BTW News Briefs

Man Booker Prize for Fiction Shortlist Announced

The six shortlisted books for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2004, announced this week, are Bitter Fruit by Achmat Dangor, (Kwela Books); The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall (Faber & Faber); The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (Bloomsbury USA); Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (Random House); the June 2004 Book Sense Pick The Master by Colm Toibin (Scribner); and I'll Go to Bed at Noon by Gerard Woodward (Vintage).

The shortlist was announced by the chair of judges, Chris Smith, at a press conference at the Man Group offices in London. "This is an exceptionally strong shortlist," Smith said in a press statement. "All of these books would stand contention with the Booker winners over the years. The list contains a number of well-established authors as well as two writers for whom this is only their second novel." The winner will be announced on Tuesday, October 19, at an awards ceremony in the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster, London, and will be broadcast live on BBC 2 and BBC 4.

Three Thurber Prize Finalists Selected

Last week, Thurber House, the national literary center for writers and readers, announced that three finalists had been selected for The Thurber Prize for American Humor. The finalists are Christopher Buckley for No Way to Treat a First Lady (Random House); Dan Zevin for The Day I Turned Uncool (Villard Books); and Robert Kaplow for Me and Orson Welles (MacAdam/Cage). The award is an annual prize and will be presented at a ceremony at New York's famed Algonquin Hotel, on November 15. The 2004 Thurber Prize for American Humor will be conferred upon the author and publisher of the outstanding book of humor writing published in the U.S. between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2003.

Scholastic Announces Editorial Promotions

On September 22, Scholastic, Inc., announced that Ken Wright had been promoted to vice president, associate publisher, and Jazan Higgins had been appointed to the newly created position of vice president, publishing director. Both will report to senior vice president, editor-in-chief, and publisher Jean Feiwel.

In his expanded role, Ken Wright will oversee the publishing process, co-ordinate cross-channel communication across Scholastic's Trade/Clubs/and Fairs and direct Custom Publishing. He will also continue as editorial director of Reference and Nonfiction. Jazan Higgins has been working with Scholastic as a marketing and editorial consultant for the past four years. In her new role as vice president, publishing director, Jazan will define the balance and direction of Scholastic's hardcover publishing, overseeing Scholastic Press, Arthur A. Levine Books, Orchard Books, and the Blue Sky Press programs. The editorial directors of those imprints will now report to Jazan.