Most Underrated Book Award shortlist announced

17 October 2012 Books+Publishing

The Small Press Network (SPUNC) has announced the shortlist for the inaugural Most Underrated Book Award, a prize that was established to showcase outstanding books published by small and independent publishers in Australia.

The shortlisted books are:

The Dark Wet by Jess Huon (Giramondo)
I Hate Martin Amis et al. by Peter Barry (Transit Lounge)
Two Steps Forward by Irma Gold (Affirm Press)
The Cook by Wayne Macauley (Text).

The winner will be announced at the Wheeler Centre on 8 November, prior to Truth is Stranger than Fiction: A Great Literary Debate, as part of the SPUNC Independent Publishing Conference.

The award is sponsored by Kobo and the award-winning author will receive a Kobo Vox Tablet and a $250 book credit. The publisher will also receive $1000 worth of free ebook conversions. The shortlisted and award-winning titles will be supported by a campaign held in-store at Readings throughout November.

‘So much of what happens in book publishing gets missed or hidden by the weight and noise from major publishing houses,’ said Kobo director of vendor relations Malcolm Neil. ‘Kobo loves these books and is excited to be part of a prize that clears away the noise and helps the reader find these gems.’

Judges for the award are author and academic Amy Espeseth, Crikey blogger and reviewer Bethanie Blanchard and Bookseller+Publisher’s Andrew Wrathall.

Category: Local news