Award Season

While you were off enjoying a long break, most of the Gollancz team were at Eastercon, the UK’s largest SF convention. It was a busy weekend, but the highlights were the award ceremonies.

We’re delighted to announce that JACK GLASS by Adam Roberts won the BSFA (British Science Fiction Association) award for best novel, and the cover (by Black Sheep and our marvellous Art department) won best Artwork. These are among the most prestigious awards in the UK SF world, and we’re delighted to have done the double.

The convention also showcased the announcement of the shortlist for the Hugo awards, which are perhaps the biggest worldwide SF awards alongside the Nebulas (of which more anon). Gollancz is thrilled to announce that Brandon Sanderson is in the running for Best Novella for THE EMPEROR’S SOUL, which we published two weeks ago in ebook and will be including in a print edition later this year. Joe Hill’s comic LOCKE AND KEY is on the shortlist for best Graphic Story as well.

But perhaps more excitingly we also have two on the Hugo Best Novel shortlist – REDSHIRTS, by John Scalzi, and THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON by Saladin Ahmed. Both authors are understandably thrilled.

The shortlist for the Nebula Awards – the other big one in SF – was announced in late February, and THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON is on the best novel list there as well – only one other book made both lists, so we’re thrilled for Saladin and his debut novel. BLACK HEART, by Holly Black, is on the shortlist for the Andre Norton award for  Young Adult SF and fantasy, which is given at the same time as the Nebulas.

THE QUANTUM THIEF by Hannu Rajaniemi, BLACKOUT by Connie Willis and VORTEX by Robert Charles Wilson (a forthcoming Gateway title) have all been nominated for the Seiun Award for Best Foreign Language Novel. The Seiun Award is Japan’s equivalent of the Hugo Award.

And in the last bit (for now) of awards news, REDSHIRTS is also nominated for the Kurd Laßwitz Preis, Germany’s biggest SF award. It’s joined by RIVER OF GODS by Ian McDonald (retitled as CYBERABAD for Germany) and VORTEX by Robert Charles Wilson, which we will be publishing as a Gateway title in the next few weeks.

Please join us in congratulating all of the authors, artists and editors of these titles, and hopefully we’ll have some wins to announce soon!