CHRISTMAS BOOKS ON SCREEN
 
The Books Council have again this year prepared a series of television advertisements in association with the publishers. Four adverts have been especially filmed for the campaign to promote Christmas titles.
 
Two adverts feature Welsh-language books for adults, one has Welsh-language books for children and the other features a range of English-language books.
 
‘These short adverts are an excellent way of promoting the range of Christmas titles,’ said Phil Davies, Head of Marketing at the Books Council, ‘and we’ve already had favourable comments from the public.’
 
The adverts have been screened on S4C from the beginning of November and will run until Christmas. They were prepared by the production company Tonfedd Eryri.

SUPPLEMENT OF CHRISTMAS BOOKS
 
The Books Council have published a supplement of Christmas titles, Books from Wales, to be distributed with the Western Mail.
 
‘Once again the publishers have managed to produce a feast of titles for all ages,’ said Phil Davies, Head of Marketing at the Books Council.  ‘There’s an excellent selection of books for children as well as adults.’
 
Among the selection you’ll find Jamie Owen’s introduction to the Welsh coastline – Magic Harbour – as part of his television series, and the biography of TV presenter Dai Jones – Dai and Let Live.  There is also a good selection of novels including Skin Deep, Jacqueline Jacques, Fire and Water, Hayley Long and Rebecca and the Angels, Brian John.
 
Click here for more information about the Christmas titles on the gwales.com website.

TARGETING TEENAGERS
 
The Books Council has arranged a campaign during November and December to encourage teenagers to read Welsh-language books. The campaign will concentrate on pupils in years 7, 8 and 9 and will target 44 schools throughout Wales.

14 books have been chosen for the campaign and a colourful promotional leaflet has been produced.
 
The theatre group Arad Goch has been invited to perform a selection of extracts in the schools in order to encourage the pupils to buy and read the books. By the end of the campaign they will have presented 52 performances.

CHRISTMAS BOOKS – THE PERFECT PRESENTS!
 
With Christmas only a few weeks away it’s time to think about those special gifts that you’ll want to buy for your friends and family. This year you’ll have an excellent choice of Welsh-language books for all ages. There are novels, biographies, travel and history books as well as a great selection of titles for children.

All the books can be seen in the Gwledd y Nadolig supplement that is being distributed with the papurau bro. Copies of the supplement are also available at your local bookshop and library.
 
A Christmas supplement of Welsh writing in English will be published shortly.
 
For further information on all the Christmas titles, click on www.gwales.com for further information.

AMONGST FRIENDS
 
The Friends of the Books Council held a special meeting recently to acknowledge the contribution of Professor M. Wynn Thomas to the literature of Wales in both languages.
 
During the meeting, held at Aberystwyth, Wynn was interviewed by Dr Tony Brown of the English Department, University of Wales Bangor, about his background, his varied interests and his love for the literature of Wales.  There were also tributes by the author Manon Rhys and Professor Hywel Teifi Edwards.
 
The meeting was a great success and it was a pleasure for the Friends to acknowledge the work of Professor Thomas in promoting the literature of Wales.

CHAIR DONATED IN MEMORY OF AUTHOR
 
The family of the late Islwyn Ffowc Elis have presented a chair to the Books Council in his memory.  It was on this chair that the author sat to write many of his novels, and in particular the Welsh-language classic Cysgod y Cryman which was published in 1953 and was awarded the accolade Book of the Century in 2000.
 
‘Islwyn was a great friend of the Books Council from the early days,’ said Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, Director of the Books Council.  ‘He had been a member of staff, and an editor of the Books from Wales magazine; more recently, he was presented with the title of Honorary President of the Friends of the Books Council.’
 
Islwyn Ffowc Elis won the chair at the Lewis’s Eisteddfod in Liverpool in 1947.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR WELSH WRITING IN ENGLISH
 
Additional funding for Welsh writing in English of £250,000 has been allocated for the current financial year (2004/05).  £185,000 of this will be used to run three new schemes:
1 Advances to Authors / Commissions Scheme
2 Appointments Scheme (Supported Posts)
3 Marketing Grants

The remainder has been allocated to fund a classics series and a set of trade awards.
 
A consultation paper outlining the three schemes for new writing has been published by the Welsh Books Council, and responses to this paper are invited by 20 August.
 
Publishers are also invited to apply for funding under these new schemes by 20 August and 15 November.
 
