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National Book Award Submissions Now Open; Booksellers on Judges Panels

The National Book Foundation (NBF) is now accepting submissions for the 2017 National Book Awards in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature.

The winners in each category will be selected by a panel of judges, composed of academics, editors, essayists, booksellers, and critics. Booksellers serving on this year’s panels are: for fiction, Annie Philbrick, co-owner of Bank Square Books in Mystic, Connecticut, and Savoy Bookshop and Café in Westerly, Rhode Island; for nonfiction, Steve Bercu, CEO and co-owner of BookPeople in Austin, Texas; and, for young people’s literature, Suzanna Hermans, co-owner of Oblong Books & Music in Rhinebeck and Millerton, New York.

The deadline for all submissions is May 17. Judges will select a longlist of 10 titles in each category, to be announced in mid-September, and 20 finalists will be announced on October 4.

The winner in each of the four categories will be announced at the 68th National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner in New York City on November 15.

HarperCollins Celebrates 200th Anniversary

HarperCollins has announced a global campaign in commemoration of the publishing company’s 200th anniversary. The centerpiece of the yearlong celebration is a new website showcasing HarperCollins’ history, which includes the publication of such iconic authors and cultural figures as Agatha Christie, John F. Kennedy, Harper Lee, C.S. Lewis, Shel Silverstein, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Mark Twain.

On the anniversary website, 200.hc.com, book lovers can interact with a wide array of exclusive content about HarperCollins’ history, including images of artifacts from the company’s archives, a collection of iconic HarperCollins books, and short stories illustrating significant moments in the company’s history. Content will also be shared on the company’s global social media accounts, and readers are invited to join the conversation online using #hc200. 

The website will also serve as a springboard for activities created by local teams across the globe, including a campaign to support literacy and reading, charity projects, and an exhibition of historical items at the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library in New York City.

Paz & Associates Introduces Online Training for Bookstore Managers

To mark 25 years of service to independent bookstores, the Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates has launched “Managing Today’s Bookstore,” a new comprehensive online training program to develop bookstore management skills.

The self-paced, individual study program is designed specifically for booksellers who are being promoted into management roles, new owners, and booksellers who are currently in management roles. “Managing Today’s Bookstore” offers a holistic view of retail operations and features 13 segments that explain Paz & Associates’ “6 Ps” of retail bookselling: people, place, product, promotion, profits, and priorities. Each presentation takes 10–30 minutes to view and comes with related exercises, handouts, spreadsheets, templates, and links to helpful resources.

Tuition for the program is $495 for ABA members, a savings of $100 over the original price. More information about “Managing Today’s Bookstore” is available on the Paz & Associates website or by calling (904) 277-2664.

2017 PEN/Faulkner Award Finalists Announced

The PEN/Faulkner Foundation has announced the five finalists for the 2017 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, including four debut novels. First awarded in 1981, the PEN/Faulkner Award is given annually to the authors of the year’s best works of fiction by living American citizens.

This year’s finalists are:

  • After Disasters by Viet Dinh (Little A)
  • LaRose by Louise Erdrich (Harper)
  • What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
  • Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue (Random House)
  • Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa (Lee Boudreaux Books)

The winner will be named on April 4 and will receive $15,000. Each of four runners-up will receive $5,000.

2017 Baileys Womens Prize for Fiction Longlist Revealed

The U.K.’s Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist was announced on Wednesday, March 8, International Women’s Day. The prize was founded in 1996 to celebrate the excellence, originality, and accessibility in writing by women throughout the world.

The 2017 longlist of 16 books is as follows:

  • Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo (Knopf, August 22, 2017)
  • The Power by Naomi Alderman (The Pelton Publishing Company)
  • Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (Hogarth)
  • Little Deaths by Emma Flint (Hachette Books)
  • The Mare by Mary Gaitskill (Pantheon)
  • The Dark Circle by Linda Grant (Virago)
  • The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride (Hogarth)
  • Midwinter by Fiona Melrose (Corsair)
  • The Sport of Kings by C.E. Morgan (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
  • The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso (Picador)
  • The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill (Riverhead Books)
  • The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (Custom House, June 6, 2017)
  • Barkskins by Annie Proulx (Scribner)
  • First Love by Gwendoline Riley (Melville House, March 28, 2017)
  • Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien (W.W. Norton)
  • The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain (W.W. Norton)

The winner will be announced on June 7 and will receive £30,000.