Something like the Readers Choice Awards helps to raise public awareness, and this surely encourages writers to get their work published ... But the most crucial element is the encouragement (the nomination) gives writers. It will encourage them to improve – without high quality writing, the rest is just superfluous. Good writing is the lifeblood of the whole publishing industry.Chong Ton Sin, managing director of book distributors GerakBudaya is among those interviewed in Starmag today about how awards help boost the local publishing industry. He also talks about how he thinks reading could be encouraged in Malaysia.
More about the Readers Choice Awards today here. Robert Raymer and I were just over in Amcorp Mall where of course we made a visit to Popular Bookstores to vote. What surprised me was the assistant asking us how many forms we wanted! (Could hear Robert thinking, "Hundreds and hundreds so all my students can vote for me.")
Other things in today's Starmag :
Elizabeth Tai talks to Karim Raslan about his new book, and enjoys a tour of the apartment where he writes, with all its disturbing art ...
Leon Wing reviews Robert Bolaño's 2666 ...
5 comments:
I think the link between "awards" and "high quality" needs to be proven before anyone can say awards matter.
At the Popular IKANO outlet, the forms were just placed in a plastic rack near the display of the shortlisted books. And they were photocopied forms, despite what the rules said. Were yours original?
no - photocopied.
Vanity Drive isn't fiction. It's fiction. It will be odd if it wins for fiction!
yep on both counts
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