The World Fantasy Awards

Last September I had the opportunity to attend a workshop led by John Olson. In case you don't know him, he authored a number of primo novels of the sci-fi persuasion, including the Christy Award and Silver Angel Award-winning Oxygen, co-written with Randy Ingermanson. I don't figure he's got a copyright on any of the facts I'm about to relate so I haven't asked his permission; but I would like to give him credit for providing these tidbits:

The most successful novel of all time was written in 1678. It was a fantasy, Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan.

The most successful novel of the 21st Century was also fantasy. If you guessed it was a Harry Potter, you're right – the one with the Philosopher's Stone.

In fact, seven of the ten most successful novels ever published are in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. (Or maybe eight – The DaVinci Code might also be considered fantasy, but we won't go there.)

All right, that's enough cheating for one article. I did my own homework for the rest.

So what's the deal? Are there millions of closet geeks out there who parade around in Klingon masks behind drawn blinds when nobody's home, and keep a crumpled Hogworts School Sorting Hat hidden at the bottom of their underwear drawer? I mean, really. I was under the impression that if you seriously wanted to be published, you should steer clear of that fantasy nonsense.

J. K. Rowling would disagree. So might the lucky 850 people who manage to get tickets to the annual World Fantasy Convention.

Yep, they have a convention. But if you envision a horde of costumed weirdos arguing over proper elvish pronunciations while their thumbs fly in a blur over hand-held video games, you're dead wrong. We're talking Real People here. Mostly writers, but also artists, editors, and rare book dealers. (I said "real" people, not "fully normal.") And don't expect to get your ticket at the door; the event usually sells out well in advance.

If Reepicheep were to stow away in an attendee's pocket, he'd see the Dealer's Room, in which some 50 tables are set up to sell fantasy art and literature, both new and collectible. He might also enjoy a high quality Art Show, which boasts displays from top published artists as well as some works for sale. But the highlight of the event, and the part that would get the Talking Mouse chattering most unstoppably, is the event's undisputed highlight: the presentation of the World Fantasy Awards.

Each year, the members of the current convention plus members of the past two conventions nominate two of the entries for each of these categories: Life Achievement; Novel; Novella; Short Story; Anthology (multiple authors), Collection (single author); Artist; Special Award Professional (which includes comics); and Special Award Non-Professional. Everything falling under the big top of Fantasy is eligible, whether sword and sorcery, horror, children's books or ghost stories.

Most winners are selected largely by a panel of five judges; two are picked by members of the Conference. Because the judges are usually so well-versed in the field, little-known works of high quality and/or those from small presses are often spotlighted at the Convention.

Past winners in the Novel category include such luminaries as Jeffrey Ford, Haruki Murakami, Ursula K. LeGuin and Orson Scott Card. In 1975, the first year of the conference, Patricia A. McKillip won the for her novel The Forgotten Beasts of Eld; winner of the Short Fiction category was Robert Aickman's "Pages From a Young Girl's Journal." Last year, Gene Wolf's Soldier of Sidon won for best novel, and Jeffrey Ford carried away the trophy for his novella, "Botch Town."

And speaking of that trophy, this one was designed by a World Fantasy Award-winning artist (1981), "master of the macabre" Gahan Wilson. If I had to look at it sitting on my shelf for long, it might give me nightmares. But of course I'll never win it. Because, y'know, if I ever hope to be published… .