BookNet Canada analysis shows the Scotiabank Giller Prize is the most powerful in Canadian history

The Scotiabank Giller Prize, created in 1994 as a tribute to the late book reviewer and journalist Doris Giller by her husband Jack Rabinovitch, is by far the most important literary prize in Canada in terms of sales BookNet Canada research shows.

"Based on analysis of previous winners, a Giller Prize win can increase sales more than any other prize in Canada—twice as much as winning the Governor General's Award for fiction," said Michael Tamblyn, BookNet Canada's chief executive officer.

The analysis, drawn from BookNet Canada's weekly sample of 650 retailers, shows the Giller Effect seems to work equally well for both a "big name" author (such as Alice Munro who won for Runaway in 2004) and authors previously unfamiliar to most Canadian readers, (such as David Bergen who won for The Time In Between in 2005.)

"The prize is ideally placed in the selling season - it provides the perfect promotional opportunity for the lucky publisher during the holiday season, when bookstore tables are crowded with titles vying for seasonal bestseller status," said Tamblyn. "It also gives harried readers and gift shoppers an easy choice for a quality literary read."

The prize is further aided by the fact that retailers stock up on a Giller winner more than any other award - likely based on its early track record as a significant booster of sales.

This year, for the first time, the Giller jury selected a long list of 15 titles; the short list is announced today.

The Scotiabank Giller Prize awards $40,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English and $2,500 to each of the finalists. This year's winner will be announced at a gala on November 7.

About BookNet Canada
Created and supported by the Canadian book industry, BookNet Canada is the not-for-profit agency dedicated to technology innovation in the Canadian book industry. It is responsible for tracking national book sales, managing industry-wide business-to-business electronic commerce, bibliographic data, and other critical components of technology infrastructure.

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