‘The Cook’ wins Most Underrated Book Award
Wayne Macauley has won the inaugural Most Underrated Book Award for his novel The Cook (Text).
The award, sponsored by Kobo, was announced at the Wheeler Centre on 8 November as part of the Small Press Network (SPUNC) Independent Publishers Conference.
Macauley, who participated earlier in the night in the debate Truth is Stranger Than Fiction, said in his acceptance speech that ‘I consider it a lifetime underachievement award’.
The Cook beat shortlisted works The Dark Wet by Jess Huon (Giramondo), I Hate Martin Amis et al. by Peter Barry (Transit Lounge) and Two Steps Forward by Irma Gold (Affirm Press).
Macauley has won a Kobo Vox Tablet and a $250 book credit. His publisher will also receive $1000 worth of free ebook conversions.
All the shortlisted titles are currently being supported by a campaign held in-store and online at Readings throughout November. Readings books division manager Martin Shaw told Bookseller+Publisher that while ‘it’s early days’ in the promotion, Readings has seen an increase in sales for the shortlisted titles, which he said ‘are in many ways quite new to many people’. Shaw said The Cook appears to be particularly benefitting from the award. ‘Even though a lot of people might have heard something in passing about [the book] over the past year, the award reminded them that this was something they had really been missing out on,’ said Shaw.
The Cook was also nominated for the Melbourne Prize for Literature, Best Writing Award 2012, but the prize was awarded to Craig Sherborne’s The Amateur Science of Love (Text).
Category: Local news
