Novelists online for new 'e-Booker' prize

Zadie Smith may have provided the shock factor for last week's Booker Prize shortlist, with the non-inclusion of her bestselling debut White Teeth, but she can take comfort from her appearance on the debut shortlist of the lucrative "e-Booker" literary prize.

Zadie Smith may have provided the shock factor for last week's Booker Prize shortlist, with the non-inclusion of her bestselling debut White Teeth, but she can take comfort from her appearance on the debut shortlist of the lucrative "e-Booker" literary prize.

The literary wunderkind joins the bestselling authors Colleen McCullough, Ed McBain and Stephen Ambrose in competing for a grand prize of $100,000 (£70,000), as well as $10,000 for each of four writing categories in the new prize, which marries the worlds of literature and technology. They include: best fiction and nonfiction work originally published in e-book form, and best fiction and non-fiction work originally published in print and converted to e-book form.

The prize has been introduced to boost public awareness of e-books, which some in the industry believe are the future of publishing. They take many forms, from downloads from a computer, to disks that can be read from a hand-held device.

The nominated e-books include The Last Dance by Ed McBain, Mozart by Peter Gay, and Morgan's Run by Colleen McCullough. The winner will be announced at the Frankfurt book fair on 20 October.