2010 Educational Writers Award Shortlist

Highlights Humour, Scholarship & Lateral Thinking for 12 - 18 year olds

LONDON, November 19, 2010 - The Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS) and the Society of
Authors today announced the shortlist for the 2010 Educational Writers Award.
The 2010 Award focuses on books for 12 -18 year olds published in 2009 &
2010. The shortlist includes four outstanding titles:

    - A Really Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, abridged
      and edited by Felicia Law (Diverta Ltd) (Doubleday)

    - Shakespeare on Toast by Ben Crystal (Icon Books)

    - Do You Think You're Clever? By John Farndon (Icon Books)

    - A Slice of Pi by Liz Strachan, illustrated by Steven Appleby
     (Constable)

"This award shines the spotlight on the hugely important area of
educational non-fiction publishing," says Paula Johnson of the Society of
Authors. "The four titles shortlisted are fine examples of the very real
creativity to be found amongst those who write to inspire young learners aged
12 - 18 years."

ALCS and the Society of Authors created this award in 2008 to 'celebrate
educational writing that inspires creativity and encourages students to read
widely and build up their understanding of a subject beyond the requirements
of exam specifications'. It is the only UK Award that focuses on educational
non-fiction. It is made annually for an outstanding example of traditionally
published single volume work, with or without illustration, for the specified
age group. The age group alternates each year; this year's focus is on works
for 12 - 18 year olds and in 2011 the focus returns to works for 5-11 year
olds.

"This is the third year of the Educational Writers Award and we are
delighted to be continuing our support," says ALCS deputy CEO, Barbara Hayes.
"We hope that by highlighting the importance of quality in educational
non-fiction we will inspire creative choices by both publishers as well as
writers in this field. At ALCS our membership consists of writers from every
genre however educational writers remain the largest sector of that
community."

The winner of the 2010 award will be announced on 7th December at the All
Party Writers Group (APWG) Christmas Reception at the House of Commons when
Lord Hill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools, will present a
cheque for GBP2,000 to the winner.

The 2010 judging panel includes three educational experts: school
librarian Maggie Campbell, teacher Louise Gerrard and writer Stewart Ross.

Detailed information on the four books on this year's shortlist can be
found on the attached sheet.

The forthcoming deadline for submission for the 2011 award for the 5 - 11
year age group is 1st June 2011. For further details please see
www.societyofauthors.org

Editors Notes

About the Judges

Maggie Campbell lives in Woodford Green and is the librarian at Oaklands
Secondary School in Tower Hamlets, where she has introduced book weeks with
visiting authors and a reading group (the Carnegie Club) shadowing book
prizes. Previously she has been school librarian at Seven Kings High School,
has had a variety of jobs in reference & local history libraries as well as
some mobile library adventures in a very unreliable old vehicle and was the
manager of a branch library in Hainault (North East London).

Louise Gerrard lives in East Sheen and has spent most of her career
teaching in comprehensive schools - both mixed and single sex. She currently
teaches English three days a week at Gumley School, Isleworth, a girls'
catholic comprehensive school for 11-18 year olds. She was previously Head of
English and a Professional Tutor at Hampton Community College, a mixed
comprehensive for 11 - 16 year olds.

Steward Ross taught in a wide range of institutions in Britain, USA,
Middle East & Sri Lanka before becoming a full-time writer 20 years ago. With
over 230 published titles to his credit, Stewart has written prize winning
books for children, both fiction and non-fiction, two adult novels, several
plays, librettos and a musical as well as books on history and sport. A
frequent lecturer and presenter of workshops in schools and colleges, he is
also an occasional journalist and broadcaster. He lives in Kent with his
family.

Society of Authors

The Society of Authors has been serving the interests of professional
writers for more than a century. Today it has more than 8,900 members (from
novelists to doctors, textbook writers to ghost writers, broadcasters to
academics, illustrators to translators) writing in all areas of the
profession. Services include the confidential, individual vetting of
contracts, and help with professional disputes. In addition, the Society
holds meetings and seminars, publishes a quarterly journal, The Author, and
maintains a database of members' specializations. It administers a wide range
of prizes, as well as the Authors' Foundation, which is one of the very few
bodies making grants to help with work in progress for established writers.
For further information contact info@societyofauthors.org

2011 Educational Writers Award - please see
www.societyofauthors.org for further information.

To be eligible the work must be single volume, non-fiction (with or
without illustration) of genuine merit for the specified age group. It must
have been first published in the UK in the English Language within the two
previous calendar years.

ALCS

ALCS collects fees on behalf of the whole spectrum of UK writers:
novelists, film & TV script writers, literary prize winners, poets and
playwrights, freelance journalists, translators and adaptors, as well as
thousands of professional and academic writers who include nurses, lawyers,
teachers, scientists, and college lecturers. All writers are eligible to join
ALCS: further details on membership can be found at www.alcs.co.uk

The Society collects fees that are difficult, time-consuming or legally
impossible for writers and their representatives to claim on an individual
basis: money that is nonetheless due to them. Fees collected are distributed
to writers twice a year in March and September. Since its inception, ALCS has
distributed over GBP240 million to the nation's writers.

The All Party Parliamentary Writers Group (APWG)

APWG is a forum for elected Parliamentarians in Westminster to consider
and discuss matters of importance to writers. As a focal point for authors'
interests, with its links to UK writer organisations, APWG is well placed to
draw attention to the current issues facing writers amongst an audience of
decision-makers at Westminster and beyond. The current Chairman is John
Whittingdale MP.

Contact information: ALCS, The Writers' House, 13 Haydon Street, London
EC3N 1DB Tel: +44(0)20-7264-5700; email alcs@alcs.co.uk. Website:
www.alcs.co.uk

Media Contact: for further information, author/illustrator interviews &
copies of the shortlisted books please contact: Becca Wyatt: +44(0)1798-867-117; +44(0)7801-061-420; ALCS, Alison Baxter: +44(0)20-7264-5700; Society of Authors, Paula Johnson: +44(0)20-7373-6642 (pjohnson at societyofauthors.org)