The Harry Potter author and megamillionaire is all set to win yet another literary prize, the £5000 W H Smith Adult Fiction Award. But this one is different- it's voted for by members of the public, in stores, by text, online or by post. And the other other books that Rowling is up against include one of our favourites, The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night Time, by Mark haddon, which has been the classic underdog book that just won the Whitbred prize. £5000 might be a drop in the ocean to J K Rowling, but if you don't like the thought of that, go to our News section and check out the shortlist- and then vote!

http://www.whsmithbookawards.co.uk/whsmith/vote-04-nopop.php?source=online


The voting is now open, for anyone interested

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Sorry, daydreaming again! The voting is now nearly closed - you have till midnight tonight...

In answer to the title question, no. In response to the award title of " H Smith Adult Fiction Award", I simply laugh, and wonder quietly as to why JK is even in the running, with a series of conceptually unoriginal kids books (and the resulting movies and merchandise empire, including fluffy dolls and U rated video games) as her only real claim to fame.

Yes. Only when I surpass a authors writing critique and skills will I then, feel I have the right to an opinion which begrudges someone's deserved fame, respect and returned commitment of time to say, 'well done'.

Daisy, thanks for putting that link there- yes, everybody, vote as quickly as you can! it is the People's Choice after all.

I have voted!!!!

Wrote in a couple of my personal favourites as insome categories I have not read even one of the shortlisted books!

No, I did not vote for Harry Potter, although I did really enjoy reading the books. They are terrific fun. The hype as spoiled them, I admit, but that does not take away from their being great at what they are: entertainment.

Anne Marie

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Typos: It's my keyboard, not me - I swear! (Okay, it's me!)

"in some categories", not "insome".... (Are those the sleepy categories?)

The hype HAS spoiled them, not as ... I wasn't trying out dialect!

The problem with any competition such as this is people's perception.
It is likely that Joanna Rowling will win because people recognise her name and presume her books are excellant because they are popular.

The question of course is as to if she qualifies as the prize is for Adult Fiction an age group I would hardly think her books qualified for.

Sadly what ever else Joanna Rowling writes will be perceived to ride on the back of Potter, regardless as to if it is good or bad it will sell because of who she is and not because of the quality of the work.


I voted and not for her despite her technically being a local author.

olebut -

I didn't know that JK Rowling is from the South West. Well, so am I, so looks like we're neighbours! (I'm in Falmouth.)

Anne Marie

This site is a fantastic resource for unpublished writers, especially the forums for posting and commenting on work, but as a newbie I have to admit it is surprising to see how bitter people are about the success of others that could've be in the same position.

J.K. Rowling has got more kids into reading since 1997 than Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, Lewis Carroll or any other children's writer in such a short space of time. Don't get me wrong, give me George's Marvellous Medicine anyday, but the Potter books are good, and they just get better and better. Okay, not everyone's cup of cha, but what is?

What bugs me is people who clearly dislike others because of success, just because THEY deem it unfair, or unjust. i.e. Mr Insane Bartender:

“I simply laugh, and wonder quietly as to why JK is even in the running, with a series of conceptually unoriginal kids books (and the resulting movies and merchandise empire, including fluffy dolls and U rated video games) as her only real claim to fame.”

Conceptually unoriginal? Have you read all five books? Is your work just so stunningly orginal that it defies all previous concepts?

The books have been sold in more than 200 countries and translated into 60 languages from Hindi to Ancient Greek. The fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix, sold 1.78 million copies on its FIRST DAY in the UK ALONE. In total, Joanne has sold over 250 MILLION books worldwide!!!

That is some claim to fame mate – what’s yours?

And she was rejected by everybody under the sun before Bloomsbury picked up the first Potter book. She was paid something like 5 grand. I'm sure you all know she was, at the time, a single mother (is that why people, mainly male, begrudge her success, I wonder?) who wrote her books in an Edinburgh cafe, and is now a multi-millionaire, ranked as the world's best paid author. In fact The Sunday Times put her earnings over the past year at £125m - the equivalent of £388 for EVERY WORD of her most recent book.

Now that, I believe, deserves as many prizes as the girl can physically fit in her living room (which would be about fifty lorry loads).

