by SB Sarah • Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 06:46 AM
It’s March Madness time which means brackets, spoilers, and, of course, romance books! Admittedly, the last element of the list is a rarely known component of March Madness, one that is often lost amongst the basketball hoopla. Which is so wrong, we will do all kinds of crazy shit to make it right.
We thought it was time to shine a light on the major, but forgotten, player. This year, Dear Author and the Smart Bitches have combined their internet foo to bring you the DA BWAHA tournament. (That would be the Dear Author-Bitchery Writing Award for Hellagood Authors for the acronym challenged).
It is a tournament of books that will be held during this month of March to determine THE ONE BOOK THAT WILL RULE THEM ALL. (No comment on which book will bind them. That’s kinky, and we don’t go there on the first date.)
This tournament will be run exactly like the NCAA Collegiate basketball tournament. If you’re not familiar with bracketology, March Madness, or the absolute insanity that is the NCAA basketball playoffs, hold on to the seat of your pants.
1. There will be a field of 64 nominated books published in 2007 that were nominated by the bloggers of Dear Author, Smart Bitches, Speak Its Name, The YA YA YAs, Uniquely Pleasurable and Teddy Pig.
2. There are eight nominated books in each category. The 8 categories of books are:
- Young Adult
- Erotica/Erotic Romance
- GLBT
- Paranormal
- Contemporary
- Historical
- Category
- Novel With Romantic Elements
3. Each reader who wishes to participate will have a few days to fill out his or her bracket of winners.
4. Once the tournament begins, we’ll be holding daily votes to determine which books advance through the tournament. We’re pitting book against book within the categories, and then, as the tournament advances, books will face off against one another across genre and subgenre until we reach the Book of the Year, or, the ONE BOOK THAT WILL RULE THEM ALL. (Again: bondage? Not yet. Buy us another drink.)
5. Readers and authors are in the running for fabulous prizes, bondage not included. The reader whose bracket is the best match to the end result of the tournament will win:
- A 6-month subscription to PaperSpine, courtesy of the fine folks at PaperSpine.
- A selection of the books that make the Elite 8 of our DA BWAHATournament
- Mad Props
- Big Ups
- A graphic for your personal site proclaiming to all and Sundry (Sundry, I know for a fact, is SUCH a silly cow so you totally want to rub it in her face) that you are The Winnah.
- A $50 gift certificate for irreverently awesome style from Lochers.com
6. Authors whose books make it to the Final Four will win:
- A hot pink bad ass ostrich feather quill pen
- A graphic for your personal site proclaiming to all and that wanker Sundry that you are Hella Good
7. The author whose book is proclaimed Book of the Year, aka the ONE BOOK THAT WILL RULE THEM ALL (now we’re ready for the bondage; pass the marabou wrist cuffs!) will receive:
- Aforementioned feather quill pen
- The graphic proclaiming your book the winner
- A $50 gift certificate for irreverently awesome style from Lochers.com
- A free one-month ad space on both Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and Dear Author, month and content to be determined.
Plus, you’ll experience pimpage like nothing else, guaranteed.
Any questions? Email or , or leave a comment here or at DA.
Please feel free to diss our selections, bemoan our picks, and excoriate us for not including certain books. It’s no fun without dissent. Get your pencils – or mouse buttons - ready. The DA BWAHA Tournament goes live on Sunday to determine the 2007 Book of the Year – or the ONE BOOK THAT WILL RULE THEM ALL (Ow! Do it again!).
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