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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Tiya Miles Wins Canada’s $75,000 Cundill History Prize

Harvard's Tiya Miles wins the Cundill History Prize's top honor for 'All That She Carried,' a 2021 National Book Award winner. The post Tiya Miles Wins Canada’s $75,000 Cundill History Prize appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-12-02 03:01:11 UTC ]
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Inaugural Russell Freedman Award Honors Late Author's Impact

The winners of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' inaugural Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World were announced on November 29. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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More than 150 Literary Agents Sign Letter to Support HarperCollins Workers’ Strike

More than 150 literary agents signed a letter promising to stop submitting new books to HarperCollins to support striking workers. Continue reading at Book Riot

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England: ‘A (Very) Short History’ Wins the £25,000 Royal Society Science Book Prize

The paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Henry Gee wins the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize sponsored by Insight Investment. The post England: ‘A (Very) Short History’ Wins the £25,000 Royal Society Science Book Prize appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-29 20:32:49 UTC ]
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I’m a HarperCollins author. Here’s why (and how) I won’t cross the virtual picket line.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-23 16:38:06 UTC ]
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Children’s authors of colour published in UK rose to 11.7% of market in 2021

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Heartstopper author Alice Oseman: ‘If you don’t have sex and romance, you feel like you haven’t achieved’

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We Partied With Padma Lakshmi, Union Supporter, at the National Book Awards

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Female Authors are Speaking Up, Strengthening Spirits

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Children’s Author Marcus Sedgwick Dies

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How To Support the HarperCollins Union During Their Strike

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[ Book Riot | 2022-11-17 17:29:17 UTC ]
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Marcus Sedgwick, celebrated children’s author, dies aged 54

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[ The Guardian | 2022-11-17 13:02:14 UTC ]
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Authors Guild Applauds Arrest, Indictment of Major E-Book Pirates

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The King is Dead. Long Live the Kingdom.

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-10 20:55:04 UTC ]
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These famous authors are expressing solidarity with the striking HarperCollins workers.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-10 19:23:57 UTC ]
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