Tag: whitney awards

Another Friday — another chance to state your opinion on which book YOU think should win a Whitney on April 24th

[Once again, yes, I am part of the Whitney Academy and will be casting my vote. And no, your opinion here, no matter how cleverly worded, will not sway my vote.]

The finalists for MYSTERY/SUSPENSE are :

• Lockdown, by Traci Hunter Abramson
• Methods of Madness, by Stephanie Black
• Murder by the Book, by Betsy Brannon Green
• Lemon Tart, by Josi Kilpack
• Altered State, by Gregg Luke

In the comments section, state which book you think should win 2009 Best Mystery/Suspense and why.

Or, if you have another favorite that didn’t make the list, you can go ahead and tell us about it too.

(And I’d love it if you’d repeat your comment over on the LDS Fiction post for that book.)

The Whitney awards aren’t being announced until April 24th, but I thought it might be fun to get your opinion on who the winners should be. We’ll do this every Friday until they winners are announced.

[And yes, I am part of the Whitney Academy and will be casting my vote. And no, your opinion here, no matter how cleverly worded, will not sway my vote.]

So let’s get started. The finalists for BEST ROMANCE are:

• Counting the Cost, by Liz Adair
• Illuminations of the Heart, by Joyce DiPastena
• All the Stars in Heaven, by Michele Paige Holmes
• Santa Maybe, by Aubrey Mace
• Previously Engaged, by Elodia Strain

In the comments section, state which book you think should win 2009 Best Romance and why.

Or, if you have another favorite that didn’t make the list, you can go ahead and tell us about it too.

(And I’d love it if you’d repeat your comment over on the LDS Fiction post for that book.)

SALT LAKE CITY, UT—FEBRUARY 5, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Robison Wells, President, Whitney Awards

WHITNEY AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
(Click Here to see the list with covers.)

SALT LAKE CITY, UT: The Whitney Awards committee today announced the finalists for the 2009 Whitney Awards, a program which honors the best novels by Latter-day Saint writers.

To be eligible for consideration, a book must have received at least five nominations from its fans. More than one hundred works by new and established authors in both the LDS and national markets met the preliminary criteria. Once a book is nominated, juries of authors and critics narrow the nominees down to five finalists per category.

This year’s nominees are listed below in alphabetical order by author:

BEST ROMANCE:

• Counting the Cost, by Liz Adair
• Illuminations of the Heart, by Joyce DiPastena
• All the Stars in Heaven, by Michele Paige Holmes
• Santa Maybe, by Aubrey Mace
• Previously Engaged, by Elodia Strain

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE:

• Lockdown, by Traci Hunter Abramson
• Methods of Madness, by Stephanie Black
• Murder by the Book, by Betsy Brannon Green
• Lemon Tart, by Josi Kilpack
• Altered State, by Gregg Luke

YOUTH FICTION:

• Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George
• Fablehaven IV: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, by Brandon Mull
• My Fair Godmother, by Janette Rallison
• Bright Blue Miracle, by Becca Wilhite
• The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams

SPECULATIVE:

• Servant of a Dark God, by John Brown
• The Maze Runner, by James Dashner
• Wings, by Aprilynne Pike
• Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson
• I Am Not A Serial Killer, by Dan Wells

HISTORICAL:

• Tribunal, by Sandra Grey
• The Undaunted, by Gerald Lund
• Alma, by H.B. Moore
• The Last Waltz, by G.G. Vandagriff
• In the Company of Angels, by Dave Wolverton

GENERAL FICTION:

• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford
• No Going Back, by Jonathon Langford
• Gravity vs. The Girl, by Riley Noehren
• The Route, by Gale Sears
• Eyes Like Mine, by Julie Wright

This ballot now goes out to members of the voting academy, a select group of LDS publishers; bookstore owners, managers, and employees; LDS authors; print and online magazine publishers; reviewers; and others working in the field of LDS literature.

Unlike previous voting, this year the academy can choose from any of the thirty finalists for the overall award, Best Novel of the Year. Similarly, any of the finalists who meet the eligibility requirements can be chosen for Best Novel by a New Author. (Those eligible this year: John Brown, Jamie Ford, Jonathon Langford, Riley Noehren, Aprilynne Pike, Dan Wells, and Becca Wilhite.)

Winners will be announced at a gala banquet on Saturday, April 24 at the Marriott Hotel in Provo, Utah. Tickets are now on sale at www.WhitneyAwards.com.

