I'm not sure the fan turning to pro argument works too well as a reason for the change in the award categories. That shift from fan to pro has been happening regularly for decades without impacting so strongly.
That said, this year is the first time we've only had 3 named fan categories in a very long time, compared to most of the recent years where there was usually 5 or so. So Paul's argument about small press doing the damage doesn't quite hold water either. Why start so late, given small press has been going strong in Australia for most of the last decade?
Maybe small press are behind the shift this year, but it could just be statistical aberration, a screw-up on behalf or the Ditmar committee, or... something involving flying monkeys.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: The Ditmars are not the fan drawcard they should be
Date: 2009-06-04 01:11 pm (UTC)I'm not sure the fan turning to pro argument works too well as a reason for the change in the award categories. That shift from fan to pro has been happening regularly for decades without impacting so strongly.
That said, this year is the first time we've only had 3 named fan categories in a very long time, compared to most of the recent years where there was usually 5 or so. So Paul's argument about small press doing the damage doesn't quite hold water either. Why start so late, given small press has been going strong in Australia for most of the last decade?
Maybe small press are behind the shift this year, but it could just be statistical aberration, a screw-up on behalf or the Ditmar committee, or... something involving flying monkeys.