One of the key factors that helps in the proliferation of books, especially fiction titles, is literary awards. The Booker Prize is the most prestigious award in the world, one of the highest honours an author can receive for their books. Though this is a cornerstone of literature and culture, most readers do not know the process and history of the Booker. Fear not, as The Bombay Circle Press has detailed the working of the Booker Prize to help you understand it better.
The Booker Prize was established as the Booker Prize for Fiction after the company Booker, McConnell Ltd began sponsoring the event in 1969. Later, it became commonly known as the Booker Prize or the Booker.
It is a prize given to a writer for the best work of sustained fiction written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. The first author to win this prize was P. H. Newby for their novel Something to Answer For.
The winner receives £50,000, and £2,500 is awarded to each of the six shortlisted authors. This is aside from the global recognition and dramatic increase in book sales the Booker offers.
To also include works written in other languages and establish a global standard to the same, The International Booker Prize was added. This is awarded to the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland.
Now that we have established the foundation and the actual event, how does the Booker go about judging a book? When there are hundreds of books submitted for the Booker, how can a panel of 5 decide on one being better than the other? The process, though controversial, goes this way: unlike other literary prizes, each judge is expected to read all of the books that have been submitted.
In 2023, the judges read 163 books over seven months (the expected average amount being 130). After doing so, they select a longlist of 12 or 13 titles (the “Booker Dozen”), before each reading those books for a second time. They then select a shortlist of six titles, and read the six books a third time before selecting a winner. To be included in the Booker longlist or shortlist is a matter of prestige for an author; and is seen by the addition to the changed book covers.
Some notable Indian authors who won the Booker Prize are Arundhati Roy for The God of Small Things, Kiran Desai for The Inheritance of Loss and Arvind Adiga for The White Tiger.
Since its inception in the 1960s, the Booker has become a mainstay in literary cultural discourse. It is driven by the belief that great fiction can bring joy to millions. Their aim is to foster a love of reading, and to support writers and readers of the future. In the 21st century, winning the Booker Prize can change a writer’s life; grant them a readership for many decades to come.
In the end, it is notable to have an award such as the Booker Prize. More than boosting sales, it does something more important—promoting collective discourse on literature and culture on a global scale.
To know more about the scope of publishing, literary awards and book recommendations, do follow The Bombay Circle Press’ Bulletin.