Sebastian Barry and Eoin Colfer win indie booksellers prizes
18.09.09 Catherine Neilan - The Bookseller

Costa-winner Sebastian Barry and children's bestseller Eoin Colfer have picked up awards for this year's Independent Booksellers' Book Prize.

Barry's The Secret Scripture (Faber) topped the adult category, while Colfer's Artemis Fowl and The Time Paradox (Puffin) won the children's category.

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."

Colfer added: "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."

The prizes were presented during The Bookseller Retail Awards, held at The Natural History Museum, London.

Picking up the prize Colfer said that leprechauns were making a comback after the recent dominance of vampires. "Next year is the year of the sexy leprechaun," he said.
The award was voted for, out of a shortlist of ten in each category, by "hundreds" of independent bookshop customers, in support of Independent Booksellers’ Week which ran from 15th to 22nd June 2009.

Now in its third year, the ceremony is organised by the BA.Meryl Halls, head of membership services at the BA, said: "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."