Lauren Laverne to host British Book Awards

BBC 6Music DJ Lauren Laverne is set to host this year’s British Book Awards, taking place on 8th May in a lavish ceremony at Grosvenor House in London’s Park Lane.

Laverne began broadcasting in 1998, Dj-ing for London radio station XFM before moving to BBC 6Music where she hosts a daily show. Co-founder of online women’s magazine The Pool, Laverne has also presented TV shows such as “Transmission”, “The Culture Show” and music events such as Glastonbury.

In 2010 she published her first book Candy Pop: Candy and the Broken Biscuits (HarperCollins).

Laverne follows broadcaster and journalist Mariella Frostrup as presenter of the British Book Awards, organised by The Bookseller.

Companies vying for the industries most-coveted awards include Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Pan Macmillan, while retailers up for gongs include Waterstones, Blackwell’s and W H Smith Travel.

Authors tussling for prizes include Sebastian Barry, Sarah Perry, Joanna Cannon and Joe Wicks.

For more information on the shortlists and to book tickets, visit www.thebookseller.com/british-book-awards.