Special awards will also be presented that night to two persons whose bodies of works and tireless efforts have made a significant impact on the field of LDS popular fiction. Gerald Lund will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Dave Wolverton will receive an Outstanding Achievement Award.

For more information on the Whitney Awards, visit www.whitneyawards.com.

Due to our lively discussion here on the Whitneys and some of the questions raised, the Whitney powers-that-be have posted a detailed explanation of their processes on the Whitney website.

Maybe we should all go read that before we continue the conversation here.

My Opinion:
I personally think the various Whitney Committees do a great job. While there are some novels that I think should have made the cut for Novel of the Year that didn’t, and other novels that I think should not have made it that did, overall, I think the finalists are representative of LDS fiction.

The one issue I have with the current Whitney policy, and this is no secret to them because I’ve voiced it to several of the Whitney Committee members (and Robison, I’m hopefully going to stir up enough of a hornet’s nest that you will fix this), is that if ANY novel is excluded from consideration for ANY reason whatsoever, you will not get a fully representative award.

As it stands now, novels by Whitney Committee members are excluded. For 2008, this means that Josi Kilpack’s book, Her Good Name, was excluded. (I don’t care that Josi doesn’t mind. And I don’t care that the situation is created by your basic bylaws. You need to fix it!) Her Good Name may or may not have made it to the finals, but the fact that it was excluded is not a good thing.

Anyone agree with me??? Let’s start a virtual riot and force them to change their policy!! Please express appropriate outrage in the comments. Slogans and placard ideas welcome.

After watching the somewhat heated debate on your post “Cliches and adverbs” I hoped you might be able to clear up another question. What exactly are the Whitney Award judges supposed to be looking for? Are the winners supposed to be the most compelling story in their category, or are the judges looking for the most literary work in each category?

It seems like my favorite authors are sometimes rated lower by the judges on sites like Goodreads than books that I found to be slow to develop and/or lacked the ability to keep me interested. (And no, my favorite authors don’t include any that are prone to overusing cliches and adverbs!)

Whitney judges (aka, the Whitney Academy) are not given instruction on what to look for. We get the list of finalists. We read them. We choose the ones we think are best according to our own definition of best. Since there are gobs and gobs of Whitney judges, including authors, publishers, bookstores and others, you’re going to have a wide variety of definitions of “best”. When it all shakes out, I think the winners tend to be a pretty good sampling of LDS fiction.

As a Whitney judge, I look for a well-written story first. I’ll accept some structural issues—typos, adverbs, cliches—but if there are too many, it loses points fast. If there are more than a few grammatical errors, it loses points regardless of how good the story is. If the story is hard to follow, changes POV incorrectly, or if I’m constantly being pulled out of the story due to other errors in writing, it loses points.

Second, I look at the story itself. Does it appeal to me? Does it touch me in some way? Does it capture my imagination? Do I laugh out loud (in appropriate places, of course)? Do my eyes tear up when they’re supposed to? Does the story make me think, change me in any way? Does it entertain me? Am I surprised or amused? Was I sad that the story ended? Do I want to read more? Do I want to read it again? Do I want my children and/or friends to read it?

I take the overall impression of the story itself, add in the structural issues, and then go with a gut reaction.

And let me tell you, with two more books left to read, this year some of the categories have been truly difficult to judge. For me, I really liked all of the Youth Fiction books. I’d be satisfied if any of the five won. So far, I’ve narrowed it down to three, but I’m having a hard time choosing. Same with Mystery/Suspense. It was pretty easy for me to narrow it to three, but now I’m stuck. Ugh. Best Novel—same thing. Narrowed it to three, but then do I choose the one I enjoyed most or the one I think was better written? Haven’t decided on that yet.

So. Other Whitney judges, feel free to jump in here and add your two cents worth if you like.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Robison Wells, Whitney President – robisonwells@msn.com

WHITNEY AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

SALT LAKE CITY, UT: The Whitney Awards committee today announced the finalists for the 2008 Whitney Awards, a program which honors the best novels by Latter-day Saint writers. Sponsored and endorsed by LDStorymakers, an LDS authors’ guild, the Whitney Awards offer national recognition to authors whose books win in one of eight categories.

To be eligible for consideration, a book must have received at least five nominations from its fans. More than one hundred works by new and established authors in both the LDS and national markets met the preliminary criteria. Once a book is nominated, juries of authors and critics narrow the nominees down to five per category.

