Way back a few months ago you may recall a post about how the old publishing company was part of the Short List for the British Fantasy Society’s annual awards.

Earlier today (a couple of hours ago, I think), it was revealed that Tim Lebbon’s The Reach of Children won for Best Novella.

Congratulations to Tim are very-well deserved. Especially well-deserved as it was some of the finest writing I read last year, probably only second to Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (which hadn’t been read before).

ADDED LATER:

For those who wish they had been in Nottingham when the award was announced, here’s the next best thing: VIDEO!

For an odd bit of fun, count the number of very un-hairy male heads involved in Horror Writing. No idea what this means, or which causes which to take place.

Tags: BFS, British Fantasy Awards, British Fantasy Society, Lord Froggy, The Reach of Children, Tim Lebbon, Video

And, for those of you not checking the Humdrumming Blog on a regular basis, out now is the ‘Short List’ of those individuals and / or works which are the top five voted for (or six, if there’s a tie) by members of the British Fantasy Society and attendees of the 2007 and 2008 FantasyCons. You can read the complete list right here.

Humdrumming titles have made the short-list in two categories:

• Best Novella: All Your Gods Are Dead, Gary M^cMahon
• Best Anthology: The First Humdrumming Book of Horror Stories, Ian Alexander Martin (as editor)

The competition in both categories is considerable, and very much worthy of your regard. We are chuffed to be considered alongside them for these two awards.

Should you wish to examine these two titles for yourself, move your little clicky pointer and select the cover of the book you are intrigued by through the images below.

All Your Gods Are Dead Gary McMahon	The 1st Humdrumming Book of Horror Stories

The awards are announced on Saturday, the 20^th of September, 2008, at the Britannia Hotel, Nottingham, UK. Everyone at Humdrumming wishes the best of luck to all those nominated in every category.

Tags: 9781905532407, 9781905532483, All Your Gods Are Dead, Anthology, BFS, British Fantasy Society, FantasyCon, Gary McMahon, Humdrumming, Ian Alexander Martin, novella, The First Humdrumming Book of Horror Stories

It’s fairly simple: don’t travel.

That’s my solution; watch the Police and the Tax-Man miss me; I’m immobile!

Having arrived at the start of June realizing that The British Fantasy Society’s FantasyCon was only a little over four months away, the state of the finances of both myself and the company couldn’t be described as being ‘set on solid ground’, and indeed the great statistical likelihood that things will get worse before they get better, the decision has been arrived at that the United Kingdom will be an I.A.M.-free zone during the coming autumn.

This is not something I’m too happy about, obviously, but given the reality that I have yet to repay a single dollar of the costs of last year’s event-filled trip (my première voyage off the North American continent was destined to be legendary, and I’ve never known how to do anything in half-measures) and as my only employment is through Humdrumming it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to do anything about that in the interim, never mind get my hands on the same amount again in a matter of a dozen weeks, there was no choice but this one to be made. Granted, a way for the company to pay my way over and back could be found, but only at the cost of the authors’ well-deserved fees. This is hardly a solution, however, as the only thing that the firm has in any tangible fashion is the goodwill of the authors whose works we publish. Lose that, and the firm has little — if anything — with which to exist.

Our Table at the 2007 FantasyCon

What is potentially the most disheartening possibility is that this may be the year that Humdrumming is realistically likely to be nominated for, and potentially win, something during the BFS Awards event. Even if we were only to be granted a look in on the nominations list, the opportunities presented during three-day flurry of events to meet authors we’re publishing, as well as ones who might be a part of our stable either soon or in the more distant future, is not one which is properly appreciated until the thing is experienced. You fall into conversation with people you’d not have met otherwise, people whose work is already proudly presented is seen in a new and brighter light as a result of hearing others speak in reverential terms of the writing, perhaps a chance meeting with a Guest of Honour leads to opportunities not even considered possible until then.

Indeed, this year we have a number of wonderful books to launch, and even have a couple of wonderful things to make official announcements of for the first time. We even are to have our own book launch event, something rarely heard of for any publisher, and certainly not for one whose existence is less than five years in age.

Yet, sadly, this is the way things have transpired this year.

Ah well, one makes what decision one can based upon the information available at the time one makes it.

Still… it’s an arse, i’nit?

Tags: BFS, British Fantasy Society, FantasyCon, finances (or lack thereof), Humdrumming, Nottingham