The 2009 Authors' Awards

The 2009 prize winners were announced on Thursday 18th June during the Society of Authors Literary Awards Reception at the Cavalry and Guards Club, Piccadilly.

View full list of 2009 prize winners

Worries about airport bookshops / WHS Travel

The Society’s Chair, Margaret Drabble, wrote to Kate Swann, the Chief Executive of WH Smith, expressing concern that BAA, having declined to renew leases to Borders and Hughes & Hughes, had entered into an exclusive agreement with WHS for the supply of books, newspapers and magazines at BAA airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. Margaret Drabble pressed Kate Swann to ensure that the range of books on offer at airports was improved and not, as seemed more probable, diminished as a result of the exclusion of traditional booksellers.

The Google Settlement

We recently informed members about the complex settlement of legal proceedings brought against Google by the Authors Guild of America, our sister organisation in New York. The outcome affects authors outside the USA. You can view/download an information sheet about the Google settlement in the members area of this website.

This information sheet is located in the Members area>Guides and articles>Contracts and other legal issues section. Members can log-in by clicking here.

Online book piracy

We are aware of US companies such as Scribd.com that allow complete, in-copyright texts to be uploaded to their websites. This is being done very often, it seems, without the permission of the copyright owners.

We are monitoring developments and our advice to members is to get in touch with your publisher who should agree to instruct the website to implement its takedown procedure.

ISA clearances for children's writers

The Society is continuing to seek advice on whether children’s authors will need to obtain clearance from the new Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), from November 2010, which is when the rules are likely to come into effect.

Batchconnect website now live

The Booksellers Association has launched batchconnect, a new service designed for the exchange of promotional information between publishers, authors and booksellers. Publishers and authors can register on the site for a free trial period (the service will remain free for Society of Authors members), posting information about their books to be sent to bookshops with relevant profiles.

Free email briefings from The Bookseller

As well as members of the Society being able to subscribe to The Bookseller at a special 15% discount (see the membership benefits section for details), members can now also sign up to receive FREE Bookseller email briefings at: www.thebookseller.com/emails

BookBrunch news service

We commend to members BookBrunch, information website and a daily news service for the book industry. The daily bulletins are concise, informative and, for the time being, free!