Using Awards As A RA Tool: Bouchercon Mystery Awards Edition

Bouchercon 2019 happened over the weekend and there are three different awards that are given out during this mystery convention that are worth your attention. When I worked at the library, the Anthony and Shamus award nominees and winners were so popular, we had a "Hold Without Hassle" category just for these awards. This meant people could choose these awards as an automatic hold option; if it was nominated, they got put on hold automatically. This also meant we ordered a copy if we didn't have it because there was an immediate patron request for it. This practice was a great way to get around some of our collection development restrictions for lesser known titles since a local patron request coupled with an award nomination meant we HAD to buy it, and I often then had access to a separate budget line for those titles.

Early in my career [back at the turn of this century], these two awards and their popularity marked the first time I understood how important a resource awards lists truly can be, and now, it is one of the drums I beat the most often. Click here to read every time I have written about the importance of Awards Lists [not just the winners] as a tool for helping patrons, creating displays, developing your collections, and just as a general resource.

Since the awards given out at Bouchercon are not all easily accessible with one link I have provided a list of how to find the current nominees and winners as well as historical lists because remember, past winners are still a great reading option and you probably own those from last 2-5 years.

Finally, before I provide the links, I want to give a shout out to Tracy Clark, who came out to the Illinois Library Association to present with me here. She was up for the Anthony and the Shamus for Best First Novel. She didn't win, but what an honor to her. She is definitely a writer on the rise.

Here are the awards, what type of books they honor/how winners are chosen, and the necessary links to start purchasing and suggesting these titles. Your booktalk is ready for each title-- It was nominated for/won the award [fill in blank] which goes to the book that [fill in the blank].

• The Anthony Awards are selected by those who attend the convention each year and goes to the year's best achievements in mystery and crime fiction. Categories include: Best Novel, Best First Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best Short Story, Best Critical/Biographical.
• Current nominees and winners available on Crime Reads
• Anthony's Award portal to search for past year's nominees and winners
• The Shamus Awards are handed out each year by the Private Eye Writers of America for the best works that feature a PI. Categories are Best PI Novel Hardcover, Best PI First Novel, Best PI Novel Paperback Original, Best PI Short Story
• List of 2019 winners and nominees via Nightstand Book Reviews
• Past winners via the association's website
• The Macavity Award is named for the “mystery cat” of T.S. Eliot (Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats). Each year the members of Mystery Readers International nominate and vote for their favorite mysteries in five categories: Best Novel, Best First Novel, Best Nonfiction, Best Short Story and Best Historical:
• Here are all of the winners and nominees from every year [including this year's winners] via Mystery Readers International