New Book Reviews Editor

[CarolineC]

The new BFS Book Reviews Editor is Philip Lunt. Congratulations, Phil!    He takes over from Jan Edwards and, latterly, Peter Coleborn. We thank both Jan and Peter for all the work they put in to this role.

Phil can be contacted at bookreviews@britishfantasysociety.org

[PhilJL]

Congratulations, Phil! 

That'd be me! Thank you 

[Stephen Theaker]

Good for you, Phil.

[JackLynton]

just interested to know, what has happened to book reviews?
there seems to be a lack of reviews of mainstream books on the BFS website

[CarolineC]

Hi Jack - things go in stops and starts around here sometimes, I'm afraid. The thing is, we're all volunteers and sometimes work, home life and so on get in the way of doing BFS stuff! I know the feeling very well as I've been struggling to keep up with posting news and events myself of late!   

So, I suspect that's the reason if mainstream publisher book reviews have been a little slow getting online recently. There are a few of us working away trying to keep the website looking fresh and new - me with the news, me and Del with events, Phil and Craig (and is there someone else? My apologies as I've forgotten who it is!) doing different types of reviews. So please bear with us if some things go a little slow once in a while. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible, as they say!   

[David A. Riley]

Hi Jack - things go in stops and starts around here sometimes, I'm afraid. The thing is, we're all volunteers and sometimes work, home life and so on get in the way of doing BFS stuff! I know the feeling very well as I've been struggling to keep up with posting news and events myself of late!  

So, I suspect that's the reason if mainstream publisher book reviews have been a little slow getting online recently. There are a few of us working away trying to keep the website looking fresh and new - me with the news, me and Del with events, Phil and Craig (and is there someone else? My apologies as I've forgotten who it is!) doing different types of reviews. So please bear with us if some things go a little slow once in a while. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible, as they say!  

"The thing is, we're all volunteers and sometimes work, home life and so on get in the way of doing BFS stuff!"

I'm sorry, Caroline, but I don't really buy this. I know you work hard on keeping the news section on the website up to date (not to mention the web administrator), but other than Warhammer fans there have been scant few reviews of anything else recently. The whole idea of removing reviews from Prism and putting them straight onto the website was to make them more timely. Not happening.

Other than you and Del Lakin-Smith, few if any of the new administration seem to have time to spare to make much of an appeareance on this forum either, in sharp contrast to the previous two years or so. Stephen Theaker, then David Howe always made sure they had time to answer questions here and provide members with updates. By now there would have been pictures of the Journal's next cover with news about some of the material to be in it, not to mention when it will be out. Interaction between the new administration and members seems to have stumbled to a halt.

I understand that at least one prominent member of the committee has resigned. If so, there has been no official mention of this or an appeal for volunteers to replace this person.

If the BFS is to build upon its growth over the past few years it needs to get its act in order. If there is a problem, then people who do have the time to spare to fill these jobs should be sought out and secured. Silence is the society's worst enemy.

[LeeH]

Many thanks to Caroline for bringing this thread to my attention.

There appears to have been little in the way of handover between the previous and current reviews editor, and Phil has not been receiving the books that may have been sent by the various publishers intended for the society. I will be contacting the publishers to ensure that their address book for the BFS reviews editor is up-to-date, so expect to see this situation rectified very soon.

As for the committee posts that have recently become vacant, these wil be advertised in the next newsletter, which is due out, shortly.

[cavscott]

Hi all,

Info about the new journal is coming soon too. As Caroline said, real life has got in the way of the production of the latest edition which has led to it running slightly later than planned, but it is designed and due to hit the printers this week, so expect to see it plopping onto your doormat in two week's time.

Cheers,

Cav

[Peter Coleborn]

Many thanks to Caroline for bringing this thread to my attention.

There appears to have been little in the way of handover between the previous and current reviews editor, and Phil has not been receiving the books that may have been sent by the various publishers intended for the society. I will be contacting the publishers to ensure that their address book for the BFS reviews editor is up-to-date, so expect to see this situation rectified very soon.

As for the committee posts that have recently become vacant, these wil be advertised in the next newsletter, which is due out, shortly.

OK, I had intended not to comment publicly, but (as the reviews editor last December) I DID hand over information to Phil -- it was up to him to contact the team of reviewers and the publishers to ensure that they all knew the situation. (I had emails from some of the reviewers asking me what was happening.)  After doing all I've done for the society, I resent such accusations.

[Peter Coleborn]

Whilst on the forum -- please sort out signatories for the BFS bank account.

[jim mcleod]

I don't know about other reviewers, but I have heard nothing since Peter handed over.   

[Debbie]

It's up to the new review people to contact publishers etc to arrange for books to be sent for review. It would be extremely unethical for anyone to go handing out other people's home addresses and emails.

[CraigLockley]

Some more volunteers for reviewers wouldn't go amiss. Steve Dean does a great job of reviewing the mass of warhammer material that Black Library supply but I do not have enough people on board to do timely reviews of Indie material. I've now taken to accepting pdf/kindle versions so anyone interested, please get in tough with me , bfsreviews@gmail.com

[David Brzeski]

Scant few? Well my 13th review since I joined the team in December just went up, so I don't think I'm doing too badly. I'd like to review some of the mainstream publisher books too, but to be frank, I have a backlog of indie books so large that I didn't reply to the last list of available books Phil sent out. I tend to take electronic format by preference, not because I don't want to score loads of free books, but because I feel guilty if I don't quickly get around to reviewing books that have cost the society postage to send to me.
A few more reviewers certainly wouldn't go amiss, if only to prevent the indie book reviews getting buried under all that bloody Warhammer stuff! 

Dave

[David A. Riley]

You've certainly been pulling your weight, David. But there have been nothing like the number of reviews online that would have been published in the Journal had they still been in there.