Kudos Award isn’t for writing, but for personal integrity, professionalism, and value to the Specfic community as a public figure. Sawyer has proven to be this figure over and over again in his amazing interviews and discussions. He’s a perfect figurehead for the value of specfic, which is the type of person who deserves the Kudos Award.

Worst Writer (Personally) of 2007
Basically, this is the award for the writer who is the worst person for a year. I base this upon the actions of a particular person throughout the year. And the winner for this award is:
J. K. Rowling. Yes, she’s won it hands down. The only thing she could have done worse is announce she is a Nazi and eats small children. Between her copyright bullying, which makes the SFWA’s mistakes seem like little burps in the publishing world, and her various announcements that serve as symbols of her inability to treat her fans, the people that made her who she is today, with the respect they deserve, she deserves this award more than anyone else. Andrew Burt had no chance of taking this from her because he showed some personal integrity.

Best Novel of 2007
The Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction Volume One (Edited by Dave A. Law and Darin Park); Paperback, Kindle.
First, something has to be said here about why this book was chosen over some other books I’ve read this year. Only books printed in 2007 are eligible, therefore The Steam Magnate by Dana Copithorne couldn’t be chosen. If that book were eligible, it would have won hands down, simply because it is an actual fiction book as opposed to a nonfiction book. Ragamuffin was very close to winning this one over, but it was just a little shy simply because The Complete Guide was the most useful nonfiction book I have read in a long time and deserves recognition for being tremendously valuable for the year of 2007.

Best Publisher of 2007
Aio Publishing. Of the publishers I’ve had contact with, this one has been the most eager to let me read their titles (thanks Tiffany), and after reading The Steam Magnate and seeing not only the quality of the writing, which was chosen by the publisher obviously, and the quality of the books themselves, I think this publisher deserves some serious recognition. Their books aren’t made on flimsy paper like a standard paperback. It’s quality paper, with a rigid cover that doesn’t bend easily. Plus, Tiffany has been wonderful to me and a joy to talk to.

Best Cover of 2007
Bright of the Sky (paperback; hardback) cover by Stephan Martiniere.This cover got me to pick up the book and eventually read it. Plus, it’s gorgeous.

Best Writer of 2007
This simply means best writer as far as style, structure, plotting, etc. goes.
I’m giving this to Tobias S. Buckell simply because after reading Crystal Rain and then Ragamuffin, and really hoping to read Sly Mongoose soon, he has proven to be a very good writer. He manages to weave multiple POVs very well, develops an interesting, gripping world, and has characters you both love simply because they are awesome and because you can sympathize with them.

And that’s it! Congrats to all those who won, even though these awards mean nothing.