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Colum McCann, Phillip Hoose Among National Book Award Winners
Novelist Colum McCann won the 2009 National Book Award for Fiction for his novel Let the Great World Spin (Random House); Gore Vidal (awarded the medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters) was rambling, witty and profound as he recounted his life; and master of ceremonies, humorist Andy Borowitz, sent everyone home at 10:45 p.m. with a crack about Sarah Palin’s new memoir, Going Rogue, being an early candidate for the 2010 NBA fiction prize.
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Five Authors (and a Surprise Guest) at the NBA Teen Press Conference
During his introductory speech at the 12th annual National Book Foundation's Teen Press Conference, held this past Tuesday, host Jon Scieszka noted that the "crazy collection of writers and illustrators" that make up this year's National Book Award finalists in the Young People's Literature category offered "absolutely something for everyone"; be it social activism, history, or "lots of kissing."
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Veteran Journalist Wins Canada’s Giller Prize
This year’s winner of the richest prize for fiction in Canada, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, is veteran journalist and author Linden MacIntyre for his second novel The Bishop’s Man published by Random House Canada.
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Best Books of 2009
It's almost Thanksgiving, which is the beginning of the end of another year, and for us at PW that means our annual best books list. From more than 50,000 volumes, we valiantly set out to choose 100, and this year we've upped the ante with a top 10 list.
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Wayne State in Fourth Printing for NBA Finalist 'American Salvage'
When the National Book Award finalists were announced last Wednesday, Wayne State University Press was the only small publisher represented in the fiction category, with Bonnie Jo Campbell's American Salvage. It also marked the first time one of the press’ authors was nominated for the award.
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YA or Not YA?: 'Stitches' Gets NBA Nomination
On Wednesday, Caldecott Medalist David Small’s graphic novel-style memoir, Stitches, became a 2009 National Book Award finalist in the Young People’s Literature category—which has led to some discussion and debate, along with the usual congratulations.
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National Book Award Finalists Announced
The National Book Foundation has announced the finalists for the 2009 National Book Awards. One debut fiction writer made the list, as well as three previous NBA finalists and the second graphic novel in the Awards’ history. Farrar, Straus & Giroux landed three nominations and Holt two giving Macmillan five nominees. Random House has three finalists, one from Little Random and two from Knopf; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Norton each nabbed two.
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Herta Mueller Wins Literature Nobel
Romanian-born German author Herta Mueller won the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature.
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NBCC Celebrates 35th Anniversary of Awards with Roundtable
The National Book Critics Circle is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its awards this year. As part of the festivities, E.L. Doctorow and John Ashbery, who won the first NBCC Awards in fiction and poetry (for Ragtime and Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror, respectively) will talk about the organization’s legacy at a discussion on September 12.
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Bellwether Prize to Accept Submissions September 1
The Bellwether Prize committee will accept submissions from September 1 through October 2 for the 2010 award. The literary prize, established by Barbara Kingsolver, supports the writing and publication of serious literary fiction addressing issues of social justice in culture and human relations. It has been awarded in even-numbered years for the past decade.
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PubWest Awards Rittenhouse to Chuck Hutchinson
Charles “Chuck” S. Hutchinson Jr. has won the 2009 Jack D. Rittenhouse Award. The award, which honors people who have made outstanding contributions to the book community in the West, is given by the Publishers Association of the West.
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Michael Thomas Wins IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
Michael Thomas has won the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for his debut novel, Man Gone Down, which Black Cat, a paperback original imprint of Grove/Atlantic, published in 2007. The IMPAC Dublin is the world’s richest literary prize, worth €100,000 (almost US $150,000).
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Brenda Burchard Wins Jan Nathan Scholarship
Brenda Burchard manages Safer Society Press, an arm of the Safer Society Foundation, a non-profit that provides resources for the prevention and treatment of sexual abuse. Burcard said she plans to use the knowledge she gains at Stanford to generate revenue for the press and market titles using social media.
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'Blood Ties' Takes Red House Prize
Sophie McKenzie's Blood Ties, a YA thriller that explores genetic engineering, has won Britain’s Red House Children's Book Award, the only prize voted for entirely by children (this year, more than 143,000). U.S. rights, which are held by agent Rosemary Canter, have not yet been sold.
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James King Wins Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
A freelance corporate writer has won this year’s Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. James King, author of Bill Warrington’s Last Chance, landed a $25,000 contract with Viking. “This is an unbelievable feeling,” King said to the small crowd gathered at Battery Gardens restaurant in Manhattan this morning. “It’s a dream come true.”
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Arabic-Language Children’s Prize to Launch
Arabic-language children’s publishers have a new book prize: the Etisalat Award for Arab Children’s literature, which promises one million dirham ($270,000) to the best Arab children’s book of the year. The award will be presented for the first time during the annual Sharjah World Book Fair this November.
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Patterson Among Five Reading Innovators Honored by National Book Foundation
The board of the National Book Foundation has awarded its first Innovations in Reading Prizes. The board selected the winners—one individual and four organizations—because of their innovative efforts to share their love of books and reading at a grassroots level, both in their communities and online. Each winner will receive $2,500 and a certificate.
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The Edgars Celebrate 63 Years
In Edgar Allan Poe’s bicentennial year, the Mystery Writers of America paid more than usual tribute to the mystery genre’s founder at their annual dinner, held the night of April 30 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan.
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Pannell Awards Announced
The 2009 Pannell Awards have been announced. In the children's specialty category, the winner is Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop in LaVerne, Calif. In the general bookstore category, the winner is Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, with honorable mention going to That Bookstore in Blytheville, in Blytheville, Ark.
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L.A. Times Book Prizes Announced
The Los Angeles Times presented its 29th annual book prizes on Friday night, on the eve of its annual Festival of Books.
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