Quick Sputnik Note

It's really exciting to see the votes rolling in!

This year is kind of a trial run, and if it works, we'll make it a recurring thing. Perhaps next year it might work like this:

• Eight places decided by an open nominations process in March and April
• Eight places decided by a jury

Perhaps the jury could be asked to give special consideration to any science fiction and fantasy that embodies values of social and ecological justice, and/or thinks critically about the relationship between individual and collective freedom.

(Image: Munchkin)

By the way, it's tucked away at the end of the FAQ, but you can vote for books that are not on the shortlist. (At your peril: democratic processes tend to be a kind of "strength in numbers" thing). If you want to submit a Wandering Monster Ballot, with any four books of your choice, get in touch by email or DM me on Twitter (@jolwalton). The rules around WMBs have changed a little: originally it was going to be a sort of celebrity cameo thing, and there will still be an element of that. But actually it also makes sense, especially since there hasn't been an open nominations process, that anyone can submit a Wandering Monster Ballot. So please do!

Update: Tweaked the submissions form to include a "What's missing from the shortlist?" question, which will also be used as the basis for some Wandering Monsters. The larger the base Ballot population, the more predatory Monster Ballots it can support, so in the interest of biodiversity, get the vote out.