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Three Irish authors have made this year’s Man Booker prize longlist, but does getting nominated for a literary prize guarantee a longer shelf life for your novel?

THE LITERARY hoopla that is the annual Man Booker Prize started this week, with the announcement from London of the “Booker Dozen” longlisted books. This year, the Booker Dozen – still a baker’s dozen of 13, so no cutbacks there – has an Irish trio. Between them, William Trevor and Colm Tóibín have been on the shortlist six times, but for first-time novelist Ed O’Loughlin with his book, Not Untrue & Not Unkind, it’s already a prize just to get on the longlist, such is the guaranteed attendant publicity.