The five judges in each category of the National Book Awards included a bookseller:
Fiction: Javier Ramirez, who manages the Book Table in Oak Park, Ill., runs the store's Authors on Tap series, and is co-host of Publishing Cocktails, the semi-annual Chicagoland social bringing together booksellers and authors. He's also a member of the American Booksellers Association ABC Advisory Council.
Nonfiction: Mark Laframboise, who has worked at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C., for more than 20 years, primarily as head book buyer.
Poetry: John Evans, co-owner of DIESEL: A Bookstore, which has two locations, in Brentwood in Los Angeles and a newly opened one in San Diego.
Translated Literature: Shuchi Saraswat, buyer at Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, Mass., who created and curates the Transnational Literature Series, which focuses on migration, exile and displacement, with an emphasis on works in translation.
Young People's Literature: Kristen Gilligan, co-owner of the Tattered Cover, Denver, Colo., where she works with elementary, middle and high schools; brings authors to schools; created two Teen Advisory Boards, the Colorado Teen Book Con, and the statewide Colorado Big Summer Read. She's also on the ABC Advisory Council of the American Booksellers Association, where she worked for many years.
