Short answers, pulled from the story.
Kirkus Reviews was founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. She established her book-review service after leaving Harper and Brothers, where she had built and then lost a children's book department during the Depression.
The Kirkus Prize is an annual literary award started in 2014. It gives $50,000 to authors in each of three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature.
At the end of 2009, Kirkus Reviews announced it was ceasing operations. Businessman Herbert Simon purchased the publication from The Nielsen Company on the 10th of February 2010, relaunching it under the name Kirkus Media.
Kirkus Reviews previews more than 10,000 titles per year. It publishes on the 1st and 15th of each month, offering advance reviews before books reach their official publication dates.
Kirkus Reviews has a traditional program that does not require payment for reviews. A separate indie program allows authors to purchase reviews, though they cannot modify or influence the content of those reviews.
The publication has used six different names since its founding. It started as Bulletin by Kirkus' Bookshop Service in 1933 and reached its current title, Kirkus Reviews, with the 1st of January 1969 issue.