Bram Stoker Awards Etiquette Rules

Nothing stirs as much passion among horror writers and publishers as the Stoker Awards. Everyone wants to win a Stoker. And every author of an eligible work wants to give that work the best possible chance of winning. On the other hand, no one wants to be deluged with Stoker spam. And no one wants the reputation of the awards to suffer from the effects of ruthless campaigning or outright dishonesty.

If there is a single thought to keep in mind here, it is the difference between promoting and soliciting. Promoting is the business of spreading the word about your work and making sure anyone who wants to can read it. Soliciting is the practice of wheeling and dealing, whining and wheedling, in order to get yourself an award that you may not deserve. Works that are truly worthy of the award tend to rise to the top without help if enough people read them. If you have to go out and beg for recommendations or votes, that says something rather uncomplimentary about both you and the work. So you're doing yourself a service if you refrain.

To clarify what's acceptable and what's not when promoting a work for the Stokers, HWA's Officers and Trustees have formulated the following guidelines. They are effective immediately. Please respect them.

Questions? Contact HWA's administrator at admin@horror.org.

What Is Acceptable

The very best way to promote a book for a Stoker Award is to publicize the book as widely as possible. Most HWA members who participate in the Stoker process are voracious readers and enthusiastic film buffs, and subscribe to a variety of magazines, newsletters, and web sites that offer reviews and ads for horror-related material. If you are an HWA member, you might find our list of horror reviewers useful.

If you are promoting a book, you or your publisher may take out an advertisement for it in the HWA Newsletter. See our Newsletter Ad Guide for details.

If you are an HWA member, you may place a notice about the publication of your book or story in the "Fiendish Endeavors" or "Recently Born of Horrific Minds" sections of the HWA Newsletter free of charge.

You may provide free copies of your work to any HWA member who requests one. To help authors promote their works and to help members do the reading that's necessary for making informed judgments, HWA provides every recommended work with an optional link from the Stoker Recommendations page of our web site to a web page or email address of the author's choice. You do not have to be an HWA member to activate your link. To find out if a work has any recommendations, HWA members should check the Stoker Recs page. Nonmembers should contact the Stoker Awards Compiler at compiler@horror.org. If your work has received a recommendation, you may supply the Compiler with a URL or email address for linking and ask that your link be activated. Only the author can make this request. Some authors provide an email address members can write to for requesting a copy of the work. Others supply a URL for the Amazon.com page where the book is offered for sale, a link to the publisher's web site, or a link to the author's own web page where the book, story, or script is showcased.

You may purchase the HWA mailing list on self-adhesive labels and send unsolicited copies of your work to members by regular mail. HWA members who don't wish to purchase the list and don't mind a little drudgery may use the HWA Online Directory to produce labels of their own. But remember never to include a member whose entry is followed by the NO MASS MAILINGS PLEASE tag. Also remember never to solicit Stoker recommendations or votes, either for yourself or for anyone else.

If you are an HWA member, you may use the HWA Directory to create your own "opt-in" emailing list for promotional purposes. Again, remember never to include a member whose entry is followed by the NO MASS MAILINGS PLEASE tag. "Opt-in" is the key phrase here. You may send ONE mass email consisting only of an invitation to join your list. Only members who respond affirmatively may be included in future mailings. "Opt-out" arrangements are not acceptable. Also remember never to use such a list to solicit Stoker recommendations or votes, either for yourself or for anyone else.

You may use the HWA message board to post one Stoker promotional announcement about each of your eligible works each year. If you are not an HWA member, you may have an HWA member post the announcement in your behalf, or you may contact HWA's administrator (admin@horror.org), who will post an announcement for you. We recommend that you use the announcement to supply links to locations where people can obtain the work or find out more about it. However, you may not post the text of your story on the HWA message board.
We must acknowledge that no matter how good our intentions or how diligent we are in our reading, we will sometimes overlook works of merit that deserve a spot on the final ballot. Therefore, if your work is published or produced by a company not generally associated with the horror or dark fantasy genre, if it appears in a non-genre publication, or if you are a new (and thus obscure) writer who hasn't yet developed a following, you or your publisher may submit works to the Stoker Additions Jury. The Jury is a body of six HWA members entrusted with the option of adding one overlooked or inadequately publicized work to each category on the final ballot. Works that appear on the preliminary ballot are, by definition, not overlooked. For further details, contact the Stoker Jury Chairman.
After the preliminary ballot has been issued, if your work appears on it you may place a notice in the special "Stoker Prelims" issue of the HWA Internet Mailer telling members how to obtain a copy. To place your notice, contact admin@horror.org.
You may mention that your work has appeared on the Stoker Awards preliminary or final ballot. However, you may not promote your work at all as "Stoker Recommended." See point 6 below. And you may not refer to your work as a "Stoker Nominee" unless it has appeared on the FINAL ballot.

What Is Not Acceptable

You may not engage in dishonest or deceptive practices. This includes recommending works you have not read, trading recommendations with others, and soliciting Stoker recommendations from friends and acquaintances. Publicizing your work is one thing. Begging for recommendations on a message board or in a mailing to a group of pals is another. Please note that we consider it just as unacceptable to comply with such a request as to make it. It degrades us all and harms the awards immeasurably.
You may not solicit Stoker recommendations or votes. And if you are an HWA member, you may not comply with any such request.
You may not send unsolicited faxes or emails promoting your work for a Stoker Award. Several excellent alternatives to creating what amounts to spam are outlined above. Particularly unacceptable is the sending of unsolicited emails that include PDFs or other attachments. Please believe us when we say this hurts your cause more than it helps. Few transgressions make people more furious than receiving junk faxes or unrequested attached spam files, particularly from folks who are attempting to feather their own nests.
You may not post Stoker-related announcements in regular editions of the HWA Internet Mailer. Stoker-related announcements are limited to the special "Stoker Prelims" issue of the Mailer. Only works that appear on the preliminary ballot are eligible for inclusion.
You may not post the text of your story on the HWA message board, and you may not post more than one Stoker promo announcement per year per eligible work. Announcements about your work on the message board should be used to supply links to locations where people can obtain the work or find out more about it.
You may not promote your work as "Stoker Recommended." Receiving a handful of Stoker recommendations is a far cry from winning the award or even from being listed on the preliminary ballot. It devalues the Stokers to have their name attached to works whose only defining characteristic may be that one or two HWA members liked them.
You may not promote your work as a "Stoker Nominee" unless it appears on the FINAL ballot. Neither recommended works nor works appearing on the preliminary ballot are Stoker Nominees.