We interrupt this program for a correction that’s been waiting to be cleared for takeoff.

In June, while I was scoring points and polluting the blogosphere in my post “Is the Emperor Naked?” I was also committing what I think of as one of the cardinal sins of fan news reportage – failing to use all the information I had available.

I had received the zipfile of Hugo nominated novels from John Scalzi, but I hadn’t cracked it open yet. How absurd that I was opining about the political implications of only four nominees being distributed free while waiting in the file was a message that began:

As you know, we were unable to make an electronic edition of Michael Chabon’s Hugo-nominated novel The Yiddish Policemen’s Union available to you. However, Chabon’s publisher has agreed to send a paperback edition of the novel to interested Hugo voters.

There followed instructions for requesting a free copy of Chabon’s book in advance of the Hugo voting deadline. John pointed this out to me after seeing my post, just one of those little facts that kills a perfectly good story. Or that should have. I’ve only waited to post this apology til now to avoid violating the publisher’s condition that the offer not be publicized online while it was pending.