Prize-winning authors

Writers have been coming out against companies that fund awards, with serious implications for the books industry

You only have to look at the extent of the global reach of the winner the day after to see what a big deal the prize has become internationally. Coverage from right round the world, all the big American media outlets, but also from across the Continent, the Far East, the southern hemisphere, the Middle East.

With Sri Lanka's Shehan Karunatilaka and India's Geetanjali Shree taking home two of publishing's biggest prizes, what next for one of the world's most overlooked literary regions?

After its sponsorship model changed from a single-headline partnership with Baileys, the Women's Prize is enjoying a golden summer of talks, workshops and a booming merchandise line backed by high-profile influencers.

Margaret Drabble was a bright young star with five novels to her name in 1971, when she was talked into joining her old friend JB Priestley on the judging panel for a new book prize. "Jack told me that I should spend the fee (which came in wine) by choosing some very nice half-bottles to drink by myself, which I did," she recalls.