Dark Agenda

I’m going to tell you how to get cheap e-books, influence the future of science fiction for the better, and read some of the best science fiction writing of the calendar year. It will only cost you fifty bucks – and might be free, with a little effort. Listen, for I am about to reveal one of the most hidden bargains in all of science fiction.

Interested? Read on.

Okay. So every year, science fiction (well, and fantasy) has the Hugo Awards – one of the biggest awards it’s possible to get as a sci-fi/fantasy writer. And every year, once the nominations come out, there are the usual accusations that the nominations are representative of a graying, largely-white fan base, and the phenomenal work of new authors are getting shoved aside in favor of old workhorses.

But here’s the thing: for $50, anybody can nominate works for, and vote for, the Hugo awards. All you need is a supporting membership for ChiCon 2012. So you can help boost your favorite fiction types, new or old, classic or cutting-edge. And a Hugo award really boosts an author’s career, keeping them writing the kind of thing that you enjoy.

Admittedly, that $50 seems like a lot – except as a voter, once the finalists are announced, you get a voters’ packet containing every nominated book, short story, and graphic novel.* It’s all electronic, of course, and if your favorite authors are very lucky all of of the books you nominated will already be in it… but that leaves you with several very quality novels, graphic and otherwise, for a bargain price.

So what you get for $50 is the ability to potentially boost your favorite authors’ careers, and then a basket full of randomly good books at cheaper price than what you can get them for on Amazon.

* – Most likely. The voter packet is not contractually guaranteed, and they may decide not to do it this year, but the publishers have every reason to want to woo you – so I can’t believe they’d suddenly stop. They might, since organizations can be astonishingly silly, but I think it’ll happen again, so much so that I’m risking my own money to promote it.