The British Book Awards
- Overview
- Judges
- Sponsors
- About
- Video
- Top tips from the judges
- Nibbies Studio
- Podcasts
- Illustrator of the Year
- Overall Book of the Year
- Author of the Year
- Gallery
- Book Retailer of the Year
- Book of the Year - Audiobook Non-Fiction
- Book of the Year - Audiobook Fiction
- Book of the Year - Children's Fiction
- Book of the Year - Children's Illustrated
- Book of the Year - Children's Non-Fiction
- Book of the Year - Discover
- Book of the Year - Fiction
- Book of the Year - Début Fiction
- Book of the Year - Crime and Thriller
- Book of the Year - Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated
- Book of the Year - Non-Fiction: Narrative
- Book of the Year - Pageturner
- Marketing Strategy of the Year
- Children's Bookseller of the Year
- Children's Publisher of the Year
- Publicity Campaign of the Year
- Individual Bookseller of the Year
- Literary Agent of the Year
- Designer of the Year
- Rights Professional of the Year
- Academic, Educational and Professional Publisher of the Year
- Independent Publisher of the Year
- Imprint of the Year
- Publisher of the Year
- Top Tips for Independent Bookshops
- Small Press of the Year
- Independent Bookshop of the Year
- British Book Awards Winners 2018 - 2023
- Book of the Year Winners
- Editor of the Year
- Book Trade Awards Winners
- The British Book Award for Export
- Winners
The British Book Awards is a celebration of books and all who make them.
It affirms, connects and energises the world of reading by showcasing the authors and illustrators who have stirred our hearts and imaginations, and the industry behind the scenes who have brought them to readers.
It is a demonstration of the creativity, strength, passion and power that are possible when an entire industry unites to connect readers to stories.
Above all it celebrates the intimate connection between the books, their makers and their audience.
Discover the Book of the Year Winners.
Discover the Book Trade Winners.
Awards Step
“Winning a Nibbie was a huge joy – a chance to celebrate with people who write, produce and propel books out into the world”
Katherine Rundell - Winner of Book of the Year: Non-Fiction Narrative 2023
for Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne
Featured JudgesView All
Nihal Arthanayake
Adrian Chiles
Toby Jones
Lorraine Kelly
Yinka Bokinni
Alexander Armstrong
Johny Pitts
Diana Evans
Mike Gayle
Gaby Wood
Sarah Gwonyoma
Coco Hagi
Claire Shanahan
Selina Brown
Bea Carvalho
Sharon Nightingale
Featured Judges
Nihal Arthanayake
Adrian Chiles
Toby Jones
Lorraine Kelly
Yinka Bokinni
Alexander Armstrong
Johny Pitts
Diana Evans
Mike Gayle
Gaby Wood
Sarah Gwonyoma
Coco Hagi
Claire Shanahan
Selina Brown
Bea Carvalho
Sharon Nightingale
Our Judges
Nels Abbey
Jamilah Ahmed
Carl Anka
Alexander Armstrong
Nihal Arthanayake
Will Atkinson
Ravina Bajwa
Nick Barley
Anna Bassi
Matt Bates
Yinka Bokinni
Candice Brathwaite
Selina Brown
Ben Cajee
Caroline Carpenter
Bea Carvalho
Jane Cholmeley
Sue Cleaver
Jon Coates
Tina Daheley
Hannah Davies
Sanjee de Silva
Janet Ellis
Charlotte Eyre
Diana Evans
Madeleine Feeny
Julie Finch
Molly Flatt
Alison Flood
Katie Fraser
Jonny Gallant
Mike Gayle
Salena Godden
Dan Green
Hannah Griffiths
Sarah Gwonyoma
Joe Haddow
Coco Hagi
Janice Hallett
Scott Hoffman
Emma House
Laurence Howell
Eric Huang
Laura Jackson
Debbie James
Philip Jones
Toby Jones
Ali Karim
Ellie Keel
Lorraine Kelly
Louise Kennedy
Rachel Khoo
Shaparak Khorsandi
Simon Littlewood
Tamara Macfarlane
Hannah MacInnes
James McConnachie
Cat Mitchell
Maddie Moate
Lydia Monks
Patricia Nicol
Sharon Nightingale
Fiona Noble
Janet Noble
Jonathan Nowell
Alice O'Keeffe
Natasha Onwuemezi
Benedicte Page
Lynsey Passmore
Sheena Patel
Donna Payne
Johny Pitts
David Prescott
Miriam Robinson
Caroline Sanderson
Susan Sandon
Claire Shanahan
Nadia Shireen
Anita Singh
Kate Skipper
Kathleen Smith
Lisa Smosarski
Jemimah Steinfeld
Mike Stotter
Fiona Sturges
Tom Tivnan
Joe Thomas
Mark Thornton
Lynne Tooms
Julie Vuong
Claire Walker
Imogen Russell Williams
Steven Williams
Jacqueline Wilson
Gaby Wood
Adrian Chiles
About
The British Book Awards, aka The Nibbies, is a celebration of books: it affirms, connects and energises the world of reading by showcasing those who create stories and everyone who plays a role in bringing those stories to life.
The Awards aims to:
- Reward excellent writing, excellently published
- Spotlight the creativity, passion and power on display throughout the book industry
- Celebrate every step of the process of creating a book, from the author’s mind to booksellers’ shelves to readers’ hands
- Connect audiences through their love of reading
The British Book Awards is formed of two parts: Book of the Year and Book Trade Awards
The Books of the Year spotlight the titles that have stirred imaginations, started conversations, been part of book clubs and bestseller lists - books whose pages have been well-thumbed, well-worn and well-loved, whose ideas have formed that thread of inescapable connection between one reader and the next. The shortlists and winners all demonstrate the combination of unforgettable writing, exceptional sales, and an outstanding approach to publishing which make the book business the original creative sector, and the go-to home of storytelling.
The Trade Awards celebrate every step in the book creation chain, from independent bookshops, and regional small presses, to the industry’s largest players, from agents championing debut authors to marketers and publicists finding the most creative routes to readers. The book industry is an intricate and deeply collaborative ecosystem, and we are here to shine a light on every bit of it.
The Awards is a snapshot of the industry’s achievements and output, and reflects a business that is at the heart of many different conversations. It is committed to amplifying publishing talent from traditionally underrepresented communities, and ensures that this is upheld throughout the event and beyond. Publishers make books for everyone, and the Awards echoes their commitment to freedom of expression with texts that can challenge and inform, as well as entertain.
At its core, the Awards acknowledges the intimate connection between the books, their makers and their audience. And that is always something to celebrate.
Default Step
See below for the full list of 2024 categories
Books, Authors and Illustrators
- Book of the Year - Audiobook: Fiction
- Book of the Year - Audiobook: Non-Fiction
- Book of the Year - Children's Fiction
- Book of the Year - Children's Illustrated
- Book of the Year - Children's Non-Fiction
- Book of the Year - Fiction
- Book of the Year - Crime & Thriller
- Book of the Year - Début Fiction
- Book of the Year - Non-fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated
- Book of the Year - Non-fiction: Narrative
- Book of the Year - Pageturner
- Book of the Year - Discover
- Author of the Year
- Illustrator of the Year
Book Trade Awards
- Academic, Educational & Professional Publisher of the Year
- Book Retailer of the Year
- British Book Award for Export
- Children's Bookseller of the Year
- Children's Publisher of the Year
- Designer of the Year
- Editor of the Year
- Imprint of the Year
- Independent Bookshop of the Year
- Independent Publisher of the Year
- Individual Bookseller of the Year
- Literary Agent of the Year
- Marketing Strategy of the Year
- Publicity Campaign of the Year
- Publisher of the Year
- Rights Professional of the Year
- Small Press of the Year
Top tips from the judges
We know you’re all working furiously to make your entries the best they can be, and appreciate how much craft and energy goes into the process. And we’re here to help - here are a few tips from the team and the judges, that will help to make your entries really shine.
Book Trade entries
Tell Us A Story. Our judges are primed to read your detailed entries, including all of the facts and figures behind your successful years. But they, like you, love a narrative - try to go beyond chronology and the day-to-day to show us something extraordinary.
Present It Properly. Your document doesn’t need to be professionally designed, but do be conscious of your presentation. You’re delivering a lot of information, and basics like mismatched fonts, long chunks of text without pause or disorganised data can interfere with how our judges process what you’re trying to share.
Don’t Hide the Wrinkles. Not everyone has a good year every year. Tell us the positives, but don’t shy away from what went wrong. Sometimes success is about dealing with adversity first.
Get Granular. Nibbies judges are incredibly knowledgeable, but it’s best not to assume they know all the internal workings of your team. If you secured great PR, tell us what your pitch was. If you had a stellar year, break down the figures and tell us what they mean. We judge hundreds of entries each year, and it is often that extra level of detail that’ll bag you the win.
Pivot… PIVOT! Part of the challenge of going above and beyond in publishing is how to adapt to challenges and how to replot our strategy or path. Did this lead to innovation? Finding new revenue streams? Did you do things that surprised you and how did this bring unimagined success?
Polish and re-polish. Clarity and brevity win over filler, every time. Cut the fluff, think about what’s really special about your entry and make it pleasurable to read and where appropriate, quick to scan - think bullet points, charts, screengrabs, where it makes sense to include these.
Change the World. Did your work have a wider impact for the greater good - on the author’s fortunes, the publisher’s confidence, the reading public? What beyond the bottom line did you achieve? Maybe you inspired the next generation of readers through some of your clever marketing activity, or the publicity reached into parts unknown, or you partnered with an organisation whose aims aligned with yours? If you’re a bookseller, how did your work impact your customer base in a positive way? This storytelling paints a picture - we want to know!
Why you? Why now? If you’re entering your incredible self for one of the trade awards, don’t be shy. Tell us why this was your year - ask others for supporting quotes and illustrate your impact with lists, visuals, charts or whatever really makes your entry sing.
Book of the Year entries
Take Up Space (but not too much space). Have you given yourself enough space to paint a complete picture, and to demonstrate that you’re serious about a win? Consider whether what you’re entering tells the full story of what you’ve accomplished (but edit enough to keep things moving!).
Define the Difference. We know you had your choice of which titles to enter. What did you do differently for this one? Where did you take a risk, innovate or depart from the norm? Show us why the whole publishing process behind this title sets it apart, not just from the rest of the industry but from the other titles you work on.
Curate Your Quotes. And everything else, really. Judges are reading a lot of entries and after a point, too many quotes, photos or references start to feel like filler. It’s hard to define how many is too many, but if you’re not actively selecting the best of the bunch, do.
Practical stuff
Don’t Sweat the Category. If you aren’t sure which is most relevant for your entry, enter where it feels best and drop us a note to let us know you’re unsure. If we think it needs to move, we’ll move it, with an eye to ensuring it’s placed where it has the highest likelihood of being shortlisted.
5pm on 1st February is not a good time to upload. Our website is amazing, but if/when everyone uploads at that exact time, it will fall over. Then we will be sad, and you will be anxious, and nobody wins.
Put Your Photos Forward. From the print magazine to social media shoutouts, we want to do everything we can to make your work shine. Help us do this as well as possible by sending us a selection of sharp, hi-res images that we can use to represent you.
Got more questions? Please drop us a line via email to awards@thebookseller.com
Nibbies Studio
The British Book Awards celebrate books and everyone who brings them to life. We caught up with some of the 2024 winners fresh off the stage from claiming their golden Nibbie.
Sanchita Basu de Sarkar
Greg Karber
Rebecca Yarros
Emma Corfield Walters
Raksha Dave
Joel Rickett
Atinuke & Kingsley Nebechi
Amanda Dunne Fulmer
Jamie Smart
Kishani Widyaratna
Katherine Rundell
Rebecca Gray & Andrew Franklin
Jack Smyth Interview
Jenny Broom & Rachel Williams
Podcasts
Nibbies Podcast: from the author’s mind to the reader’s hand
Broadcaster & podcast host Hannah MacInnes chats with some of our Nibbies-shortlisted authors about their books, their writing, what’s gone on behind the scenes to get them to where they are, and those lovely moments when they and the books they’ve created have found their readers.
We’ll add new episodes daily, so be sure to check back in or subscribe to the feed.
Kate Mosse
7 May 2024 | 0 hr 31 min | Download
In this episode, Kate Mosse talks with host Hannah MacInnes about her novel Ghost Ship, shortlisted for Book of the Year: Fiction.
Philippa Gregory
3 May 2024 | 0 hr 28 min | Download
In this episode, Hannah MacInnes talks with Philippa Gregory about Normal Women, shortlisted for Book of the Year: Non-Fiction Narrative
Katherine Rundell
1 May 2024 | 0 hr 27 min | Download
This episode, host Hannah MacInnes is in conversation with Katherine Rundell, shortlisted for the Book of the Year: Children’s Fiction for Impossible Creatures.
Yomi Adegoke
30 April 2024 | 0 hr 30 min | Download
For this episode, Yomi Adegoke talks to host Hannah MacInnes about her novel The List, nominated for Book of the Year: Debut Fiction.
Peter Lantos
30 April 2024 | 0 hr 23 min | Download
This episode, host Hannah MacInnes is in conversation with Peter Lantos, shortlisted for the Book of the Year: Children’s Non-Fiction for The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Die.
Lauren Roberts
29 April 2024 | 0 hr 28 min | Download
This episode, host Hannah MacInnes is in conversation with Lauren Roberts, shortlisted for the Book of the Year: Children’s Fiction for Powerless.
Nathan Anthony
27 April 2024 | 0 hr 24 min | Download
In this episode of The Nibbies Podcast, host Hannah MacInnes chats to Nathan Anthony, author of Bored of Lunch, about the rollercoaster ride that took him from his kitchen in Northern Ireland to the bestseller charts.
Atinuke and Kingsley Nebechi
26 April 2024 | 0 hr 25 min | Download
In this episode, host Hannah MacInnes talks to Atinuke and Kingsley about the research and design process for their book, Brilliant Black British History, shortlisted for Book of the Year: Children’s Non-Fiction.
Nicholas Allen
25 April 2024 | 0 hr 25 min | Download
Following up his children’s classic, The Queen’s Knickers, with a new pair of underwear for a new monarch, this episode, host Hannah MacInnes is in conversation with Nicholas Allen, author of The King’s Pants, shortlisted for the Book of the Year: Children’s Illustrated.
Leon Diop & Briana Fitzsimons
24 April 2024 | 0 hr 26 min | Download
This episode, host Hannah MacInnes is in conversation with Leon Diop & Briana Fitzsimons, shortlisted for the Book of the Year: Discover for their landmark title Black & Irish.
Hannah Kaner
23 April 2024 | 0 hr 27 min | Download
This episode, host Hannah MacInnes is in conversation with Hannah Kaner, shortlisted for the Book of the Year: Debut Fiction for Godkiller.
Ravena Guron
22 April 2024 | 0 hr 24 min | Download
This episode, host Hannah MacInnes is in conversation with Ravena Guron, shortlisted for the Book of the Year: Children’s Fiction for her novel, This Book Kills.
G.T. Karber
19 April 2024 | 0 hr 24 min | Download
Hannah MacInnes interviews G.T. Karber whose mystery quiz book, Murdle, is shortlisted in the Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated category at this year’s Nibbies.
David McCloskey
18 April 2024 | 0 hr 21 min | Download
This episode, host Hannah MacInnes is in conversation with David McCloskey, shortlisted for the Nibbie for Crime & Thriller Book of the Year for Damascus Station.
Raksha Dave
17 April 2024 | 0 hr 24 min | Download
This episode, host Hannah MacInnes is in conversation with Raksha Dave, shortlisted for the Nibbie in the Discover category for her book Lessons from our Ancestors.
Rebecca F. Kuang
16 April 2024 | 0 hr 25 min | Download
This episode, host Hannah MacInnes is in conversation with Rebecca F Kuang, shortlisted for Book of the Year: Fiction at the Nibbies for Yellowface.
Jamie Smart
15 April 2024 | 0 hr 19 min | Download
Today’s guest for The Nibbies Podcast is Jamie Smart, the genius author/illustrator behind the Bunny vs Monkey series, and of this year’s nominated book, Multiverse Mix-up, shortlisted for Book of the Year: Children’s Illustrated.
Chloe Michelle Howarth
12 April 2024 | 0 hr 24 min | Download
In this episode, Hannah MacInnes talks to Chloe about the first-time publishing experience, what it feels like to be edited and how the road to promote the book can lead to strange and interesting places.
Sathnam Sanghera
11 April 2024 | 0 hr 23 min | Download
Host Hannah MacInnes chats with author & journalist Sathnam Sanghera, shortlisted for the Nibbie for Book of the Year: Children’s Non-Fiction for Stolen History.
A.F. Steadman
11 April 2024 | 0 hr 25 min | Download
In the inaugural episode of The Nibbies Podcast, Hannah MacInnes interviews A.F. Steadman, author of the bestselling series of enormously well received dragon novels for children, Skandar and the Phantom Rider.
Illustrator of the Year
Illustrator of the Year
Jamie Smart
By any measure, Jamie Smart had a remarkable 12 months. Sales of his books grew 84% in 2023, making Smart one of the biggest-selling graphic novelists, outpacing (in growth terms) even last year's Illustrator of the Year, Alice Oseman. Sales of his breakthrough series, Bunny vs Monkey - first published a decade ago - rose 81% year on year.
Bunny vs Monkey 7: Multiverse Mix-up! (the Children's Illustrated Book of the Year) marked a step change too; it sold a third more than its predecessor. It topped the indie bookshop charts in the UK, and in Ireland. Published by David Fickling Books for 10 years, Smart's work contributed £3.5m of DFB's £4.3m coffers.
But is it not just about the numbers. Smart has been working in the weeds of this sector for more than two decades, his first weekly children's comic was in the Sunday Times' children's supplement the Funday Times, before spending a decade at the Dandy. He developed his work at DFB's weekly The Phoenix and continues to draw for it, viewing it as the heartbeat of the UK comics scene, holding events and workshops at the annual sold-out Phoenix Fest.In an interview with The Bookseller, Smart said: "There's a kind of renaissance happening... I really hope it grows even more and that publishers put their faith in comic creators." They seem to be: of the six titles shortlisted for the Children's Illustrated award in 2024, three were comics.
Sponsored by Sweet Cherry Publishing
Sweet Cherry is a small independent publisher with a great, big mission! Based in Leicester, where one in 10 children live in poverty, we aim to bring fantastic stories within reach of every child. Our mission is to make books fun and accessible for all children, everywhere.
Overall Book of the Year
Overall Book of the Year: Winner
Murdle
G T Karber
Souvenir Press
The final judging panel crowned the Non-Fiction Lifestyle & Illustrated Book of the Year winner, Murdle, as the Overall Book of the Year. They "loved the whole concept", praising the book as a "really clever idea done really well" and agreed this "genius" book had expanded the market.
