A streamlined voting process and a revamped presentation ceremony are two of the changes being introduced for the third annual Quill Awards. The ceremony, to be held October 22 at Lincoln Center in New York City, will be taped and the program will be aired October 27 on NBC Universal Television Stations and syndicated through NBC Universal Television Distribution to local markets. NBC Universal and Reed Business Information (parent company of PW) are cosponsors of the event. “We're excited to return as the media partner for this important event that promotes literacy,” said Jay Ireland, president of NBC Universal Television Stations.

To be considered for the Quills, books must have been published between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007. This year, the nomination process will feature a Quills/PW Selection Committee headed by PW editor-in-chief Sara Nelson. The committee will choose from titles that received starred reviews in PW or appeared on the magazine's bestseller lists. There will once again be 19 categories, and all nominees will be announced at BEA. “We're pleased to bring increased attention to some of the year's most worthy titles as we broaden our role within the Quills program,” said PW publisher David Nudo.

Following the BEA announcement, a board of 6,000 booksellers and librarians will vote on the winners in each category. And, in a first for the event, winners will be announced more than a month before the ceremony. “We know attendees feel strongly about wanting to see all of the winners at the awards ceremony, and this will go a long way toward helping us achieve that goal,” said Gerry Byrne, chairman and founder of the Quills. After the winners are announced on September 10, the public will have one month to vote for the “Book of the Year” through several Web sites, including quillsvote.com and MSNBC.com. Following the presentation of the awards, a buffet will be held for all attendees.