Author + award = long career?
Interesting piece last week in the Independent, looking at awards and how they can transform (and maintain) and author’s career. They use David Whitehouse and his novel Bed
The very same manuscript that had been turned down by everyone three years previously proved now, according to a judging panel that included a novelist, a playwright, an editor and a bookseller, to be the unanimous winner. Whitehouse received a cheque for £5,000, and then watched bemused as his book became the subject of a fierce bidding war. This week it was finally released in the UK and will now be published in 10 countries around the world.
It’s an interesting story and one that’s not massively unusual – we’ve all heard about books that couldn’t find a publisher for love not money, but eventually got picked up and went on to sell by the bucketload. It does happen, folks. Paul Harding’s Pulitzer-winning Tinkers is another one.
But awards, competitions and the like can play an important role on a much smaller scale too. Whether you’re a poet, short story writer or author of non-fiction, entering and – possibly – winning helps motivate and build your confidence. And even if you don’t win, which is much more likely, the experience of preparing and submitting your writing is extremely valuable.
Hmm. This feels like a longer post in the making.