Our judges "admired" GT Karber for creating a "truly special" book that captivated a broad readership of all ages, from puzzle lovers to crime enthusiasts. Souvenir Press actioned an all-year round campaign to feed the word-of-mouth frenzy. Everything from bookseller-led "Murdle nights" and bespoke merchandise to a week-long author tour meant this book was the word on everyone's lips, and the imprint's work helped Murdle top the charts as the Christmas Number One.
The discussion was chaired by The Bookseller books editor Alice O'Keeffe and the judges comprised Anita Singh, arts and entertainment editor at the Telegraph; Lorraine Kelly, TV presenter and author; Adrian Chiles, writer and broadcaster; Sarah Gwonyoma, book critic; Claire Walker, co-chief executive of the Society of London Theatre; and Kate Skipper, chief operating officer of Waterstones. Our panel felt Murdle stands as the book of 2023, with "phenomenal" sales of more than 360,000 copies.
The Shortlist
None of This is True
Lisa Jewell, narrated by Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey
Penguin Random House Audio
WINNER Book of the Year - Audiobook: Fiction
Strong Female Character
Written and narrated by Fern Brady
Brazen
WINNER Book of the Year - Audiobook: Non-Fiction
Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-up
Written and illustrated by Jamie Smart
David Fickling Books
WINNER Book of the Year - Children's Illustrated
Impossible Creatures
Katherine Rundell
Bloomsbury Children's Books
WINNER Book of the Year - Children's Fiction
Brilliant Black British History
Atinuke, illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi
Bloomsbury Children's Books
WINNER Book of the Year - Children's Non-Fiction
Lessons from Our Ancestors
Raksha Dave, illustrated by Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong
Magic Cat Publishing
WINNER Book of the Year - Discover
Yellowface
Rebecca F Kuang
The Borough Press
WINNER Book of the Year - Fiction
None of This is True
Lisa Jewell
Century
WINNER Book of the Year - Fiction: Crime & Thriller
In Memoriam
Alice Winn
Viking
WINNER Book of the Year - Fiction: Début
Murdle
G T Karber
Souvenir Books
WINNER Book of the Year - Non-Fiction: Lifestyle
Politics on the Edge
Rory Stewart
Jonathan Cape
WINNER Book of the Year - Non-Fiction Narrative
Fourth Wing
Rebecca Yarros
Piatkus
WINNER Book of the Year - Pageturner
Author of the Year
Proudly sponsored by Montegrappa
Winner
Katherine Rundell
The past 12 months has confirmed Katherine Rundell as the pre-eminent children's author of her generation. On publication of her middle-grade title Impossible Creatures (named Children's Fiction Book of the Year), author Michael Morpurgo asserted: "There was Tolkien, there is Pullman, and now there is Katherine Rundell."
The award-winning John Donne biographer, essayist, St Catherine's College fellow, tightrope walker, rooftop climber and screenwriter is also a campaigning voice for the importance of books for children, and a powerful cultural figure whose unique mix of brain power, eloquence and ferocious imagination have delivered dazzling results.
Rundell's is the kind of story publishers dream of. Her first book was published in her early twenties, her second won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Award, her fourth a Costa. She's an author with a huge imagination, an encyclopedic knowledge, vital and vibrant storytelling, and the ability to infuse any subject matter with warmth, wit and curiosity.
Last year saw the paperback of her Donne biography Super-Infinite, picture book The Zebra's Great Escape and non-fiction title The Golden Mole. Impossible Creatures has sold more than five times her previous children's hardback book: this really has been the year of Katherine Rundell - undoubtedly the first of many.
Gallery
Photos from The British Book Awards 2022
Credit: The British Book Awards and David Parry
For arrival photography, click here
Book Retailer of the Year
Proudly sponsored by Simon & Schuster
While book sales volumes softened in 2023, it was an excellent year for these seven retailers. The dominance of internet operators—including two, LoveReading and World of Books, that make this shortlist for the first time—reflects the accelerated migration to online spending during Covid, and leaves Waterstones and the National Trust as the only bricks-and-mortar booksellers.
This shortlist will be completed by two more retailers: the winners of the Independent Bookshop of the Year and Children’s Bookseller of the Year.
Winner
The Children's Bookshop
The Children's Bookshop in Muswell Hill adds this prestigious award to the trophy for Children's Bookseller of the Year. In the 11 years of the Book Retailer of the Year prize in its current format, it is only the second independent to win.
The shop, SO years young in 2024, is revered by generations of children, parents, grandparents and teachers. It does the fundamentals of bookselling brilliantly, with five in-store book clubs, free storytime sessions, sreat window displays and lively social media, and estimates that four in five books are handsold by owner Sanchita Basu De Sarkar and her exceptional team. It is a priority stop on signing tours for just about every big children's author and illustrator.
But it is the array of activity beyond the shop that really sets The Children's Bookshop apart from other book retailers. World Book Day encapsulated its energy, with 35 external events in five days and, when teacher strikes threatened to scupper school activity, it held a free party of its own for 400 children.
The emphasis is always on engaging not just keen readers but children of all abilities and backgrounds. That. and a growing awareness of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. led the shop to give away hundreds of books to local schools, charities, shelters, prisons and refusee centres, and work with an autism centre to develop a learning library for children with additional needs.
Testimonials highlight the passion of The Children's Bookshop. "Its dedication to making sure that children have a joyful, inspirational experience of reading for fun is so impressive," said one. As the British Book Awards judges put it: "It's a simply amazing shop and team ... you just can't fault it."
Shortlist
Books2Door
Online retailer Books2Door is shortlisted for the third year in a row. Orders surged by a fifth in 2023 after it embraced two big trends in bookselling: TikTok, where it already averages £50,000 of sales a month and has struck partnerships and live streams with top BookTokkers; and book boxes, where it introduced new Box2Door subscription deals.
Bookshop.org
Bookshop.org’s value to independent booksellers during Covid was recognised by this award in 2022. Last year it passed the milestone of £3m profits earned for 600 indies, plus affiliates including the Women’s Prize. It stepped up promo work with social media influencers, added new strands to its children’s books offer and launched a charitable Read It Forward initiative with BookTrust.
LoveReading
Like Bookshop.org, recommendation and retail platform LoveReading has a social purpose that goes well beyond selling books. Its model of sending a quarter of buyers’ spend to schools of their choice is helping cash-strapped libraries to get more children reading for pleasure. It is also starting to support in-person events, including as partner of The Week’s book awards and festival.
Monwell
Monwell, the manager of online bookshops for newspapers, flies under the radar of most consumers—but not of trade publishers. It added the Times to the Guardian, Mail and Express in 2023, and is moving into subscription packages and non-book products. With literary review space under mounting pressure, Monwell has built an important bridge from media coverage to revenue.
National Trust
With 121 retail sites, and second-hand shops at many more of its properties, the National Trust is a bigger bookseller than some realise—and a particularly valuable one for its publishing partners, HarperCollins and Nosy Crow. Shortlisted at the British Book Awards for the first time since 2017, its team’s market knowledge, merchandising and promos are the equal of many pure book retailers.
Waterstones
A ninth shortlist place in 10 years shows the consistency of Waterstones since James Daunt took the helm in 2011. It seized good shares of many of 2023’s biggest sellers, especially Prince Harry’s Spare and G T Karber’s Murdle, while helping to break out many more new voices. Events revenue was the best ever and seven new openings showed its confidence for the future.
World of Books
WOB has sold second-hand books for two decades now, but consumers’ focus on online sales, sustainability and price has moved it up a gear. By helping individuals and charities to rehome used books it has saved millions from pulping, and its online experience increasingly matches bookshop browsing. An author-share scheme has started to address the tricky issue of compensating creators for secondary sales.
Book of the Year - Audiobook Non-Fiction
Memoirs from stalwarts of British media and royalty, alongside histories and self-development titles, make up this eclectic shortlist. What all the titles have in common is premium author care and innovative campaigns championing the audiobook genre.
Winner
Strong Female Character
Written and narrated by Fern Brady
Brazen
Comedian Fern Brady's "honest" and "heartfelt" memoir Strong Female Character resonated with our panel of judges, who called the audio edition "fascinating and beautiful". Voiced by the author, Brady's "profoundly impactful" account of her life as a woman living with autism was called "eye-opening" by our panel.
Brazen knew it had something special with Strong Female Character and utilised Brady's existing audience to promote awareness of neurodiversity and help the audiobook find the listeners who needed it most. Brady's tour audiences were also offered a voucher for the audio edition, which was recognised as one of Apple and Audible's audio books of the year. Our judges agreed Strong Female Character was an "intimate" and "raw" listening experience which "achieved a deep-to the-bone honesty", making it a clear stand-out in this category.
The Shortlist
Alan Partridge: Big Beacon
Written and narrated by Alan Partridge
Seven Dials/Orion
Steve Coogan dons his Alan Partridge persona once more in this hilarious account of Partridge’s attempt to return to his primetime TV slot and his efforts to rebuild a lighthouse. Narrated by Coogan and written with long-term collaborators Neil and Rob Gibbons, Big Beacon was Hachette’s biggest ever non-fiction audiobook pre-order. Seven Dials ran animated audio extracts and a pre-order competition in which the lucky winner received a personalised message from Alan himself.
Making It So
Written and narrated by Patrick Stewart
Gallery UK/Simon & Schuster
The icon of British television and film Patrick Stewart narrates his charming memoir Making It So in what was a carefully considered and thoughtful publication from Gallery UK that helped this audiobook top the Audible charts on release. The campaign lent into all aspects of Stewart’s life, from his career on screen to his childhood in Yorkshire, with outdoor advertising across the north of England presenting scannable QR codes to play audio clips.
Spare
Written and narrated by Prince Harry
Penguin Random House Audio
Prince Harry’s record-breaking memoir Spare, written with J R Moehringer, ruled the audiobook charts on release, with deft narration from the royal himself creating an intimate listening experience. Penguin implemented a meticulous, global campaign and made the decision to run no advertising on social media or spaces where users could leave comments, instead running ads with podcasts with a listening base interested in mental health and wellness.
Strong Female Character
Written and narrated by Fern Brady
Brazen/Octopus Publishing Group
Comedian Fern Brady recounts her life as a woman living with autism in her honest memoir, Strong Female Character, which was recognised as one of Apple and Audible’s audiobooks of the year. Brazen utilised Brady’s existing public profile to push audiobook sales, offering her tour audiences a voucher for the audio edition. The memoir triumphed in audio and remains the publisher’s number one title on Spotify.
The Diary of a CEO
Written and narrated by Steven Bartlett
Penguin Random House Audio
Author and narrator Steven Bartlett brings his conversational podcast style and entrepreneurial and self-development expertise to the audio edition of The Diary of a CEO. With only two weeks of Bartlett’s time available to promote the audio edition, Penguin Random House Audio instigated a no-holds-barred campaign, running its first ever advertising on Apple News and sending padlocked golden boxes to influencers with a download code for the audiobook.
Unruly
Written and narrated by David Mitchell
Penguin Random House Audio
David Mitchell’s witty history of the English monarchy ruled the autumn on release. Penguin Random House Audio launched Unruly's pre-order campaign with a 15-minute video of Mitchell and identified the ‘Twixtmas’ period as a ripe opportunity, running a fresh slew of Guardian advertising. Mitchell also wrote and hosted a pub quiz for Greene King that was then rolled out across 35 pubs.
Book of the Year - Audiobook Fiction
From literary icons to genre titans and debut voices, the audio fiction shortlist champions the audiobook as a vital part of a story’s longevity. Well-known voices such as Nicola Walker and Samuel West feature alongside series narrators Robert Glenister and Lauryn Allman.
Winner
None of This is True
Lisa Jewell, narrated by Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey
Penguin Random House Audio
Lisa Jewell triumphs again in a watershed year for the author, clinching both Audio Fiction and Crime & Thriller Book of the Year for the ingenious None of This is True, brought to life in audio by actors Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey. Our judges were "blown away by this audiobook", proclaiming it a "groundbreaking" production.
Penguin Random House Audio produced an "innovative" marketing campaign that championed a creative and commercial vision for the novel. The idea to create a true crime podcast using audiobook content and additional material penned by the author was hailed as a "resourceful and thoughtful". "This is Jewell's moment", our panel agreed.
The Shortlist
Impossible Creatures
Katherine Rundell, narrated by Samuel West
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Actor Samuel West lends his voice to Katherine Rundell’s fantastical tale of a magical archipelago inhabited by the creatures of myth and legend. Bloomsbury Children’s Books ran a slew of digital advertising to promote the audio edition of Impossible Creatures, reaching more than one million people, and reinvigorated the Audible children’s bestseller list, normally dominated by backlist titles.
None of This is True
Lisa Jewell, narrated by Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey
Penguin Random House Audio
Lisa Jewell’s crime hit None of This Is True, follows podcaster Alix who becomes immersed in her birthday twin’s life after a chance encounter. With 12 narrators, including actors Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey in the titular roles, Penguin Random House Audio produced an immersive listening experience, incorporating the podcast and true-crime documentary elements of the novel into the audiobook.
Poor Things
Alasdair Gray, narrated by Russ Bain and Kathryn Drysdale
W. F. Howes
In an example of savvy publishing, W F Howes released Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things with a striking film tie-in audiobook cover. Gray’s story of a reanimated woman named Bella, and her growing sense of autonomy and curiosity, is the first of his novels to be adapted for audio. The publisher worked with Gray’s Estate to cast Scottish actor Russ Bain alongside Kathyrn Drysdale in this considered production.
The Housemaid's Secret
Freida McFadden, narrated by Lauryn Allman
Bookouture
Narrator Lauryn Allman returned as the voice of Millie in Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid’s Secret, following a maid who must protect her own secrets while helping the wife of her employer. Bookouture made this its second bestselling audiobook of all time by building on the book’s theme of secrecy, offering exclusive listening codes to select readers and bloggers and restricting the launch to Audible and Apple Books.
The List
Yomi Adegoke, narrated by Sheila Atim and Arinzé Kene
4th Estate
Ola and Michael are happily engaged, but when Michael’s name appears on a roster of abusive men, everything is put at risk. This is the premise of Yomi Adegoke’s conversation-starting debut novel The List, voiced by actors Shelia Atim and Arinzé Kene. 4th Estate put authenticity at the heart of its campaign; The List was selected as the Guardian’s audiobook of the week and was championed as part of Spotify’s audiobook launch.
The Running Grave
Robert Galbraith, narrated by Robert Glenister
Little, Brown Audio
The Running Grave, the seventh in Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series, sees the detective take on a seemingly peaceful organisation. It took the crown as Hachette’s biggest-selling audiobook of 2023. Established narrator and actor Robert Glenister reprised his role as the voice of the series. Little, Brown Audio built hype among existing audiences with a teaser cover-reveal video, a three-pronged social advertising strategy and a Galbraith discussion evening on Facebook.
Book of the Year - Children's Fiction
Supported by The Week Junior
From an enchanted archipelago to a murder mystery, this shortlist boasts everything from a festive musical to a decadent enemies-to-lovers tale. There is something for every young reader, with each title championed in-house with unique campaigns and retailer support.
The Winner
Impossible Creatures
Katherine Rundell
Bloomsbury Children's Books
There is no stopping Katherine Rundell as the author reaches new heights with her first middle-grade fantasy novel, Impossible Creatures. Rundell's voracious imagination captivated our judges, who garlanded the novel and its writer with praise: "She can do no wrong," said one judge. "A book that will last and last" they agreed. A trio of illustrators worked on the book, with cover design and art direction by Laura Bird; cover art was by Daniel Egneus, the imaginary bestiary by Tomislav Tomic and the map of the archipelago by Virginia Allyn creating a "beautiful package". Bloomsbury Children's campaign positioned Impossible Creatures as "the book of Rundell's career". Publication was marked with a launch party at the Natural History Museum and a sweep of supermarket slots followed - as did Waterstones Book of the Year and Foyles' Children's Book of the Year wins.
The Shortlist
Impossible Creatures
Written by Katherine Rundell
Bloomsbury Children's Books
Katherine Rundell continues to reach new fantastical heights with the lauded first instalment in her new series with Bloomsbury Children’s, which wanted to create “the publishing event of the year”. Impossible Creatures finished the year as both Waterstones’ Book of the Year and Foyles' Children’s Book of the Year. The publisher secured a full sweep of supermarket slots and installed the dragon “Archie Pelago” at Waterstones Piccadilly. Interior illustration by Tomislav Tomic, map by Virginia Allyn, cover illustration by Daniel Egneus.
Powerless
Written by Lauren Roberts
Simon & Schuster Children’s Books
The debut enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel from BookTokker Lauren Roberts fired up the team at S&S Children’s to produce a nimble and creative campaign to hit publication, a short three months after acquisition. Previously self-published, S&S improved on Powerless’ original cover, clinched a Waterstones exclusive sprayed-edge edition and marshalled BookTok creators with limited-edition mailing packages. Even with a short lead time, Powerless became S&S Children’s number one YA fiction title of the year.
Skandar and the Phantom Rider
A.F. Steadman
Simon & Schuster Children's Books
The second in A F Steadman’s ferocious unicorn series hit number one in the children’s and YA fiction charts on publication. S&S Children’s produced exclusive editions of Skandar and the Phantom Rider for Waterstones and indies that capitalised on the stormy, electric-blue front cover, while Steadman committed to a six-week tour around the world, visiting schools, festivals and bookshops.
The Boy Who Slept Through Christmas
Matt Lucas, illustrated by Forest Burdett
Farshore
Matt Lucas’ musical Christmas novel captured the festive imagination. The songs, written and recorded by Lucas and a cast of West End professionals, form part of the story’s narrative and can be accessed through in-text QR codes. Farshore embarked on an impressive campaign for this unique tale, securing numerous broadcast slots, including “Sunday Brunch”, “The One Show” and “The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show”. Lucas also rallied indie support and hosted a virtual event with the National Literacy Trust.
The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks
Written and illustrated by Katie Kirby
Puffin
Katie Kirby’s The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks cemented this hilarious and relatable tween series as a firm favourite for readers. Puffin organised four sold-out signing events, appearances at Bath and Ilkley literature festivals and a holiday-giveaway competition with Tesco. Social media posts engaged fans by teasing the topsy-turvy festive story and Puffin partnered with The VIP Suite for influencer giveaways.
This Book Kills
Ravena Guron
Usborne
Ravena Guron’s debut, a murder mystery that tackles wealth and race, was championed by the team at Usborne and made Guron a new standout author in YA thrillers. Getting the right cover for This Book Kills was paramount, and the team pushed back campaign dates to ensure it was perfected. The risk paid off and, coupled with campaigns run with Tandem Collective and Rocket, This Book Kills was the bestselling YA debut thriller of 2023.
