Campaigns for Hawkins, Haig and Pratchett honoured at PPC awards

Publicity campaigns for titles by Paula Hawkins, Matt Haig and Terry Pratchett were among those honoured at the Publisher’s Publicity Circle (PPC) Annual Awards last night (29th February), which celebrated the “best PR campaigns” carried out in 2015.

The PPC organises the awards as part of its on-going commitment to book promotion and the campaigns are judged according to "the publicist’s use of imagination, creativity, careful thought and strategic planning."

The PPC Hardback Fiction Award, sponsored by Goldsboro Books, went to Alison Barrow of Doubleday for The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. The award for Hardback Non-fiction, sponsored by Waterstones, meanwhile, went to Jaz Lacey-Campbell of Canongate Books for Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig.

Kirsteen Astor of Sphere was awarded the Paperback Original Campaign Award for Fiction or Non-fiction, sponsored by The Bookseller, for I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh, while Sam Eades of Orion was honoured with the Nielsen Award for Second Edition Paperback: Fiction or Non-Fiction for the Taxidermist’s Daughter by Kate Mosse.

The London Book Fair Award for Hardback Celebrity went to Stephanie Melrose and Kiri Gillespie at Little, Brown for All I Know by Carrie Hope Fletcher and the Cookery Book Award, sponsorted by Foyles, went to Eleni Lawrence of Yellow Kite for Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward.

The Children’s Book Award, sponsored by the Daily Mail, went to Alice Broderick and Lauren Hyett with Jessica Farrugia-Sharples from Doubleday Children’s for The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett, while the Generic Campaign, sponsored by NetGalley, went to Ellie Hughes of Michael Joseph for the Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups series.

The best newcomer award, sponsored by IndieBound, went to Yassine Belkacemi, press officer at John Murray, for The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley.

The PPC also presented three awards, voted for by PPC Members, to recognise the “brilliant” journalists, event organisers and librarians publicists work with throughout the year.

PPC Journalist of the Year 2016 went to Joe Haddow from BBC Radio 2, PPC Events Manager of the Year 2016 was awarded to Stuart Broom, Waterstones Events Manager and PPC Librarian of the Year 2016 went to Stewart Bain of Orkney Library and Samantha Everett from Hillingdon Library.

The judges were chaired by The Bookseller’s Cathy Rentzenbrink and the panel comprised of David Headley from Goldsboro Books, The Reading Agency’s Karen Brodie, Mo Siewcharran from Nielsen, Foyles' Andy Quinn, Stuart Evers from Net Galley, Steven Cooper from Waterstones, Sally Morris from the Daily Mail, and Meryl Halls from The Booksellers Association.

Bethan Jones, head of publicity at Vintage and chair of the PPC, said: "I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, publicists are some of the most creative, hard-working, diligent, passionate, ingenious, strategic, resourceful and dedicated people in our industry.  They have made the judges’ task and incredibly difficult one this year, and I would like to congratulate the winners and all the nominees on a stellar year of phenomenal book publicity campaigns.  Publicists are also some of the most supportive and collaborative people in the business, and it’s fantastic to have this opportunity to celebrate them at the Oscars of book PR."