The tenth annual #SPFBO aka #SPFBOX has kicked off! But this year, instead of first come first serve, the contest had a 24-hour window followed by a random draw for contestants. This resulted in almost 300 books being dropped from the contest without a glance at the pages (though I’ve only been able to find 65 of them so far!).
Such things are inevitable with a contest growing in popularity like SPFBO, but I’ve decided to add a little twist to last year’s culling thread by kicking off SPFNO for those books that won’t be opened by the contest judges.
Disclaimer: I am not a judge and I am in no way affiliated with the official SPFBO contest. I am a mere peasant who likes to read and write SFF books.
My hope is that at least a few others will join me in my SPFNO adventure and give these books a shot in one way or another! I am but one slow reader, with niche tastes!
Here is the spreadsheet I’ve compiled with the SPFNO books for those who want to give it a look. I’ve included subgenres and audiobook availability. There are a LOT of audiobooks available!
Due to the change in circumstances, I’ll be conducting things a bit differently this year:
I will read the first 5 pages of each book and determine from that 5 pages whether or not to add it to my TBR (Keep in mind, I’m still working through SPFBO9’s TBR)
I will post about each book I read from (on the day I read it) on Twitter in an ongoing thread
The books I decide to add to the TBR, I will name and provide a link to
The books I decide not to add, I will talk about why I’m not adding them. If everything I have to say is critical, I will keep it anonymous and just include the number, but if I think it’s just a matter of taste, I’ll name and link the book.
The order in which I read these will be random and will not reflect the order on the spreadsheet to protect anonymity.
If you would like to know your number when it comes up, reply here or DM me on twitter! Last year I helped several authors with revisions of their first chapters, and I’m happy to do so again with the first five pages!
If somewhere in the first 5 pages it is very clear that this book will absolutely not be for me, I will DNF it before reading the full 5 pages. Things this could result from are graphic descriptions of SA, graphic suicide descriptions, or other such things.
I will mention again that I am a very slow reader. This project will take me some time. I have my own book I’m editing and publishing, several unfinished beta readers, a beta-reading/editing YouTube channel I run, a TBR full of books, and I’ll soon be moving to a new home. So please be patient. I decided to do this not because I have the time to, but because I have the self-control of a drunken raccoon.
Once I’ve gone through the entire list, I’ll compile my thoughts on each one from the Twitter thread and turn it into a big article here.
A few of the books from this list are already on my TBR. I will assess them as if they are not already on my TBR, but unless I read something heinous, they will likely stay on the TBR regardless.
My reading tastes lean toward dark adult SFF. I love epic fantasy and post-apocalyptic books in particular.
This is not a project I own! You can do it too.
Even if you just decide to do a mini-SPFNO with only those books from your favored subgenres, or the first page only. You don’t need to use my rules or my format. You can run your SPFNO how you want. Last year, when the lot of us goblins were doing our culling/tbr threads, we all did it a little differently. That was part of the fun! The only thing I ask is that you keep criticisms publicly anonymous!
Happy reading everyone!
ADDENDUM: It has come to my attention that other folks are not being too kindly about the change in policy this year, and want to take SPFNO and use it as a sort of anti-SPFBO. Let me be clear, my SPFNO will be more popular and I will tell folks who follow me to ignore anything that I think insults SPFBO. I love SPFBO even if it is imperfect. It is free. It is volunteer. It has a positive impact. Do not be silly and try to take my SPFNO and use it for petty things, your efforts will not succeed. If you would like to run a real contest, be respectable about it, give it its own proper name—not a spoof name being used by someone else—and don’t market it as the dregs of someone else’s contest. Have manners, be kind, and be a good sport when things don’t go your way.
This is such an amazing idea and I had no idea it was a thing. Thanks for adding my book. I'm also a slow reader with the self control of a drunken raccoon so now I'm very tempted to start my own mini-SPFNO!
You already read mine, but I think this is a wonderful idea. I was shocked to see how many big names from our small indie fantasy world fell into the unfortunate minority.
Better luck next year to all of you!