This Wednesday they're handing out the (American) National Book Awards, and in The New York Times Leslie Kaufman looks ahead to this and future awards, in Book Awards Seek a Bigger Splash, Red Carpet and All [via] -- including awful suggestion such as:
I have a suggestion: how about some transparency ? Reveal what books have been submitted and are being considered -- not just the very few finalists.
On the table are proposals like expanding the judging pool beyond just writers who judge in their own genre to include well-known cultural figures of all types, and limiting for the first time who may submit award entries. (Now, any publisher can submit as many books as it wants in any category as long as the author is an American citizen.)Limiting the number of books that can be submitted ??!?
I have a suggestion: how about some transparency ? Reveal what books have been submitted and are being considered -- not just the very few finalists.