Man Booker Prize launches iPhone app

The Man Booker Prize has just unveiled its new iPhone app – a first for UK literary prizes. The app, created by award winning digital agency Vexed Digital, will be free to download and will offer access to the Man Booker Prize archive – offering a full chronological history of the prize including information about the judges and the longlist, shortlist and winning authors and books.  App users will be able to access exclusive author interviews, video content and audio and text extracts from selected Man Booker Prize titles.

Push notification functionality will let users know about every stage of the Prize, with up to date information on the shortlist and winner announcements. In addition, a unique GPS service allows users to search for their local book shop or to buy directly from online retailers’ websites.

Ion Trewin, Literary Director of the Man Booker Prizes, commented, “The Man Booker has always been innovative in its marketing. The Man Booker Prize App is an exciting way of getting to an additional band of potential readers of this year’s longlist and shortlist.”

“We’re very proud of work with such a well established and prestigious literary prize,” said Richard Davies, Owner of Vexed Digital. “In the last few years, we’ve seen an explosion of interest in digital technology from the publishing industry. The Man Booker Prize is the latest literary client we’ve worked with to bring its ideas to life in a creative and cutting edge way.”

This year’s Man Booker Prize shortlist will be announced on Tuesday 7 September at a press conference at Man Group’s London headquarters.  The winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2010 will be revealed on Tuesday 12 October at a dinner at London’s Guildhall and will be broadcast on the BBC Ten O’Clock News.