Books that start life in digital form are finally breaking through to become prize contenders. And here's one for next year…
- The Observer,
This year's Man Booker prize longlist made history for being the first to include a novel published first as an ebook. Or, more accurately, four ebooks: The Kills, a 1,040-page political thriller by Richard House (Picador), began life as a digital quartet, the first part of which, Sutler, I reviewed here in March. Ebooks are eligible for submission to major literary prizes provided they are from "established" publishers and made available in print if longlisted. With that in mind, I may just have read a contender for next year's Costa book awards or Women's prize for fiction.
The Family Thief by Annabel Markova (author of several novels under the name Annabel Dilke) is published by Blackfriars, a new digital-first imprint from publisher Little, Brown. A brilliantly sinister tale of a girl who wheedles her way into a family in 1960s north London, its witty portrayal of a chaotic bohemian home has shades of Barbara Trapido. It also reminded me of another recent, equally creepy novel: Alys Always by Harriet Lane. I'm sure it won't be long before it appears in print.
While not the first digital offshoot from a major publisher, Blackfriars is the first to specialise in literary fiction and nonfiction. Refreshingly, it appears to see digital as more than just a money-spinner. Not only is it involved with pioneering projects such as the crowd-sourced murder mystery Exquisite Corpse, written in collaboration with the Southbank Centre with contributions from authors including Stella Duffy, Blackfriars is also experimenting on the acquisition side. Though its current titles came to them the traditional way – through agents – there is now, bravely, a submission form on its website. If that leads to books even half as good as The Family Thief, good luck to them.
While not the first digital offshoot from a major publisher, Blackfriars is the first to specialise in literary fiction and nonfiction. Refreshingly, it appears to see digital as more than just a money-spinner. Not only is it involved with pioneering projects such as the crowd-sourced murder mystery Exquisite Corpse, written in collaboration with the Southbank Centre with contributions from authors including Stella Duffy, Blackfriars is also experimenting on the acquisition side. Though its current titles came to them the traditional way – through agents – there is now, bravely, a submission form on its website. If that leads to books even half as good as The Family Thief, good luck to them.
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