This year’s nominees are listed below in alphabetical order by genre:

ROMANCE: Seeking Persephone, by Sarah Eden, Servant to a King, by Sariah Wilson, The Sound of Rain, by Anita Stansfield, Spare Change, by Aubrey Mace, Taking Chances, by Shannon Guymon

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE: Above and Beyond, by Betsy Brannon Green, Do No Harm, by Gregg Luke, Fool Me Twice, by Stephanie Black, Freefall, by Traci Hunter Abramson, Royal Target, by Traci Hunter Abramson

YOUTH FICTION: The 13^th Reality, by James Dashner, Alcatraz vs. The Scrivner’s Bones, by Brandon Sanderson, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague (Book 3), by Brandon Mull, Far World: Water Keep, by J. Scott Savage, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, by Jessica Day George

SPECULATIVE: Ender in Exile, by Orson Scott Card, The Great and Terrible: From the End of Heaven, by Chris Stewart, The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book 3), by Brandon Sanderson, The Host, by Stephanie Meyer, The Wyrmling Horde: The Seventh Book of the Runelords, by David Farland

HISTORICAL: Abinadi, by H.B. Moore, Isabelle Webb, Legend of the Jewel, by N.C. Allen, Master, by Toni Sorenson, The Ruby, by Jennie Hansen, Traitor, by Sandra Grey

GENERAL FICTION: Bound on Earth, by Angela Hallstrom, The Reckoning, by Tanya Parker Mills, Waiting For the Light to Change, by Annette Hawes, Fields of Home, by Rachel Ann Nunes, Keeping Keller, by Tracy Winegar

BEST BOOK BY A NEW AUTHOR: Bound on Earth, by Angela Hallstrom, The Reckoning, by Tanya Parker Mills, Spare Change, by Aubrey Mace, Traitor, by Sandra Grey, Waiting For the Light to Change, by Annette Hawes

NOVEL OF THE YEAR: Bound on Earth, by Angela Hallstrom, Fool Me Twice, by Stephanie Black, The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, Book 3), by Brandon Sanderson, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, by Jessica Day George, Traitor, by Sandra Grey

This ballot now goes out to members of the voting academy, a select group of LDS publishers; bookstore owners, managers, and employees; LDS authors; print and online magazine publishers; reviewers; and others working in the field of LDS literature.

Winners will be announced at a gala banquet on Saturday, April 25 at the Marriott Hotel in Provo, Utah. Tickets are now on sale at www.WhitneyAwards.com.

Special Lifetime Achievement Awards will also be presented that night to two persons whose bodies of works and tireless efforts have made a significant impact on the field of LDS popular fiction. This year’s honorees are Kerry Blair and Orson Scott Card.

For more information on the Whitney Awards, visit www.whitneyawards.com.

Copied and pasted directly from Kerry Blair’s posts at Six LDS Writers and a Frog:

Don’t miss the Whitney Benefit Auction, going on now! They have dozens of great gifts, all up for auction or buy-it-now purchase. New items are added every single day, so check back often!

We’ve got incredible stuff: Autographed books and gifts, valuable editing packages going for a song, designer clothing, home decorating accents, silk ties, massages, handcrafted note cards, food items, fine art, gorgeous jewelry, book publishing packages, children’s clothing, a family photo shoot, and much, much, much, much more. (We have, in fact, several things you can’t buy anywhere else.)

If you haven’t seen the site lately, you haven’t seen it at all. Several auctions are ending very soon, so I put up more than a dozen new items and services yesterday. I’m putting up a dozen more today—including my own packages of baseball tickets, Hopi jewelry, prickly pear jelly, and an Official Nightshade Ghost-Hunting Kit. (Just where else do you think you’re going to find that?)

The Whitney Awards are now in their second year. As a publisher, what are you views on the award? I’ve heard there has been a rather significant lack of support from publishers financially and I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on why that is since it seems as if they are the ones that would directly benefit from the award and the ones that are in the best position to held advertise and get the word out. Are there elements of the award that from your perspective you think could be changed in a way that makes it something publishers would be more supportive of?

I think the Whitney Awards are a wonderful idea! And as you know, I’ve fully supported them here on this site and on the LDS Fiction site, providing links to the site and to the online auction going on right now. (Oh, wait! I meant to do that. I’m sooooo sorry. I totally forgot but will remedy that situation in a couple of minutes.)

