Christmas books at the bookies

LOOSE LEAVES:Although we can't see anyone wandering into their local bookie's to put a few quid on what will be the bestselling books this Christmas – much better to actually buy a book, we say – it's interesting nonetheless to see who the bookies favour (and that they even consider book sales to be a racy enough subject to calculate odds on.)

At 9/4 – the odds are based on Eason's sales figures – Paddy Power has put the old reliable, every-home-should-have-one Guinness World Records 2012as the likeliest top seller, followed, with longer odds, by The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, The Time of My Life, by Cecelia Ahern, Nama Mia!by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, Steve Jobsby Walter Isaacson and How Ireland Really Went Bust, by Matt Cooper.

In Britain, William Hill, which is counting the overall market, not just one bookseller, has Jamie Oliver (pictured) as odds-on favourite – his latest book ties in with his Channel 4 series Jamie's Great Britain– with Guinness World Recordssecond favourite. After that it predicts that books by TV and sports personalities and comedians will be tops, including autobiographies by Paul Scholes, Joanna Lumley, Lee Evans, James Corden and Alan Partridge.

Writers bring it all back home for gala evening

Paul Durcan, Belinda McKeon and Paula Meehan will be reading from their work at St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin, on Tuesday at 7pm. Called Bringing It All Back Home, the event, organised by Poetry Ireland, is part of the series of events marking Dublin's designation as a Unesco City of Literature. It's free, but booking is essential at unesco@spd.dcu.ie. More from poetryireland.ie and spd.dcu.ie.

A masterclass in fiction with Claire Keegan

Writing courses are everywhere, and all probably deserve a plug, but one that stands out for some attention, for the calibre of the teacher and the charitable intent, is taking place at the Metropole Hotel in Cork on Saturday, December 10th. The seminar on writing fiction is being given by the brilliant, prize-winning author Claire Keegan (Antarctica, Walk the Blue Fields and Foster), who is waiving her fee so that all proceeds can go to Munster Literature Centre. It runs from 10am to 1pm and costs €50. E-mail info@munsterlit.ie or call 021-4312955.

Britain’s big new literary prize takes Irish advice

Plans for the newly launched Literature Prize in Britain are taking shape, with an advisory committee now announced to oversee the appointment of judges. Cormac Kinsella, publicity director for the Irish book sales and marketing company Repforce – and the man who knows everything that goes on in all aspects of the business here – has been asked to join a rather stellar bunch of London publishing types on the committee. The London literary agent Andrew Kidd, the prize’s founder, has been at pains to say that the new award is not a reaction to what’s being seen as an emphasis on readability in the Man Booker Prize, although one thing is for sure: the range of books up for consideration will be broader. The Literature Prize – the name will probably change to something a little more corporate once a sponsor comes on board – will be open to any novel in English and published in the UK. The Booker competition is open only to those from the British Commonwealth and Ireland.