CONSULTATION DOCUMENT: Click HERE
 
WELSH WRITING IN ENGLISH: A REVIEW
http://www.wales.gov.uk/assemblydata/N0000000000000000000000000019359.pdf
 
CABINET WRITTEN STATEMENT
http://www.wales.gov.uk/organicabinet/content/statements/2004/050504-resp-cwls-rep-e.doc

W H SMITH VISIT
 
Rosemary Butler, Chair of the Assembly’s Culture Committee, visited her local W H Smith store in Newport to unveil the latest initiative to promote Welsh writing in English.
 
As well as showcasing a selection of books from Wales and featuring their Book of the Month campaign, W H Smith stores throughout Wales are also participating in the Summer Reading campaign organised by Literary Publishers Wales and the Books Council.
 

Matthew Jarrett of W H Smith, Newport with Rosemary Butler, AM.

FRIENDS OF THE BOOKS COUNCIL
 
The latest information pack for the friends of the Welsh Books Council has been prepared and distributed to all the members.
 
The information pack this time contains information about the Summer Reading Campaign, a bestsellers list and a list of the latest reviews on the www.gwales.com website. The pack also includes a book voucher which can be exchanged at local bookshops.
 
For further information about membership of the Friends please contact Elwyn Jones at the Books Council elwyn.jones@wbc.org.uk

WINNERS OF THE BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2004
 
English-language Book – Stump, Niall Griffiths (Jonathan Cape)
 
Welsh-language Book – Llwch Cenhedloedd, Jerry Hunter (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)

BARDD PLANT CYMRU (Welsh-language Children's Poet Laureate)

It was announced on 2 May, in a seremony at the Urdd National Eisteddfod in Anglesey, that Tudur Dylan Jones has been chosen as Bardd Plant Cymru (Welsh-language Children's Poet Laureate) 2004 - 2005. He will be visiting schools during his term of office as well as helping children to create poetry through electronic workshops.

ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT SUPPORTING THE CLASSICS
 
As part of the discussion on Welsh Writing in English, Alun Pugh, the Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport, announced that Professor Dai Smith is to lead a new Welsh Assembly Government drive to help put Welsh classic books back into bookshops, libraries and schools.
 
The full text of the Minister’s announcement can be seen HERE.

WELSH BOOKS COUNCIL WELCOMES EXTRA FUNDING FOR WELSH WRITING IN ENGLISH
 
The Welsh Assembly Government’s announcement that £250,000 extra funding has been earmarked for Welsh Writing in English has been warmly welcomed by the Welsh Books Council.
 
Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, Director of the Books Council, said:  ‘This important and extremely welcome announcement today by Alun Pugh, Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport, means that work can begin immediately on developing Welsh Writing in English.
 
‘Further investment will be needed over the next funding cycle, especially in order to implement the industry-wide Joint Marketing Strategy which is currently being costed, but we are heartened by the Minister’s initial response to this landmark report which has received all-party support within the National Assembly for Wales.’
 
Professor M. Wynn Thomas, Chair of the Books Council’s Grants Panel (English-language), added, ‘This is a landmark development that firmly and fully acknowledges the important contribution made by the English-language Writing of Wales to the nation’s understanding of itself.  The National Assembly has here officially recognized the distinctiveness of contemporary Wales’s majority culture and has realized that it is Wales’s letter of introduction to the international community.’
 
The full text of the Welsh Assembly Government’s announcement can be seen HERE.

CULTURE MINISTER VISITS THE BOOKS COUNCIL

Alun Pugh, the Minister for Culture, the Welsh Language and Sports, visited the offices of the Books Council recently.  During the visit he was able to call at the Distribution Centre and to see at first hand the extensive range of Welsh and English-language books in stock.  He also had an opportunity to visit Castell Brychan, and was given a presentation on the Council’s core service in marketing, editing, design and the promotion of children’s books.
 
‘It was a pleasure to welcome the Minister on his visit,’ said Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, Director of the Books Council, ‘during the period of the National Assembly’s policy review of English-medium writing in Wales.’

Click image to download (PDF 150k)

POLICY REVIEW: ENGLISH-MEDIUM WRITING IN WALES

The National Assembly’s Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee is undertaking a Policy Review of English-medium Writing in Wales during the autumn and contributions were invited by the end of August.
 
The Welsh Books Council will be participating fully in the Review and has submitted papers (click paper to download) for consideration by the Committee.

ROBIN McBRYDE SUPPORTS READING CLUB
 
The Sbondonics reading club has secured a special offer for its readers this term with copies of Ffeithiau Rygbi (Facts about Rugby) autographed by the famous rugby star Robin McBryde, the Wales and Lions hooker and captain of LlanelliScarlets.
 