Book of the Year - Children's Illustrated
Supported by Lovereadingforkids
Graphic novels make their stamp on this year’s shortlist with Alice Oseman’s heart-warming Heartstopper series making a return alongside the latest Bunny vs Monkey adventure from Jamie Smart. The shortlist is rounded off with a seasonal tale, the debut from George Webster and a celebration of King Charles III.
Winner
Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-Up!
Jamie Smart
David Fickling Books
Jamie Smart's "phenomenal" graphic novel Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-Up! claimed top spot in this category. Smart enjoyed a personal best in 2023, ending the year as one of the UK's top-selling graphic novelists with his best annual sales ever. One judge called the anarchic Bunny vs Monkey series a "game changer". It is "undiluted reading for pleasure", added another.
David Fickling Books' investment in Smart impressed our judges, with the supermarket support for Mix-Up! declared a "major coup". "This is what happens when you nurture an author to the point where they go 'boom'," our panel agreed. DFB's "bold" and "admirable" campaign utilised its resources effectively to make Multiverse Mix-Up! the breakout title of the Bunny vs Monkey series and push Smart to a new level of sales.
The Shortlist
Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-up
Written and illustrated by Jamie Smart
David Fickling Books
Jamie Smart saw off 2023 as the year’s top-selling graphic novelist and David Fickling Books aimed to cement him as a market leader with Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-Up!. DFB’s fun and interactive campaign strategy, which included a large installation at Waterstones Piccadilly over February half-term and a “Laugh Yourself Silly” initiative with supermarkets, made this the bestselling Bunny vs Monkey publication yet.
Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea
Written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey
Scholastic
Dubbed the “godfather of the children’s graphic novel”, the 11th instalment in Dav Pilkey’s hilarious series marked a 27% increase in year-on-year sales for the author-illustrator, despite a two-year hiatus. Scholastic managed a supermarket sweep and support from W H Smith and Waterstones to produce a slew of kid-safe and family targeted advertising to make Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea the second-bestselling graphic novel of 2023 in the UK.
Heartstopper: Volume 5
Written and illustrated by Alice Oseman
Hodder Children’s Books
The fifth instalment in Alice Oseman’s iconic series celebrating queer love and friendship became the fastest-selling graphic novel ever in a globally orchestrated publication. Not only did Heartstopper rack up the highest pre-order sales of any Hodder Children’s Book title, but the Waterstones exclusive edition also sold out in under an hour. A cover reveal with Cosmopolitan and a takeover at Hay Festival helped bring readers old and new to the series.
The King's Pants
Written and illustrated by Nicholas Allan
Andersen Press
In celebration of King Charles III’s coronation, Nicholas Allan’s funny picture book The King’s Pants benefited from an award-winning marketing campaign and pant-tastic advertising with a coronation activity pack, bunting artwork and a window installation at Waterstones Piccadilly. Andersen Press also ran a fundraiser, asking artists to create their own “Coronation Pants” artwork for auction, and donated more than £10,000 to charity in aid of people affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
This is Me
George Webster and Claire Taylor, illustrated by Tim Budgen
Scholastic
George Webster’s joyful picture book based on his life celebrates representation and inclusion. Co-written with Claire Taylor and illustrated by Tim Budgen, This Is Me was treated with the utmost care in-house, with Webster’s comfort prioritised at every moment of the campaign. Scholastic secured a spread of national newspaper and broadcast opportunities, including interviews on “The One Show” and “BBC Breakfast”, to help launch the CBeebies presenter as a new voice in children’s literature.
We're Going on a Ghost Hunt
Martha Mumford, illustrated by Cherie Zamazing
Bloomsbury Children's Books
This spooky lift-the-flap Halloween adventure marks the latest instalment in Martha Mumford and Cherie Zamazing’s Bunny Adventures series. Despite running an author-less campaign, Bloomsbury was determined to make this book a seasonal moment, creating a bewitching foil-accented cover and obtaining prime positioning across supermarkets to make We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt a number one Sunday Times bestseller for eight consecutive weeks.
Book of the Year - Children's Non-Fiction
Now in its third year, this shortlist is dominated by conversation-starting books seeking to redress historical imbalances from both established and new voices. The topics include inclusivity, identity and curiosity. Many of the campaigns put education at the heart of their approach, prioritising outreach and charitable actions.
The Winner
Brilliant Black British History
Atinuke, illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi
Bloomsbury Children's Books
Our judges were in awe of Atinuke's Brilliant Black British History, describing it as an "important" account of Black people throughout our nation's history. "I would want every person to read this," said one judge. With "striking" artwork by debut illustrator Kingsley Nebechi, Brilliant Black British History should become a touchstone for children and adults alike to address "missing parts of history". Atinuke and Nebechi's pioneering book covers the longest period of any children's book on Black British history.
Bloomsbury Children's took the ethos of the book to heart and led with education and positivity in its campaign. An "authentic" strategy went above and beyond, and our judges were particularly impressed by the survey commissioned by the publisher on the need for comprehensive Black history education. It was "a stroke of genius", they agreed.
The Shortlist
Black & Irish
Leon Diop and Briana Fitzsimons, illustrated by Jessica Louis
Little Island Books in collaboration with Black & Irish
Little Island Books worked with illustrator Jessica Louis and the Black & Irish organisation on this “history-making” book, the first children’s title to be published on Black Irish identity. Black & Irish was welcomed by the Irish press with impressive coverage in both the Irish Times and Irish Times magazine, as well as a slew of broadcast slots for co-authors Leon Diop and Briana Fitzsimons. This was the most ordered book on the publisher’s website last year.
Brilliant Black British History
Atinuke, illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Atinuke’s vital exploration of Black British history covers the longest period of time of any children’s book on this subject. With moving artwork from debut illustrator Kingsley Nebechi, Brilliant Black British History was truly a collaborative effort. Bloomsbury Children’s created a positive, education-led campaign with multiple school events and commissioned a headline-grabbing survey on the need for comprehensive Black history education in response to a media backlash.
Kay's Incredible Inventions
Adam Kay, illustrated by Henry Paker
Puffin
Adam Kay and Henry Paker’s unique education-entertainment brand continues to delight readers, with Kay’s Incredible Inventions designed to inspire the next generation of scientists. Puffin took this mission to heart, launching a competition with the Young V&A to challenge children to imagine their own invention, with the winner to be featured in the upcoming paperback edition. Kay and Paker also embarked on a school tour and hosted a Puffin virtual visit to 117 classrooms.
Little People, Big Dreams: King Charles
Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, illustrated by Matt Hunt
Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara partnered with illustrator Matt Hunt for this instalment in the iconic and inspiring series that marked King Charles III’s coronation with a celebration of the monarch’s life. Partnerships with four supermarkets, including a new slot with Aldi, and a bookshop “coronation pack” made King Charles the bestselling book in the UK in the week leading up to the coronation.
Stolen History
Sathnam Sanghera, illustrated by Jen Khatun
Puffin Books
Puffin created a powerful social impact campaign for Sathnam Sanghera’s considered history of British colonialism with warm illustrations from Jen Khatun. Sanghera embarked on a two-week school tour, speaking to nearly 3,000 children about Stolen History, while also appearing on “London ITV News” and “The Andrew Marr Show”. The publisher worked with Media Hive, a specialist agency, to plan publication sensitively and target communities where Sanghera’s book would be most wanted.
The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die
Peter Lantos
Scholastic
Originally published for adult readers, Peter Lantos adapted his autobiographical story following his horrific journey as a child through Europe to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Scholastic was shortlisted for the Publisher’s Publicity Circle’s Best Children’s Campaign for its sensitive and thoughtful treatment of The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Die, which included a partnership with Anne Frank Trust and virtual events with Holocaust Memorial Trust Day and Holocaust Education Trust.
Book of the Year - Discover
The Discover award continues to amplify books from under-represented writers, with a particular focus on the work of indie presses. This shortlist boasts six important books, from cookery to memoir, history and fiction.
Winner
Lessons From Our Ancestors
Raksha Dave, illustrated by Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong
Magic Cat
Archaeologist Raksha Dave's Lessons From Our Ancestors, a vital exploration of forgotten histories and peoples, and what archaeological finds tell us about the way they lived, impressed the judges. "It is an important book for children and for the future", said one judge; "it needs to be under every Christmas tree and in every school library", declared another. Dave's expertise, combined with "beautiful" illustrations from Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong, created a winning title for indie Magic Cat, which ran a harmonious campaign reflecting the title's ethos, organising a museum tour in which children were encouraged to handle artefacts, and partnering with the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, as well as securing review space in archaeology magazines and coverage on BBC Radio 4's "Loose Ends". This book was "something special", our judges agreed.
The Shortlist
A Bollywood State of Mind
Sunny Singh
Footnote Press
Sunny Singh’s socio-cultural history of India, its cinemas and performance traditions was published as Footnote Press’ lead autumn non-fiction title last year. A Bollywood State of Mind was backed with an inventive rickshaw proof-drop, a cinema screening and a special appearance at the Mayor of London’s Diwali on the Square celebrations in Trafalgar Square. Pop art-style assets online stimulated word-of-mouth buzz, while a Spotify playlist curated by Singh rolled out pre-publication.
April’s Garden
Isla McGuckin, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri
Graffeg
Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2023 and selected as one of the Children’s Books Ireland’s picture books for 2023, April’s Garden is the debut from Isla McGuckin, who appeared on last year’s “New Voices” panel at the Children’s Books Ireland International Conference. Exploring poverty, homelessness and displacement, the story is sensitively illustrated by Catalina Echeverri and published with teaching notes to provide discussion points in classrooms.
Imad’s Syrian Kitchen
Imad Alarnab, illustrated by Evi-O.Studio
HQ
Imad Alarnab’s strikingly designed cookbook offers more than just recipes from the author’s homeland, also featuring essays reflecting on his life. HQ’s PPC-shortlisted campaign worked with The Unmistakables agency and secured broadcast and print publicity, including a slot on “Saturday Kitchen” on publication week. Imad’s Syrian Kitchen was selected as one of the Times’ best cookery books of the year and is one of the top 10 cookery debuts of 2023.
Lessons from Our Ancestors
Raksha Dave, illustrated by Kimberlie
Clinthorne-Wong
Magic Cat
Archaeologist Raksha Dave spotlights forgotten histories and misrepresented stories in Lessons from Our Ancestors, her debut picture book. Dave added a personal touch by including 50 objects in the book that she has dug up and examined in archaeological sites across the world. Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong's evocative illustrations amplify the text. Magic Cat organised a museum tour to galvanise interest and partnered with the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education for the cover reveal.
Pageboy: A Memoir
Elliot Page
Doubleday
Acquired in a 16-publisher auction, Pageboy found a home at Doubleday after editor Bobby Mostyn-Owen filmed a personal video for Elliot Page. Author care was at the heart of the sensitive publicity campaign: journalists and producers were vetted, provided with a style guide and a list of no-go topics. Doubleday also championed queer independent bookshops, which received signed copies, and ran a pre-order competition with the Queer Lit bookshop.
Sunburn
Chloe Michelle Howarth
VERVE Books
Chloe Michelle Howarth’s debut novel Sunburn, a coming-of-age Sapphic story set in 1990s Ireland, was VERVE's lead summer title last year and backed with a creative campaign including an inaugural blogger event, proof posts with bracelet packages and a partnership with clothing shop Lucy & Yak. Sunburn went on to be shortlisted for the Debut Fiction Nero Book Award and sales far exceeded the original print run.
Book of the Year - Fiction
Supported by Scala Radio
This year’s fiction shortlist runs the gamut from literary fiction to fantasy and from historical adventure on the high seas to pin-sharp contemporary satire. From iconic cover art to inventive campaigns both online and in the real world, these books were unmissable in 2023.
The Winner
Yellowface
Rebecca F Kuang
The Borough Press
Rebecca F Kuang returns in her second consecutive win in this category for the trailblazing Yellowface, following her triumph with Babel last year. For our judges, Yellowface "delivered on every level", being a "propulsive", "brave" and "bold" story satirising the publishing industry. The Borough Press' campaign created a cultural moment with an ambitious and audacious marketing strategy which made Yellowface the "book to be seen with". Our panel agreed this was the "best campaign" on the shortlist. The stylish, now iconic cover was just the first step on Yellowface's road to success. The publisher created an "unmissable" event, with everything from spray painted pavement motifs to fly-posters to enormous billboard advertising, and a sell-out nationwide tour. When crowning Yellowface the winner, our panel agreed they had "never read anything quite like it".
The Shortlist
Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt
Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker
Macmillan
Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, co-authored by her son Harry Whittaker, is the eighth and final novel in Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series. Macmillan partnered with the Tandem Collective to create a campaign of readalongs and influencer activity to re-engage fans of the series, while competition winners were invited to the launch at the Fitzrovia Chapel. Pre-orders were exceptionally strong and hardback sales marked a 43% growth on the previous HB in the series, with Atlas spending nine weeks in the Top Ten.
Iron Flame
Rebecca Yarros
Piatkus
The sequel to Fourth Wing was published six months after the phenomenal success of the first in the series and flew straight to the top of the charts, selling more than 57,000 copies in its first week. The Waterstones special edition became the fastest-selling pre-order title in a single day on the retailer’s website, selling out the entire print run in just seven hours. Piatkus responded to the fan love by running a competition in which the winner saw her artwork featured as endpapers in the UK edition.
So Late in the Day
Claire Keegan
Faber
Following the response to Small Things Like These in 2021, Faber decided to publish this standalone short story as a hardback to celebrate Claire Keegan as one of the most acclaimed authors of literary fiction writing today. Lead interviews in the Observer and the Irish Times created a significant publication splash. A special edition was created for indie bookshops, always passionate champions of the author, and four bookshops were selected for bespoke painted windows.
Tackle!
Jilly Cooper
Bantam Press
Transworld has been publishing Jilly Cooper for 40 years, establishing her as brand author with an iconic, instantly recognisable, jacket style, replicated for Tackle! with four colours only. The return of hero Rupert Campbell-Black generated huge interest, with the Mail running a total of 10 articles in total, and the Sunday Times five. The campaign, with the strapline “She shoots, she scores!”, encompassed nationwide outdoor print advertising, digital display ads and perfectly branded POS including an exclusive gift-with-purchase tote bag for indie bookshops.
The Ghost Ship
Kate Mosse
Mantle
This historical epic is the third in the Joubert Family Chronicles but also works as a standalone, telling a queer love story between two female pirates amid adventure on the high seas. In a no-stone-unturned PR campaign, Kate Mosse undertook 35 press interviews, 27 broadcast interviews and 58 in-person events including bookshop and festival appearances. The Ghost Ship also had its very own sea shanty, a folk interpretation of the book, which was listed on Spotify and played on BBC 6 Music, generating additional publicity.
Yellowface
Rebecca F. Kuang
The Borough Press
Known for her fantasy dark academia novel Babel, this sharp satire of the publishing industry was a change of direction for Rebecca Kuang. More than 80 cover designs were produced before the now-iconic eyes that formed the basis of the standout marketing campaign and the publisher’s biggest ever outdoor advertising for a first format, from 4,000 flyposters (two months before publication date) to the London Underground. Add in three special editions, for Waterstones, FairyLoot and Illumicrate, and Yellowface was the most unmissable novel of the year.
Book of the Year - Début Fiction
Proudly sponsored by Spotify
This exciting shortlist is a celebration of novelists at the very beginning of their careers. From a fresh take on heartbreak with some sharp jokes to tender love stories both contemporary and historical, and with settings from a fantasy world to a Japanese bookshop, these debuts broke through in 2023.
The Winner
In Memoriam
Alice Winn
Viking
Alice Winn was declared the "undeniable" winner of this year's prize with her "stunning" debut novel In Memoriam, a love story about two young men who leave their public school to fight in the First World War. Our judges were deeply moved by Winn's thoughtfully crafted story of love and tragedy: "a really exceptional book that people will be reading for decades", declared one judge.
Viking's "classy" publishing secured a broad readership; the imprint organised a three-city pre-publication proof tour with the US-based author (visiting 32 bookshops over three days) and a series of festival events. "Viking really believed in the book and its quality", said one judge. The winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and the named chain's Novel of the Year, In Memoriam has cemented its position as the debut of 2023 "people will remember", our judges agreed.
The Shortlist
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa
Manilla Press
With cosy Japan-set novels proving enduringly popular with readers, Bonnier snapped up UK rights for Satoshi Yagisawa’s Days at the Morisaki Bookshop for a small advance from HarperCollins US and published as a £10.99 flapped paperback, a first for the publisher. Fittingly for a novel about the healing power of reading, it was the passion of individual booksellers on the high street, both independents and Waterstones, that drove sales making this the bestselling debut in our shortlist. Hat-tip to cover illustrator Ilya Milstein.
Godkiller
Hannah Kaner
HarperVoyager
Epic fantasy Godkiller became the bestselling fantasy debut of 2023. With a stunning jacket featuring a luminous woodland scene from artist Tom Roberts, three special editions were produced for subscription box Illumicrate, specialist SFF bookshop The Broken Binding and Waterstones, which sold out before it was even released. Rave reviews from individual Waterstones booksellers were turned into personalised quote cards and shared across social media.
In Memoriam
Alice Winn
Viking
In Memoriam, which scooped the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and Waterstones Novel of the Year, tells of the love between two First World War soldiers. The original cover design centres the men rather than the war, to appeal to readers of contemporary as well as historical fiction. Review coverage from the Sunday Times to Women’s Weekly and a post-publication UK tour for US-based Alice Winn helped make In Memoriam the bestselling hardback fiction debut of 2023.
Really Good, Actually
Monica Heisey
4th Estate
“Schitt’s Creek” screenwriter Monica Heisey’s debut Really Good, Actually charts the highs, lows and chronic oversharing of a heartbroken millennial whose marriage has ended before her 30th birthday. Selected as one of the Observer’s best new novelists, Heisey undertook a two-week, nationwide, sold-out events tour. Much-coveted tote bags, a Foyles exclusive, featured a ‘Google search’ list from the novel and fans of the book could listen to a Spotify Wrapped list specially created for protagonist Maggie.
Talking at Night
Claire Daverley
Penguin Michael Joseph
Falling for the epic love story between Will and Rosie, Penguin Michael Joseph moved swiftly to pre-empt Talking at Night. With author Claire Daverley a complete unknown, with no existing platform or subscription box support, the publisher focused on finding individual bookseller champions. On TikTok, user-generated videos raving about the book have received 1.5 million views, and the book has inspired playlists, character art – and at least one Talking at Night tattoo!
