The Quill Awards, the new national book award event created by Reed Business Information in partnership with NBC Universal Television Stations, will air on NBC's 14 owned and operated stations when the prizes are handed out in October. The awards will feature presentations in more than 15 categories, and the winners will be determined by the reading public, who will vote online and in participating bookstores. In conjunction with the launch of the Quills, RBI (parent company of PW) has formed the not-for-profit Quills Literacy Foundation, which will receive proceeds from the event.
Gerry Byrne, former publisher of Variety, was the driving force behind the creation of the Quills, which he will supervise while also serving as chairman of the foundation. Byrne said his goal in creating the Quills "was to create an event in which the public can get involved." He noted that the Quills is not intended to compete with existing book awards but rather to provide readers with the opportunity to participate in choosing their favorite authors.
In addition to honoring authors and promoting literacy, Byrne said, the intent of the Quills is to help sell more books.
The awards ceremony has wide-ranging support from the publishing industry, and the event's executive council includes HarperCollins president Jane Friedman; Random House chairman Peter Olson; Time Warner Book Group chairman Larry Kirshbaum; and Bob Miller, president of Hyperion Books. Retailers are represented by Avin Domnitz, CEO of the ABA, and Greg Josefowicz, chairman of Borders, while the agent and wholesaler communities are represented by Robert Gottlieb of Trident Media Group and Jim Chandler, president of Ingram Books, respectively. Among the other media execs on the council are Jay Ireland, president of NBC Universal Stations, and Randy Siegel, president and publisher of Parade Publications.
The slate of nominees will be chosen by an academy of approximately 6,000 booksellers and librarians who are PW subscribers and who will be selected by the end of February. The panel will then choose five nominees in each category by May 1, with voting by the consumer public set for August. Borders and independent booksellers are among the places where voting will take place, and NBC is creating a Web site to allow the public to vote online.
NBC's Ireland said the network sees the Quills as a "destination television event" that will promote reading and literacy. In addition to carrying the ceremony on its owned and operated stations, which are in most major markets, NBC will offer the telecast to its affiliates. Byrne said NBC is planning to develop a number of branding efforts to promote the awards. "NBC believes that over time they can nurture the Quills into a major event," Byrne said. He added that the combination of television coverage and the ties to literacy will make it easier to draw celebrities to appear as presenters for the various awards.
Among the Quill categories are Book of the Year; Rookie of the Year; Children's Book of the Year; and Graphic Novel of the Year. A Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented annually. More information about the Quills and the foundation can be found at www.wnbc.com/quills.
