Quills backer withdraws support

NEW YORK -- A corporate co-founder of the Quills, people’s choice book awards that were started three years ago and aimed to combine “populist sensibility” with “Hollywood-style glitz,” says it will “suspend” support.

Reed Business Information gave no reason for the decision Monday, and a company statement did not make it clear whether the awards had been placed on hiatus or ended permanently. A spokeswoman for Reed, which operates such publications as Variety and Publishers Weekly, declined to give any further details.

The Reed announcement, posted on the website of Publishers Weekly, said the plan was to “suspend” backing of the Quills but also referred to the “dissolution” of the awards. Money raised for the Quills Literacy Foundation will be distributed to two nonprofit organizations -- First Book and Literacy Partners.

“On behalf of Reed Business Information, we wish to thank our publishing colleagues, including the publishing houses, booksellers, librarians and our sponsors for their support of the Quill Awards program,” said William McGorry, director of the Quills.

A spokeswoman for NBC Universal Television Stations, the Quills’ other founder, referred questions to Reed Business Information, which was recently put up for sale by its parent, Reed Elsevier.

The Quills were marked by black-tie ceremonies in Manhattan, with Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Donald Trump among the featured hosts and presenters. Nominated authors, in categories from romance fiction to poetry, included Stephen King, Al Gore and J.K. Rowling.

But few readers voted, and sales did not noticeably increase for winning books. The ceremonies themselves, televised on some NBC stations, were widely criticized as too long and poorly planned.

“I’m not surprised, but it’s too bad that this happened,” said Jane Friedman, chief executive of HarperCollins and a Quills executive council member.