The shortlist for the Blooker Prize 2007 – the award that honours published books based on blogs – has been announced. The 15 nominees have all found real-world publishing deals thanks to their passion for blogging.
Judging the finalists are
- Paul Jones, director of www.ibiblio.org;
- Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor of the Huffington Post;
- Julie Powell, winner of the 2006 prize for her blook Julie & Julia;
- Rohit Gupta, aka DJ Fadereu, a Bombay-based sidewalk philosopher;
- Nick Cohen, a columnist for The Observer and New Statesman
It’s interesting and encouraging, in a blogging world where many seem to proclaim that traditional media is dying, that real books are being written as a result of how blogs work.
The BBC reports:
Cory Doctorow, well-known blogger and former Blooker judge, believes blooks change the nature of the creative process involved in writing.
“Previously such jottings might have been kept in the author’s notebook but something amazing happens when you post them online: readers help you connect them, flesh them out and grow them into fully-fledged books or blooks,” he said.
The 15 nominations are:
- Non-fiction:
- Crashing The Gate by Jerome Armstrong
- My Secret: A PostSecret Book by Frank Warren
- My War: Killing Time In Iraq by Colby Buzzell
- Small Is the New Big: and 183 other riffs, rants, and remarkable business ideas by Seth Godin
- So Close: Infertile and Addicted To Hope by Tertia Albertyn
- Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language From the South of France by Kristin Espinasse
- Fiction:
- Albert The Third by Slim Palmer
- BreakupBabe: A Novel by Rebecca Agiewich
- The Doorbells of Florence by Andrew Losowsky
- Messages from the Lost Continent conceived and edited by Horst Prillinger
- Methuselah’s Daughter by J. A. Eddy and Dean Esmay
- Monster Island: A Zombie Novel by David Wellington
- Comics
- Born of Nifty: Sluggy Freelance Megatome 01 by Pete Abrams
- The Definition of Awesome: Another Joe and Monkey Collection by Zach Miller
- Mom’s Cancer by Brian Fies
The prize money totals US $15,000. The winner in each category will be awarded US $2,500, with an additional US $7,500 grand prize going to the one blook deemed Overall Winner. The winners will be announced on 14 May.