Friday, August 27, 2010

book talk with Katie Allen

While tension gathers apace for the Man Booker shortlist, announced this Tuesday (7th September), the organisers have released an app today. Available free, it includes chronological detail on all Man Booker long- and short-listees, plus winners, and promises up to date info about the shortlist and winners. It's apparently the first app for a literary prize.

Talking of prizes, the Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is to repeat this year's inaugural National Crime Fiction Week, renamed National Crime Writing Week to reflect an increased emphasis on non-fiction, and Young Crime Writers' Competition in 2011. The CWA's Dagger winners will be announced in October – from Tuesday ITV3 begins its tie-in crime thriller season, with six weeks of films running up to the awards. Viewers will be voting for The People's Detective Dagger, also to be revealed at the ceremony.

And talking of apps, Orion has released a free app by crime-writing king Ian Rankin to tie into the Edinburgh International Literary Festival. A guide to the city that's inspired his books, the app will be marketed with 22,000 leaflets plus 9,600 postcards on 28th August in Edinburgh with distributors wearing "Download Ian Rankin Edinburgh" T-shirts. Postcards and dispensers have also been sent to the Writers Museum, National Library of Scotland and National Museum of Scotland.

Having received a marketing email two weeks ago about Christmas presents it's clear "the season" is beginning already, and with it some of the the most anticipated releases of the year, not least Tony Blair's A Journey (Hutchinson). Also next week are, just in the big-name non-fiction category:

Nigella's Kitchen (Chatto), JLS: Just Between us (HarperCollins)—although according to Pan Mac apparently the boys should move over in favour of The Wanted, who have an Our Story (Pan Mac) tome out in November, including enhanced e-book—and Alexei Sayle's memoir Stalin Ate My Homework (Sceptre). While Usain Bolt's autobiography 9:58—Being the World's Fastest Man (HarperSport) is also out next week and currently serialised in the Sun, starting today under the headline: "If there were gold medals for partying, I'd have won them all."



Although two I am personally excited about are Lady Gaga: Extreme Style (HC) and Cyclopedia by William Fotheringham (Yellow Jersey).


Katie Allen is The Bookseller's media editor.  

.

No comments: