On Wednesday the Booker Prize organizers formally announced what had been the subject of speculation and debate over the past few days: They will expand eligibility beyond the Commonwealth, to include any novel “originally written in English and published in the UK.” At the same time, the prize will try to keep submissions to a reasonable number, so the newly-eligible authors will be competing with existing pool for nomination slots from their publishers. As is currently the case, nominations can only be made by UK publishers — but a revised, self-reinforcing submissions process will favor publishers who have had titles […]
