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RSL Ondaatje Prize | Royal Society of Literature

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The 2013 RSL Ondaatje Prize – the shortlist for the 2013 prize

This year’s list comprises fiction, poetry and non-fiction and the judges Margaret Drabble, Julia Blackburn and Ian Jack have commented of the award:
"A place, whether it is a small room, a forest floor, or an entire continent, is defined by the limitations and freedoms it offers and by the layers of emotion and history it contains. For this prize we are trying to see where and how this elusive spirit has been best captured in a book, of poetry, fiction, biography or personal memoir."
2013 Shortlist:

Liam Carson  Call mother a lonely field (Seren/Poetry Wales Press)


Patrick Flanery  Absolution (Atlantic)


Gavin Francis  Empire Antarctica (Chatto)


Philip Hensher  Scenes from Early Life (Fourth Estate)


Sarah Moss  Names for the Sea (Granta)


Zadie Smith  NW (Hamish Hamilton)

via RSL Ondaatje Prize | Royal Society of Literature.

The RSL Ondaatje Prize is now in its tenth year.
The 2013 judges are Julia Blackburn, Margaret Drabble and Ian Jack. Previous years’ judges have included Nick Laird, Don Paterson, Ali Smith, Sarah Waters, Selina Hastings, Roddy Doyle, Rory Stewart and the late Dame Beryl Bainbridge.
Founded by George IV in 1820, the Royal Society of Literature nurtures, celebrates and defends all that is best in British literature, past and present, organising talks, discussions and readings; makeing awards to established and emerging writers; running a series of creative writing masterclasses in collaboration with the Booker Prize Foundation; and campaigning in the interest of writers.

Next-generation ebooks introduced at London Book Fair | Books | guardian.co.uk

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We shall see, but personally I’m not convinced there is any real hunger for this CD-Romification of the reading experience…

Fiction edged its way closer to a digital incarnation with the publication this week of an interactive visual version of John Buchan’s classic thriller, The Thirty-Nine Steps.

Publisher Faber&Faber announced that it had [teamed] up with two software publishers and a developer, The Story Mechanics, to create a "fully playable, fully immersive product" which it believes breaks new ground in digital reading.

It said the app includes classic stop-frame animation and original silent film music. It would allow readers to "unlock dozens of achievements and items to collect on their reading journey, and explore hundreds of hand-painted digital environments and context from 1910s Britain."

via Next-generation ebooks introduced at London Book Fair | Books | guardian.co.uk.

What Does Post-Digital Book Discovery Look Like? | Publishing Perspectives

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HarperCollins is looking “beyond digital, post-digital” to explore ways its authors can be discovered by consumers. Speaking to Publishing Perspectives yesterday, as the London Book Fair wrapped up, David Roth-Ey, Executive Publisher, Fourth Estate and William Collins, said:

“We’re looking at curating experiences around our books and imprints to build word of mouth. The problem with digital is discoverability. In the past, although you have publicity departments who do a good job, you would rely on bookshops to do much of this, to provide that discoverability.

“But that’s changing now and we need to pick up the slack. We need to find ways of creating excitement and getting our books talked about. So we’re going to be launching a Fourth Estate salon in Shoreditch, London’s equivalent of the East Village, and we’re going to do similar things with William Collins non-fiction.

via What Does Post-Digital Book Discovery Look Like? | Publishing Perspectives.

Faber and Profile Acquire Third Francesca Simon Book

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Faber and Profile Books are delighted to announce the acquisition of a third novel in Francesca Simon’s Mortal Gods series. The deal for world rights was arranged by Rosemary Sandberg at Rosemary Sandberg Agents Ltd.

The new book will continue the adventures of the Carnegie-longlisted The Sleeping Army (published October 2011), which has sold nearly 50,000 copies across all editions to date. The Lost Gods, the eagerly awaited follow-up in the series for 8+ readers, will publish in hardback in September 2013 and the newly acquired third book will publish in autumn 2015.