‘We appreciate Robin’s support for our reading club and wish to thank the publishers Gwasg y Dref Wen for the arrangements,’ said Delyth Humphreys on behalf of the Books Council. ‘The book is a great success and we’ve already received a number of orders.’

IN HONOUR OF PROFESSOR M. WYNN THOMAS
 
A meeting of the Friends of the Welsh Books Council will be held in Aberystwyth on Saturday, 2 October to acknowledge the unparalleled contribution of Professor M. Wynn Thomas to the literature of Wales in both languages.
 
There will be contributions from Tony Brown, Hywel Teifi Edwards and Manon Rhys. You are welcome to join us on this special occasion.

The meeting will be held at St. Paul’s Centre, Aberystwyth, at 2 pm.

AWARD FOR WELSH BOOK
 
A book of stories by Honno, the Welsh Women’s Press, which has been described as ‘unique’ and ‘revolutionary’, has won an award in London recently.
 
Written by 26 women aged 20 to 60, the book Laughing, Not Laughing – Women Writing on ‘My Experience of Sex’ has won the publications category in the Erotic Awards.
 
Nicola Craddock of Honno, who received the award on behalf of the authors, said: ‘This Award is a wonderful recognition of the bravery of these women who have been willing to share their most personal experiences with us.’
 
The collection, which was edited by Catherine Merriman, has also been selected by W H Smith as their Book of the Month for September.

CHAIR DONATED IN MEMORY OF AUTHOR
 
The family of the late Islwyn Ffowc Elis have presented a chair to the Books Council in his memory.  It was on this chair that the author sat to write many of his novels, and in particular the Welsh-language classic Cysgod y Cryman which was published in 1953 and was awarded the accolade Book of the Century in 2000.
 
‘Islwyn was a great friend of the Books Council from the early days,’ said Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, Director of the Books Council.  ‘He had been a member of staff, and an editor of the Books from Wales magazine; more recently, he was presented with the title of Honorary President of the Friends of the Books Council.’
 
Islwyn Ffowc Elis won the chair at the Lewis’s Eisteddfod in Liverpool in 1947.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR WELSH WRITING IN ENGLISH
 
Additional funding for Welsh writing in English of £250,000 has been allocated for the current financial year (2004/05).  £185,000 of this will be used to run three new schemes:
1 Advances to Authors / Commissions Scheme
2 Appointments Scheme (Supported Posts)
3 Marketing Grants

The remainder has been allocated to fund a classics series and a set of trade awards.
 
A consultation paper outlining the three schemes for new writing has been published by the Welsh Books Council, and responses to this paper are invited by 20 August.
 
Publishers are also invited to apply for funding under these new schemes by 20 August and 15 November.
 
CONSULTATION DOCUMENT: Click HERE
 
WELSH WRITING IN ENGLISH: A REVIEW
http://www.wales.gov.uk/assemblydata/N0000000000000000000000000019359.pdf
 
CABINET WRITTEN STATEMENT
http://www.wales.gov.uk/organicabinet/content/statements/2004/050504-resp-cwls-rep-e.doc

NEWPORT NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD
 
You are all welcome to call at the Books Council’s stand at the National Eisteddfod in Newport.
 
We have a number of book launches throughout the week and all the latest publications will be on sale.

W H SMITH VISIT              
 
Rosemary Butler, Chair of the Assembly’s Culture Committee, visited her local W H Smith store in Newport to unveil the latest initiative to promote Welsh writing in English.
 
As well as showcasing a selection of books from Wales and featuring their Book of the Month campaign, W H Smith stores throughout Wales are also participating in the Summer Reading campaign organised by Literary Publishers Wales and the Books Council.
 

Matthew Jarrett of W H Smith, Newport with Rosemary Butler, AM.

FRIENDS OF THE BOOKS COUNCIL
 
The latest information pack for the friends of the Welsh Books Council has been prepared and distributed to all the members.
 
The information pack this time contains information about the Summer Reading Campaign, a bestsellers list and a list of the latest reviews on the www.gwales.com website. The pack also includes a book voucher which can be exchanged at local bookshops.
 
For further information about membership of the Friends please contact Elwyn Jones at the Books Council elwyn.jones@wbc.org.uk

THE BOOKS COUNCIL AT THE ROYAL WELSH SHOW
 
The Books Council will have a stand at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show in Builth Wells again this year. All the arrangements are in hand in order to display a good selection of the latest books.
 
‘I’m sure that we’ll have a successful show,’ said Phil Davies, Head of Marketing at the Books Council. ‘There will be English and Welsh-language books on sale and our staff will be there to offer advice. We look forward to meeting you there.’