As to why publishers are not supporting the Whitney Awards financially—generally, awards programs are not supported by/paid for by the people who benefit from those awards. Let’s say Deseret Book gave a nice fat check to support the awards and then their books won in several categories. That could be seen as a bribe. Sort of like senators accepting gifts from special interest groups.

I think a better bet for the Whitney Awards is to set up a trust, funded by some generous benefactors who believe in supporting the future of LDS fiction. Create a business plan/budget, run it past some investing angels, see if you can get someone to fund it. Also, the online auction is a good idea. You could do that a couple of times a year.

I like the idea of recognizing and rewarding excellence in LDS fiction with the Whitney awards. It’s been just over two months since the first awards were given, and I was wondering if you had heard, either through anecdotes or statistics, if the nominees and winners have seen an increase in interest and sales. Just curious.

I hadn’t heard, so I contacted Chris Bigelow at Zarahemla Books and asked him your question. Here is his reply.

While Zarahemla Books published the first-ever Whitney Novel of the Year winner, Coke Newell’s autobiographical memoir ON THE ROAD TO HEAVEN, you probably shouldn’t judge the Whitneys based on our results. As a new, small publisher trying to carve out a more risky
market niche, we don’t have much bookstore distribution yet, and many Mormon readers seem to be hesitant about buying books published by an edgy upstart. So far, our total sales on Newell’s book are in the mid-hundreds and the measurable Whitney impact has been in the dozens. Even in the bookstore at the Whitney gala dinner, only five out of ten copies of Coke’s book sold.

However, Newell and Zarahemla did get some good attention and recognition due to the award, more from bloggers than from the mainstream media. I think giving Newell this award was a good start for the Whitneys to demonstrate that all LDS fiction titles have an equal chance to win. I’m sure the Whitneys will continue to grow in stature and influence, but I don’t know if either Zarahemla or the Whitneys did enough post-award promotion, including to the LDS
bookstores. I would love to hear what other Whitney-winning publishers and authors have experienced and how they have followed up on winning the award.

Chris Bigelow
Publisher, Zarahemla Books

I’d also love to hear if other publishers/authors who won a Whitney noticed an increase in sales or recognition after the award. Please post your experiences in the comments section.

I received an e-mail this morning about changes to the Whitney Awards, judging committees, etc. I think this is a great step and the changes will make some needed improvements to the process.

Which is not to say that I think the Whitneys were defective before. No! They were/are wonderful and I whole-heartedly support the Whitney committees and their efforts to acknowledge and reward top notch LDS fiction.

Go, Whitneys!

Oh, sorry. Got carried away there. Go HERE to read the changes.

The Whitney Awards Gala was held this past Saturday night. They announced the winners, which I’ve posted below. If you’re interested in reading more about the gala, they did live blogging here.

I was pleased with the outcome of the voting, although I voted differently on a couple of them. However, I do think that the winning books are representative of the best of LDS fiction. Congratulations to all the winners!

If you haven’t already read these winning books, I suggest you do. They’re great. In fact, almost all of the finalist books are very well done. I encourage you to try them.

On a couple of unrelated topics:

**If any of you readers attended the LDStorymakers Conference this past weekend and would like to do a little write-up of the classes you attended—highlight some of the main points, what you thought was best about them, etc.—I’d be happy to post them here and give you a byline. E-mail them to me, putting LDStorymakers in the subject line. Be sure to include the title of the class and the name(s) of the instructor. Please do not plagiarize, but rather summarize the best ideas from the class. If you do quote the instructors directly, give them credit and use quotation marks.

**Also, this e-mail came in after I began my wonderful flu-inspired hiatus. (I’m feeling better now, btw.)

Hi there! I just thought I’d let you know that tomorrow I’m doing a post on Segullah about the “Awards Season” in LDS lit right now: The AML awards and the Whitneys. I’ve invited any nominated or award winning author this year to pop over and promote his or her book in the comments section. I’ve emailed the Whitney people and Zarahemla and some other folks to let them know, but I know that a lot of authors visit your blog, too. So if you’re interested in linking to it, you can find it tomorrow at www.segullah.org/blog. —Angela Hallstrom

The finalists for the Whitney Awards have been posted. Go take a look.

And speaking of the Whitney Awards, I’ve updated the sidebar to start the list for 2008. There is also a link to the list from 2007.

