When the Hugo final ballot was announced on Easter the success of the Sad Puppies 3 and Rabid Puppies slates was self-evident. However, it wasn’t immediately known whether all of the independent works on the ballot had come in at the top of the polls. After all, where was the most popular of the Sad Puppies, Larry Correia, whose novel had led both slates?

It is now known that in the novel, semiprozine and fan writer categories one nominee replaced a slate candidate who declined.

Two who declined have already publicly discussed their reasons. Larry Correia (“Sad Puppies Update: The Nominees Announced and Why I Refused My Nomination”) and fan writer Matthew David Surridge at Black Gate (“A Detailed Explanation”)

Also, Edmund Schubert has verified for File 770 that he accepted his Best Editor (Short Form) nomination but Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show declined a nomination for Best Semiprozine:

To answer your question directly, we were notified that IGMS had received overwhelming support by way of nominations, but it was ultimately determined that because of rule changes that were made two years ago, IGMS qualifies as a Professional Magazine and is therefore ineligible to be nominated for the Semiprozine Hugo. Before the rule change two years ago we would have qualified. Alas…

While researching this question I checked with Sad Puppies 3 organizer Brad R. Torgersen who told File 770 he was not contacted by the Hugo administrator about accepting a Hugo nomination. He had not endorsed his own work, and it appears voters honored his virtual recusal in a comment on the original Sad Puppies 3 announcement, although he was recommended by Vox Day’s Rabid Puppies slate.

I should also note that I am probably going to recuse myself from SAD PUPPIES 3, simply because I am the guy carrying the guidon this time around. Whatever I needed to prove (during the first five years of my pro career) I already proved it. I was about 100 times more excited for my first Baen contract, vs. my first Hugo nomination. I have three now, plus a Nebula and a Campbell in the same year (2012) and two Analog magazine readers choice awards. I think I’ve sufficiently demonstrated I know how to shove a noun up against a verb (to borrow Mike Resnick’s tongue-in-cheek phrase.) So while I greatly appreciate any votes I might get, for SAD PUPPIES 3, I think I am going to take myself off the list.

Finally, despite what has been written on a few sites, Dave Freer did not decline a Hugo nomination – he’s on the shortlist for Best Fanwriter — though he would prefer that fans vote for two other fan writer nominees who are colleagues from Mad Genius Club.

Any slate candidates who missed the final ballot for reasons of ineligibility won’t be known for certain until the Hugo administrator releases his report at Sasquan.