WINNERS OF THE BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2004
 
English-language Book – Stump, Niall Griffiths (Jonathan Cape)
 
Welsh-language Book – Llwch Cenhedloedd, Jerry Hunter (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch)

SUMMER READING IN WELSH
 
The Welsh Books Council recently published their annual supplement of Welsh-language books that has been distributed through the network of community newspapers. Again this year, the supplement Llyfrau’r Haf (Summer Books) includes an extensive range of titles with books aimed at all ages.

We would like the thank all the publishers and booksellers for their support,’ said Phil Davies, Head of the Marketing Department at the Books Council. ‘With their assistance we have been able to produce an excellent publication.’
 
60,000 copies of the supplement have been published, with copies also available in libraries and bookshops throughout Wales.

BARDD PLANT CYMRU (Welsh-language Children's Poet Laureate)

It was announced on 2 May, in a seremony at the Urdd National Eisteddfod in Anglesey, that Tudur Dylan Jones has been chosen as Bardd Plant Cymru (Welsh-language Children's Poet Laureate) 2004 - 2005. He will be visiting schools during his term of office as well as helping children to create poetry through electronic workshops.

BOOK OF THE YEAR – THE SHORT LIST 2004
 
The Short List of this year’s Book of the Year Awards were announced at the Hay Festival on Monday 1 June.
 
English Books
 
Stump, Niall Griffiths, Jonathan Cape
Old People are a Problem, Emyr Humphreys, Seren
Keeping Mum, Gwyneth Lewis, Bloodaxe
 
Welsh-language Books
 
Gororau’r Iaith, Jason Walford Davies, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru
Llwch Cenhedloedd, Jerry Hunter, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch
Dyn yr Eiliad, Owen Martell, Gwasg Gomer

The final winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony in Cardiff on 17 June.

HAY FESTIVAL
 
This year, as always, thousands of avid readers will shortly be making their way to the Hay Festival and the short-lists for the prestigious Book of the Year Awards will be announced there on Monday, 31 May.
 
The Books Council will be represented on the Welsh Assembly Government stand and we look forward to welcoming you there during the Festival.

ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT SUPPORTING THE CLASSICS
 
As part of the discussion on Welsh Writing in English, Alun Pugh, the Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport, announced that Professor Dai Smith is to lead a new Welsh Assembly Government drive to help put Welsh classic books back into bookshops, libraries and schools.
 
The full text of the Minister’s announcement can be seen HERE.

WELSH BOOKS COUNCIL WELCOMES EXTRA FUNDING FOR WELSH WRITING IN ENGLISH
 
The Welsh Assembly Government’s announcement that £250,000 extra funding has been earmarked for Welsh Writing in English has been warmly welcomed by the Welsh Books Council.
 
Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, Director of the Books Council, said:  ‘This important and extremely welcome announcement today by Alun Pugh, Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport, means that work can begin immediately on developing Welsh Writing in English.
 
‘Further investment will be needed over the next funding cycle, especially in order to implement the industry-wide Joint Marketing Strategy which is currently being costed, but we are heartened by the Minister’s initial response to this landmark report which has received all-party support within the National Assembly for Wales.’
 
Professor M. Wynn Thomas, Chair of the Books Council’s Grants Panel (English-language), added, ‘This is a landmark development that firmly and fully acknowledges the important contribution made by the English-language Writing of Wales to the nation’s understanding of itself.  The National Assembly has here officially recognized the distinctiveness of contemporary Wales’s majority culture and has realized that it is Wales’s letter of introduction to the international community.’
 
The full text of the Welsh Assembly Government’s announcement can be seen HERE.

SBRI-DI-RI AND SBONDONICS BOOK CLUBS
 
The latest colourful sales leaflets from the two Welsh-language children’s book clubs, Sbri-di-ri and Sbondonics, have recently been delivered to schools and ‘cylchoedd meithrin’ in Wales.
 
‘Once again we have a great selection of titles for the children,’ said Delyth Humphreys from the Books Council’s Children’s Books Department, ‘and with the relevant reading age noted against each title we are able to assist parents in choosing a suitable book for their children. As the text of the leaflets is bilingual, this offers further assistance to parents who are learning Welsh along with their children.’

A SELECTION OF POPULAR WELSH-LANGUAGE BOOKS
 
The Gwanwyn o Gyfrolau Gwych leaflet is the latest to be published by the Welsh Books Council’s Outreach Scheme. The leaflet includes a selection of popular Welsh-language titles and will be distributed to bookshops, libraries and other organisations.

