Thoughts on Contests and Awards

And the Horror Fans!!!!

Edit: I wrote this over a year ago, so some of it has kind of aged but, well, is still valid. I mention this because some of the references to book brawls is actually timely and yet from a year ago. I’m finally posting it so I stop seeing it on my Substack dashboard! It’s a quick read.

Lately there have been several March Madness style horror book brawls going on in various Facebook groups, most notably in the Books of Horror group and in the Indie Horror Books group. I had books in each contest, but ultimately did not make it to the end, much less win the whole shebang. Not that expected to in the first place.

Here’s my take on awards and contests. It’s all in good fun. Period. I like to think that the best book gets the awards and wins the brawl, but I’m sure all of this stuff is just as much a popularity contest. But not necessarily for the authors themselves, but the popularity of their books. And that makes sense, doesn’t it? If a book does well, if a book has developed a following, should it not win awards and contests?

Winning an award would be lovely but mean nothing if I had to lobby for it. Therefore, I never lobby for awards. A lot of authors do, and that’s just fine. With the recent Books of Horror Brawl, it was encouraged to post about your book, make videos, get the word out, etc., but still, I didn’t do much. When it comes to these things, I want my work to speak for itself. I did make a few posts, but in a popularity contest, I’m never going to win. I understand this. I accept this. I don’t write to win awards and contests and shit. But if I won one, I wouldn’t be mad at it either.

I think of awards like the Grammys. Mastodon has won two Grammys, and it isn’t like they’re selling out stadium tours or even arena tours without co-headlining or supporting a bigger act. The award means dick in the long run. I’m sure it’s great to receive, but it doesn’t mean shit, does it? Writing a good book is what matters. Now, for me, winning for a book I wrote and not doing a damn thing to lobby for said award might actually mean something. Maybe. But I guarantee it does nothing for my writing career, just like winning Grammys has done nothing for Mastodon. They don’t need it anyway. They have loyal fans, and that’s all that matters.

I appreciate my fans more than some superficial award. They are what matters. I don’t write for them. I write for me. But I sure as hell am grateful that we have similar tastes and they enjoy what I put out there.

These book braws are great though. They’re great because it offers direct interaction between the readers and the writers. Book brawls are getting readers pumped to read and try new authors. That’s a win for all of us. My books might not go very far, but who gives a shit? People are talking about indie horror, and that’s all that matters.