National Business Book Award unveils seven finalists on long list

Celebrating great Canadian authors on the Award's 30^th anniversary

TORONTO, Feb. 17, 2015 /CNW/ - The long list for the National Business Book Award, one of Canada's most prestigious literary awards, was announced today by co-sponsors PwC and BMO Financial Group.  The long list authors will vie for a $20,000 prize that will be awarded on April 16, 2015, to the author of the most outstanding Canadian business-related book published in 2014.

This year's book submissions cover a range of topics that reflect the conversations that are happening in Canadian businesses.  The six-member independent jury evaluates eligible nominations based on five key criteria including originality, relevance, excellence of writing, thoroughness of research and depth of analysis.

The long list for the National Business Book Award is:

• Peter Foster, Why We Bite the Invisible Hand The Psychology of Anti-Capitalism, published by Pleasaunce Press. Foster, a journalist and author, analyzes the conventional critiques of free-market capitalism and argues that in most cases they are based on economic misunderstanding and moral confusion, both of which are exploited for political ends.
  
• Alfred Hermida, Tell Everyone, published by Doubleday Canada. Hermida, a journalist and associate professor at the University of British Columbia, presents an analysis of the impact social media has had on the way we share and gather information.
  
• Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything Capitalism vs the Climate, published by Penguin Random House Knopf Canada. Klein, an author and journalist, dissects capitalism and the free market and how they affect the environment. Pointing out key flaws in the current economic model, Klein expresses the urgency of dealing with climate change.
  
• Ezra Levant, Groundswell The Case for Fracking, published by Signal McClelland & Stewart. Levant, a lawyer, journalist and political activist, deconstructs the case for and against the controversial form of oil and gas extraction called "fracking".
  
• Gordon Pitts, Fire in the Belly How Purdy Crawford Rescued Canada and Changed the Way We do Business, published by Nimbus Publishing. Pitts, an author, public speaker and journalist, chronicles a vast stretch of Canadian corporate culture, through the impressive career of Purdy Crawford, a widely-respected lawyer, director and CEO.
  
• Jacques Poitras, Irving vs. Irving, published by Viking Canada, an imprint of Penguin Canada Books. Poitras, a reporter and author, provides background on the friction within the influential Irving family and the growth of their empire.
  
• Clive Veroni, Spin How Politics has the Power to Turn Marketing on its Head, published by House of Anansi Press Inc. Veroni, a marketing strategist and author, compares the world of politics with the world of marketing, introducing a new way for companies to market products to their consumers.

The National Business Book Award jury is chaired by Peter Mansbridge, Chief Correspondent, CBC Television News. Other jurors include: William Dimma, Chairman Emeritus, Home Capital Group, Inc.; Deirdre McMurdy, Adjudicator; Businessman David Denison; author and publisher Anna Porter and The Honourable Pamela Wallin.

Celebrating its 30^th year, the National Business Book Award is an annual celebration of Canadian authors of extraordinary non-fiction business-related books. It continues to gain attention from not only the Canadian business world, but also publishers, authors, journalists, academics, economists and business leaders internationally.

The winner of the National Business Book Award will be announced on April 16, 2015 at a luncheon in Toronto hosted by PwC and BMO Financial Group.

Last year's National Business Book Award winners were Jim Leech and Jacquie McNish for their book The Third Rail: Confronting Our Pension Failures.

Follow us on Twitter @NBBAward and visit www.nbbaward.com for more information.

SOURCE National Business Book Award

For further information: To arrange an interview, please contact: Mary Ann Freedman, Freedman & Associates Inc. for the National Business Book Award, Tel: 416-868-1500, Email: mafreedman@freedmanandassociates.com