The Desmond Elliott prize reminds us that authors need long-term support

With her prizewinning debut, Claire Fuller could be following in the footsteps of Ian Rankin and Hilary Mantel who found success with their later work – but only with the support of her publisherAs one of the judges for the Desmond Elliott prize for best debut novelist this year, I couldn’t help reflect on some of the challenges still to come for the authors. With three such accomplished novels on our shortlist, there was some hard talking in the judges’ room, but in the end we decided, by an honourable 2:1 vote, to award the prize to Claire Fuller for Our Endless Numbered Days. It is a dark and perfectly poised account of a survivalist father hiding out in a remote forest with his increasingly embattled daughter that recalls the early work of Ian McEwan in its brooding slow build to a dramatic climax. But nobody could dispute the literary skill evident in the other books on the shortlist: Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey and Carys Bray’s A Song for Issy Bradley.The vital thing now is that these writers are offered long-term support from their agents and publishers. The amount of publicity given to those first novels that become instant bestsellers distorts the reality for the majority of debut novelists, even very gifted ones: a moderate advance, a small amount of acclaim, a continuing battle to get their next book written and then published. This is the reality for authors who want a sustained career in books. Related: Desmond Elliott prize goes to Claire Fuller's... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rundell takes Waterstones Children’s Book Prize

Katherine Rundell’s novel Rooftoppers (Faber and Faber) has been crowned the overall winner... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guild's Constantine Testifies

In testimony delivered before a House subcommittee, AG counsel Jan Constantine recapped the AG’s long running copyright dispute with Google and offered one possible solution—a collective licensing agreement for digital presentation rights to out-of-print books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Prejudice' claim from Scottish authors

London publishers are turning down work they consider “too Scottish”, the chair of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air March 31, 2014: Jennifer Buhl and Max Brooks

Jennifer Buhl, author of "Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood’s Most Famous" (Sourcebooks, 9781402297007), will appear on "Entertainment Tonight" on Monday, March 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ted Hughes' widow withdraws biography support

Ted Hughes' widow Carol has withdrawn her co-operation on a biography of the poet by academic... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paxman to chair Forward Poetry Prizes

Combative "Newsnight" presenter Jeremy Paxman will chair the judging panel for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Walliams picture book up for prize

A picture book by comedy star David Walliams, his first in the format, is one of 24 titles for children that are in contention for this year's Booktrust Best Book Awards. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With 'Orphan Train,' Author Finds Bestsellerdom Fifth Time Around

Sixty thousand is the number of copies Christina Baker Kline thought her newest book, "Orphan Train," might sell in her "wildest dreams." For a midlist author on her fifth novel, it was a lofty number. It turns out, it was also way too low. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Moore on longlist for Orwell Prize

Charles Moore's prize-winning biography of Margaret Thatcher has been longlisted for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Vatican Diaries' author John Thavis looks at the Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis

John Thavis released The Vatican Diaries' in 2013 and added a section about Pope Francis for the paperback edition. 'It has struck me how the level of enthusiasm around the world for this new Pope is definitely a notch or two above that inside the Vatican,' the author said. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Medium's new iPhone app helps you read (but not write) long articles

We can't say we know all that many people who routinely digest articles posted through Medium's social publishing platform. However, the readership is bound to go up now that the service has released an iPhone app. The mobile client is more of a... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Poo book wins odd title prize

A self-help guide to toilet etiquette, How to Poo on a Date, wins the Diagram Prize for the oddest book title of the year. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rush Limbaugh: rightwing talkshow host to bestselling children's author

He's no friend of those on the political left, but he knows how to woo kids. He's been named as one of four finalists for book of the year at the Children's and Teen Choice Book AwardsName: Rush Limbaugh.Age: 63.Appearance: Angry face drawn on a pink dish.Occupation: Radio talkshow host,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oddest book prize goes to How to Poo on a Date

The Diagram prize, honouring the year's strangest title, awarded to self-help guide to toilet etiquetteIn pictures: Thirty odd years of the Diagram prizePowered by the British public's unstoppable enthusiasm for toilet humour, the enticingly-titled How to Poo on a Date has carried off this... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How to Poo on a Date wins Diagram Prize

How to Poo on a Date has won the 36th annual Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Author and Editor Donald Michael Kraig, 63

Kraig is perhaps best known as the author of "Modern Magick," published in 1988. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors sign up to Hacked Off declaration

JK Rowling, Philip Pullman, Jeanette Winterson and tens of other authors have signed a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Guelzo Wins Inaugural $50,000 Military History Prize

Historian and professor Allen C. Guelzo's winning book was "Gettysburg: The Last Invasion." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Prices: Have Authors Lowballed Themselves?

This week Porter Anderson sets up an #EtherIssue discussion on the market implications of bargain-basement book prices and looks at Kobo's fight for Agency. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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