Diagram Prize winner 2012

Here's the winner of the 2012 Diagram Prize.  It looks like it's going to be an even barmier year than usual. It was the immortal

Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop by Reginald Bakeley

My favourite competition of the year is run by columnist Horace Bent in the Bookseller (the UK book trade weekly) with input from dedicated odd title hunters from all over the world. The prize, set up in association with the Diagram Group, has been running since 1978 and is a joyous celebration of the barmy side of publishing. Horace Bent has previously said that:

"Compiling a six-strong shortlist from the 66 eccentric entries proved a colossal task. The debate within the panel of judges often turned heated, especially when considering whether a nominee's title was intentionally odd or accidentally odd (which we prefer)."

The 2012 shortlist comprised:

Was Hitler Ill? by Henrik Eberle and Hans-Joachim Neumann

Lofts of North America: Pigeon Lofts by Jerry Gagne

How to Sharpen Pencils by David Rees

God’s Doodle: The Life and Times of the Penis by Tom Hickman

Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop by Reginald Bakeley

How Tea Cosies Changed the World by Loani Prior

© Chris HolifieldManaging director of WritersServices; spent working life in publishing,employed by everything from global corporations to start-ups; track record includes: editorial director of Sphere Books, publishing director of The Bodley Head, publishing director for start-up of upmarket book club, The Softback Preview, editorial director of Britain’s biggest book club group, BCA, and, most recently, deputy MD and publisher of Cassell & Co. She is also currently the Director of the Poetry Book Society; During all of this time aware of problems faced by writers, as publishing changed from idiosyncratic cottage industry, 'occupation for gentlemen', into corporate business of today. Writers encountered increasing difficulty in getting books edited or published. Authors create the books which are the raw material for the whole business. She believes it is time to bring them back to centre stage. 2013