The List
Yomi Adegoke
4th Estate
This highly topical debut shines a light on the dark side of social media and its effect on Ola and her fiancé Michael weeks before their wedding. The first novel from Yomi Adegoke, journalist and co-author of the bestselling Slay in Your Lane, triggered a fierce 11-publisher auction. Fourth Estate produced an eye-catching emoji cover design that formed the basis of an unmissable advertising campaign whether on socials or the London Underground: “Have you seen #TheList?”
Book of the Year - Crime and Thriller
This year’s shortlist runs the gamut from cosy crime to not one but two espionage thrillers, leaving space for a twisty psychological thriller or two and a long-running detective series. With megabrand authors alongside a new name, our judges have a difficult decision ahead.
Winner
None of This is True
Lisa Jewell
Century
Lisa Jewell's None of This is True, about two women whose lives intertwine after a chance meeting in a pub, was singled out by our judges as a "brilliant" and "impressive" read. They were in awe of Century's "innovative", "committed" and "clever" campaign which made None of This is True the bestselling hardback of Jewell's career to date.
Not only did Century bring the podcast "Hi, I'm Your Birthday Twin!" from the novel to life, it also worked with a production company to bring the Netflix true crime documentary element of the book to the small screen. For our panel, None of This is True stands testament to Jewell's skill as writer of twisty, cleverly plotted and unputdownable crime novels, and the publisher's ongoing dedication to nurturing her career-spanning more than 20 years. The success of the novel is testament to "Century's commitment to their author", agreed our judges.
The Shortlist
Damascus Station
David McCloskey
Swift Press
Originally published in the US, indie Swift Press spotted the commercial potential of this Syria-set spy thriller, written by a former CIA analyst, when other UK publishers had turned it down. The key to success was getting this debut on the radar of influential reviewers, and then capitalising on the excellent media coverage to ensure retailer buy-in, from Waterstones to W H Smith Travel and eventually Waitrose. Crowned as the Times Thriller of the Year, Damascus Station finished 2023 as the bestselling crime and thriller title from an independent publisher.
None of This is True
Lisa Jewell
Century
None of This Is True is Lisa Jewell’s bestselling hardback in her career of more than 20 years, powered by an irresistible hook and a standout Book Marketing Society-winning marketing campaign. Century brought the podcast from the novel to life, creating four true-crime inspired episodes released weekly in the run-up to publication, with the final episode revealing that the podcast was, in fact, a genius stunt. Impactful TV advertising across ITVX and Netflix added to the impressive online engagement.
The Last Devil To Die
Richard Osman
Viking
Despite being the fourth in the Thursday Murder Club series, The Last Devil to Die is now the fastest-selling hardback adult novel ever – with Richard Osman beating his own previous record. Multiple TV slots included an exclusive VT, filmed at his mother’s retirement village – the inspiration for the series – broadcast on “The One Show”. Black Friday was a key focus, with a Devil-themed wordsearch puzzle in the Radio Times (1.1 million readership) in November and a ‘Which member of the Thursday Murder Club are you?’ quiz, which was widely shared online.
The Running Grave
Robert Galbraith
Sphere
Sphere rose to the challenge of publishing the seventh in the Cormorant Strike series with an emphasis on expanding the author’s social media reach. The online book club on the Robert Galbraith Facebook page featured pre-recorded author videos, which readers were able to comment on as they were released, simulating a live event feel. A partnership with Good Housekeeping ensured the content was broadcast to its 1.4 million followers. The Running Grave spent 14 weeks in the Top 10.
The Secret Hours
Mick Herron
Baskerville
Both a gripping standalone spy thriller and a prequel to Mick Herron’s bestselling Slough House series, The Secret Hours was powered by the biggest marketing and publicity strategy to date, securing the author a spread of high-profile interviews in print from the Sunday Times to You Magazine and the Radio 4 “Book at Bedtime” slot. At a secret pop-up event at Harrogate Crime Festival, fans joined the author for a one-off Q&A and reading. HB sales grew by 10% on Herron’s previous novel.
The Woman Who Lied
Claire Douglas
Penguin Michael Joseph
Michael Joseph launched Claire Douglas’ first official newsletter to coincide with publication of The Woman Who Lied. The publicity campaign focused on growing her presence on the crime festival circuit. On publication, this hit number five on its first part-week sale, rising to number two and spent a total of 11 weeks in the Top Ten. Selected as a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, this psychological thriller finished the year in the Nielsen UK Top 50 of 2023’s bestselling titles.
Book of the Year - Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated
From an instant cookery brand to what not to eat, an addictive murder mystery puzzle to life-enhancing poetry, this year’s Lifestyle and Illustrated shortlist may be broad in scope but these books are united by clever campaigns and impressive sales.
The Winner
Murdle
G T Karber
Souvenir Press
G T Karber's Murdle smashed all expectations last year as the book of the festive season, uniting puzzle fans and mystery readers alike in a winning combination best described as Cluedo crossed with Sudoku. 'Truly innovative", said one judge; "a phenomenon", added another; "incredibly charming", declared a third.
Souvenir Press created an iconic package with Murdle and our panel were impressed with the publisher's decisions at every stage, from "canny" acquisition to the production of a "revolutionary" book and a non-stop campaign. The team threw their relatively small but mighty weight behind Murdle, nurturing this new brand via influencer mail outs and securing Waterstones support before the festive word-of mouth flurry began. Our judges agreed that Murdle has "reinvigorated" the market and created a new area of publishing.
The Shortlist
Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Air Fryer Book
Nathan Anthony
Ebury Press
Ebury discovered lockdown cooking account @Boredoflunch, run by Nathan Anthony, and turned it into a leading brand. With the cost-of-living crisis looming and people seeking energy-saving alternatives to ovens, Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Air Fryer Book was published at the perfect time. Ebury tailored the campaign to all retailers, achieving great success with The Works, which had the second-largest market share. It is the fifth fastest-selling cookbook of all time.
Ghosts: The Button House Archives
Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond
Bloomsbury General
The official companion to the much-loved hit TV series, Ghosts: The Button House Archives needed to encapsulate the warmth, gentle humour and emotional depth of the show. Working with the six authors, who are also the show’s scriptwriters and actors, to a tight timeline, Bloomsbury produced a beautiful, high-spec treasure trove of historical artefacts belonging to the ghosts for readers young and old. It was Bloomsbury’s third-bestselling hardback of the year.
Let The Light Pour In
Lemn Sissay
Canongate
For 10 years, Lemn Sissay has written a poem as dawn is breaking. Let the Light Pour In is both a collection of his best work, and also a model of how a daily practice of art might improve mental health and well-being. A coveted spot on BBC Breakfast, focusing on morning practices, saw pre-orders spike. Canongate worked with Waterstones, World Poetry Day and the Natural Voice Network choir, who performed one of Lemn’s poems live at sunrise on publication day.
Marr's Guitars
Johnny Marr
Thames & Hudson
This lavish visual guide to the extensive collection of the influential former Smiths guitarist features Pat Graham’s macro photography of each individual guitar interspersed with anecdotes from Johnny Marr. The musician prepared AV material for each guitar, playing and discussing how they had inspired or enhanced a particular song, which was used online. The limited-edition print run of Marr’s Guitars, in a slipcase made of a material more usually found in amps, sold out in four hours, a T&H record.
Murdle
G. T. Karber
Souvenir Press
The standout Christmas gift bestseller, Murdle is best described as Cluedo crossed with Sudoku; a new type of logic puzzle that invites the reader to solve a murder mystery. The book’s distinctive, eye-catching design made it an irresistible till-side purchase for fans of smart puzzling. With bookshops encouraged to host their own ‘Murdle Nights’, word-of-mouth soon spread. With impressive sales from publication onwards, it took the coveted Christmas number one slot.
Ultra-Processed People
Chris van Tulleken
Cornerstone Press
The first book from NHS doctor and presenter Chris van Tulleken is an authoritative account of the damage that ultra-processed food (UPF) is doing to our bodies. Cornerstone Press began by establishing the author as the expert on UPF, while the campaign launched with a three-part serial in the Mail and key broadcast interviews from “BBC Breakfast” to “The One Show”. Ultra-Processed People went into the charts at number one, spending nine weeks there and a further 19 weeks in the top three.
Book of the Year - Non-Fiction: Narrative
From a pop icon to a sports hero, from a dragon with life advice to a prince with something to get off his chest, this year’s Narrative shortlist is filled with those telling their own story, but there’s also room for a history book that tells the story of many.
Winner
Politics on the Edge: A Memoir from Within
Rory Stewart
Jonathan Cape
In a shortlist dominated by well-known names, Rory Stewart triumphed with his "honest, candid, dark and funny" memoir, Politics on the Edge. In a falling market for politics books, our panel agreed that this "breaks the mould of politics publishing". Not only did our judges commend the "captivating" quality of writing; they also thought that "in very troubling times, Politics on the Edge asks some very important questions". The "striking" photographic cover helped push Stewart's title beyond a political readership and Jonathan Cape constructed an "impressive", egalitarian campaign, securing a host of television interviews and leveraging Stewart's podcast audience to make this memoir the narrative book of the year. Our panel agreed that Politics on the Edge "ticked all the boxes" and they admired both the memoir and the author's desire to instigate political change.
The Shortlist
Normal Women
Philippa Gregory
William Collins
A radical retelling of English history, Philippa Gregory’s “tribute to the women of England” (not just a handful of famous ones) was acquired in a hotly contested seven-way auction. The publisher launched a bespoke eight-part podcast to accompany publication of Normal Women, to further expand the audience for the book, and the author undertook a big tour complete with a dynamic audio and visual presentation that was adjusted for every city to incorporate regional stories from the book.
Politics on the Edge
Rory Stewart
Jonathan Cape
Jonathan Cape set out to publish a political memoir “like no other”, a book with an urgent mission to expose the issues at the heart of our government in a falling market for political books. The striking photographic jacket, capturing Rory Stewart mid-stride, perfectly positioned the book outside the Westminster bubble. An impressive raft of TV interviews reached an audience of all political hues and the book hit number one in the non-fiction charts on publication. Indie retailers did particularly well, taking 34% market share.
Spare
Prince Harry
Bantam
Meticulous planning with retailer partners, extra tight security and “one of the most complicated and sensitive logistics plan any of us will ever experience” (according to one retailer) underpinned the success of Spare, the first memoir from a serving member of the British royal family. Prince Harry’s book, written with J R Moehringer, which set the news agenda both before and after publication, sold more than 700,000 copies through the TCM. It is the fastest-selling non-fiction hardback since records began and finished 2023 as the biggest-selling book of the year.
The Diary of a CEO
Steven Bartlett
Ebury Edge
Entrepreneur, “Dragons’ Den” star and host of the UK’s number one podcast of the same name, Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO became the fastest-selling personal development book since records began. Ebury moved beyond the author’s own impressive social media following (7.3 million across all channels) to collaborate with a number of creators (reaching a total audience size of 55 million) in a stunt involving a locked Perspex box, a gold box and a secret code that went viral.
The Extra Mile
Kevin Sinfield
Century
The memoir from Rugby League legend Kevin Sinfield, co-written by Paul Hayward, documents not just the athlete’s sporting achievements but also his commitment to raising awareness of motor neurone disease (MND), which has afflicted his best friend and fellow rugby star Rob Burrow. Century worked with the MND Association to deliver an online event for MND sufferers, and during publication week MND charities raised an estimated £40,000. The Extra Mile is the bestselling sports autobiography of 2023.
The Woman in Me
Britney Spears
Gallery UK
The memoir from international pop icon Britney Spears was acquired in a confidential and highly competitive auction. With no access to the star herself, S&S created a headline-grabbing campaign in which an army of Britney superfans took to the streets of London, resulting in a flood of picture stories across the nationals. A midnight launch at drag venue Mrs Riot and a Waterstones first-of-its-kind, Britney-themed silent disco created huge buzz, making publication day a real celebration.
Book of the Year - Pageturner
Supported by Stylist
The Pageturner award celebrates bestselling books hailing from all genres and formats. All the shortlisted books managed to cut through in crowded commercial, romance and fantasy markets, with tales set everywhere from the southern Appalachian Mountains to a fantastical dragon school.
Winner
Fourth Wing
Rebecca Yarros
Piatkus
Fourth Wing flew to victory in this category as the first hardback winner of the Pageturner award. Rebecca Yarros' enthralling blend of dragons, academia, magic and a potent enemies-to lovers plot converted judges and readers alike to the fantasy genre. A "ground-breaking" book, remarked one judge, with another adding: 'The industry and reader impact has been astonishing."
Already a prolific romance writer, Piatkus took the opportunity to launch Yarros in a new direction with an "impressive" marketing campaign that covered both digital and traditional routes, establishing an in-store presence with Waterstones, managing an author tour, which considered Yarros' chronic illness, and producing multiple special editions to drive buzz. With a shade under 200,000 copies sold in hard back, Fourth Wing was the bestselling SFF book in the UK last year.
The Shortlist
Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver
Faber
Faber has not stopped in its quest to cement Barbara Kingsolver as one of the most important writers of today with the paperback release of the garlanded Demon Copperhead. Kingsolver’s modern reimagining of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield was supported with an extensive author tour that maximised her limited time, a new character-led cover and an indie edition to make this Kingsolver’s most successful UK publication.
Fourth Wing
Rebecca Yarros
Piatkus
Continuing from its explosive launch, Fourth Wing is the first hardback to appear on this shortlist since its inception in 2021. Rebecca Yarros’ compulsive romantasy, fronted with a protagonist with a disability, was the bestselling SFF book in the UK last year. Piatkus produced multiple editions including an exclusive, highly sought after edition with FairyLoot and a slot on the BBC’s “The Radio 2 Book Club” to make Fourth Wing a hit year-round.
Icebreaker
Hannah Grace
Simon & Schuster
The first in Hannah Grace’s Maple Hills romance series scored top points at S&S as its bestselling debut of the year. Acquired and published in three months, S&S worked quickly to position Grace’s originally self-published American sports romance as a social media hit, with a team of TikTok ambassadors helping make Icebreaker the third bestselling romance title of the year.
It Starts with Us
Colleen Hoover
Simon & Schuster
Colleen Hoover returns to this year’s shortlist with the chart-topping It Starts with Us, the sequel to It Ends with Us. Written in response to fan demand, the story of Lily and Atlas continues in the bestselling romance title of 2023. S&S held fortnightly TikTok meetings in the lead-up to publication and created a “Lily Bloom’s” florist installation at Waterstones Liverpool, Manchester and Piccadilly for BookFest.
The Lost Bookshop
Evie Woods
One More Chapter
One More Chapter launched debut author Evie Woods into the Sunday Times bestseller chart with this bookshop mystery about the healing power of books, despite having to move publication forward six months. With no time for proofs and no publicist, the team focused on targeted influencer outreach with digital copies and an online readalong, which, coupled with an eye-catching cover, helped The Lost Bookshop soar, with rights now sold in 20 languages.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin
Vintage
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin’s iconic novel about creativity and connection, was a monumental success in paperback. Chatto & Windus pulled out all the stops in a year-round seasonal marketing campaign that included cover-reveal scratch cards, a branded ice-cream van, extensive outdoor advertising and a Christmas jumper competition. Not only did the novel place in five supermarkets, but it is also the best performing book so far in Waterstones' coveted ‘Books of the Month’ slot.
Marketing Strategy of the Year
Proudly sponsored by Nielsen BookData
These nine marketing strategies stretch across a wide variety of genres, including fantasy, poetry, children’s books, cookbooks and celebrity memoirs. They showed exceptional passion and creativity and took both debut voices and established authors to new audiences, online and in the real world. While some of these books might have thrived regardless, the campaigns ensured publishers beat all their expectations. The shortlist features three marketing teams from Penguin Random House, which has won this award for the past two years, and two from HarperCollins.
Winner
Abbie Salter, Sian Richefond & Emily Merrill
Yellowface
The Borough Press
Some publishers would have balked at the prospects of an anti-publishing, hard-to-position story such as Rebecca F Kuang's Yellowface. But The Borough Press team of Abbie Salter, Sian Richefond and Emily Merrill tore up the marketing rulebook to create one of the most memorable and commercially successful literary releases of 2023.
The strategy had inclusion at the core from the start and worked exceptionally hard to earn high-street retailers' support. It was bolstered by a bold yellow cover and collateral that was deployed in one of HarperCollins' biggest ever roll-outs of outdoor ads and point-of-sale merchandise, making the book hard to miss. From the first proof roll-out in spring 2022 to festive p.o.s. for the 2023 Christmas gifting market, it was long-run, wide-screen marketing.
Importantly, the HC team recognised the lack of diversity that Yellowface so expertly skewers. They sought help from East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) consultants, content creators and social media influencers, and positioned ads in channels and positions that were most likely to reach ESEA people.
Yellowface could easily have misfired, but the results beat all expectations. It spent 20 weeks in the Sunday Times top 10 and sold 100,000 copies across the year, making it the top literary hardback of 2023 and the fifth-biggest in any genre. Somewhat uncomfortably, it was the only book by an author of colour among the top 30 fiction hardbacks - a reminder of just how much Yellowface and this campaign were needed.
"The success of the book makes you forget how difficult the title was [to sell],'' said the judges. "It was an audacious, clever and very hard-working campaign that took every opportunity that came its way."
The Shortlist
Alesha Bonser, Sophie Rosewell
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Bloomsbury Children's Books
Bloomsbury’s work on Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures was a masterclass in building anticipation for a release. Alesha Bonser and Sophie Rosewell lifted Rundell to the major leagues with a campaign full of imagination and ambition. There was some great work with Waterstones, who named this its Book of the Year.
Sophie Clarke, Imogen Whiteley and Katie Hall
The Orange and Other Poems by Wendy Cope
Faber
Faber’s marketers didn’t just promote Wendy Cope’s The Orange and Other Poems: they created it. After Cope’s poem caught fire on TikTok, the marketing trio of Sophie Clarke, Imogen Whiteley and Katie Hall turned round a campaign in just six weeks, using brilliant artwork and influencer promos to reach non-traditional poetry buyers.
Rebecca Ikin, Lydia Weigel and Cameron Watson
#Merky Books Literature Festival
#Merky Books, Penguin Random House
PRH celebrated five years of its imprint with a #Merky Books Literature Festival in collaboration with Netflix. Rebecca Ikin, Lydia Weigel and Cameron Watson helped put together talks, workshops, seminars, clinics and more, with the emphasis on accessibility and appealing to readers who might not otherwise have been found.
Olivia Marsden
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
4th Estate
Liv Marsden’s campaign made Monica Heisey’s Really Good, Actually the bestselling new debut fiction release of 2023. It built a big buzz before publication, got traction on TikTok and spread vibrant POS material across bookshops. Relentless activity throughout the year earned TCM sales of 200,000 copies in all editions.
