Reed Business Information Quits the Quill Awards

Reed Business Information (in its guise as Publishers Weekly) was a co-founder of the Quill Awards which was one part Oscar, one part People’s Choice with Publisher’s Weekly putting up a slate of nominees and the readers voting on that slate. Nora Roberts won Book of the Year in 2007 for Angels Fall.

Publishers Weekly posted its news that it is suspending its sponsorship of the Quill Award. The statement is a bit inconsistent. In one sentence it is to “suspend” backing and then in another talks about the “dissolution” of the award.

NBC is the other corporate sponsor but it has declined to make a comment. Apparently not very many readers voted and the awards did not increase sales for books. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Publishers Weekly and other Reed Business Information businesses are up for sale. More on that later.