So any other argument is, to be frank, clearly non-informed, opinionated and obviously irrelevent.

Sorry it's a bit strong for a new bloke, but honestly, people should stop being so depressingly negative and bitter.

To set the record straight Joanna Rowling conceived her books whislt living in Tutshill in The Forest of Dean and the Forest was the base for much of the concept as it was for Tolkien's Lord of The rings Trilogy.

Indeed I seem to recall her stating that some of the characters were characatures of people from around the area.I believe she also wrote her first book or at least the outline whilst still in Tutshill and had in fact worked out the complete seven books prior to embarking on the first one.



I begrudge her nothing just wished I had met her when she still lived 5 miles away

I've posted on this before - I don't understand the nasty begrudging attitude towards JK either. Obviously, anybody is entitled not to like the books, but not liking HP seems to be a real badge of honour for some people. I bought the first HP before all the hype began, and far from "conceptually unoriginal", I thought it was great to have a return to the traditional magic of children's writing (never did go in much for all that Judy Blume isn't-growing-up-difficult realism). Nobody's saying that HP is the finest literary character ever to have been created - but why the venom? He's far from the worst, either.
There are loads of people thinking they're too cool to buy into the hype, too cool even to read the books, a cut above the rest of the sheep who unthinkingly read the books and say "aern't they GREAT?" The thing is, these wannabe cool types are no more original than the rest of us - they're just buying into the backlash culture and enjoying the feeling of superiority that being in a smaller group affords them. Enjoy your teenage-y I'm-wearing-black-and-heaps-of-gothic-make-up-aren't-I-different attitude, lads - you're not impressing anybody.

I can't say I understand the malice either. I read a third of one and didn't enjoy it, but they are primarily kids books after all.

Thing is that this thread started as a good question: if you don't think that she should win an adult fiction prize (I don't) you can vote for one you think did. I did vote and the irony is I voted for 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' which I have seen described as a kids book!!!

Anyway, leave her alone. I don't like the books but plenty of people do (my mum, my sister in law for instance). It's entertainment after all. I don't like Bernard Manning but I think people that do have a right to...well, actually I don't, but J K ROWLING isn't a f...ok, no slander, I remember now...

byyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeee

If you want an online argument Davey, I'm more than happy to give you one.

What bugs me is people who clearly dislike others because of success, just because THEY deem it unfair, or unjust. i.e. Mr Insane Bartender:

Yes, perfectly reasonable thing to say, given that as a complete newbie you know so much about my feelings with regards to JK and her career, writings and general success. Or not. Jealous of success, or simply pointing out the many general similarities that Potter has with the Worst Witch? As for unfair or unjust, I think the general success of the Potter books is completely in keeping with general human standards on the worldwide stage. Which is to say that people will buy whatever somebody tells them once it is deemed cool or 'in'. Of course, it being cool and having been read by society member X, such person generally has a social responsibility to agree that it is cool, regardless of whether or not that persons actual view is in keeping with that statement.

Do I hate her success? No. I hate her crappy unoriginal books, the morons following her success as though she were some mythological messiah, the absurd media coverage anything to do with Potter gets, the quite frankly ridiculous merchandising empire designed to drum kids that can't even read yet into loving the whole thing as well, the laughably poor computer games built around it as listless and shameless cash-ins and pretty much anything else to do with it all.

Do I hate JK Rowling? On the contrary, I have a great deal of respect for her extremely sharp business acumen, and the marketing gurus surrounding her that have allowed her to so take advantage of a weak species. That doesn't mean I have to like what she's doing, though.

Conceptually unoriginal? Have you read all five books? Is your work just so stunningly orginal that it defies all previous concepts?

This smacks of having read the Potter books, and taken their success as an indicator that they are some genre busting super-novels. Fortunately, this is not the case. It's been done before, just never marketed quite so spectacularly.

The books have been sold in more than 200 countries and translated into 60 languages from Hindi to Ancient Greek. The fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix, sold 1.78 million copies on its FIRST DAY in the UK ALONE. In total, Joanne has sold over 250 MILLION books worldwide!!!