‘The leaflet contains an excellent selection of titles,’ said Emma Evans, the Council’s Outreach Scheme Officer. ‘ We are confident that this colourful leaflet, which has a selection of novels, poetry and biographies, will be an asset to promote Welsh-language books.’

Friends of the Books Council
 
In the latest issue of The Friends, the newsletter of the Friends of the Welsh Books Council, Alun Creunant Davies, the Chairman,  pays his personal tribute to the late Islwyn Ffowc Elis, who had been so supportive of the work of the Books Council over many years.
 
This issue also includes an interview with Kirsti Bohata, Grants Officer at the Books Council, author Sian James’s selection of her favourite books and a report on the last meeting of the Friends when Professor M. Wynn Thomas interviewed Manon Rhys about her creative writing.
 
The newsletter is distributed to all members of the Friends with the latest information about the book trade in Wales. For further information about membership please contact Elwyn Jones elwyn.jones@wbc.org.uk

CONTACTING SCHOOLS
 
The latest information pack containing educational material and resources has recently been distributed by the Books Council to all schools in Wales. The pack, which is distributed each school term, contains information about books, attractive posters and a selection of catalogues.
 
‘We know that teachers appreciate these information packs,’ said Lila Piette on behalf of the Books Council, ‘and it is an effective way to make sure that all schools receive details about books from Wales.’
 
For further information about the information packs please contact Lila Piette lila.piette@wbc.org.uk

LONDON SUCCESS                       
 
The Books Council had a stand at the London Book Fair once again this year, and it was an extremely busy period for the staff at the fair. As well as representing a number of publishers from Wales by displaying their range of titles, there was also an opportunity to make useful contacts within the book trade.
 
‘We are pleased to report that we had a very successful fair this year,’ said Phil Davies, Head of Marketing at the Books Council. ‘The publishers appreciate our presence there and a number of them visited the fair to hold meetings.’

BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2004
 
The following titles have been nominated for this year’s long list:
 
New and Collected Poems, Dannie Abse (Hutchinson)
Wayward Sailor, Anthony Dalton (McGraw-Hill)
Stump, Niall Griffiths (Jonathan Cape)
Old People Are a Problem, Emyr Humphreys (Seren)
Fishboys of Vernazza, John Sam Jones (Parthian)
Keeping Mum, Gwyneth Lewis (Bloodaxe)
Falling, Debbie Moon (Honno)
The Sergeants’ Tale, Bernice Rubens (Little, Brown)
China, Alan Wall (Secker & Warburg)
The Poems of Rowan Williams, Rowan Williams (Perpetua Press)

TIR NA N-OG AWARD WINNERS 2004

As part of World Book Day celebrations this year, the winners of the
Tir na n-Og awards, 2004 were announced.

Best English-language book with an authentic Welsh background

The Battle of Mametz Wood, 1916,
Robert Phillips (CAA)

Best Welsh-language Fiction

Iawn Boi?;-),
Caryl Lewis (Y Lolfa)

Best Welsh-language non-fiction

Stori Dafydd ap Gwilym,
Gwyn Thomas and Margaret Jones (Y Lolfa)

HOLIDAY WINNER
 
Jean Roberts from Cerrigydrudion is the lucky winner of the competition featured in the Books Council’s Christmas supplement Gwledd y Nadolig (Feast of Christmas).  The winner’s name was announced on the Hywel and Nia programme on Radio Cymru when Jean had an opportunity to chat with the two presenters.  Jean will now receive a holiday voucher worth £250, courtesy of Silver Star Holidays, Caernarfon.
 
80,000 copies of the supplement were produced in time for Christmas, with most of them being distributed through the community newspapers, the papurau bro.
 
‘We had a tremendous response to the competition this year with hundreds of entries being returned.  Congratulations to Jean, and we wish her well on her holiday,’ said Phil Davies, Head of Marketing at the Books Council.

CULTURE MINISTER VISITS THE BOOKS COUNCIL

Alun Pugh, the Minister for Culture, the Welsh Language and Sports, visited the offices of the Books Council recently.  During the visit he was able to call at the Distribution Centre and to see at first hand the extensive range of Welsh and English-language books in stock.  He also had an opportunity to visit Castell Brychan, and was given a presentation on the Council’s core service in marketing, editing, design and the promotion of children’s books.
 
‘It was a pleasure to welcome the Minister on his visit,’ said Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, Director of the Books Council, ‘during the period of the National Assembly’s policy review of English-medium writing in Wales.’

Click image to download (PDF 150k)