Hayley McMullan, Genevieve Barratt and Rich Vlietstra
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
Simon & Schuster
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears was always going to be one of the biggest books of the year, but the Simon & Schuster trio of Hayley McMullan, Genevieve Barratt and Rich Vlietstra smashed all forecasts. The campaign had sensitivity as well as blockbuster activity that led to TCM sales of 250,000 copies in just 10 weeks.
Katrina Northern, Helia Daryani and Amelia Rushen
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Vintage
Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was impossible to ignore in 2023. Vintage’s team of Katrina Northern, Helia Daryani and Amelia Rushen, supported with memorable design from Sally Felton, blitzed bookshops and online platforms and helped make it the TCM’s seventh biggest book of the year.
Abbie Salter, Sian Richefond and Emily Merrill
Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang
The Borough Press
Some publishers would have struggled with Rebecca F Kuang’s Yellowface, a hard-to-categorise skewering of publishing. But the Borough Press team of Abbie Salter, Sian Richefond and Emily Merrill ran a rule-breaking campaign with advocacy and inclusion at its core, and earned huge support from retailers. Hardback sales alone reached six figures.
Demeter Scanlon
Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Air Fryer Book by Nathan Anthony
Ebury
Nathan Anthony’s Bored of Lunch hit the top of the charts in the first week in January and rolled on all year, becoming the fifth biggest seller of 2023. In between, the Ebury team led by Demeter Scanlon led superb marketing through retailers, socials and influencers, and even managed to turn running out of stock into a selling point.
Laura Vile, Katy Brigden, Gemma Shelley and Alex Cooper
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Piatkus
The Piatkus team of Laura Vile, Katy Brigden, Gemma Shelley and Alex Cooper deftly made TikTok romance star Rebecca Yarros a smash hit in fantasy. Social media dominated the pre-pub work on her Empyrean series, but there were great proofs and shop promos too. Across all formats and markets, Piatkus sold nearly a million copies of Fourth Wing.
Children's Bookseller of the Year
Proudly sponsored by Macmillan Children’s Books
With the cost-of-living crisis squeezing families’ spending, children’s book sales were under pressure in 2023, while retailers were hit by soaring costs of their own. It makes the success of the five small businesses shortlisted here – from long-established names such as Sevenoaks and The Children’s Bookshop to newcomers including Next Page and Wonderland – all the more impressive. Alongside Waterstones and two web-based retailers, they show the invaluable work that children’s booksellers do to engage all children and foster the book buyers of the future.
The Winner
The Children's Bookshop
The Children's Bookshop in London's Muswell Hill celebrates its 50th birthday this year - making it not just the longest-standing children's bookstore in the country, but old enough to be selling books to the grandchildren of its first young customers. Yet it's a shop that never seems to age, with a youthful energy for reading and its community.
While it generated a 35% increase in sales last year, owner Sanchita Basu De Sarkar and the indefatigable team of five do far more than run the tills. There was great schools outreach work and some joyful World Book Day activity, while new for 2023 were two additions to the range of book clubs - which have years-long waiting lists to join - and a creative writing course.
Signings with children's publishing A-listers such as Julia Donaldson, David Walliams and Michael Rosen created queues around the block.
"The booksellers work so hard to be part of the beating heart of the local community ... You can feel the love vividly at work," said one grateful visiting author. The Children's Bookshop has always supported new as well as big names, and it's put diversity and inclusion at the core of its offering in recent years, supporting Black, Asian and minority ethnic and LGBTQ+ authors and illustrators. It helped run the UCL/ESEA festival for writers from East and South East Asia (ESEA Lit Fest) and supported numerous charities and community projects.
All this makes the outstanding shop not just the 2024 Children's Bookseller of the Year but the overall Book Retailer of the Year. "It's everything a children's bookshop should be," said the judges, "They get stellar sales, even for a great catchment area like Muswell Hill, and are so much more than a bookseller."
The Shortlist
Books2Door
Online
Online bookseller Books2Door, also shortlisted for Book Retailer of the Year, has sustained the momentum it built during Covid lockdowns. It has crafted a compelling offer at TikTok Shop and moved smartly into subscription boxes. Keen pricing and support of under-represented communities help it engage readers that publishers otherwise wouldn’t reach.
Halfway up the Stairs
Greystones
This County Wicklow independent is shortlisted for the fourth year in a row, and is Ireland’s An Post Bookshop of the Year to boot. Its winning formula includes superb customer service, popular subscription deals, great book clubs and school supply. This is a small bookshop that punches way above its weight in Ireland.
Imagine Me Stories
Online
A monthly subscription box set up to promote black children's literature, Imagine Me is one of the most inspiring new children’s booksellers of recent years. Founder Keisha Ehigie has helped fill a glaring gap in representation and worked tirelessly on outreach to primary schools, marketing to parents and the creation of black history resources.
Next Page Books
Hitchin
Three years after opening in Hitchin, Next Page Books is shortlisted for this award for the first time. Storytimes and events are popular, and the shop’s indefatigable founders work with schools to curate diverse and accessible library collections and bookfairs. Its focus on neurodiversity and inclusion makes it a special place for children and parents.
Sevenoaks Bookshop
Sevenoaks
This Kent independent is a local institution that has welcomed generations of children since the 1940s. It engages readers of all ages through talks, workshops, subscription services, peer book reviews and much more. Inclusivity and representation are at the heart of everything, and there is a particular focus on autism and dyslexia.
The Children's Bookshop
Muswell Hill, London
Muswell Hill’s Children’s Bookshop turns 50 in 2024 but remains as youthful and energetic as ever. Adding new book clubs and a creative writing course in 2023, it has a special place in the hearts of writers and publishers, attracting big names including David Walliams and Julia Donaldson. “You can feel the love vividly at work,” said one author.
Waterstones
UK
Waterstones, joint winner of last year’s award, revamped its children’s buying team to good effect last year. It ran superb marketing and events for top-flight children’s brand names, and its promotions and awards continue to be transformative for lesser-known authors and illustrators. “They demonstrate the power of passion and creativity,” said one grateful publisher.
Wonderland Bookshop
Retford
Retford’s independent battled to overcome the effects of the cost-of-living crisis, rent hikes and flooding in 2023. As with all the indies on this list, it does much more than sell books, acting as a safe and non-judgemental space that all children and families can enjoy. A pay-it-forward scheme and pupil premium book fair showed its commitment to inclusion.
Children's Publisher of the Year
After several boom years, children’s book sales in the trade weakened slightly in 2023. Nevertheless, these publishers – a nice balance of independents and groups – all had excellent years, carving out new sales opportunities across the market. While there were plenty of frontlist hits, for many of them the year was more notable for backlist sales – whether books revived by TikTok or brands stretching back many years. Publishers also made good progress on diversity in all its forms in 2023, both through output and in-house.
Winner
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Six years after its last outing on this shortlist (to be fair it has not always submitted in this period), Bloomsbury burst back from a substantial restructure with a superb 2023.
It had strength right across the age groups, from big picture-book brands such as Martha Mumford's The Bunny Adventures, to middle-grade stars including Kalynn Bayron, to Young Adult leaders such as Sarah J Maas. Underpinning everything, as it has done for more than 25 years, was J K Rowling's Harry Potter mega-brand, which earned TCM sales of nearly £9m from a range of more than 100 different editions, including the Wizarding Almanac, developed in-house and the subject of the publisher's biggest ever social media campaign. There were plenty of impactful debuts as well - notably from Zoulfa Katouh and Lex Croucher.
However, the standout of the year was undoubtedly Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures, a six-figure TCM seller and Waterstones· Book of the Year. It was reward for Bloomsbury's brilliant campaigns and sustained support of Rundell, Author of the Year at the 2024 British Book Awards.
Diversity was a notable theme of the children's team's 2023, with a wider range of authors and illustrators than ever before and good work on Atinuke and Kingsley Nebechi's Brilliant Black British History in particular. So too was sustainability, including through carbon footprint measuring and staff training.
It also showed excellent author care. "It has all the detail, care and focus of a small publisher, allied to the weight and ambition of a large one ... there's nowhere I'd rather be," said one writer. "Bloomsbury has bucked the trend in a tricky market," added the judges. "There is a lot of energy about it again ... it's a great story of all-round publishing success."
The Shortlist
Bloomsbury Children's Books
Bloomsbury is back on the shortlist after six years away. After reinvigorating its team it excelled across the board in 2023, though Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures, Waterstones’ Book of the Year, was the standout. In the background, J K Rowling’s Harry Potter books racked up another £9m of TCM sales.
David Fickling Books
David Fickling’s eponymous list had a stunning year, with sales rocketing 73% in the TCM, where it is now five times bigger than five years ago. Jamie Smart’s Bunny vs Monkey series had a lot to do with that, but there was much more besides, including S F Said’s multi-award-winning Tyger.
Hachette Children's Group
Years of work to pull together Hachette’s disparate imprints and acquisitions into a united unit paid off handsomely in 2023. Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper hit number one and there were big sales across the backlist, especially from Enid Blyton. Globally, the rights and licensing team had a record year.
Macmillan Children's Books
A third of Macmillan’s children’s revenue in 2023 came from Julia Donaldson, the TCM’s top-selling author for the fourth year in a row. But as usual it had huge strength in depth, from big pre-school brands including Rod Campbell to Pari Thompson’s Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Year Greenwild.
Oneworld
Oneworld is shortlisted for its YA imprint Rock the Boat, which had another remarkable year. It owes a lot to TikTok, which has powered Kathleen Glasgow’s Girl in Pieces and Amber Smith’s The Way I Used to Be. Hits from its small but focused and diverse frontlist included Josh Silver’s LGBTQ+ thriller HappyHead.
Scholastic
Scholastic had its best ever year in the TCM, bursting back into the list of top 10 publishers with 9.2% growth. Like Macmillan it benefited hugely from Julia Donaldson. Suzanne Collins was a second big contributor on the back of a film adaptation, and Dav Pilkey had yet another good year.
Simon & Schuster Children's Books
Last year’s winner didn’t rest on its laurels in 2023, creating new imprints Gallery Kids and Gallery YA. It had nearly 100 category top 10s, with stars including Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet’s Supertato in picture books and Lauren Roberts’ Powerless in YA. There was a biggest ever haul of book prizes and shortlist places too.
Sweet Cherry Publishing
Sweet Cherry has done more than most to improve diversity and accessibility in publishing, and in 2023 it launched Every Cherry, a new special educational needs and disabilities imprint. Elsewhere its focus on box sets and global licensing delivered stellar growth domestically and internationally.
Usborne
Peter Usborne’s passing last March brought an outpouring of admiration and affection from across publishing. The company he leaves behind is in better shape than ever, posting record TCM sales in its 50th anniversary year. An 11th consecutive year on this shortlist is testament to its unstinting excellence under Peter.
Publicity Campaign of the Year
Supported by the Publishers’ Publicity Circle
This shortlist is made up of ten campaigns honoured in various genre categories at the Publishers’ Publicity Circle’s annual awards—described by The Bookseller’s Caroline Sanderson, chair of judges, as “demonstrating a wealth of creativity, tenacity, flexibility, affability, diplomacy, sensitivity and a ton of hard graft.” These talented publicists, most of whom appear at The British Book Awards for the first time, created campaigns that started conversations, took great care of authors and helped their publishers beat all sales forecasts.
Winner
Etty Eastwood
Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken
Cornerstone
Cornerstone and Etty Eastwood win this award for the unmissable publicity that was generated by Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken pictured, one of the most talked about books of 2023.
The campaign made superb use of an articulate and media-savvy author. It started months out from release by creating a buzz among TV and radio producers and journalists, then found a very good hook-the little-known ingredients and baking processes of mass-produced breadto grab the attention of the public. Dozens of reviews, features, interviews, events and festival appearances followed. After publication, it moved into sustain mode, filling in the gaps in media coverage from the first round of PR. Especially high-profile slots included "The One Show", "Good Morning Britain" and "Channel 4 News", which all generated huge spikes in sales within minutes
Ultra-Processed People was far from a cert for the bestseller lists, and Cornerstone's first print run was only a few thousand. But it became a fixture in the hardback non-fiction charts, and TCM sales were well over 100,000 by the end of 2023. Perhaps even more impressively, its audiobook numbers reached six figures too, boosted by the numerous radio and podcast appearances that Eastwood arranged. The activity has made van Tulleken one of the biggest names in the very competitive health book space.
Judges admired the way the publicity didn't just promote the book but got the media and consumers talking about important issues. "The campaign had amazing persistence and repositioned itself throughout. It was really smart and strategic and the sales really feel like they were driven by publicity."
All 10 campaigns on this shortlist were also winners at the Publishers Publicity Circle's annual awards.
The Shortlist
Charlotte Bush
My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand
Cornerstone
Charlotte Bush’s campaign for My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand was a masterclass in celebrity author management. It squeezed the most out of a notoriously demanding star and distributed the resulting coverage far and wide, collaborating well with US publicists.
Beatrice Cross
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Bloomsbury Children's Books
Beatrice Cross’ campaign for Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures dovetailed with Bloomsbury’s marketing strategy to make this one of the children’s book events of the year. Cross first built a pre-publication buzz, then generated acres of review and interview coverage and steered a long programme of events.
Etty Eastwood
Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken
Cornerstone
Publicity for Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken created one of the most talked-about books of the year. Etty Eastwood, shortlisted for the second successive year, helped the book smash all sales expectations through media awareness campaigns, well-placed interviews, podcasts, social media activity and more.
Anna Frame
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Canongate
Anna Frame is shortlisted for her campaign for The Creative Act by award-winning producer Rick Rubin. The coverage she secured ahead of release, and the interviews she strategized with an author on limited time, helped the book catch fire on publication, leading to multiple reprints.
Maria Garbutt-Lucero
ESEA Lit Fest
Sceptre
Sceptre’s publicity director is shortlisted in her capacity as co-founder of the ESEA Publishing Network. In September she partnered with Foyles to stage ESEA Lit Fest, the UK’s first festival dedicated to East and South East Asian writers. On a shoestring she delivered a sell-out event and widespread media interest.
Drew Jerrison
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
Profile
Profile’s Drew Jerrison, winner of this Award in 2022, is back for his work on Janice Hallett’s The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. The year-round campaign built Hallett’s media profile, earned retailer support and improved the author’s own confidence, laying the ground for a major crime brand.
Naomi Mantin
The List by Yomi Adegoke
4th Estate
Naomi Mantin’s campaign for Yomi Adegoke’s hardback novel The List was superbly staggered to build anticipation among readers, retailers and media. It harnessed the book’s zeitgeist-capturing themes, grabbed the attention of social media influencers and strategized event activity, propelling the book into the bestseller lists.
Grace Nzita-Kiki
For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain by Victoria MacKenzie
Bloomsbury
Grace Nzita-Kiki’s campaign for Victoria MacKenzie’s For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain won her the Newcomer category at the PPC’s Awards. It made careful use of a first-time author and used the historical aspects of the book as hooks for widespread coverage in literary media.
Rachel Phillipps
This is Me by George Webster
Scholastic
Rachel Phillipps ran a sensitive and powerful campaign for This is Me by children’s TV star George Webster, producer Claire Taylor and illustrator Tim Budgen, generating impactful media coverage and good sales. More importantly, it did great work to promote understanding of learning disabilities and celebrate inclusion.
Josie Turner
Kammy: My Unbelievable Life by Chris Kamara
Pan Macmillan
Josie Turner’s campaign for Kammy: My Unbelievable Life by football pundit Chris Kamara carefully timed the rounds of interviews and signing tours to secure Sunday Times bestseller list status. She took great care of the author, raising awareness about his speech condition as well as his book.
Individual Bookseller of the Year
Proudly sponsored by Penguin Random House
The energy and passion of these eight individuals made an enormous difference to their stores in 2023. Seven of the nominees are from independent shops, five are shortlisted for the first time and three specialise in children’s books, where booksellers can make a particularly big difference. All are clearly loved by customers, colleagues and the many authors and illustrators who have benefited from their hand-selling and events. They show the future of bookselling is in safe hands.
Winner
Amanda Dunne Fulmer
Halfway up the Stairs
From an inspiring shortlist of eight brilliant professionals, it is Amanda Dunne Fulmer of Halfway up the Stairs in County Wicklow who takes the title of Individual Bookseller of the Year.
Having joined the children's specialist five years ago after a decade in school libraries, she has worked tirelessly to get all her young customers reading for pleasure, regardless of their abilities and interests. She knows that good bookselling starts with listening, and takes the time to understand needs before recommending suitable books from an encyclopeadic knowledge of children's authors and illustrators.
Fulmer is also behind her shop's popular subscriptions for everyone from newborns to teenagers, with all pack ages carefully personalised and accompanied by handwritten cards. "She always knows what I want... you can guarantee a book will be brilliant if it's picked by Amanda," said one subscriber.
Her interest in books goes well beyond the day job, and last year she took on a Masters in Children's Literature at Trinity College Dublin, with a dissertation on how to encourage reading during the transition between children's and Young Adult books-a point of drop-off that will be familiar to many. As one bookselling colleague said: "She's passionate about children's books, and that shines through in everything she does. It's not just about sales for her - Amanda always matches the right book with the right child."
With a deep empathy and photographic memory of customers, Fulmer goes above and beyond what might be expected of a bookseller. "Bookselling is obviously in her DNA," judges said. "You can feel the exuberance and sense the amazing relationships she has with the children and parents buying her books. It's brilliant, oldschool bookselling in all the best ways."
The Shortlist
Carolynn Bain
Afrori Books
Last year’s Individual Bookseller of the Year is back after another outstanding year of work to diversify bookshelves. Bain’s Afrori Books in Brighton could have gone under after a rent hike, but a passionate campaign for its survival led to a new home at the Brighthelm Centre. Beyond the shop she did incredible work to promote Black authors around the country.
Amanda Dunne Fulmer
Halfway up the Stairs
Amanda Dunne Fulmer of County Wicklow’s Halfway up the Stairs, a Children's Bookseller of the Year contender, has helped hundreds of young readers build their love of books. The personalised book subscription service she runs has been very popular. “The future of children’s books is bright with booksellers like Amanda,” said a colleague.
Olivia Kekewich
The Edinburgh Bookshop
The Edinburgh Bookshop’s assistant manager and events coordinator Olivia Kekewich is a superb hand-seller and staunch believer that there is a book out there for everyone. She steered nearly 60 events in 2023, set up the new Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival and was a big champion of debuts and romance.
Sarah Mullen
The Bookshop on the Green
Sarah Mullen’s story illustrates the courage of booksellers in the face of adversity. She took on the Bookshop on the Green in Birmingham in the middle of the pandemic lockdowns, but three years of ceaselessly energetic work came to a sad end when the shop shut in August. The local outpouring of regret shows what a community loses when a bookshop closes.
