The Elephant in the Room
 

I know for a fact that Sphereans (including myself) are wondering (on social media and elsewhere) why there have been no announcements of the results of last year's Able Muse Write Prize and Able Muse Book Award.



I believe the deadline for submissions was originally March 31, 2024, but later extended by one week (I may be mistaken), with the results typically being announced either in September, October, or at the very latest, November.


Questions: Have long- and/or short-lists been determined? Are announcements forthcoming? Will these contests continue this year?



Some candor and clarity on the above would be greatly appreciated.

Cathy,

When I finally received a reply from Alex, he wrote this:

* Contest results are delayed for a few months, but contributors will be emailed directly with updates.

* The next issue of Able Muse will follow the contest results since it will include the winning entries.

* Forthcoming books are delayed by at least four months, and the authors affected will also be informed directly.

* Regarding Amazon: all preexisting Able Muse titles have been removed from their site. However, new releases will still appear there through our distributor, despite Amazon's heavy-handed approach.

This is the essential information you can share with anyone who inquires.

I'm not involved with any of this, as I only assist with the day-to-day matters here on the Eratosphere boards, but I hope Alex can manage to resolve the outstanding issues soon.

Jayne

Hi Jayne,


Thank you for giving us this information.



Mostly OK news (except for preexisting Able Muse Press titles being removed from the Amazon website).


Unfortunately for the authors involved, it remains to be seen what "a few months" and "at least four months" now means.


I will pass on this basic information to those who have posed the question to me.


Thanks again, Jayne.


Cathy

I wouldn't put too much stock in any of what he said. He still has not answered, or even opened, a single email I've sent him for many months. Whatever is going on, it's hard to fathom why he is not at least affording that simple courtesy to his authors. I note that even in the single email he sent Jayne, there isn't a hint of an apology, regret, or concern for others.

Alex has done a lot for this community. It may be that having shouldered so much contributed to whatever prompts his current lack of communication. Anger and disappointment, particularly from people more directly impacted than me, are understandable; I'm not criticizing anyone. But I want to acknowledge our debt to Alex.

Yes. What Max said. We none of us know what has been troubling Alex over the past months. But we do know that he has put in a stack of work keeping the Eratosphere website working and gets little thanks for doing it.

I don't know about that. Obviously Alex is the creator and has been the main impetus for this site's existence for most of its life, and no one will ever deny that. But he's always received a ton of (deserved) credit, and people have regularly donated to help with site maintenance costs.

While it's not an either/or proposition, I know for a fact that Jayne has been doing the heavy-lifting around here for years, also receiving no money, and not a lot of credit. The fact that Alex's absence has largely gone unnoticed until recently is because Jayne has been doing all of the site administration. Just sayin'.

In which case, Thank you Jayne!

What Shaun said.

Well, I must say these recent posts are both a surprise and a delight! I've just got home at nearly midnight after a stint of babysitting. (The baby is now six years old!)

Thank you for the kind words, Shaun, Joe and Cathy. I know that many Sphereans do appreciate what Alex has given us all these years, and also the things he trusts me to deal with. As such, naturally I have a lot more interaction with members than Alex does, many of whom I regard as good friends, which is why I enjoy what I do.

Whilst Alex partially confided in me (eventually), I still have absolutely no idea of the actual reason for his long absence. Along with everyone else, my only hope is that he can resolve any problems in the near future, and that Eratosphere will continue to thrive.

It's been quite a while since voluntary contributions have been requested, so maybe it's time we all dipped into our pockets and showed Alex our solidarity. I'm aware that he's shy of asking for money... I'll have a word with a certain member who has made appeals in the past.

Meanwhile, I'll carry on doing my best to keep this ship on an even keel - but look forward to the Captain resuming his duties!

All the best,
Jayne