The National Book Awards are getting a rewrite.New rules announced Tuesday include a "long list" of 10 nominees to be offered for each of the four competitive categories before being narrowed to the traditional five finalists. And the pool of judges will be expanded beyond writers to include critics, booksellers and librarians.The changes are the most extensive since the mid-1990s for the awards, presented each fall by the National Book Foundation, as the major New York publishers attempt to broaden their appeal. The publishers have been unhappy with the selection of fiction finalists in recent years and the omission of such high-profile works as Jonathan Franzen's Freedom and Marilynne Robinson's Gilead.The expansion to 10 mirrors a recent change in the Oscars, but foundation board members said they had been looking to Britain's popular Man Booker Prize as a model."We just basically borrowed some of their ideas," said foundation board vice president and Grove/Atlantic CEO Morgan Entrekin, citing the Bookers' use of long lists and non-writers as judges. "The Bookers do a fantastic job at getting a conversation going about good books. With the long list, for instance, you get this conversation bubbling up about what made it and then about what doesn't get on the short list."Mr. Entrekin said that some of the recent National Book Award fiction lists, which usually get the most attention, had been "very eccentric" and that allowing critics and booksellers as judges could... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'
[ Crains New York | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
The bohemian turned pop star’s book has already won pre-publication praise from Salman Rushdie and Dave EggersThe musician Moby is following in the footsteps of his long-distant ancestor Herman Melville and turning to the literary arena, with a memoir due out next summer and already drawing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A bookseller explains how Kamila Shamsie’s call for gender equality in the industry, and the fiery debate it provoked, could lead to greater diversity all aroundKamila Shamsie calling for a year of publishing only women has certainly unleashed a storm. Some disagree that gender bias exists,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Finnegans Wake is a bestseller in China and Ulysses is the inspiration behind two successful plays. As Bloomsday approaches, Scarlett Baron considers his growing reputation in Beijing and beyondJoyce’s image in China holds a strange fascination in the west. When the first third of Finnegans... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Small press And Other Stories will produce no books by men in 2018 in answer to Kamila Shamsie’s call for direct action to beat gender bias in publishingSmall press And Other Stories has answered author Kamila Shamsie’s provocative call for a year of publishing women to redress “gender bias” in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The success of Penguin’s highly portable commute-sized gobbets says much about what modern readers wantReleased to mark Penguin Books’ 80th birthday, the pocket-sized, 80p-a-pop Little Black Classics have been a hit, selling 70,545 copies in the first week of publication.The commercial success... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Books about the natural world are now huge sellers, tapping into a new appreciation for the countryside and scepticism about material wealthBondage is so last year. Publishers who spent much of the past year in search of the next Fifty Shades of Grey are now seeking to exploit another literary... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Skybound Entertainment has had success with The Walking Dead across all mediums. Robert Kirkman’s comic book company has expanded into television with the AMC series, which is now the most popular show in the world. They’ve also enjoyed the same level of critical and commercial success through... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2015-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Having been turned down by his long-standing publisher Hanser Verlag, dark comedy finds home with Kein and AberMartin Amis’s latest novel, The Zone of Interest, has finally found a German-language home six months after it was turned down by his long-standing German publishing house, thought by... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The small press is hoping Mark Zuckerberg's selection of Eula Biss's short work will lead to a sales bump, and renewed interest, in the title. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
David Harsent has won the T S Eliot Prize for his collection Fire Songs, published by Faber. It is the the poet's first win, after being five times shortlisted for the prize. Harsent beat nine other poets to secure the prize, include three previous winners, John Burnside, Michael Longley and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A wave of mainstream media attention shines a spotlight on David Christian, a leading proponent of "big history" and author published by academic press Berkshire Publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“A small press with a big reach” is how founder and publisher Barbara Ras describes Trinity University Press, the San Antonio, Tex., house that is celebrating its 10th publishing anniversary this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The "polymath" author will offer "unique insight into critical and commercial success across books, film, and T.V." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The gap between what a small press, a large publisher, and someone self-publishing is getting narrower. Do you have a preference for one over another? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Hamish Hamilton has signed a new novel from Dave Eggers, to be released on 10th October. Eggers... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
When New Harbinger Publications cofounders Matthew McKay and Patrick Fanning were establishing their small press in 1973, it was Fanning’s monthly reading of Popular Mechanics magazine that served as a step-by-step guide to book publishing for the partners. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The National Book Awards are getting a rewrite.New rules announced Tuesday include a "long list" of 10 nominees to be offered for each of the four competitive categories before being narrowed to the traditional five finalists. And the pool of judges will be expanded beyond writers to include... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Carrie Arcos, an L.A. mom whose first novel, 'Out of Reach,' is a young adult literature finalist, is in the company of Robert A. Caro, Junot Diaz and more.Carrie Arcos was mystified when she received an email from the National Book Foundation instructing her to call its office. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Junot Diaz, Dave Eggers, and Katherine Boo all made the cut for final consideration for the award. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this