I'm the first black author to win book of the year. I'm proud, but not completely happy

Instead of celebrating myself, I’m going to celebrate the books by black authors that came before meI have a funny thing about winning. I find it overwhelming. I don’t know how to cope or act when things are meant to be “good”. What do I do? Should I be happy? What is that? How many ways can I genuinely and meaningfully thank people who congratulate me? Do they understand that if I don’t reply to their kind messages, I’m not being rude – it’s just that I don’t know what to say?It’s not that I’m not grateful when things go well, it’s more that I need to talk to a therapist about them. Anyway, imagine my discomfort when I was told that my book Queenie had won debut of the year at the British Book awards. Actually, my first feeling was relief that instead of having to attend a ceremony and have my picture taken, and get up on a stage and be looked at, I could just pre-record an acceptance speech on Zoom then go back to watching music videos all day. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-07-02 07:00:46 UTC ]
News tagged with: #black author #win book #black authors #funny thing #acceptance speech #british book

Other news stories related to: "I'm the first black author to win book of the year. I'm proud, but not completely happy"


Canongate captures teen author

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 01/04/2011 - 10:32 Canongate has signed a book it describes as a "fearlessly modern coming of age novel" from a 19-year-old début author. Senior editor Francis Bickmore bought world rights in a pre-emptive deal from Jon Elek at A P Watt.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair: ones to watch

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Fri, 01/04/2011 - 11:26 Aitken Alexander is reporting strong interest in Grace McLeen's The Land of Decoration, sold last month to Chatto in the UK, Holt in the United States, HarperCollins in Canada and into 10 languages to date. It is about a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blackwell Group halves losses within a year

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 31/03/2011 - 09:14 Blackwell UK hopes to become profitable in two years, after nearly halving its operating losses to £5.6m. The academic bookseller’s year-end results to 26th June 2010 show the company has narrowed its operating losses from... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Taschen's First 3D Books Are Big

Always adventurous publisher Taschen is launching its first line of 3D books, and, as you’d expect from a house known for its outsize books--and subjects--the first Taschen books getting the 3D treatment are Taschen’s Big Body Parts series: The Big Penis Book and The Big Book of Breasts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Forensic and furious" books up for Orwell Prize

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Thu, 31/03/2011 - 09:00 Titles on feminism, New Labour and the life and times of Christopher Hitchens have been longlisted for the 2011 Orwell Prize for political writing. The announcement was made at an event on Wednesday [30th March]. Eighteen titles... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beautiful Books buys Waugh biography

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Thu, 31/03/2011 - 15:30 Beautiful Books has acquired an “inquisitive” biography of Brideshead Revisited author Evelyn Waugh. Evelyn! Rhapsody for an Obsessive Love by Duncan McLaren is lined up for hardback and ebook publication on 26th September.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eason to inject €20m into book chain as part of resructure

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 30/03/2011 - 09:36 Eason is pumping €20m into the company over the next three years, at the same time as embarking on trade union talks over a restructure that will likely include some job losses. The Irish bookselling chain announced to staff... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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TV Book Club titles take £3m through the tills

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Wed, 30/03/2011 - 15:17 Just shy of £3m has been spent on the 10 titles of More 4's latest "TV Book Club" in 2011, with sales over the series up 2% on the 2010 selections and against an overall book market decline of 7%. A grand total of 506,200... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shaun Tan wins Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2011

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eason to inject €20m into book chain as part of restructure

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print book sales continue to fall

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Tue, 29/03/2011 - 15:50 Book sales slipped for the fourth week in a row last week, and were down more than £3.3m last year, according to Nielsen BookScan data. A total of £24.2m was spent on printed books at UK retail outlets in the seven days to 26th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Upbeat" start to Bologna Book Fair

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 29/03/2011 - 08:51 Busy schedules and a strong presence from US publishers in an "upbeat" mood were reported on the first day of the Bologna Book Fair. Hodder Children's Books publishing director Anne McNeil said the fair was busier than it had... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dictator dentistry wins odd title prize

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Fri, 25/03/2011 - 00:05 A book advising dentists to manage their practices according to the leadership techniques of a legendary Mongolian warlord has been voted the winner of the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Ruling Cuts Options for Google

Google may seek help from Congress as it tries to salvage a book publishing settlement that was rejected by a federal judge. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Self-Publisher Signs Four-Book Deal With St. Martin's

Amanda Hocking, the 26-year-old author who shot to fame by selling more than a million copies of her self-published books, has signed a deal with St. Martin's Press. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paolini's Inheritance Cycle to be completed this autumn

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mainstream, J R Books and Pan to rush Elizabeth Taylor titles

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge throws out revised Google Book Settlement

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Forbes wins £50k Warwick Prize for Writing

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Printed book sales slump to new 2011 low

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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