Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Shortlist, Creative Writing AI, and LBF Online: This Week in Book News

Hello writers! We hope you’ve had a wonderful week and are continuing to stay healthy and safe. We have a short and sweet roundup for you this week, so let’s get right to it!

First, come exciting news on the Kobo front. The shortlist for the Kobo Emerging Writers Prize has been announced! If you’re looking to add a book or two to your TBR pile, this shortlist is an excellent place to start.

Seventh Annual Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Shortlist Announced

Rakuten Kobo, in search of the best books written by debut Canadian authors, today announced the shortlist for its seventh annual Emerging Writer Prize. The award was created to bring literary recognition to Canadian talent, and kick-start the careers of debut authors.

The London Book Fair is pivoting to online and has outlined their virtual events.

London Book Fair Outlines Virtual Events

The London Book Fair has announced a schedule of topics and conferences that will be covered during its virtual online book fair, which will be spread across the month of June and into July. Starting on June 7, there will be four days of single-topic conferences: “Introductions to Rights” on June 7; “The Writer’s Summit” on June 8; “What Works?

As controversary surrounding book deals for members of the Trump administration continues, this article takes an interesting look at the current state of publishing and what the industry stands for.

What Does Book Publishing Stand For?

Seven years ago, when Amazon was in the midst of a contentious pricing battle with one of the country’s largest publishers, a group of famous authors banded together to make the case that publishing was a crucial industry for the nation’s cultural and intellectual life. “Publishers provide venture capital for ideas,” the authors wrote.

The finalists have been announced for the Governor General’s Literary Awards.

Francesca Ekwuyasi, Billy-Ray Belcourt & Anne Carson among 2020 Governor General’s Literary Awards finalists | CBC Books

Francesca Ekwuyasi, Billy-Ray Belcourt and Anne Carson are among the finalists for the 2020 Governor General’s Literary Awards. The prizes, administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, are awarded in seven English-language categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young people’s literature – text, young people’s literature – illustration, drama and translation.

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Penguin Random House is rereleasing three of Stacey Abram’s romance novels.

Stacey Abrams is Rereleasing Three of Her Romance Novels

Photo: Nathan Posner/Shutterstock Get ready to swoon. Berkley, a Penguin Random House imprint, is rereleasing three Stacey Abrams romantic suspense novels that have been out of print for many years. Originally published under the pen name Selena Montgomery, Rules of Engagement, The Art of Desire, and Power of Persuasion will be out in hardcover and audio in 2022.

Meghan Markle is releasing a children’s book next month.

Meghan Markle publishing first picture book, The Bench, inspired by Prince Harry and son Archie | CBC Books

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has written her first picture book. The Bench is a picture book about a father and his relationship with his son, as depicted through the eyes of the mother. The story was inspired by Meghan watching her husband, Prince Harry, bond with their son, Archie.

Billie Eilish is releasing a book of family photos before the release of her next album.

Billie Eilish is publishing her family photos: ‘It made me miss a lot of parts of my life’

he small girl in the photo, sitting at a piano while singing into a toy microphone, could be any child. But she is Billie Eilish: one of the world’s biggest stars from the age of 14, famous for her dreamy and moody brand of pop, the singer of the next James Bond theme.

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This piece on the evolution of creative writing AI is fascinating (don’t worry, writers aren’t being replaced by robots).

The Computers Are Getting Better at Writing

Whatever field you are in, if it uses language, it is about to be transformed. Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” has a famous opening: “One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin.” The rest of the story follows, logically and ludicrously, from that original degrading miracle.

And last but not least, a one for the punctuation nerds: A fun look at what punctuation famous writers have loved (and hated).

The Punctuation Marks Loved (and Hated) by Famous Writers

Parul Sehgal once argued that style “is 90 percent punctuation.” A glance at Adam Calhoun’s visual comparisons of novels stripped down to just their punctuation marks would suggest something similar. It also indicates something a little more than style-a kind of attentiveness, perhaps.

Have a great weekend!

Staff Pick

Rachel, Author Engagement Coordinator

Instead of offering up one staff pick this week, I’m giving you ten! Check out my list of books that take place in space in honour of Space Day!