British Book awards balance art and selling power to decide best writer in 30 years

Novelists rub shoulders with presidents, chefs, comedians and thriller megastars on longlist to define the title with the biggest impact on the book worldIt could be almost the setup for a joke, but a former president, a Booker winner and an erotic fiction superstar have walked on to the British Book awards’ longlist, and one of them could be crowned the best writer of the past three decades.Barack Obama, Hilary Mantel and EL James are three of the bestselling writers on an eclectic list drawn up to celebrate the awards’ 30th anniversary.A Year in Provence, Peter Mayle (Penguin) | 1990Delia Smith’s Christmas (BBC Books) | 1991Wild Swans, Jung Chang (William Collins) | 1992The Art Book (Phaidon) | 1995Longitude, Dava Sobel (Fourth Estate) | 1997Northern Lights, Philip Pullman (Scholastic) | 1997Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, JK Rowling (Bloomsbury) | 1998Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (Picador) | 1998Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernières (Vintage) | 1998The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson and Nick Sharratt (Doubleday) | 2000White Teeth, Zadie Smith (Penguin) | 2001Sahara, Michael Palin (Weidenfeld Nicholson) | 2003Brick Lane, Monica Ali (Transworld) | 2004The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon (David Fickling) | 2004The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (Picador) | 2004The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (Transworld) | 2005The Gruffalo’s Child, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (Macmillan) | 2005The Sound of Laughter, Peter Kay... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-02-14 06:01:23 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "British Book awards balance art and selling power to decide best writer in 30 years"


Little, Brown acquires 'no-nonsense guide for women' by Obama's ex-assistant

Little, Brown has acquired a “no-nonsense guide for women” by Barack Obama’s former right-hand woman Alyssa Mastromonaco. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Faber reissues Bernhard fiction after 20 years out of print

Faber is reissuing the celebrated fiction of Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard after nearly 20 years out of print to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his death. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Peet's last book snapped up for TV

Late children’s author Mal Peet's final book, The Murdstone Trilogy (David Fickling Books), will be adapted for TV by the dramatist behind Hilary Mantel’s "Wolf Hall" for a newly formed production company. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Percy the Park Keeper returns for 30th anniversary

Percy the Park Keeper is set to return in brand-new picture book, 30 years after the publication of One Snowy Night.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Imagine Children’s Festival gears up for 87,000 visitors

The Southbank Centre is expecting 87,000 visitors to this year's event, which will welcome authors and illustrators such as Cressida Cowell, Malorie Blackman, Chris Riddell, Jacqueline Wilson and David McKee. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Barack Obama reveals favourite books of 2018 - and Becoming tops list

Barack Obama has revealed his favourite books of 2018—and his wife Michelle's memoir Becoming (Viking) has topped his list. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The 100 bestselling books of the year: from Eleanor Oliphant to Michelle Obama

While Gail Honeyman is completely fine, where have all the female writers gone? John Dugdale takes a look at 2018’s biggest books and the year’s trendsRead Alex Clark’s look at 2018: the year the books world opened upThere are two contrasting strategies for achieving a mega-seller, as... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Here are Barack Obama’s favorite books, movies, and songs from 2018

Of course, Michelle Obama’s Becoming was No. 1. Barack Obama may be out of the White House, but he is continuing a few traditions. The former president–and current most admired man in the U.S.– took to social media on Friday to share a few of his favorite things, including Black... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘Up-lit’ gives hope to publishers at Frankfurt book fair

‘Hopeful’ novel about an elderly woman who adopts a dog leads the charge from feelgood fictionA debut novel about a lonely old woman who has fallen through the cracks of society has wowed publishers at this week’s Frankfurt book fair, with 10 presses fighting to win a book that is being compared... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Morris reflects on a year of The Lost Words' success

A new audiobook and a crowdfunding campaign to supply hospices are just some of the events happening around Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris’ The Lost Words, which celebrates its first birthday on 5th October. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Blake reimagines Matilda for 30th anniversary

Illustrator Quentin Blake has reimagined Roald Dahl’s Matilda as an astrophysicist, a world traveller and chief executive of the British Library for new editions of the book, which was first published 30 years ago. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Harpist's debut music to Transworld's ears

Transworld has pre-empted an “uplifting, heart-warming and accessible” reading group novel by debut author and musician Hazel Prior, born out of a passion for harps. Touching on love, friendship, kindness and generosity, according to Transworld Ellie and the Harp-maker will appeal to readers of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book People kicks off celebrations marking 30 years in business

Book People has embarked on a year of celebrations, including events, competitions and exclusive content for customers and staff, in honour of its 30th anniversary. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


This Week's Bestsellers: September 3, 2018

Barack Obama, in an August 19 Facebook post, shared the books he’s been reading lately. Of those, 'An American Marriage' by Tayari Jones returns to our lists after an absence of a few months, as does Hans Rosling’s 'Factfulness.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Former U.S. Ambassador and CNET Exec Buys Louisville Magazine

Louisville Magazine and its website Louisville.com have been purchased by former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, Matthew Barzun, for an undisclosed amount. The monthly publication, which is known in its community for shedding light on often-ignored neighborhoods and stories, will be under... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Westover, Ondaatje and Jones among Obama's summer reads

Barack Obama has revealed that Tara Westover’s Educated, Michael Ondaatje's Warlight and An American Marriage by Tayari Jones are among his favourite summer reads of 2018. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Barack Obama's summer reading list includes empathy, understanding and 'Factfulness'

Former President Obama has shared his summer reading list, and it shows a drive toward understanding and empathy. Obama posted some of his book recommendations on Facebook on Sunday. The former president praised five books he's enjoyed in the last months, including a novel by a Canadian literary... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Crowdfunding campaigns for The Lost Words reach 15

The number of crowdfunding campaigns to buy copies of Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris' nature anthology, The Lost Words, has now reached 15, with new campaigns in Powys, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Obama reveals Africa-inspired summer reading list

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nelson Mandela and Ben Rhodes are among the authors featured on Barack Obama's summer reading list ahead of his trip to Africa. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The English Patient crowned Golden Man Booker winner

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (Bloomsbury) has triumphed over competition from the likes of Hilary Mantel and George Saunders to be crowned the best Man Booker Prize winner of the last 50 years. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this