Serena Russo
Waterstones
As manager of the children’s and SFF floor at Waterstones Piccadilly, Russo has one of the biggest jobs in children’s bookselling. She’s both a superb leader and consummate floor seller and ran some large-scale promotions in 2023, including a House of YA x Waterstones BookFest with PRH Children’s and a Heartstopper installation.
Heather Slater
Forum Books
Heather Slater was promoted to manager at Forum Books in Corbridge in 2023, a reward for her superb work in events in particular. As well as author readings and school visits she ran a popular Summer Book Camp and bookshop socials. One of her visiting authors said: “If you look up the word 'bookseller' in the dictionary, it simply reads: 'See Heather Slater’.”
Helen Tamblyn-Saville
Wonderland Bookshop
Helen Tamblyn-Saville, owner and manager of the Wonderland Bookshop in Retford in Nottinghamshire, is shortlisted for the third year in a row. A shop that was at risk of closure when she arrived is now a vibrant hub for children and parents. “Wonderland is under her spell of charm, passion, love and knowledge of books,” said one author.
Jack Wrighton
Mostly Books
Jack Wrighton of Mostly Books in Abingdon has a flair for matching the right books to the right readers. As well as excelling in the day job on the shop floor, he has looked after its subscriptions, run lively TikTok and Instagram feeds, steered book-and-wine evenings and hosted the popular Mostly Books podcast.
Literary Agent of the Year
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“I owe her everything”… “An unending support for me and my work”… “Will go to war for you”… These are just some of the dozens of glowing author testimonials for the literary agents on this shortlist. They steered some of last year’s biggest books, but just as importantly gave many more authors the careers they had only dreamed of, and substantially improved the representation of marginalised voices. The list is also notable for the prominence of agents from children’s books and YA.
The Winner
Becky Brown and Norah Perkins
Curtis Brown
Becky Brown and Norah Perkins are unusual joint winners of this award-recognition for their superb double act on the literary estates managed by Curtis Brown.
This is a part of agenting that often flies under the radar and is very different from glitzy celebrity acquisitions and! six-figure debut deals. Yet with Brown and Perkins at the helm, it can be just as lucrative. They nearly doubled turnover at their co-founded Curtis Brown Heritage division, which now represents more than 150 authors, including important literary voices and neglected women writers as well as commercial names.
Some of their deals were for standard reissues of books, which had often been out of print for decades. But most impressive was the way they instigated archival projects of their own - like 42: The Wildly Improbable Ideas of Douglas Adams, which soared to near the top of the hardback non-fiction charts with Unbound. New posthumous collections for A A Milne, Gerald Durrell and lris Murdoch were other successes.
Brown and Perkins have sharp eyes for lost classics with potential for fresh publishing, and a willingness to spend hours in archives looking for content and untangling rights issues. They are also great collaborators who match their rediscoveries with the right publishers, and sensitive partners to the relatives of the late authors.
"What they have achieved has been industry-changing," said one publishing director. "I inherited a fading literary estate which Becky and Norah have rescued and resuscitated ... They have accomplished a complete transformation," added one author's relative. The British Book Awards judges agreed: "They do the hard graft of agenting that usually isn't seen but is so important... it's great to see them getting the rewards."
The Shortlist
Becky Brown and Norah Perkins
Curtis Brown
The co-founders of Curtis Brown’s Heritage department get a joint shortlisting for their revolutionary work in an area of agenting that is often overlooked: literary estates. They treat their 150 estates like frontlist and doubled sales in 2023, sustaining the legacies of the likes of Douglas Adams, Iain Banks and Laurie Lee.
Will Francis
Janklow & Nesbit
Will Francis of Janklow & Nesbit has a flair for building agenda-setting non-fiction, from Adam Rutherford, Tracy King, Mary Ann Sieghart and Ed Yong among others in 2023. He’s a very strategic agent with an eye on the long-term rather than instant hits, and with Rangan Chatterjee has shown he can build big author brands.
Amanda Harris
YMU Literary
Amanda Harris, global managing director at the YMU agency, is shortlisted for the third time. She has been the force behind the success of Davina McCall, Fearne Cotton and many more from the world of entertainment – but beyond the big celeb deals she was a powerful supporter of new voices and literacy projects in 2023.
Jodie Hodges
United Agents
The phenomenal success of Jamie Smart is in no small part down to the prolonged work of United Agents’ head of books Jodie Hodges. She has been a tenacious deal-maker for many more writers and illustrators including Harriet Muncaster, Jim Field and Camilla Reid. “I owe my career almost entirely to Jodie,” said one client.
Harry Illingworth
DHH Literary Agency
The DHH Literary Agency’s director has been a key agent in the rise of the sci-fi and fantasy genre in recent years. Sunyi Dean and Richard Swan have benefited from his canny deal-making, while interest in Tariq Ashkanani, Tom Hindle and Femi Kayode shows his Midas touch in crime and thrillers too.
Ivan Mulcahy
MMB Creative
The Mulcahy Sweeney agency had its best ever year in 2023, with several long-term author projects paying dividends. David Mitchell and Miriam Mulcahy topped bestseller lists having been carefully placed with publishers. Among new voices, he built a big buzz among publishers around Africa Brooke and Kuba Shand-Baptiste.
Chloe Seager
Madeleine Milburn
Chloe Seager of the Madeleine Milburn agency piloted a wide range of children’s and YA authors to success in 2023, including bestselling Katie Kirby and multi-award-winning Danielle Jawando. Authors revere her and publishers value her collegiate approach. “Chloe’s quick, funny, astute and fierce – all the ingredients required to be the very best of agents,” said one.
Emma Shercliff
Laxfield Literary Associates
Emma Shercliff has shown agents the way on diversification since founding Laxfield Literary Associates. She has brought many under-represented voices to wider attention, especially from Africa, and ensured the legacy of the late Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina. She found time to run a book prize, festival and writer development programme too.
Clare Wallace
Darley Anderson
Clare Wallace was promoted to MD of the Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency in 2023 – a reward for her work to make the agency a leading force in children’s and YA. Success for A M Howell, Olivia Levez and Beth Reekles were just three examples of her unwavering support of authors, even if they don’t immediately land sales.
Designer of the Year
The quality of design in UK publishing is better than ever, sustaining the appeal of printed books in the age of digital content. This award celebrates the originality, diversity and versatility of designers and highlights the value of covers to sales. The shortlist comprises five in-house designers and four freelances, and seven of the names appear here for the first time. All combine artistic flair with expert knowledge of what booksellers and browsers want to see.
Winner
Jack Smyth
After polishing his skills at Little, Brown, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins, Jack Smyth is now one of the most original, versatile and respected freelance designers in publishing.
Top of his list of achievements in 2023 was the attention-grabbing cover for Paul Lynch's Booker-winning Prophet Song, which played a big part in the six-figure TCM sales that followed its prize win. Aside from that. there were striking designs for titles including Henry Dimbleby's Ravenous and Mark O'Connell's A Thread of Violence. Through his work on Pushkin Press' Japanese novellas collection, he showed a flair for coherent series design too.
Publishers, authors and agents love Smyth's collaborative style of working and his knack for conveying the style and content of a book with succinct, striking imagery that helps them stand out on bookshop shelves. "He's a total dream to work with. His superpower is an understanding of what's needed for a successful commercial cover, paired with an ability to push boundries and deliver unique design," said one of his commissioning publishers. "He's got that rare alchemy of artistic vision and literary insight," added an author.
The judges, meanwhile, admired his ability to go above and beyond what might be expected of a cover designer. "He's got a brave and playful approach and isn't afraid to take risks. He avoids the temptation to follow the easy path and pushes himself to get better and better."
Judges also saw that Smyth's contribution to book design goes well beyond the day job. He has been an active advocate for his craft in publishing and beyond, organising and delivering talks, teaching at universities, mentoring aspiring designers and supporting efforts to diversify publishing.
The Shortlist
Micaela Alcaino
Freelance
Micaela Alcaino won here in 2022 and was shortlisted for the Future Leader of the Year at the 2023 FutureBook conference. Formerly of Penguin Random House and HarperCollins, she is now a freelancer whose colourful and intricate covers include Shannon Chakraborty’s The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi and Alix E Harrow’s Starling House.
Coralie Bickford-Smith
Penguin Random House
Penguin Press’ senior cover designer has a flair for covetable, clothbound classics. Her covers are bold, bright and distinctive while incorporating techniques of centuries past: “Perfect collectable objects of desire,” as one bookseller called them. Alongside the day job Bickford-Smith has written and illustrated engaging picture books of her own.
Luke Bird
Freelance
Luke Bird is shortlisted for the third time in four years. His freelance work for a wide range of publishers has won a host of design awards and is characterised by a bold, less-is-more approach that isn’t afraid of empty space – as on literary covers including J M Coetzee’s The Pole and Yomi Adegoke’s The List.
Emma Ewbank
Freelance
After time at Bloomsbury and Penguin, Emma Ewbank has joined the ranks of in-demand freelances. Dolly Alderton’s Good Material and Peter Frankopan’s The Earth Transformed were among the books she brought to life with lavish designs in 2023. “A joy to work with,” said one grateful author.
Mel Four
Hachette
Egmont, Pan Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Octopus have all benefited from Mel Four’s talents. Mono design is her main focus but she showed her skills for bright, attention-grabbing covers on Fern Brady’s Strong Female Character. Internally she has updated and unified Octopus’ design workflows.
Holly Macdonald
HarperCollins
HarperCollins’ art director shows the importance to design of strong leadership and collaboration with authors and colleagues. Work of her own in 2023 included Hannah Kaner’s Godkiller and Juno Dawson’s The Shadow Cabinet. “She marries beautiful design with a commercial sensibility that means the sky’s the limit on sales,” said a colleague.
Moesha Parirenyatwa
Pan Macmillan
Moesha Parirenyatwa is one of the rising stars of book design. Less than three years in at Pan Macmillan, she is a leading light across its fiction with a fresh and experimental approach and commercial nous. Covers for L T Shearer’s The Cat Who Solved Three Murders and Kate Foster’s The Maiden show her versatility.
Jack Smyth
Freelance
From literary novels to celeb-led non-fiction, Jack Smyth covers a lot of ground as a freelance. He was the designer behind the cover of Paul Lynch’s 2023 Booker-winning Prophet Song, and beyond his own work is a champion for his craft. “Jack has that rare alchemy of artistic vision and literary insight,” said one author.
Nick Stearn
Bonnier Books UK
Bonnier’s art director for adult trade publishing and children’s fiction shows the role of designers in publishers’ branding as well as individual books. He has refined the identity of the group’s imprints, and his work on Lynda La Plante, Wilbur Smith and S J Bennett shows he knows how to keep series of titles both fresh and unified.
Rights Professional of the Year
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With domestic sales under pressure, rights teams were the difference between profit and loss at many publishing houses in 2023. They squeezed maximum value from the books and properties at their disposal and constantly found new territories and formats. This year’s shortlist of nine tenacious and creative deal-makers includes no fewer than four rights professionals from the Hachette group, and all but two appear of them feature here for the first time.
Winner
Karen Lawler
The superb work of Karen Lawler, head of media rights and audio at Hachette's children's team, shows the wealth of ancillary rights that are available to publishers beyond conventional foreign languages and coeditions.
With a background in TV distribution and media rights for big children's brands, she has been able to maximise the licensing potential of Hachette's vast array of books and properties. Despite a plateauing of interest in children's audiovisual content, Lawler and her team generated record revenues last year, doubling profits and trebling audio licensing. TV, film, stage, merchandise, digital and libraries were just some of the arenas in which she excelled.
It was the result of a proactive approach to licensing and an interest in long-term partnerships as well as a short-term wins. Lawler is much more than a tough but fair negotiator of contracts: she's an expert adviser on how Hachette's properties might be adapted and a collaborator on the development of story lines and scripts-evident in the massive range of licensing of Enid Blyton's estate to entertainment partners. In-house, she's active on project creation, and keeps a close eye on future rights opportunities.
Testimonials show the respect for Lawler's work among TV producers, authors and others across the rights landscape. "She is so considered yet dynamic - and a lovely, sunny person to work with who really hears the many voices in the room," said one partner.
This is the fifth time in eight years that the award has gone to a rights professional at the Hachette empire. "Karen is a really dynamic and forward-looking rights pro," said The British Book Awards judges. "It's a tricky market at the moment but she makes things look very easy."
The Shortlist
Bloomsbury Children's Rights Team
Bloomsbury Publishing
The team of six at Bloomsbury’s children’s division is shortlisted en masse for a superb year in everything from picture books to YA. They helped make Sarah J Maas a global star in nearly 40 languages, and 25 years on from Harry Potter’s arrival they struck many new deals across myriad editions.
Melis Dagoglu
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton’s head of rights was at the heart of her division’s renaissance in 2023. Revenue rose by a fifth thanks to her leadership on both established brands including Ella Woodward and new signings such as Tessa Bickers. She’s a superb collaborator internally; “A driving force behind our acquisitions and publishing,” said one colleague.
Isabella Depiazzi
Granta Publications
Granta’s senior rights and acquisitions manager showed the enormous difference a rights pro can make to an independent publisher. Having overhauled Granta’s rights processes and priorities, she achieved a 38% increase in revenue in 2023, with much-improved subsidiary rights and co-agenting practices and many more backlist deals.
Stella Giatrakou
Bonnier Books UK
Bonnier’s adult-rights director ramped up sales by a third last year, with dozens of contracts for brands including Lynda La Plante, Wilbur Smith and Heather Morris. Film and TV deals beat all expectations too, and new digital-first deals and a joint venture with US publisher Mango showed her innovation.
Emma O'Grady
Quarto
The Quarto Group’s foreign-rights director for southern territories had a best-ever year of sales in 2023. She and her team averaged three deals a day – mostly in co-editions – to more than 170 different publishers. Brazil and several Spanish-language markets were especially profitable.
Alice Latham
Atlantic Books
Atlantic Books’ rights director is shortlisted for the second year in a row, having doubled the independent’s rights income in just four years. Highlights included an audio co-publishing deal with W F Howes, several high-profile serialisations and an ‘Atlantic Workshop’ programme to maximise rights for emerging authors.
Karen Lawler
Hachette Children's Group
As head of media rights and audio, Lawler squeezes every drop out of ancillary rights for Hachette’s children’s team. Her team doubled profits last year and took a very proactive approach to backlist, especially across the Enid Blyton properties. One producer said: “She’s a smart, tough negotiator who cares passionately about the books she represents.”
Tracy Phillips
Hachette Children's Group
Hachette Children's Group’s rights director Tracy Phillips is shortlisted for this award for a fourth time. Her team of 11 posted double-digit growth in co-editions and sub-rights sales, and her leadership work included team restructuring and the integration of Welbeck’s rights operation. “She’s the ultimate rights professional,” said one foreign publisher.
Margaret Szymczyk
John Murray Press
John Murray Press’ rights director is a skilful juggler of a range of specialist imprints, including Jessica Kingsley, Hodder Faith, Sheldon Press and Nicholas Brealey. She has taken a very strategic and systematic approach to deal-making, leading to double-digit growth in revenue last year.
Academic, Educational and Professional Publisher of the Year
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Deep budget cuts across schools and universities made it a tough 2023 in these areas of publishing – but you wouldn’t know it from these nine nominees. The shortlist features large generalists but is also notable for subject specialists, university presses and publishers serving professionals. Each is sharply focused and nimble, and a fully fledged digital as well as print publisher. Above all, it’s the expert knowledge of their academic, educational and professional markets that helps them thrive despite difficult conditions.
Winner
Collins
The winner of this award in 2017, and shortlisted five times since, Collins has been a consistently strong performer throughout some challenging years for school budgets and education publishing-and many of its recent investments and innovations paid rich dividends last year.
It is a powerhouse of primary school, phonics and information brands such as Big Cat and National Geographic Kids, sales of which have doubled in five years. Collins is a sought-after education partner too, collaborating on popular assessment content with Cambridge International. Its brands are properly global as well as domestic, and the Caribbean was among the standout regions for sales growth in 2023.
Perhaps the highlight of Collins' year was the acquisition of Barrington Stoke, which bolsters its efforts to ensure that all children can read for pleasure as well as learning. There were other projects to broaden the accessibility of its books and the reading confidence of children, including new titles aimed at reluctant readers and more content around mental health, Black history and neurodivergence.
Collins may be more than two centuries old and still very much rooted in print, but it contiues to modernise across its digital content and last year launched Collins Hub, a new one-stop shop for digital learning resources. Marketing is another of its team's strengths, especially via TikTok and a new lnstagram channel. It has also been one of the sector's more progressive publishers on sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion, both in-house and through its output.
"Collins has got such a rich range of publishing for children and teachers," said the judges. "It could be standing still but doesn't ... the way it continues to shift into new areas is very impressive."
The Shortlist
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury has been shortlisted for this Award in 12 of the past 13 years, and won it three times. Inexorable growth continued in 2023 with new digital content hubs in visual arts, psychology and fashion and the launch of Bloomsbury Open Collections. Author grants and fellowships helped to diversify its output.
Boydell & Brewer
Independent and employee-owned humanities publisher Boydell & Brewer makes this shortlist for the first time. It had a best-ever year of profits, excelling in direct sales and hitting its stride in open-access publishing. Other areas of progress included new partnerships with scholarly societies and an Indian publisher.
Bristol University Press
BUP has nearly doubled its turnover in the past few years. Digital content and international expansion were two big themes of 2023, with new global library partners and more overseas authors. Its publishing comes with a powerful social mission, reinforced by excellent work on its in-house sustainability and inclusivity.
Class Publishing
Class had another best-ever year in its niches of content for paramedics and family law professionals. The business is now digitally dominated, with new and improved apps to the fore in 2023. Customer care and close publishing partnerships are among its top strengths, and it looks after its own team well too.
Collins
Now well into its third century of publishing, Collins’ grip on the primary schools and learning-to-read markets is as strong as ever. There was more growth from international territories and the National Geographic Kids list, but the biggest moment of Collins’ year came with the acquisition of Barrington Stoke.
Edward Elgar Publishing
The reigning Independent Publisher of the Year at the IPG’s Independent Publishing Awards had more double-digit growth in revenue and profits. Two thirds of sales are now digital, including through its direct Elgaronline platform, and an even higher proportion come from overseas. Authors, customers and staff are all notably loyal.
Emerald Publishing
Emerald’s year included the acquisition of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ list. Beyond that there were new open-access journals and a commitment to publishing that meets the UN Sustainable Development Goals. On the print side, Emerald overcame the collapse of distributor Turpin to grow book sales by 25%.
