Shortlist Announced: Exciting new voices and storytelling talent challenge established names for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award
Goldsboro Books announced on Thursday 30th August the six titles shortlisted for the 2018 Glass Bell Award, the prize introduced last year to celebrate the best storytelling across all genres of contemporary fiction.
Four debuts are up against celebrated literary heavyweight John Boyne and The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell for the £2,000 prize, which will also see the winner awarded a beautiful, handmade, engraved glass bell.
Award-winning Boyne is shortlisted for his sweeping Irish odyssey The Heart’s Invisible Furies, which spans 70 years of Irish history. Joining him are debut novelists Gail Honeyman, whose remarkable breakout bestseller Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine previously won the Costa First Novel Award, both the British Book Award Debut of the Year and Book of the Year, and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize; Nathan Hill, for his multi-stranded mystery The Nix; Imran Mahmood for You Don’t Know Me, which was longlisted for both a CWA Gold Dagger and the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year; and Ali Land for her chilling thriller Good Me Bad Me which was a Richard & Judy Book Club pick. Also on the shortlist is The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell, a hair-raising ghost story which was a Zoe Ball ITV Book Club pick.
The winner of the prize, which rewards ‘compelling storytelling with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised’, will be announced at a party at the bookshop on Thursday 27th September 2018. The prize is judged by Goldsboro Books founder and MD David Headley and his team at the bookshop.
David said: ‘Narrowing down the longlist to six titles has been an enormous challenge, but I am very proud of this wonderfully varied shortlist, which combines hugely exciting debuts, original and clever thrillers, a terrifying ghost story, and slice of Irish history. These amazing stories are entertaining, thought-provoking and sparked passionate discussions – I know that they will stay with us for a long time. Any one of them would be a worthy winner.’
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (HarperFiction)
Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land (Michael Joseph)
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (Transworld)
The Nix by Nathan Hill (Picador)
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell (Bloomsbury Raven)
You Don’t Know Me by Imran Mahmood (Michael Joseph)
ENDS
For all media enquiries please contact Sophie Goodfellow at FMcM Associates on 020 7405 7422 or email sophieg@fmcm.co.uk
Notes to editors
About The Glass Bell Award
Launched in 2017, the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award is awarded annually to an outstanding work of contemporary fiction, rewarding quality storytelling in any genre. The winner of the Glass Bell will receive £2,000 in prize money, and a handmade, engraved glass bell. The jury of ten consists of team members from Goldsboro Books, DHH Literary Agency and The Dome Press. There is no fee, or limit to the number of books that a publisher may submit, allowing both established and debut authors a chance to win. The inaugural winner was Chris Cleave, for his extraordinary Everyone Brave is Forgiven (Sceptre), the moving and unflinching novel about the profound effects that the Second World War had on ordinary citizens back at home in Britain. The full 2018 award longlist comprised:
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (Transworld)
American War by Omar El Akkad (Picador)
The Nix by Nathan Hill (Picador)
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (HarperFiction)
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (Century)
Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land (Michael Joseph)
The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd (Century)
You Don't Know Me by Imran Mahmood (Michael Joseph)
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor (4th Estate)
The Ice by Laline Paull (4th Estate)
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough (HarperCollins)
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell (Bloomsbury Raven)
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent (4th Estate)
About Goldsboro Books
Goldsboro Books is an independent bookshop, based in central London, specialising in signed first edition books. Providing an expert, knowledgeable team and a carefully curated range is at the heart of the business, delivering the best book-buying experience for every customer. Goldsboro Books aims to interest and inspire book lovers, readers and collectors and provide the finest quality signed books in the world. Goldsboro Books was founded in 1999 by two friends and book collectors David Headley and Daniel Gedeon. Their reputation for spotting quality books early on, an expert eye on the future collectibles, along with enthusiasm and passion for bookselling excellence has grown with the business and Goldsboro Books has become a world-famous and much admired bookshop. Their global reputation grew in 2013 when they were the only bookshop in the world to have signed copies of The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith, who of course turned out to be none other than J.K. Rowling.
About DHH Literary Agency
The DHH Literary Agency is an editorially led agency run by passionate book lovers. With a range of experience from bookselling and collecting, in house editorial, and television, their agents are commercially aware, well-connected and skilled at helping authors develop their ideas. Founded by David H Headley in 2008, the agency is dedicated to discovering and nurturing talented authors, whether debut or established, providing attentive, honest and personalised representation.
About The Dome Press
Set up in 2016 by David Headley, The Dome Press is an independent publisher whose name is taken from the successful and much celebrated The Dome periodical that was published in London's Cecil Court by The Unicorn Press in the late 1800s. Its ethos is to champion great storytelling and give authors a voice, closely echoing The Dome periodical's objective. The Dome Press aims to discover and nurture both new and established writers alike, providing a fresh outlook, enabling new life to be breathed into a writer’s work - something they are passionate about. As the Managing Director of one of London's leading bookshops, Goldsboro Books, and the DHH Literary Agency, where he represents a number of talented and bestselling authors, David Headley has a wealth of experience in bookselling and takes pride in being able to anticipate what readers will want to read next.
For all media enquiries please contact Sophie Goodfellow at FMcM Associates on 020 7405 7422 or email sophieg@fmcm.co.uk
