EVERY YEAR, A GRASSROOTS group puts on the “Preditors and Editors” poll via the Internet and does a broad tally of bookloving fans on what books and stories they liked over the previous year. The P&E poll is a quick one — open for just the first two weeks of January.
My friend Paul “P.S.” Gifford just pointed out to me that my novel Covenant is currently at #8 in the poll for best horror novel, which is pretty cool! (The current vote tally is listed here).
Since anyone can cast a vote in this poll before January 14th… if you read Covenant and enjoyed it… I hope you’ll give it a nod here: http://www.critters.org/predpoll/novelh.shtml
And while you’re at it, considering voting for Paul too — he’s in the top of the running in a number of categories, including author, poet, and short story!
The international Horror Writers Association is also currently in the midst of its poll of members to determine the best horror published the previous year. Currently, the HWA recommendations list includes votes for a number of stories from the two anthologies my small press Dark Arts Books published this year — Sins of the Sirens and Like A Chinese Tattoo. If you’re an HWA member and would like to see either of these collections to consider for voting, drop me an email.
Also, one of my stories, “Fish Bait,” from the new Horror Library Vol. 3 anthology by Cutting Block Press, has been recommended on the short story list. If you’re an HWA member and would like a read of that — just shoot me a note. The publisher has set up a website for HWA members to download and review a PDF of the book at no charge.
Just as in politics, I’d encourage you to vote in P&E or HWA (if you can) for your favorite fiction of 2008. The best way for both authors and publishers to know what they’re doing right, is to hear about what the fans have liked. So whatever it was you read and enjoyed last year — give it a vote!
