DEI vs. Story: How Publishing Lost the Plot. Part 2 of 7: The Awards Racket

<![CDATA[When a reader walks into a bookstore, whether it’s the last chain in a suburban mall or a dusty used shop on Main Street, there’s one thing guaranteed to catch the eye: the shiny badge on the front of a book. “Winner of the National Book Award.” “Pulitzer Prize Finalist.” “Hugo Award Winner.” These aren’t just decorative stickers. They are signals — shorthand for quality, prestige, and trust. Readers assume that someone, somewhere, has done the hard work of sifting through thousands of titles to find the ones that rise above the rest. The badge says: This one is worth your time. This one has been judged excellent.]]>