How to create an Award

[reviews_and_ramblings]

It's all day that I'm thinking and reading posts and thinking again. Actually I have always pondered the idea to create an award, but I have always thought, who am I to do that? And now I'm thinking that I'm not alone, am I? I have a lot of friends, readers and authors, and so if I give a space, the Awards could be yours not mine. Only I have nothing to give to the winner if not the a virtual price, you are the winner of the LGBT Award of a little slash/gay/lesbian/romance/whatever online community. And here start one of the problem, I read gay fiction, but not lesbian fiction at all, so I really need your help, friendslist or anonymous commenters.

I have 40 tags among genres and themes, I can create 40 posts for 40 categories and screen the comments. I can open the candidatures for each category and after a month, close the posts and draw the first 10 of each category. I can then open 40 polls for each category and draw the winner for each of them. I can then open 5 polls with 8 titles mixed together and draw the final 5 titles. Finally the last poll, 5 titles from which drawing the all together winner.

As I said, I have nothing to give to the winner if not a virtual award, but to entice people to comment and vote on the polls, I can probably ask to the authors/publishers if they are willing to donate an ebook copy of the final 40 titles and then draw one name among who voted as winner of the full 40 ebooks. If I find people willing to read 5 books in a month, we can also think to not create a poll for the last 5 titles, but to have a jury to read them and give a reasoned vote. Even more of 5, I don't know, 10?

We can consider print books and ebooks, maybe released from August 2008 to August 2009. I will not ask the gender of the author or its sexual orientation ;-)

Starting to setting things --> http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/799266.html

Comments

Q

[semioticwarrior.livejournal.com]

As always, you take such a thoughtful, well-reasoned, good-hearted approach to things. This is one of the reasons I love your LJ.

A few of us (erastes, <"c_smith_author">, and lee_rowan and myself) have been batting around the idea of a contest for GLBTQ fiction, in which the judges read e-copies of books with the author name and book title removed (by someone who is not a judge). The idea is at the "wouldn't that be cool" stage, and not at all developed.

I think we could get some support from publishers, especially those who sell a lot of m/m books written by women. You have a great idea, to solicit prizes from the publishers.

As a well known reviewer, I think you would make a fantastic judge. I also like your proposal for setting things up. I'm putting together a list of people who have expressed interest in putting together an award. Would you like to be on it?

If you would like to do your own award, I'd be happy to help there as well.

Jessica

Re: Q

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Jessica,

I'm total open to a collaboration, I contacted yesterday with a private emails some friends and I stated that. As you read on my post, I wouldn't mind the idea of an impartial jury once we have skimmed the title to a few, I think it would be an impossible task with too much books to read.

It's a good idea, you think we can combine the two things? Candidatures and Polls to limit the books and then a special jury to read them?

And I have already received answer from 4 ebooks/print books publishers and 1 ebooks seller, so the gift basket is already growing.

Elisa

Re: Q

[semioticwarrior.livejournal.com]

Wow! Awesome! I just read this morning's post, and you are FAST. Please tell me how I can help your efforts, and I'll be happy to do whatever you need.

Re: Q

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

You, and all who offered, can read the categories and see if I need to compact or expand them ;-) And obviously, once the categories are setted, I will need help in filling them with titles. Elisa