King nominated for literary prize

Horror writer Stephen King is among the nominees for US book award The Quills.

The veteran author is on the shortlist for his science fiction thriller Cell, about a virus spread via mobile phones.

Former US presidential candidate Al Gore is also nominated in the politics and history category for The Inconvenient Truth.

JK Rowling won overall book of the year in 2005 for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - the first time the awards were contested.

Recognition

The writer also picked up the prize for best children's book.

Rock singer Bob Dylan also won in the best biography and memoir category for the first volume of his autobiography.

The Quills are regarded as a challenger to the more established Pulitzer Prize and National Book Awards, and are designed to promote literacy and gain recognition for nominated authors.

The nominations, across 19 different categories, were chosen by 6,000 booksellers and librarians across the US, with the public determining the award winners in online voting.

The awards will be presented on 10 October, and the ceremony will be broadcast on the NBC network on 28 October.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5277348.stm