One of the thing I look forward to in the writing world is award nomination season. Not because I have anything up for an award, but because award nominees are a great source for replenishing/refreshing the reading list.

Depending on the award, nominations can be by membership, readership or even, gasp, the general public. So making people aware of their work in the hopes of getting nominated for something or other is a major part of a writer’s marketing work. The joys of self promotion…

For the second year in a row, write and editor John Scalzi has devoted a post and the comments section on his blog as an opportunity for Science Fiction and Fantasy writers/editors to promote work that is eligible to be nominated for various awards.

Also, Tor.com’s 2011 Reader’s Choice Award post comes with spreadsheets (Squee!) full of fiction and votes are “cast” using the comments section.

It’s a bit of the wild west (the good, the bad, and the ugly). It’s not for the faint of heart. There are no guarantees that just because somebody loved it enough to add it to the list it’s worth reading (especially if that someone is the author) But I have discovered piles of wonderful new fiction from writers that I now look for that I would have otherwise missed by combing the lists. Over the next couple of posts I’ll be reporting back on items I’ve found worth passing along.

Feeling brave? See for yourself!