Manchester University Press
Manchester took big steps up the university press ladder in 2023, and strong growth in e-books and rights show its evolution into a digital and international publisher. Its arts and cultural studies list is increasingly visible in the trade too, backed up by excellent marketing and publicity that delivered best-ever TCM sales.
Scholastic
Scholastic is shortlisted here for the first time in seven years, having bucked the downward trend in the primary school market with excellent growth. Standouts included its Phonics publishing, which added a non-fiction strand. It outperformed on the trade side too, launching a new home-learning range with W H Smith.
Independent Publisher of the Year
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Despite a flat market and severe cost pressures, BookScan numbers show that many independent publishers thrived in the trade in 2023. This shortlist is a fine mix of three venerable publishers – Faber, Granta and Thames & Hudson – three dynamic newcomers – Boldwood, Joffe and Swift Press – and two that are somewhere in between: Oneworld and Profile. Regardless of age they are agile, entrepreneurial, ambitious and very proudly independent. This shortlist will also include the winner of the Small Press of the Year.
The Winner
Profile Books
Profile, the 2015 winner of this award, is back on top again after a year that ended with a stunning Christmas Number One in GT Karber's Murdle.
The book was a classic example of nimble independent publishing, plucked from relative obscurity, superbly packaged and creatively promoted, and it deepened the admiration for Profile among booksellers. "It was the ultimate publishing thunderbolt: a total masterclass deserving of every sale and superlative," said one. It lifted Profile's TCM sales in 2023 to a record £16. 7m and its highest ever spot in the publisher rankings.
There was much more besides. Ten titles reached the Sunday Times bestseller lists, with Mary Beard and Henry Dimbleby among the highest-profile authors, and there were 33 literary prize nominations. Crime imprint Viper continued to flourish, and more than half of its top 25 TCM selJers came from a rich backlist. Exports, digital and rights sales all rose sharply.
As well as its canny commissioning and resourceful marketing, Profile impressed with excellent care of its authors and team and an ability to squeeze every drop of potential out of every book. It made good progress on sustainability and diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives too. "Even if you take the Murdle phenomenon out of the equation, the growth is very impressive," the judges noted. "It's so solid across the board and capitalises brilliantly on opportunities when they arise."
In July 2023, founder Andrew Franklin stepped down from the day-to-day running of the company he set up 28 years ago, with Rebecca Gray becoming m.d. "His legacy is a brilliant publishing business that will continue to succeed," said the judges.
The Shortlist
Boldwood Books
Last year’s Small Press of the Year, Boldwood Books is small no longer. In just its fourth full year it sold £7m worth of books in a myriad of formats and topped the Kindle charts seven times. “Innovative, adaptive and leagues ahead of everyone else,” said one of several Boldwood authors to have sold more than a million units.
Faber
Faber, a three-time Independent Publisher of the Year, scored 7.7% growth in TCM sales in 2023. Barbara Kingsolver’s Women’s Prize winner Demon Copperhead was its top seller, while Claire Keegan stepped up a league and the backlist – one of the richest in publishing – thrived. Growth was even higher at the Faber-led Independent Alliance.
Granta
Granta is shortlisted for this award for the first time in 10 years, after a best-ever 12 months and a 26.2% leap in TCM sales. Eleanor Catton’s Birnam Wood was its biggest hit, Sandra Newman’s Julia received exceptional acclaim, and there was a hatful of prizes and shortlistings, including for Sarah Bernstein’s Study for Obedience at the Booker.
Joffe Books
Joffe Books is shortlisted for the fifth time in a row. After acquiring romance list Choc Lit and digital publisher Lume in 2023 it can claim to be the UK’s largest independent publisher by title count. Other massive numbers in 2023 included 3.5 million books sold in digital and print and more than one billion pages read on Kindle Unlimited.
Oneworld
Last year’s Independent Publisher of the Year scooped a remarkable third Booker Prize in just eight years with Paul Lynch’s Prophet Song. Its fiction list was again full of under-represented voices and debuts. YA list Rock the Boat was equally diverse, delivering Oneworld’s biggest seller of all for the second year in a row: Kathleen Glasgow’s Girl in Pieces.
Profile Books
Profile is back on this list after nine years away. It finished a superb 2023 with record TCM sales and the Christmas number one with G T Karber’s Murdle, from Imprint of the Year contender Souvenir Press. Crime list Viper was another imprint to thrive, and books by Mary Beard and Henry Dimbleby were among 10 to reach the Sunday Times lists.
Swift Press
Swift Press has only been around for three years, but it already feels like a fully fledged publisher. TCM sales nearly trebled in 2023 – the result of not just a single hit but success across the board – and it punched far above its weight in review coverage and award recognition. Talked-about books included Hannah Barnes’ Time to Think and Bret Easton Ellis’ The Shards.
Thames & Hudson
Art-book publisher Thames & Hudson celebrates its 75th birthday in 2024, still proudly under family ownership. The frontlist, children’s books, museum partnerships and crowdfunding projects all thrived, and there was a new imprint for giftable lifestyle and creativity books, Skittledog. T&H also made excellent progress on sustainability and diversity initiatives.
Imprint of the Year
Proudly sponsored by Clays
Publishing imprints may not matter much to consumers, but for editors, authors, agents and retailers they remain vital focal points and hallmarks of quality. They also come and go: while this year’s shortlist includes two imprints, Pan and Souvenir Press, that can trace their history back decades, four were born within the past five years. New or old, large or small, they are centres of excellence that published many of the biggest books of last year with passion.
Winner
Piatkus Fiction
Little, Brown
It's 17 years since the Little, Brown group acquired the Piatkus brand, and after steady growth it made 2023 the best one yet by nearly doubling its sales.
Rebecca Yarros' romantasy blockbusters were the turbochargers. Launched in May with a modest first print run of a few thousand, Yarros has rarely been out of the bestseller lists since and ended 2023 with more than a quarter of a million units sold.
But there was a lot more to Piatkus Fiction than Yarros. It got spectacular sales from Ana Huang, the year's third-biggest paperback fiction author. Lauren Asher was another standout. and Julia Quinn and Christina Lauren were among the established brands to deliver. Early-stage authors like Elsie Silver and Chloe Walsh kept the talent pipeline flowing.
The success was reward for Piatkus' long-term commitment to genres of fiction like romance, that are easily overlooked, and the move by sales and marketing teams to go bigger than ever before on campaigns. It also moved successfully into the subscription box and special edition spaces.
The imprint is much changed since it was set up by Judy Piatkus in her spare bedroom in the late 1970s. But one of her first authors, Nora Roberts, is still on the books, and it retains something of the original independent spirit. Its team is close-knit. its editors know their genres inside out and it swoops quickly for authors such as Yarros.
Unsurprisingly, authors and agents love the imprint. "It is hands-down one of the best UK publishers around. The growth my authors have seen is unparalleled and it's an absolute joy to work with the entire team," said one agent. "The numbers are remarkable - it's an absolute powerhouse," agreed the judges.
The Shortlist
Bookouture
Hachette
Bookouture is shortlisted for the third time in seven years, having racked up record sales in 2023. Freida McFadden’s Housemaid series was a top contributor, though there were many more big author brands. While e-books still dominate at this digital-led imprint, growth in print and audio was even sharper.
Cornerstone Press
Penguin Random House
Just two years in, Penguin Random House’s imprint has made a big splash in several areas of non-fiction. Chris van Tulleken’s Ultra-Processed People was among the most talked-about books of 2023 and Amy Edmondson’s Right Kind of Wrong was the FT Business Book of the Year.
Gallery Books
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster’s imprint, launched in 2021, really hit its stride last year. TCM sales leapt 50% after bestsellers from the unlikely trio of Britney Spears, Patrick Stewart and Bob Mortimer, plus Tori Tsui and Joe Gibson. By scheduling just 10 new books a year, it shows less is sometimes more.
HarperNorth
HarperCollins
HarperNorth is another new arrival, and part of big publishers’ efforts to look beyond London. It had number ones from Sophie McCartney and Scott Mariani, while e-book and audio sales more than doubled. “HarperNorth instils a belief and confidence in writers who can’t always see themselves in what has come before,” said one author.
HQ
HarperCollins
HarperCollins’ HQ is shortlisted for the second year in a row, after growing TCM sales by 16%. It took 19 books into the Sunday Times lists, including debuts from Millie Bobby Brown and Georgina Moore as well as big brands including Joe Wicks. Inclusivity and reaching new readers were at the heart of the strategy.
Monoray
Octopus
Hachette’s non-fiction imprint, set up by Jake Lingwood five years ago, doubled its TCM earnings in 2023. Bernie Taupin’s Scattershot was the best performer in the small but powerful frontlist, and social justice was a theme of the year. “This young imprint demonstrates enormous flair and confidence,” said one agent.
Pan
Pan Macmillan
Pan has been a paperback powerhouse for 80 years, and remains one of the widest-ranging commercial imprints around. TCM sales rose 7% to £18.3m, with David Baldacci, Ann Cleeves, Lucinda Riley and Peter James among the big fiction brands to deliver. Pan also rejuvenated many parts of its mighty backlist.
Piatkus Fiction
Little, Brown Book Group
The Piatkus brand has grown steadily but surely since Little, Brown acquired it in 2007, and it had its best year by far in 2023. Rebecca Yarros’ romantasy blockbusters led the way but there were big numbers from authors across the spectrum of commercial fiction, not least Ana Huang and Lauren Asher.
Souvenir Press
Profile Books
Five years after acquiring Souvenir Press’ eclectic bag of nearly 1,000 titles, Profile Books has polished up the backlist gems and established a fresh frontlist identity. It struck gold with G T Karber’s Murdle, which scooped the Christmas number one on its way to TCM sales of more than 300,000 copies.
Publisher of the Year
Proudly sponsored by International Literary Properties (ILP)
Falling volumes and rising costs made it a tough year in trade publishing—but not for the 10 contenders for Publisher of the Year. They all achieved excellent year-on-year growth through outstanding publishing and marketing and success from across the backlist as well as new releases, and from e-books and audio as well as print. They also made good progress on diversifying publishing’s output. The shortlist includes two divisions from Penguin Random House, two from Hachette and two independents.
Winner
Ebury
It's rare to have a non-fiction-only Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards - but Ebury had an exceptional 12 months by any standards.
Headline numbers for 2023 included TCM sales of £50.8m, up by 22% year on year. Ebury books earned six pence in every pound spent on non-fiction and chalked up 264 weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller lists-over a third more than its haul in 2022.
The publisher's undisputed champion was Nathan Anthony, whose Bored of Lunch books generated net sales of more than a million copies thanks to masterful marketing. Steven Bartlett was another star and contributed to a record year for audio, where sales jumped by nearly 50%.
The stellar results are the culmination of a fiveyear overhaul of Ebury under managing director Joel Rickett and publisher Andrew Goodfellow that has created five autonomous hubs led by areas of publishing-lifestyle, entertainment, food, self and smart-rather than imprints or departments. It has also moved from a push to pull model of publishing with a "permanent frontlist" mentality and an open, can-do and no-blame culture.
Other evolutions include more diverse output to reach new audiences-as seen in Anisa Karolia's The Ramadan Cookbook - and a sharper focus on non-traditional retail channels and live events. There has been a substantial reduction of the carbon footprint through mindful print and production, more efficient distribution and fewer returns. Care of authors and the team is the best it's ever been; "Working with Ebury has been an education and a joy," said one writer. "What Ebury achieved in 2023 is so impressive," added the judges. "It's an exceptionally strong team that's doing a fantastic job with a lot of passion and pride."
The Shortlist
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury’s consumer division is shortlisted for the sixth time in seven years, after its best 12 months in the TCM since the Harry Potter heyday. J K Rowling remained the third biggest selling author but its range is far wider now—from new children’s stars such as Katherine Rundell to fiction with Sarah J Maas to non-fiction with Peter Frankopan.
Ebury
Another stellar year for PRH’s Ebury division was led by Nathan Anthony, who had two Bored of Lunch books in the year’s top 10 with sales of nearly 800,000. Beyond that, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Bartlett and Charlie Mackesy were among an eclectic but massively successful range of bestsellers.
Faber
Faber is nearing its 100th birthday in better shape than ever. TCM sales were up 7.3%—thanks not just to Barbara Kingsolver’s Women’s Prize winner Demon Copperhead, Claire Keegan and Sally Rooney but to its rich backlist. Faber gave other indies a top year too, leading the Independent Alliance to double-digit growth.
HarperCollins
HarperCollins had its best TCM sales for 15 years. Children’s books stood out, led as usual by David Walliams, though Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder topped even him. On the adult side The Borough Press flourished with Rebecca Kuang. HarperVoyager, reigning Imprint of the Year, thrived again and there were several new lists.
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder’s revival accelerated in 2023, with 42 Sunday Times bestsellers and three new imprints: Hodder Press, HodderScape and Hodder Catalyst. It gave Stephen King his first market top spot in 20 years and rights and audio sales both rose sharply. “It’s a publisher at the top of its game,” said one agent.
Little, Brown Book Group
Hachette’s group scored double-digit TCM growth for the second year in a row. It has ridden the TikTok wave better than anyone with the likes of Colleen Hoover, Ana Huang and Rebecca Yarros, and there were 33 Sunday Times bestsellers in all. The famous Virago list turned 50, while international sales rocketed.
Pan Macmillan
Pan Macmillan was another publisher with TCM-beating growth. Fiction did best, through the late Lucinda Riley and big brands including Danielle Steel and David Baldacci. Non-fiction was again led by Pinch of Nom, plus the acquisition of Harriman House. Julia Donaldson was the UK’s top-selling author for the umpteenth year.
Profile Books
Profile scooped the Christmas number one with G T Karber’s Murdle, fuelling 37.5% growth in the TCM. Hits from Robert Greene and Mary Beard showed how well it does more serious non-fiction too, and crime list Viper flourished. It meant founder Andrew Franklin bowed out from the day-to-day running of Profile at the very top.
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster is chasing a third successive Publisher of the Year Award. Its TCM sales slipped a little in 2023 but it was a phenomenal year by any other standard. S&S had six of the year’s 20 bestselling books and invested smartly in diversity and sustainability projects as well as its staff and list.
Transworld
Transworld’s Larry Finlay was another publishing great with a fine swansong. The division is here for the first time since 2017 after TCM sales soared by nearly half. Prince Harry’s Spare was the year’s biggest book by a street and Bonnie Garmus’ Lessons in Chemistry and Lee and Andrew Child’s No Plan B shared nine weeks as paperback fiction number one.
Top Tips for Independent Bookshops
Your Guide to Winning The British Book Award for Independent Bookshop of the Year: Success Guaranteed.
From The Bookseller’s managing editor Tom Tivnan.
OK, that title was a trifle clickbaity. The tips and tricks below might not guarantee you will win this year’s Gardners-backed Nibbie for Independent Bookshop of the Year. But this is how the judging works, what judges are looking for and tips on what to include, to help make your submissions sing.
1. It’s a two-tiered submission process…
Indie bookshops do not have, say, an entire marketing department on hand to prepare Nibbies submissions so we make decisions in the first round on slightly truncated submissions, then we ask you to go deeper for the second round. Both submissions count. Our judges see both.
2. Introduce yourself in phase 1
Now, though it is a first round, you still have to make your case. Why are you (at this stage) worthy of being shortlisted for your region? Tell us your story succinctly but compellingly. Even at stage one, give us some financials. It does not have to be much, but an indication of year-on-year growth in all its forms is definitely important. We do take in context, by the way, such as fuller market conditions, and what is happening in your particular area.
3. …and go deep in phase 2
In your next entries, tell us more about you and your shop. Go granular with the figures and outline your story a bit more: how do you fit in with the rest of your high street, what role do you play in your wider community, are there any initiatives or bookselling practices you’re particularly proud of? Share more images as well (more of that below). The things we are looking for are itemised in the Independent Bookshop of the Year criteria.
4. Format your entry attractively
We are not necessarily looking for slick, whiz-bang entries, but at the regional shortlisting stage, we are sifting through hundreds of entries and it helps immeasurably if your entry catches the eye. A 1,500 words entry with a solid block of text and only two paragraph indents is, on a practical level, difficult to absorb. Use bolds, clearly separate sections, bullet points…think of the entry as one long bit of copy that you would write to, say, advertise an event.
5. Don’t hide your light under a bushel
You are entering this award because you thought, ‘You know what, we aren’t not only the best in this region, but I think we just might be the best dang indie bookshop in the whole of the UK and Ireland.’ Don’t hold back in telling us why! Every year, we encounter a few entries which we know are from brilliant shops but their greatness isn’t really isn’t demonstrated by what’s in the entries.
6. Images really do matter
If you get through to the second phase, please give us at the minimum a few pics that can demonstrate how brilliant your premises are, inside and outside. But other images help, too: events, happy customers bustling about, school visits, your staff… Our judges may be au fait with the book trade, but will be going almost exclusively on what you provide in your entry. Make yourself look brilliant.
7. People matter, too
I mean people in the sense of your local community: your customers, of course, but the other shops on your high street, schools, institutions, local government, etc. What is your role with them, why are you essential to your area? But I also mean it with your team. We want to hear about them. Why are these people great booksellers, how do they fit into your success, and how do you work together to reach readers? And talk about you, too (especially if you are all the people on your team).
8. And remember...
There are thousands of indie bookshops across the UK and Ireland, hundreds of which put themselves forward for this award. Only one, obviously, can win the overall gong. Judging the Indie Bookshop of The Year Award is a joy, but it’s agonising, too, in that we end up by the very nature of the process in having to say no to some really brilliant shops. If you submitted before and weren’t successful, or if you feel daunted by entering for the first time, I completely understand. But we are listening, we appreciate you taking the time and thank you for telling us your story.
Small Press of the Year
Regional and Country Winners
Sponsored by CPI Books
From art-books and children’s titles to the first publisher of dyslexic-friendly fiction for adults, ten small presses across the UK and Ireland were honoured today as regional and country winners for The British Book Awards 2024 Small Press of the Year, with a record six further companies highly commended.
Selected by the judges from 55 finalists announced last month, the award, which is sponsored by CPI Books, celebrates the independent presses delivering imaginative, forward-looking and diverse publishing.
The Winner
Magic Cat Publishing
From a dynamic shortlist of 10 winners from the regional and country rounds of this award, it is children's specialist Magic Cat Publishing that emerges as the champion of champions. On its current trajectory, it won't be eligible for this category for much longer.
Founders Rachel Williams and Jenny Broom (pictured) built children's lists for Templar and Quarto before starting their own, and in just four years they have established a press that is full of personality and purpose. It has grown turnover by £1m a year in that time, trebled its front list output and swelled into a team of 23 people-and its first ever title, Slow Down, has now sold more than a million copies.
