The Bookworm Launches Literary Award, Publishing House

On Friday our favorite Beijing bookstore launched China Bookworm Press, "an independent publishing venture that will publish contemporary fiction and non-fiction from China and make it available to a wider international audience in translation," the China Bookworm Group announced.

The Group, which operates Bookworm bookstores and cafés in Beijing, Chengdu, and Suzhou, and organizes the China Bookworm Literary Festival in those three cities, is also debuting the China Bookworm Literary Award, "an annual award for a previously unpublished novel" for a Chinese mainland writer. Prizes will be RMB 5,000, RMB 2,500, and RMB 1,000. The new press will also translate into English and publish the winning novel.

"We are very excited to be launching this publishing venture today. We feel this is a very natural fit with our bookstores in Beijing, Chengdu and Suzhou, and our annual literary festival and year-round literary events programme. There is an abundance of literary talent here and very strong traditions, and the press will aim to showcase the best of contemporary Chinese writing to international audiences," Peter Goff, the China Bookworm Group's general manager, said in a statement.

The new press will be registered in Hong Kong and aim to distribute its products overseas, the company said.

The Bookworm's three outlets will host its ninth annual literary festival again this year from March 13-29.

Photo: Meiguoxing