The Booker Prizes, The British Book Awards, The Orwell Prizes, The Women’s Prize, The Hugo Awards, Waterstones Book of the Year – the list goes on. With thousands of book awards worldwide, the exact number is hard to pin down. Book Award Pro, the world’s largest database of book awards and reviews, tracks over 10,000 awards, and that number continues to grow. But do these awards still hold significance for readers? Does a book’s nomination influence public perception? Or do people largely dismiss awards, viewing them as subjective?
A Brief History on Book Prizes
It’s difficult to pinpoint the very first book prize, but major literary awards specifically for novels began to emerge in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These awards marked a formal recognition of the novel as a significant literary form. Some of the earliest and most notable include:
- Nobel Prize in Literature (1901) – International
- Prix Goncourt (1903) – Based in France
- Femina Prize (1904) – Based in France
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1917) – Based in the United States
- James Tait Black Memorial Prize (1919) – The oldest literary prize in the UK
These are some of the prizes that laid the foundation for modern literary awards that we continue to celebrate today.
What is the Purpose of Book Prizes?
Whether subjective or not, book awards can bring incredible value to the literary world. They excel at spotlighting works from underrepresented voices, including women, LGBTQIA+, Black, and disabled authors. This recognition not only highlights diverse perspectives but also ensures these works get the attention they deserve.
Many prizes also have a financial aspect. For example, book awards like The Booker Prize come with cash for the winner. This helps support books that may have literary value but don’t sell well or get enough attention from publishers’ marketing teams.
How Do Book Prizes Work?
Book awards follow a nomination process where publishers submit books they believe have strong potential. Only publishers can submit entries; authors, translators, and agents cannot enter directly. In order to enter a book for a book prize, publishers typically pay a fee, these vary for each award. For example, it is £100 to enter into the People’s Book Prize but $75 (~£56) for to enter the The Pulitzer Prize according to BookBub.
Often, publishers nominate books to generate buzz, even if they aren’t expected to win, which can lead to recognition in other awards. Prestigious awards, like the Booker Prize, may give priority to authors who have been previously shortlisted.
Eligibility varies by award; some focus on debut novels, age limits, nationality, or specific themes. In some cases, books gain consideration mainly due to their popularity, even if their literary quality isn’t high or their chances of winning are slim.
Do Book Prizes Still Carry Weight With Readers?
This answer is, of course, subjective. Some people discover their favourite reads through book prizes and enjoy exploring award-winning titles, which is completely understandable. Others may find these selections boring or not to their taste and not connect with them – and that’s understandable too.
Unfortunately, book prize numbers are falling, leading some to claim their time has passed since they began in the late 19th/early 20th century. Financial challenges make sponsors hesitant, and in 2022, three major prizes ended: the Costa awards, the Desmond Elliott Prize, and the Blue Peter children’s award. A 2014 Guardian article cited a study showing that “winning a prestigious prize in the literary world seems to go hand-in-hand with a particularly sharp reduction in ratings of perceived quality.” Readers drawn by award publicity often gave negative reviews when the book didn’t suit their taste – which no author wants. Essentially, people tend to complain more when an award-winning book doesn’t meet their high expectations.
Additionally, while they claim to recognise excellence and promote quality art, critics argue they often reward mediocrity and foster elitism. Yet most readers – those who buy books at airports, discuss them online, or study them at university – are not part of this world. This is likely why people relate less to book prizes – they don’t see themselves as the target audience and don’t care if a book wins an award, as it doesn’t affect their opinion of the novel. In a 2022 discussion on Reddit’s Literature Forum, one user remarked that book prizes are “just a fun sort of thing for the chattering classes and the wealthy,” adding that they give people a way to associate with the “cultural elite.” In this case, we return to the question most people ask when discussing these awards, what makes one’s opinion worth more than another’s?
In the Mostly Lit podcast episode, ‘#11 Are Book Prizes Necessary?’, Rai comments: “It’s very rare now, like maybe in the early 2000s or late 1990s, when there seemed to be more respect for these prizes and for the industry as a whole. […] There has been less respect for writing in general. There’s something about prizes now, especially with the rise of celebrities and influencers, where I don’t think they change your life the way they used to.”
The Voting Process
As mentioned above, it is publishers that put a book forward for an award. So, the people who read and buy the books – the target audience for book awards – are not the ones nominating the titles. Wouldn’t it be more fair if the public could vote for the nominees? An approach similar to music awards like the BRIT Awards, where a select group of popular and relevant artists are nominated for each category, and the public can vote online could be more interactive and engaging for readers.
Do People Buy Books Because it was Shortlisted For a Prize?
According to BookBub, readers tend to respond positively to mentions of an author’s accolades, particularly the awards they have won. In fact, blurbs that highlight prestigious, genre-specific awards can boost click-through rates (CTRs) by as much as 25%, with an average increase of 5%. Despite being specific to BookBub users, these results are still relevant.
Overall, book prizes play an important role in highlighting specific works, particularly those by LGBTQIA+, women, and disabled authors, as this representation is crucial. However, general book awards, which often solely rely on individual opinions, generally do not resonate well with readers. Because literature is inherently subjective, many readers struggle to connect with these awards. Ultimately, while these prizes significantly benefit authors, they may not offer the same value to readers, even though it is the readers who buy and read the books.
Words by Emily Fletcher
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