‘Publishing is never a chore but rarely quite as much of a pleasure as when doing business with an author as fondly regarded and successful as Francesca Simon. That regard is true not only for her readers young and old, but for me personally: it’s been 36 years since we met. If only all longstanding friendships turned into books as original, exciting and full of thrills as Francesca’s Norse adventures. Long live her Gods!’ Andrew Franklin, Profile Books

‘Extremely funny, beautifully plotted, expertly crafted, Francesca Simon’s Mortal Gods series is a joy to publish. We could not be more thrilled!’ Leah Thaxton, Publisher, Faber Children’s Books

Book Trade Announcements – S&S Acquires Literary, Haunting Debut

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from the Press Release

Ingrid Selberg, Publisher, S&S UK, bought UK and Commonwealth rights in two books from Madeline Milburn at the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency.

The first title, The Dark Inside, is a gripping, haunting story about loss and hope. When thirteen-year-old James discovers a homeless man in an abandoned house, the course of his life changes dramatically. Hoping to find a ‘cure’ for a dark curse inflicted on the homeless man, the pair embark on a journey together not knowing that what they discover will impact them both in ways they never imagined.

The Dark Inside will be published in a beautiful hardback edition in spring 2014, with a paperback edition to follow and a second novel in 2015.

Rupert Wallis read Theology at Cambridge University and holds an MFA in Screenwriting and Writing for Television from the University of Southern California. In 2010/11 he was one of five novelists chosen from the South West of England to participate in a mentorship programme funded by the Arts Council. He now lives in Cornwall.

Selberg said of the deal: "In The Dark is an extraordinary and ambitious book, which we all fell in love with from the first page. I was completely struck by the outstanding quality of Rupert’s writing and I’m thrilled to welcome him to the Simon & Schuster list."

via Book Trade Announcements – S&S Acquires Literary, Haunting Debut.

Women’s prize for fiction reveals ‘staggeringly strong’ shortlist | Books | The Guardian

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Women’s Prize for Fiction – The Shortlist

Bring Up the Bodies, by Hilary Mantel

Flight Behaviour, by Barbara Kingsolver

Where’d You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple

Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson

May We Be Forgiven, by A M Homes

NW, by Zadie Smith

via Women's prize for fiction reveals 'staggeringly strong' shortlist | Books | The Guardian.

The award – created after frustration at an all-male Booker shortlist in 1991 – had been known as the Orange since it was first awarded, to Helen Dunmore, in 1996. Other winners have included Linda Grant, Ann Patchett, Andrea Levy and Marilynne Robinson. When Orange pulled out last year a number of people, including Cherie Blair and Joanna Trollope, stepped in with personal donations to sustain the prize while a new sponsor is found.

The list has been whittled down from 140 submissions and the overall winner will be announced at the Royal Festival Hall on 5 June.

New Adult fiction is the hot new category in books

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Mix the high-octane emotions of youth with the freedom of leaving home and you’ve brewed up a potent new book category called "New Adult."

Navigating the exhilarating, sometimes dangerous chasm between adolescence and adulthood, these novels — aimed at readers out of high school — are roaring up the best-seller list. The setting often is a college campus and the vibe is intense as only young love can be. It’s sex, bad boys, too much drama and, if you consulted the characters’ parents, not nearly enough library time!

via New Adult fiction is the hot new category in books.

Helen Dunmore switches to Hutchinson

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Helen Dunmore

Orange Prize-winner Helen Dunmore is moving from Penguin to Hutchinson, with Cornerstone publisher Selina Walker acquiring her next two books.
Walker bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, in two novels by Dunmore from Caradoc King of A P Watt at United Agents. The first, The Lie, is set during and just after the First World War. It tells the story of the relationship between two young men from very different backgrounds, one of whom is killed in France.
Walker said: “The Lie is a heart-wrenching story about love, memory and loss, about growing up in Cornwall in the early 20th century, about the horrors of war on the Western Front as well as its traumatic aftermath.”
Dunmore has published nine novels with Penguin, including the Orange Prize-winning A Spell of Winter, and her 2010 novel The Betrayal which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

via Helen Dunmore switches to Hutchinson | The Bookseller.