• A Quiet Promise – Anita Stansfield
• A Return to Christmas – Chris Heimerdinger
• A Various Language – Bob Lonsberry
• A View from the Attic Window – Arlene Roberts
• A War of Gifts – Orson Scott Card
• Against an Amber Sky – H.R. Holm
• Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians – Brandon Sanderson
• Ambushed in Africa – Sian Ann Bessey
• As Time Goes – Jerry Borrowman
• At Some Disputed Barricade – Anne Perry
• Austenland – Shannon Hale
• Backtrack – Betsy Brannon Green
• Before the Dawn – Dean Hughes
• Beyond the Horizon – Judy C. Olsen
• Book of a Thousand Days – Shannon Hale
• Brother Brigham – D. Michael Martindale
• Bullies in the Headlights – Matthew Buckley
• Chaos – Jeff Downs
• Chosen – Steven A. Cramer
• Cleansing Hunt – Greg Park
• Cliff Hanger – Pamela Carrington Reid
• Counting Stars – Michele Paige Holmes
• Dark Sky at Dawn – L.C. Lewis
• Dead Sexy – Amanda Ashley
• Delicious Conversation – Jennifer Stewart Griffith
• Desire of Our Hearts – Sariah S. Wilson
• Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys – Janet Jensen
• Dragon Slippers – Jessica Day George
• Dragons of the Highlord Skies – Maragaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
• Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer
• Evidence – Clair M. Poulson
• Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star – Brandon Mull
• First Day – Allyson Braithwaite Condie
• Flying Home – Rachel Ann Nunes
• Forgotten Love – Kara Hunt
• Fury and Light – Chris Stewart
• Ghost of a Chance – Kerry Blair
• Grave Secrets – Marlene Austin
• Hazardous Duty–Betsy Brannon Green
• Hopiland Christmas – Bob Lonsberry
• Horse Stone House – Harold Kay Moon
• How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend – Janette Rallison
• Hunting Gideon – Jessica Draper
• I Am Not Wolf – Roger Terry
• Icing on the Cake – Elodia Strain
• In Search of Heaven – Anita Stansfield
• Invasive Procedures – Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston
• Jack Knife – Virginia Baker
• Jesse’s Highway – Barbara Miller
• Kindred Spirits – Christopher Kimball Bigelow
• Land of Inheritance: Out of Jerusalem – H.B. Moore
• Leven Thumps and the Eyes of Want
• Loyalty’s Web – Joyce DiPastena
• Midnight Whispers – Carol Warburton
• Mistborn: The Well of Ascension – Brandon Sanderson
• Moon Without Magic – Michael O. Tunnell
• Night’s Touch – Amanda Ashley
• Notes on a Near-Life Experience – Olivia Birdsall
• On the Road to Heaven – Coke Newell
• Please, No Zits! – Anne Bradshaw
• Professor Winsnicker’s…Proper Etiquette – Obert Skye
• Reasonable Doubt – Marcia Mickelson
• Rescue the Prophet – Rob Ficiur
• Revenge and Redemption – Brad E. Hainsworth
• Scottish Legend – Sherry Ann Miller
• Secrets in Zarahemla by Sariah S. Wilson
• Sheep’s Clothing – Josi Kilpack
• Space Boy – Orson Scott Card
• Spires of Stone – Annette Lyon
• Summer of Truth – Carol Lynn Pearson
• Swans Over the Moon – Forrest Aquirre
• Tangled Roots – G.G. Vandagriff
• The Bishop’s Bride – Elizabeth W. Watkins
• The Boxmaker’s Son – Donald S. Smurthwaite
• The Candy Shop War – Brandon Mull
• The Deep End – Traci Hunter Abramson
• The Great Gathering – Chad Daybell
• The House Beyond the Hill – Michael R. Collings
• The Icing on the Cake – Elodia Strain
• The Independence Club – Rachel Ann Nunes
• The Last Cold Warrior – Howard Robinson
• The Lights of Mahonri Moriancumer – Phyllis Gunderson
• The Lost Sheep – Jeff Call
• The Makeover of James Orville Wickenbee – Anya Bateman
• The Operative – Willard Boyd Gardner
• The Princess and the Hound – Mette Ivie Harrison
• The Silent Patriots – Joann Arnold
• The Survivors – Gregg Luke
• The Wednesday Letters – Jason F. Wright
• The Wizard of Ooze – David Farland
• This Is What I Did – Ann Dee Ellis
• Three Tickets to Peoria – Nancy Anderson, Lael Littke, Carroll Hofeling Morris
• Topaz – Jennie Hansen
• Upon the Mountains – Gale Sears
• Wet Desert – Gary Hansen
• When I Fall in Love – Lynn Kurland
• When the Bough Breaks – Kay Lynn Mangum
• Widow’s Revenge – K.L. Fogg
• Winning – Bryce Christensen
• Worldbinder – David Farland

PROVO, UT—OCTOBER 23, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHITNEY AWARDS COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES LARGE CASH AWARDS

The Whitney Awards Committee announced today that they will be offering seven large cash awards to be presented at the upcoming Whitney Awards banquet in March 2008. These cash prizes are due to the generosity of the Whitney Awards’ marquis sponsor, ExclusivelyLDS.com.