Magic Cat had a fine year in domestic trade channels, and Waterstones in particular. thanks to books including Natalie Crowley, Elaine Batiste and Chris Duriez's Handbook of Forgotten Skills and Amy Adele's The Christmas Songbook. But this is already a properly global business, and sales in the US-where it publishes as an imprint of Abrams-already rival those in the UK.
As with many new small presses, the two urgent issues of diversity and sustainability have been at Magic Cat's core since the start. A third of last year's front list had an author or illustrator from an ethnic minority background and there have been concerted efforts to make print and production greener. Support for staff wellbeing, apprentices and charities show this is a business that is interested in much more than the bottom line.
"Magic Cat already looks like a fully-fledged independent publishing group," said the judges. "It's a really lively business that is looking after its people and working hard across the board ... there is so much to admire."
Winners
Scorpius Books
East England
The East England winner, launched in the pandemic, is creating an excellent reputation in dyslexia-friendly publishing. Beyond picking up rights for special editions and making them available to dyslexic readers, it’s doing a lot to raise awareness of this learning difficulty through social media and collaborations.
Banshee Press
Island of Ireland
The Island of Ireland winner is one of the smallest of small presses, with a literary journal and a few new books a year. But its founding team of authors have built a reputation for talent spotting and critically acclaimed output, bringing new voices into Irish culture.
Elliott & Thompson
London
Joint London winner Elliott & Thompson publish original and bestselling non-fiction and carefully selected fiction, producing beautiful books that inform, inspire and bring enjoyment to a wide range of readers. Its books include the No. 1 Sunday Times bestsellers Prisoners of Geography, The Power of Geography and The Future of Geography by Tim Marshall, Julia Boyd’s top three Sunday Times bestseller Travellers in the Third Reich and A Village in the Third Reich.
Magic Cat Publishing
London
Joint London winner Magic Cat is an award-winning independent children’s books and stories company based in Bethnal Green. Established in July 2019, they believe that that magic happens when families spend time around a book. This magic attitude is paying off, with the press on target to exceed £5million in 2024.
3dtotal Publishing
Midlands
Worcester-based 3dtotal is the Midlands winner. Its books for artists, illustrators and animators are exceptionally well made and marketed, and it’s a truly philanthropic publisher, donating half of all profits—more than £1m in the last two years—to environmental and humanitarian causes.
Fly on the Wall Press
North England
Manchester-based Fly on the Wall, the North England winner grew sales of its fiction, poetry and anthologies by a third in 2023. Its endlessly energetic founder Isabelle Kenyon achieved excellent media coverage for its bold publishing and put on around 30 events, including the popular Northern Publishers’ Fair.
404 Ink
Scotland
404 Ink, the Scotland winner, has an impressive quality of output for a two-person operation. Its Inklings series of short books, supported by Kickstarter campaigns and public funding, is at the heart, and commissioning is bold and diverse.
David Fickling Books
South-East England
David Fickling’s eponymous children’s publisher is the South East England winner for a second successive year. Its TCM sales rocketed 73% last year—powered largely by Jamie Smart’s Bunny vs Monkey comic book series, but also by SF Said and Gill Lewis.
Peirene Press
South-West England
South West England winner Peirene Press is one of several indies raising the profile of literary translations in the UK. After relaunching under Stella Sabin and James Tookey, Peirene has doubled its frontlist and trebled its bookshop sales. Its subscription service is thriving and it won the prestigious Dublin Literary Award with Katja Oskamp.
Firefly Press
Wales
Firefly Press is the Wales winner for the fourth time in five years. The Carnegie Medal for Manon Steffan Ros’ translated Blue Book of Nebo was the highlight of its tenth anniversary year, and reward for Firefly’s investment in Welsh-language publishing.
Highly Commended
Finalists
East England
Island of Ireland
London
Midlands
North England
Scotland
South-East England
South-West England
Wales
Independent Bookshop of the Year
Regional and Country Winners
Proudly sponsored by Gardners
From bookshops established over 45 years ago, to sellers who set up shop during the pandemic, independent bookshops from across the UK and Ireland are continuing to thrive as they serve their communities first.
Selected by the judges from 77 finalists announced last month, the nine regional and country winners are now in contention for the overall Independent Bookshop of the Year Award, announced at The British Book Awards ceremony at Grosvenor House London on Monday 13th May 2024. The overall Independent Bookshop of the Year winner will also compete to be crowned Book Retailer of the Year.
Gardners are sponsoring the Independent Bookshop of the Year Award for the 15th Year. The winner of this award for 2024 will win a £5,000 cash prize to be spent on their bookshop. The cheque will be presented at the Gardners Trade Show in 2024.
Winner
Book-ish
Each of the nine superb shops on this shortlist is already a winner in its own right in the regional and country rounds of this award. From this inspiring selection, it is Book-ish in Crickhowell, the Wales winner, that takes the flagship title-for the second time in its 14-year history - and the £5,000 from sponsor Gardners that goes with it.
The bookshop's numbers - four straight years of sales growth, 12 subscription schemes, 36 school events, 14 book fairs, 4,700 newsletter subscribers, 27,000 X followers are impressive by any standards. But it is the energetic team, under owner Emma Corfield-Walters, that impresses the most, organising big events, popular book clubs, writing and hobby groups and much more. They are outstanding handsellers, with creative ideas for selling more books in 2023 including "Blind Date with a Book" packages and book advent calendars.
Book-ish also knows the power of partnerships, in its community and beyond. Last year saw it sell books for various music, food and Pride festivals, work with schools to curate libraries and events, and team up with publishers, including Welsh Small Press of the Year, Firefly, for Independent Bookshop Week. It even found the time to open a second bookshop in the nearby town of Abergavenny in May, after a crowdfunding campaign that showed the strength of local support for the business.
As one publisher put it: "Emma and her brilliant team are unstoppable-a shining example of the very best of UK bookselling." The British Book Awards judges agreed. "Book-ish is just so good at everything it does ... it knows the needs of its customers inside out and so much passion goes into every part of the business."
Winners
Kett's Books
East England
Kett’s Books in Wymondham near Norwich is the East England winner. Last summer it moved from a small, tucked-away shop to a three-floor building on the high street, raising funds from its loyal Friends group and refurbishing with the help of an army of volunteers—many of whom continue to work there.
The Secret Bookshelf
Island of Ireland
The Secret Bookshelf in Carrickfergus is the first shop in Northern Ireland to win the Island of Ireland category. Four years after opening it has expanded into new space and pulls people in from miles around. It’s an excellent supporter of schools and charitable initiatives, and gives free books to local families for newborns.
Brick Lane Bookshop
London
London winner Brick Lane Bookshop has been part of the East End for 46 years and had its best sales yet in 2023. It shows the huge value of bookshops in building communities, and new initiatives included a Young Readers’ Fund for free books to children and local history tours called ‘Sunday Strolls’.
The Poetry Pharmacy
Midlands
The Midlands winner, based in the Shropshire town of Bishop’s Castle, bills itself as the world’s first pharmacy prescribing poems to the public. It put on more than 100 events in 2023 including open mic nights and bibliotherapy sessions, launched collaborations with lifestyle brands like Lush, and ran a three-month pop-up in Soho.
Wave of Nostalgia
North England
The North England winner is a tiny shop in a village—Haworth in Yorkshire—that has several other places to buy books. Yet it grew sales by a quarter in 2023, through outstanding booksellers and range selection, attractive displays and big author events. Social media helped online sales soar. “Best bookshop ever,” said one customer.
The Book Nook
Scotland
The Book Nook in Stewarton is the Scotland winner. Its third year, and first in a relocated space, saw it move activity up a gear, with book clubs for adults and children and a Mini Book Festival, while valuable outreach included a Book Nook Book Bank of donations and workshops for children in care.
Pigeon Books
South-East England
The South East England winner began life as a pop-up at markets and festivals in Southsea to see if there was demand for an independent bookshop—and it turns out there was. Founder Phil Davies runs Pigeon Books single-handed, supporting literacy projects and LGBTQ+ groups as well as selling books.
FOLDE Dorset
South-West England
Three year-old FOLDE, a nature-focused specialist bookshop in the Dorset town of Shaftesbury, is the South West England winner. It knows its niche inside out, championing diverse outdoor and environmental authors with beautiful displays, events and pop-ups. As might be expected, it has a sharp focus on sustainability.
Book-ish
Wales
Book-ish in Crickhowell is the Wales winner for the fifth time in nine years. Sales grew again thanks to creative bookselling, a remarkable array of in-store, festival and school events, reading groups and a good online offer. It also opened a second shop in nearby Abergavenny after a successful crowdfunder.
Finalists
East England
Island of Ireland
London
Midlands
North England
Scotland
South-East England
South-West England
Wales
British Book Awards Winners 2018 - 2023
Check out previous winners of The British Book Awards from 2018 to 2023
Book of the Year Winners
With 72 titles across 12 categories, this year’s winners and shortlists are proof that publishing, writing and illustration all remain in excellent health.
Winner
Overall Book of the Year
Winner
Author of the Year
Winner
Illustrator of the Year
Winner
Fiction
Winner
Pageturner
Winner
Crime & Thriller
Winner
Début Fiction
Winner
Non-Fiction: Narrative
Winner
Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated
Winner
Discover
Winner
Children's Non-Fiction
Winner
Children's Illustrated
Winner
Children's Fiction
Winner
Audiobook: Non-Fiction
Winner
Audiobook: Fiction
Editor of the Year
Proudly sponsored by YMU
The glowing testimonials of authors on the submissions to this award show the enormous value that editors bring to books. These nine talented individuals – six of whom are shortlisted for the first time – were behind the most successful and talked-about titles of 2023, from celebrity blockbusters and TikTok discoveries to Booker winners and acclaimed debuts. Publishing colleagues, agents and booksellers as well as authors have a lot to be grateful to them for.
The Winner
Kishani Widyaratna
Fourth Estate
Fourth Estate's publishing director Kishani Widyaratna is one of literary publishing's most respected editors. and in 2023 she brought her 40-year-old imprint bang up to date with some stunning. zeitgeist-capturing publishing.
Her unerring eye for fresh literary talent was plain to see throughout the year. Yomi Adegoke's The List, Monica Heisey's Really Good, Actually and Jonathan Escoffery's Booker-shortlisted If I Survive You were just three of the debuts that pulled off the combination of critical acclaim and commercial success that can be hard to achieve with first-timers.
They were the result of outstanding author empathy and patient, old-school editorial skills, fused with very modern literary sensibilities. Beyond the hard graft of editing, Widyaratna has been a smart player at competitive auctions and a tireless in-house champion of her books, one who gets the full might of the HarperCollins' sales, marketing and publicity machines behind her books.
Authors' testimonials-especially from those just starting out in publishing-show the widespread admiration for Widyaratna. "She's the very definition of a publishing powerhouse ... what I experienced with her as an editor is what any debut novelist dreams of," said one grateful writer. "Kish is generous, supportive and attentive ... publishing is lucky to have her," added another.
Agents value her care too, and know that their clients will be in safe hands. "If I were a writer, I'd want to be published by Kish. Her commitment to her authors and their books is total." said one. The British Book Awards judges were equally impressed. "What she's done in a short space at time at Fourth Estate is remarkable ... the passion for publishing and her authors shines through," they said.
The Shortlist
Molly Crawford
Simon & Schuster
Molly Crawford is shortlisted for the second time in a row, after a year in which she was promoted to editorial director at Simon & Schuster in recognition of her work on Colleen Hoover. Her last acquisition of 2022, Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker, became one of 2023’s biggest hits, and retailers will be eager to know what she spots on TikTok next.
Ellen Gleeson
Bookouture
Ellen Gleeson went from publishing assistant to director within six years at Bookouture and delivered a quarter of all its sales in 2023. Many came from Freida McFadden’s Housemaid series and there were more hits across the crime, thriller and romance genres. She’s also performed good work as leader of Bookouture’s diversity and inclusion team.
Manpreet Grewal
HarperCollins/HQ
HQ’s rising star Manpreet Grewal led a rebrand of Sarah Morgan that paid off with a paperback fiction number one in 2023. She also took Robert Thorogood’s Marlow Murder Club series to new heights and diversified HQ’s output. “She’s creative, strategic, ambitious and tireless in her efforts to grow sales,” said one author.
Emma Grundy Haigh
Joffe Books
Editorial director Emma Grundy Haigh was at the heart of an exceptional year for Joffe Books. She took on romance imprint Choc Lit after it was acquired in early 2023, reassuring authors, revitalising marketing and multiplying sales. She also found time to edit elsewhere at Joffe and run its Books Prize.
Ellen Holgate
Bloomsbury Children's Books
Ellen Holgate flies the flag for children’s books editors on the shortlist. Bloomsbury’s associate publisher was the force behind Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures, and her authors revere her collaborative editing, quiet determination and loyalty. One said: “Her mind fizzes and her perspicacity is joyful… Ellen is gold dust.”
Ciara Lloyd
Blnk and John Blake/Bonnier Books UK
Ciara Lloyd, publishing director at Blink and John Blake, has made the tricky work of celebrity editing look easy. She published Bonnier’s biggest earner of 2023, Boy George’s Karma, and has breathed new life into Blake’s list. “She’s unflappable, with a keen eye for books people love to read,” said one agent.
Juliet Mabey
Oneworld Publications
Juliet Mabey was Editor of the Year in 2017 after her authors won the Booker Prize two years in a row, and she completed a remarkable hat-trick in 2023 with Paul Lynch’s Prophet Song. Oneworld had a best-ever year of sales – a deserved reward for some of the boldest and most diverse commissioning around.
Bill Scott-Kerr
Transworld
During 30 years at Transworld, publisher Bill Scott-Kerr has been behind many of the UK’s biggest blockbusters – but not even he has had a project quite like Prince Harry’s Spare. There was much more besides, from his longstanding as well as new authors, and all told his books earned a phenomenal £12.5m in the TCM.
Kishani Widyaratna
4th Estate
Kishani Widyaratna justified her promotion to 4th Estate publishing director with a stunning year. Hits from Yomi Adegoke, Monica Heisey and Jonathan Escoffery were just some of the results of her unerring eye for talent. “Kish is generous, supportive and attentive… publishing is lucky to have her,” said one grateful author.
Book Trade Awards Winners
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Small Press of the Year
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Independent Bookshop of the Year
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Children's Publisher of the Year
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Children's Bookseller of the Year
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Marketing Strategy of the Year
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Book Retailer of the Year
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Publicity Campaign of the Year
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Editor of the Year
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Individual Bookseller of the Year
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Literary Agent of the Year
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Designer of the Year
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The British Book Awards for Export
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Academic, Educational & Professional Publisher of the Year
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Rights Professional of the Year
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Imprint of the Year
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Independent Publisher of the Year
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Publisher of the Year
The British Book Award for Export
Proudly sponsored by Woodland Group
Publishers Association data shows international sales growth has comfortably outpaced domestic in recent years. And with TCM volumes dropping in 2023, export teams became even more important contributors to their publishers’ bottom lines. These seven overcame the lingering effects of Covid and Brexit, and relentless cost pressures across production and shipping, to deliver exceptional numbers. Also notable was its recognition of the carbon footprint of exports and efforts to cut it by reducing book miles, packaging and air travel.
Winner
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury's exports team win this award for the second time in four years, after a superb year of growth in open markets around the world.
It was powered by big-brand authors such as Sarah J Maas (pictured), T C Boyle and, as ever. J K Rowling. But there was impressive strength in depth as well, with 26 titles selling more than 30,000 copies and revived interest in dozens of backlist books. Samantha Shannon's A Day of Fallen Night stood out in adult fiction, and other assets were in the K-Lit genre, including with Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum and Baek Sehee's I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki. the top non-fiction title.
Western and southern Europe, Scandinavia and South Africa were among Bloomsbury's best performers, while audio and e-book formats both excelled. Beyond direct exports, there was excellent collaboration with international colleagues in Bloomsbury's Australia, India and USA divisions. Distribution clients. meanwhile, benefited from double-digit sales growth.
Bloomsbury also impressed with its approach to sustainability. Acknowledging the substantial carbon footprint of international sales, it committed to initiatives including more local drop shipments, travelling by train rather than air to book fairs and sales trips, and extending the Covid-era switch from face-to-face meetings to virtual ones.
Testimonials attest to Bloomsbury's great support of its partners around the world, including via tailored promotions and a can-do attitude to fixing any supply and logistical issues. "Bloomsbury sets the export standard ... The team is dynamic, enthusiastic, passionate and well-read," said one. "The export numbers are impressive. They are hard-working, creative. and don't leave any stone unturned," agreed the judges.
The Shortlist
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury has achieved export sales growth for four years in a row, and audio and e-book numbers were particularly impressive in 2023. It built big global brands such as Sarah J Maas and T C Boyle, took a creative approach to individual countries and increased sales for its distribution clients as well. “Bloomsbury’s team is dynamic, enthusiastic, passionate and well-read,” said one of many satisfied partners.
Bonnier Books UK
Shortlisted here four times before, Bonnier had another record-breaking year. Its small team added yet more countries and accounts to its exports list and generated a fifth of Bonnier’s trade sales. Holly Black was again the star of the list, backed up by several children’s hits and evergreen brands such as Wilber Smith and Lynda La Plante. Eastern Europe was a hotspot.
Faber
Sally Rooney and Claire Keegan were among the authors delivering around the world for Faber. Nimble publishing of the screenplays of “Barbie”, “Oppenheimer” and “Succession” gave it a record year in the US and there was good growth across Europe. Beyond its own books, Faber increased exports for every publisher in its Independent Alliance.
Hachette
Hachette was yet another publisher with a record-breaking year in international sales. Ana Huang and Rebecca Yarros were among many stars, and the size of its team means it reaches countries that few other publishers can. But Hachette also impresses with the details of its exports, with campaigns tailored to retail partners, territories and authors.
HarperCollins UK (Trade)
Last year’s British Book Award for Export winner excelled again – especially in Europe, where sales have doubled in just three years. Print revenue was also up in the challenging US market, while 4th Estate and Farshore were the top performers divisions-wise. Sales for Colleen Hoover, Holly Jackson and R F Kuang all thundered on.
Pan Macmillan
Pan Macmillan has been shortlisted in all six editions of this award and its dynamic export team achieved yet more double-digit growth in 2023. Eight author brands earned more than £1m and the US, Germany and India were standout territories. But as ever with Pan Mac there was strength in depth across the backlist, plus an upswing in audio.
Simon & Schuster
The Publisher of the Year in both 2022 and 2023 has been at least as strong internationally as domestically lately. It made up for an inevitable dip in Colleen Hoover’s sales with two huge non-fiction hits: Britney Spears’ autobiography and Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk. The top export title of all was BookTokker Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker.
Winners
The Book of the Year and Book Trade winners for the 2024 British Book Awards - aka ’The Nibbies’