BOOKER PRIZE FOUNDATION LAUNCHES £1 SHORT STORY COLLECTION

The Booker Prize Foundation is launching a short story collection entitled *All Around the World* as part of a new Quick Read initiative designed to widen access to quality fiction. The collection will be available for £1. The launch comes as research finds that more than a third of UK adults find it hard to read books through to the end. The initiative aims to connect readers with Booker prize-winning authors through shorter, more accessible formats.

All Around the World forms part of the Quick Reads programme, which targets adults who struggle to engage with full-length books. The £1 price point is central to the Foundation's strategy to reduce financial barriers to reading. The collection features work linked to Booker prize-winning authors. The initiative addresses findings that suggest a significant portion of the UK adult population does not complete books they begin.

The Booker Prize Foundation's move reflects a broader effort to respond to what researchers have identified as an adult reading crisis in the United Kingdom. More than a third of UK adults reporting difficulty finishing books represents a substantial portion of the reading-age population. The Quick Reads format has previously been used by other organisations to improve adult literacy and reading habits. The Foundation's use of the Booker prize brand aims to lend the accessible format the credibility associated with literary fiction.