B(l)ooked your blog yet?

Blooker Prize, aims to reward ‘blooks’ — books printed from blogs

Move aside Man Booker Prize, it’s time now for the ‘Blooker’ award to take centrestage. A Blook is a book whose content was originally posted on a blog and the Blooker is an annual award to recognise the writing talent in the blogosphere.
Stephen Fraser of Lulu, the organisation behind the prize says, ‘‘Blogging represents a growing literary trend. Publishers have noticed it and are commissioning books based on material published on blogs.”
Prominent blogger Cory Doctorow (of BoingBoing) and a judge for the prize says that the yardstick for judging the blooks will be similar to those for normal books. “This includes looking for things that make a traditional book noteworthy, and, of course, a blog noteworthy,” he says.
Undoubtedly, the Indian blogosphere is abuzz with the news of the prize. Says Preeti Desai, president Internet and Mobile Association of India, ‘‘The Blooker will encourage bloggers to create quality content.’’
The prize will be an annual event and is expected to be announced next year.
FAMOUS BLOOKERS:
The Clandestine Diary of an Ordinary Iraqi by Salam Pax: An account of Iraq’s US invasion
We The Media by Dan Gillmor: Story of a new emerging communication order
The Washingtonienne by Jessica Cutler: An account of the sexual exploits in Capitol Hill
Belle de jour by Anonymous: A callgirl’s account of her day-today life and intimate moments