I read an article in the Globe and Mail today about how abundant Literary Awards are for Canadians. You would naturally assume that this is a good thing, but some people see a downside. You can read the article for yourself, but it seems that the feeling is that these large awards sometimes slant the attention of Canadian readers too heavily to the award winners, and that other equally talented Canadian writers who didn’t win are overshadowed. It also suggests that some writers who may have received lots of reviews in the past, now struggle to get reviewed if they haven’t won an award.
In the end, the awards are not the only measure of talent. They are an “in” for readers who want to try a new author, but want to see some measure to assure them that the money invest in purchasing the novel is well spent. An award nomination or win can give that assurance. The awards are also a chance for authors to be recognized by their peers for their work. Author’s are, for the most part, underpaid for their work so these awards do help.
I can only speak from my experience. Once I read an award winner, I often then read my way through the short and then the long list. That is not to say that I read all of them. I’m still going to choose only the books that interest me at that time. In the end, it’s how good a story is and how well you can sell it to me as a reader in the jacket flap and the first page that counts. The prize win (or nomination) is an added bonus. I think it’s wrong to assume that Canadian’s buy books only if they are nominated for a prize. Word of mouth and reviews still play a strong role.
I thought that the list of awards available to Canadian writers was interested and have included it below:
The top book-prize jackpots open to Canadian writers, in order of value (all amounts in Canadian dollars):
1. Nobel Prize in Literature: $1,555,870 (to my knowlege, no Canadian writer has ever won this prize)
2. International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award: $139,000
3. Man Booker International Prize: $96,487
4. Man Booker Prize: $80,400
5. Warwick Prize for Writing: $80,400
6. Griffin Poetry Prize: $75,000
7. Cundill Prize in History at McGill: $73,345
8. Writers’ Trust Hilary Weston Prize for Non-Fiction: $60,000
9. Scotiabank Giller Prize: $50,000
10. Montreal International Poetry Prize: $50,000
11. British Columbia National Book Award: $40,000
12. The Donner Prize: $35,000
13. Governor General’s Literary Awards: $25,000
14. Rogers Writer’s Trust Award: $25,000
15. Marion Engel Award: $25,000
16. TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award: $25,000
17. Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction: $25,000
18. Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing: $25,000
19. Trillium Book Award: $25,000
20. Matt Cohen Prize: $20,000
