Independent Bookshop Customers vote for their Favourite Book of the Year
Part of Independent Booksellers’ Week 2009
Adult category winner: Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture (Faber & Faber)
Children’s category winner: Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl and The Time Paradox (Puffin)
The Booksellers Association of the UK and Ireland tonight announced The Secret Scripture (Faber) by Sebastian Barry and Artemis Fowl and The Time Paradox (Puffin) by Eoin Colfer as winners of the nationwide Independent Booksellers’ Book Prize 2009, as voted for by independent bookshop customers, in support of Independent Booksellers’ Week which ran from 15th to 22nd June 2009.
The Independent Booksellers’ Book Prize – which is organised by The Booksellers Association, the national trade association for booksellers, and is now in its third year of existence – was supported by hundreds of independent bookshops throughout the country. The prizes were presented this evening at The Bookseller Retail Awards at The Natural History Museum, London.
Independent bookshop customers were invited to vote for their favourite book of the year from a shortlist of ten adult and ten children’s books – which were voted for by Booksellers Association members from a long list derived from sales data that specifically relates to independent bookshops. Votes to choose the winners were cast in independent bookshops, by post or by email between mid June and the end of August 2009.
Meryl Halls, Head of Membership Service at The Booksellers Association, comments: “Independent Booksellers Week celebrates quality, talent, creativity and passion for books and reading, and we are delighted that it sparked such energy and enthusiasm from local book shops and readers in picking their Favourite Book of the Year. We would like to congratulate both Sebastian and Eoin and thank everyone who voted.”
On discovering that The Secret Scripture had won the adult category, Sebastian Barry said: “This is very wonderful news indeed because the independent booksellers are the Buzz Aldrins, the Daniel Boones of the trade. They really are they heart of the matter. They keep things where they should be and I’m deeply moved that readers in Great Britain voted for my book.”
On winning the children’s category, Eoin Colfer commented: “I am delighted to have won this award for Artemis, especially when it comes from the independent booksellers who know what they’re talking about. This award will take pride of place on the mantelpiece where I used to keep my youngest son.”
Last year, Notes from an Exhibition (HarperPerennial) by Patrick Gale won the adult prize and the children’s award went to Robert Muchamore for his book The Sleepwalker (CHERUB).
