Behind the scenes at the Walter Scott Prize – a reader’s tale
10th June, 2015
In the run-up to the announcement of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2015, we give you few behind-the-scenes peeks at how a Book Prize is administered.
Bridget McCann is one of the team of readers for the Walter Scott Prize, who check each entry for eligibility and quality, before the longlist is drawn up. Bridget explains how she approaches the difficult task of ‘sifting’ the books.
“I was a bookish child, reading six library books a week, and learning all my history from Georgette Heyer, Captain F Marryat and Jean Plaidy. I’m still bookish. I can’t leave the house without checking that there is a book in my handbag. I worry that I’ve packed enough books to get me through a week’s holiday. I read several books a week.
Until… November when my job as a sifter begins for the Walter Scott Historical Prize, and my focus narrows in on historical fiction. My job is to ‘sift’ through all the books entered for this prestigious prize. And what a privilege this is. Over a hundred books are delivered to my door over three months. I take my job seriously as this is a serious prize and I respect each writer.
How do I start? I clear three shelves in my office and await the first jiffy bag. My postman is incredulous that I’m reading ‘all those books again’ as I snatch the first one from his hand. Off goes the TV. No more trashy TV re-runs and the lounge becomes positively Victorian as my husband and I settle down with historical book of choice. We interrupt each other from time to time “Did you know that King Charles I”…? Or “did you know Victorian women were not allowed to”…..etc?
As the books pour in there is the luxury of choice. The covers often guide my choice when it’s time to move on – sorry if that sounds superficial but I’m very rarely wrong. Then I can usually tell early on whether the writing is up to the mark though I try to persevere.
I constantly ask myself questions: ‘Does this book tell me something I didn’t know about an historical event or character?’ ‘ Do I feel emotionally connected?’ ‘ Would I want every one to read this?’ I have my own gold standard and that is The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng, the winner from 2013.
Sometimes I enjoy a book so much that it goes on my Yes pile though I know it’s not a winner. It hurts me to reject a book that I’ve enjoyed. I always write a few words to the administrators, justifying my reasons for choosing or rejecting a book. When a book gets under my skin, I worry that it may slip through the net so I write a more fulsome report and may in fact draw attention to it more than once. That was true of Ann Weisgarber’s novel The Promise which made it on to the short list of 2014.
As my shelves fill up, the leisurely Victorian atmosphere changes. I harangue my husband for his reports, there’s less conversation and my reading accelerates. I read into the night. My life is consumed by words. I’m in heaven.
The final reports are submitted from the reading team and a difficult decision is made by the administrators and judging team. We wait with baited breath to hear if our choices have made it onto the longlist. Roll on next year’s Prize!”