Founded earlier this year, the Whitney Awards program is a non-profit organization dedicated to rewarding excellence among LDS authors. With the new sponsorship of ExclusivelyLDS.com, winning authors will receive up to $1000 along with their trophy.

The Whitneys offer a total of seven awards. The five genre awards (Best Romance/Women’s Fiction, Best Mystery/Suspense, Best YA/Children’s, Best Speculative Fiction, Best Historical) will each be accompanied by a $500 cash prize. The two overall winners, Best Novel by a New Author and Best Novel of the Year, will each receive $1000.

“We’re very excited about the sponsorship with ExclusivelyLDS.com,” Robison Wells, president of the Whitney Awards Committee, explains. “There is enormous talent among LDS authors, and every year seems to produce better and better novels. This is an exciting time to be part of the LDS fiction industry. Our hope is that these awards will raise awareness about the high quality fiction available from LDS authors, and to draw in new readers.”

Over a hundred years ago, Latter-Day Saint Apostle Orson F. Whitney declared “We shall yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own. . . . In God’s name and by His help we will build up a literature whose tops will touch the heaven, though its foundation may now be low on the earth.”

Anyone can nominate a novel published during the previous calendar year in any of seven categories, and a final academy of industry professionals will vote on the final ballot. Nominations are being taken for books published in 2007 by LDS authors at the Whitney Awards website: www.whitneyawards.com

###

CONTACT:
Robison Wells
Whitney Awards President
www.whitneyawards.com

I received lots of titles and have updated the list in the sidebar. If you sent me a title and it’s not on the list, it’s because:

1. I couldn’t find a working link to it
2. The link you sent had info that indicated it was not published in 2007
3. It was an e-book (which I don’t think are eligible) My mistake. E-books are eligible, as are self-published books.

Please make my life easier:
When you send a link, please be sure that it is correct. Do not add spaces in the URL, even if it’s really long.

Disclaimer:
By providing this list, I am in no way endorsing the quality or content of the titles on the list. This is for your information only. Read the books at your own risk.

I do know how to alphabetize:
For the one person who thinks I don’t know how to alphabetize book titles correctly, I know that the “A” and the “The” at the front of the titles don’t count. But you know, I have a real job and a real life which do not include alphabetizing the Whitney Award book list. Nor does it include categorizing them by genre or publisher–although you are welcome to do that yourself and put a link to your list in the comments of any of these posts. But back to alpahbetizing, I use Blogger’s Links List widget; I click “Alphabetize List” and it does the rest. (This is also why I must have a working link for each title. The Links List widget doesn’t let me list a title unless it has a link.)

Isn’t this amazing:
I knew LDS fiction was growing in leaps and bounds, but I had no idea. This list is certainly impressive, isn’t it? And we still have several months left in the year. Please, keep the new titles coming.

As I’ve said before, I think the Whitney Awards idea is wonderful.

I’ve been meaning to make a list of eligible books but haven’t found the time. Stephanie, over on Write Bravely, has started a list and generously agreed to let me post her list here. I’ve posted it in the sidebar using the links she set up on her blog. If your book is on this list and you’d rather have it linked somewhere else, send me an e-mail with your preferred link.

If you have a book (or know of a book) that is eligible for these awards but is not on the list, send me an e-mail with the title, author’s name and preferred link.

Everyone else, check the list for books that you have read and like, then nominate them for an award.

UPDATED (9/10/07):

1. This needs to be a self-policing list. I don’ t have time to make sure everyone who requests to be added to this list is actually eligible. It’s up to you to check the eligibility requirements to make sure you meet them. If a book appears on this list that is not eligible, someone please let me know.
2. I don’t care where the link to the books go–publisher website, author website, deseretbook.com, amazon.com. It is up to the person submitting the title to provide the link. I will change the link upon request by the a) author, or b) publisher.