Yes, that's great. Firstly, you'll note that I never once said that the books were't popular, and so spewing statistics about the sales volumes and translation demand for the books doesn;t really give your argument any more credence. Secondly, I point you back to my point regarding 'cool' merchandise. Thirdly, I laugh as I point out the 'debacle' in the lead up to the release of the most recent book, which was more than likely an excessive marketing ploy to keep the book in the headlines every day up to release. Fourthly, I will point out the ease of opportunity modern companies have for this form of widespread media attention and product distribution that has in the past been much slower and far more costly, making the books one way merely a pointer for the future direction of the industry, rather than a simple phenomenon to which all other authors should gasp in awe and sit in silent reverence. Fithly, I can still name comic books which have easily outsold Potter books, the bible and any other comparison, so getting excited about sales volumes which do not directly effect your own wealth is a bit numpty. I beleive youmay well be suffering from a similar 'affliction' as that pointed out by the recent Civitas report, whereby you fill your existence with something that shouldn't ordinarily effect you. You might want to look into that.

That is some claim to fame mate – what’s yours?

Agin, your ignorance shines like a beacon of witless buffoonery. Please direct me to my statement indicating that my own fame was either in excess of JK Rowling, or in some way more valid. You can't? Interesting. Then why, pray tell, are you indicating that I should then justify myself in that regard?

Oh that's right, because you're ranting on in your own little world, venting for the sake of showing how clever you are for knowing all the facts and figures with regards to JK Rowling. What a clever little mouth-breather you are.

In fact The Sunday Times put her earnings over the past year at £125m - the equivalent of £388 for EVERY WORD of her most recent book.

Ah, more facts and figures. I can almost see you googling for this as I type now. Quite sad really. It's the old "I'm on the internet, so I can make myself look proper clever" syndrome. Look mate. I'm online too, and have access to all the facts and figures you have at your fingertips. I just choose not to showboat them in a vain attempt to make myself look smart because someone publicly claimed to dislike my favourite book. Geddit?

Now that, I believe, deserves as many prizes as the girl can physically fit in her living room (which would be about fifty lorry loads).

Now, I'm all for awards, given the popularity of the books, it's bound to get something. But adult fiction? Come on son, surely even youcan see that these are kids books we're talking about here. Adult fiction is a stretch for even my imagination (which can be considerable when so rarely called upon). As for the remark about the size of the ladies living room, I hope, for as much JK Rolwing's sake as your own, that that's a joke.

So any other argument is, to be frank, clearly non-informed, opinionated and obviously irrelevent.

Of coure it is, far be it from me to even consider that yours might not be the one true word of God himself, infallible and incapable of misdirection.

Sorry it's a bit strong for a new bloke, but honestly, people should stop being so depressingly negative and bitter.

No need to apologise. Although I won;t stop being quite so negative for the time being, if you don't mind. Wonderful as you seem to think the Potter books are, they're not solving the enormous social, economic, agricultural, political and ecological problems currently threatening the world. They won;t stop human beings from being completely self-destructively self-serving, they won't save lives and they will not convince me that it is a good thing to be considered a part of the evil that is humankind.

But have a nice day.


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Given the off-subject nature this part of the discussion is taking, this post has been copied into my diary, which any of you can read here.

Any further comments/rebuttals/statements in regard to my personal opinion should be directed there, either via comments or direct e-mail to me, so as to avoid cluttering an otherwise excellent site with witless banter and internet backchat.

I think Davey goes quite a bit over the top with his broadside against adverse criticism of JKR, whereas his comments amount to a small popgun of personal opinion.

Each Member is entitled to have an opinion. There are quite a number of different aspects of the success of JKR... the wealth, the applause, the quality of her writing and so on. Each of these may form the basis of a 'resentment'. However I am of the opinion that underlying most expressed 'resentments' lies the realisation of the easy pathway that JKR has for having her work published - even a shopping list. She has earned this I know, but it is not easy to swallow when rejection notices fill a Member's living room!

However, as I stated on an earlier site on JKR, that's the name of the game. That's how it works in a money-driven Society.

It is not the healthiest of signs to suggest that resentment of JKR may be based on her being a single mother.

Len

Wow this is great! I like it when IB gets like this. Though maybe this discussion could be relocated to his website? Maybe IB can say if this can be done (I know you like a good argument!) I'm a visitor there so I won't miss out!